Cat Chat Feline Forum

Our 14 year old sweetheart Naomi has a hunger/feeding issue. She is constantly hungry, we have to feed her every 3 hours. She wants to eat even more often, but sometimes throws up. Despite this, she has lost considerable weight.

We took her to our usual vet for this issue. The vet did physical exam, then did a blood test. Specific info about the testing done on her (according to the paperwork) is: "Chem(24) CBC Thyroid UA - US Guided Cystocentesis". But they found no problems.

The vet then suggested bringing her to a better facility that could do an ultrasound. We have not done this yet.

My questions: Does this sound right? Is/are there any other test(s) that could be done prior to an ultrasound? Also, how expensive is an ultrasound for a cat?

Hyperthyroidism is the first idea that comes to mind with ravenous hunger plus dramatic weight loss, did you simply get "all fine" or did you actually get any numbers with things like T4 ?

My guess if HT is ruled out and they want a scan is to rule out any tumours, they can be hungry. As for price, that's something you need to discuss with the vet, it all depends what they are looking for, where you are and how much the specialist or vet charges.

They initially told us results were normal. I decided to go back & ask for a full copy of the results. From what I see, her T-4 is 1.5, and reference range is .8 - 4.
I scanned the full results but I dont see a way to upload them here. Is it possible to do?
Are there any other test results I should be looking at?
Thanks!

Well 1.5 is definitely in the normal range, but I don't think so, I think you have to type it all up. I mean, that's not borderline, it's square in the normal.

Does the vet have any other ideas?

I would assume that Glucose levels were checked, constant eating, especially if drinking lots, and weight loss can be a sign of diabetes, but it is easy to pick up with a blood test so i would have doubted that.

This is the entire report. I hope I made no typo errors. I am also attempting to highlight (in bold & underlined) the specific readings that were in bold (signifying out of range) on the printed report. In case they dont show, the out of range readings are from: CPK, Monocytes, Protein, Blood & RBC.

I'm also concerned about the Renal Tech Prediction at the end of the report. They didnt mention any such issue(s) when they told me the results of the test (before I asked for this written report).

I thank you all again for your opinions.



Test | Results | Ref range | Unit

Superchem:
Total protein 6.7 | 5.2-8.8 g/dL
Albumin 3.5 | 2.5-3.9 g/dL
Globulin 3.2 | 2.3-5.3 g/dL
A/G ratio 1.1 | .35-1.5
AST (SGOT) 17 | 10-100 IU/L
ALT (SGPT) 37 | 10-100 IU/L
Alk phosphatase 24 | 6-102 IU/L
GGTP 1 | 1-10 IU/L
Total bilirubin .1 | .1-.4 mg/dL
Urea nitrogen 32 | 14-36 mg/dL
Creatinine 1.5 | .6-2.4 mg/dL
BUN/Creatinine ratio 21 | 4-33
Phosphorus 3.4 | 2.4-8.2 mg/dL
Glucose 84 | 64-170 mg/dL
Calcium 9.0 | 8.2-10.8 mg/dL
Magnesium 2.0 | 1.5-2.5 mg/dL
Sodium 155 | 145-158 mg/dL
Potassium 4.8 | 3.4-5.6 mg/dL
NA/K ratio 32 | 32-41
Chloride 120 | 104-128 mg/dL
Cholesterol 121 | 75-220 mg/dL
Triglycerides 48 | 25-160 mg/dL
Amylase 804 | 100-1200 IU/L
PrecisionPSL 16 | 8-26 IU/L
Acute pancreatis is unlikely. Chronic Pancreatis is not excluded by a normal PrecisionPSL
CPK 50 | 56-529 IU/L

Complete Blood Count:
WBC 8.7 | 3.5-16 10^3/uL
RBC 7.6 | 5.92-9.93 10^2/uL
Hemoglobin 12.2 | 9.3-15.9 g/uL
HCT 42 | 29-48 %
MCV 55 | 37-61 fL
MCH 16.1 | 11-21 pg
MCHC 30 | 30-38 g/uL
Platlet count 258 | 200-500 10^3/uL
Platelet EST Adequate
Neutrophils 71 | 35-75 %
Bands 0 | 0-3 %
Lymphocytes 21 | 20-45 %
Monocytes 5 | 1-4 %
Eosinophils 3 | 2-12 %
Basophils 0 | 0-1 %
Absolute Neutrophils 6177 | 2500-8500 /uL
Absolute Lymphocytes 1827 | 1200-8000 /uL
Absolute Monocytes 435 | 0-600 /uL
Absolute Eosinophils 261 | 0-1000 /uL
Absolute Basophils 0 | 0-150 /uL

T4 1.5 | .8-4 ug/dL

Urinalysis-Complete
Collection method Cystocentesis
Color Dark Yellow
Appearance Cloudy
Specific Gravity 1.038 | 1.015-1.06
pH 6.0 | 5.5-7
Protein TRACE | Negative

Microalbuminuria testing is recommended (if sediment is inactive) to help
determine the clinical significance of proteinuria

Glucose Negative Negative
Ketone Negative Negative
Bilirubin Negative Negative
Blood 3+ | Negative
WBC 2-3 | 0-3
RBC 21-50 | 0-3
Casts None seen | Hyaline 0-3
Crystals None seen
Bacteria None seen None seen
Squamous Epithelia 0-1 | 0-3


Renal Tech Prediction POSITIVE

This patient's Renal Tech status indicates that it will develop chronic
kidney disease within the next 24 months with greater than 95% accuracy.

Suggested Follow-Up:
Within the next 3 months, and every 3-6 months thereafter, perform a
complete evaluation of kidney function to evaluate the patient's
progression toward developing chronic kidney disease. It is
recommended that a minimum database including a chemistry panel,
CBC, and urinalysis are performed.

Additional diagnostic testing and imaging should also be considered to
investigate for comorbidites and underlying conditions that may
contribute to the development of chronic kidney disease, including
hyperthyroidism, diabetes melitius, cardiomyopathy, and systemic
hypertension.

The International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) has guidelines for the
diagnosis, staging, and treatment of chronic kidney disease.

end of report