Unexplained weight loss

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jenny1234
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Unexplained weight loss

Post by jenny1234 »

Looking for any advice regarding unexplained weight loss. Holly is an approx 13yr old rescue black british shorthair female I've had for 4 1/2 yrs. She was 4.5kg when re homed but seemed to have food allergies so early on vet advised low allergy food which she enjoyed and seemed happy with (wet and dry). She was stable at 4.2kg for a long while and vet was happy with her weight as we found out she had hip displasia and dodgy kneecaps. She's been on loxicom long term to manage any joint discomfort. Approx 1 yr ago her weight started to drop, her geriatric blood tests came back clear (liver, kidney thyroid) so vet thought she might be fed up with same diet. I've switched to feeding her whiskas, Sheba, nature's menu and high quality dry food (available all the time). Her appetite is really good, she seems very happy, normal activity and does not appear in pain. No vomiting and toilets ok as far as I know! she is eating 3 pouches a day but she is now only 3.2kg and getting skinny. Last week, she had bloods repeated (liver, kidney, thyroid, cardiac and standard blood chemistry) an X-ray, urine test and everything is normal. The vet seems to be at a bit of a loss as to what might be going on. The vet is speaking to a referral centre this week, I'm nervous that they are going to suggest lots of expensive invasive tests . I've spent £500 and still no idea what is wrong. Does anyone have any advice to offer or know of any conditions that fit similar symptoms???? Any high calorie diets I could try in the meantime?
alanc
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

Post by alanc »

When my Honey started losing weight I was advised to feed her kitten food as it was easier to digest and had more calories per gram. Not sure what might be Holly's problem though, as she is still eating well. Honey had lymphoma and it caused her to loose appetite. Sorry I can't be any more help than that.
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Crewella
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

Post by Crewella »

Older cats do have a tendency to lose some weight and muscle mass, but she's not exactly geriatric at 13. Not sure if this helps, but I've had a couple of older cats with gut problems and malabsorbtion issues. One in particular came in as an elderly stray on his last legs, but in spite of the fact that he ate for England I found it really hard to get him to put weight on, and he produced horrrible, fatty, stinky poos that seemed to prove the point that he was unable to process the food properly and gain proper nutrition from it. As the cat was funded by the rescue, my eminently sensible vet suggested putting him on to a prescription gastro-intestinal diet to see if that helped, rather than running a battery of expensive tests first, and indeed it worked a treat. The poos were much better and he started to gain weight at a much faster rate.

Revolting as it is, I would suggest keeping an eye on her pooing habits - poo can be very helpful in working out what might be wrong.
jenny1234
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

Post by jenny1234 »

Thanks alanc, wasn't sure whether to give kitten food a go or not. Cat food doesn't have as obvious calorie content information as human food! Holly has no loss of appetite if anything her appetite has gone up. I might give it a try in the short term as don't think it can hurt whilst I'm waiting for feedback from the vets.
jenny1234
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

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Thanks crewella, we are assuming she is around 13 but we aren't 100% sure! she doesn't give the impression of being ancient. Poor kitty originally belonged to an old person who went into care, the family cleared the property out and took her to the vets to be put to sleep as they didn't want her, even though she was healthy. Thankfully the vets kept hold of her for 3 weeks before the cats protection had room to take her in. She was obviously well looked after and has a lovely temperament. Your suggestion of a gut malabsorption issue was along the lines of what I was thinking but wasn't sure how common it was. The weight loss has just been a consistent decline over the last 12 months. I'm going to start poo patrol even though she hates being watched whilst toile ting! Will probably be in my pj's as usually get up to feed her at 4am for breakfast! She has a fav latrine spot in my back garden. Sorry for gruesome question but is there any specific changes I should notice, colour / consistency? Previously she gave the impression of having quite firm hard poo's. I'm nervous that a referral will recommend endoscopes, laparoscopic investigations and I'm not convinced that will show anything up. I would rather try a diet root before subjecting her to that. Just for info Can you let me know of the food you used? Assume it was a prescription diet. Did you have any medication alongside like steroids or anything? My vet is really good, hope she is using the referral to seek extra advice and won't push invasive stuff before trying simpler solutions.
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Crewella
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

Post by Crewella »

It can be really hard to judge their ages - several of mine have come in similar circumstances and their real age is anyone's guess!! From experience with my original cats, though, I didn't really see many signs of old age until they were past 15, but they were moggies who tend to be healthier.

One of mine developed IBD and the list of things she could eat got shorter as she got older - I avoided fish, cereals and dairy, and she did end up on steroids and scarily skinny for the last year or so of her life, but still nearly made 20.

The cat with malabsorbtion issues was on no medication, just Royal Canin Gastro Intestinal which is a prescription diet. He had a mixture of the wet and the dry versions along with the odd treat of steamed or boiled chicken breast, just because he loved it really. His poos were still too pale, soft and very stinky, but infinitely better than the pale yellow, fatty creations he presented me with on regular food. They were so evil they almost glowed in the dark!! :D

When you've eaten, have a look at this helpful page on cat poo, and the second link is very good (it's actually about constipation but gives very good info on the digestive system in general) but will take a while to .... erm ...... digest! ;)

http://www.catdocmaine.com/catfeces.html

http://www.felineconstipation.org/poop.html
jenny1234
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

Post by jenny1234 »

Hi crewella, just wanted to thank you for all you helpful advice and update. I had a really good consultation with the referral vet last week. He was a great vet and very experienced in internal medicine. He picked up an indicator on Holly's previous blood test. Initially he's just recommended further specialist blood tests to try and pin down whereabouts in her digestive system things are not working and some of the possible problems sounded straightforward to treat. He also mentioned that poo can still appear normal even if there is quite severe protein loss from the cats system. He didn't push me into any invasive tests which I had been really worried about. Fingers crossed the blood tests show what's going on and I can get on some treatment. Worse case scenario sounded like colitis or intestinal lymphoma but hoping for something a bit more minor. My fluffy princess has had lots of extra spoiling this week :)
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Crewella
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

Post by Crewella »

That sounds like good progress, and I'm glad the vet visit went well. Give your lovely girl a fuss from me. :)
jenny1234
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

Post by jenny1234 »

Hi Crewella,
Just wanted to let you know I had some good news from the vet. Holly's blood test results didn't suggest a lymphoma but more likely a gut malabsorption issue due to generalised inflammation. She's going to have some weekly vit b12 injections in combination with venison based food to try and get her guts working a bit better. Fingers crossed it does the trick.
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Crewella
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

Post by Crewella »

That IS good news. I really hope that helps. :)

My old Giddy used to have those vitamin shots every now and again and they used to really help her. Thanks for the update. xx
kelliump
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Re: Unexplained weight loss

Post by kelliump »

I know this is an old thread. My cat is experiencing the same issue. Hungry and eating, normal tests, but losing weight. Checking in to see what food was used and if you were able to find a resolution that worked. Thanks!
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