10/21 Jerry AMPS 237 +2 205 +4 71 +5 107

yesterday

All's good in this household this morning. Jerry is still on a bit of a bounce and his BG's are probably going to just get worse today with his pending visit to the vet.

I may need a valium afterwards as he turns into a absolute tiger at the vet and they really have problems getting anything done. We'll see how it goes, they are forewarned so let's hope it's not too bad.

Have a wonderful day everyone and stay safe out there little kitty kats.

 

Nice to see that green. Sending good vetty vines.

 

He started out not too bad but then....drama! Good job getting control of it.

Have you ever tried Rescue Remedy for pets to calm him down for the vet?

 

A little surfing in the lagoon today for Jerry! How lovely!

Try to be calm Deirdre - he'll pick up that you're tense too...sorry he turns into such a beastie! Luci does a lot of growling ... sometimes she's worse than others...I try to be calm and talk to her...

 

I Vet visit went very well and Jerry behaved himself for the most part. Only when they were trying to get blood did he growl and hiss.. whatta good boy he was.
Vet wasn't sure why his numbers were so high for that short period and thought that perhaps it was a seasonal adjustment and the fact that he needs to have a dental cleaning. Blood work was ok apart from his kidney function which we already sort of knew about. She was also amazed at how well Jerry looked and how well he is maintaining his weight.

The vet was in awe of the spreadsheet and took down particulars on the website. She was very impressed and thought that it would be a fantastic resource for other CG's.
Anyway, phew I'm relieved its over and there was nothing drastic going on with him. Dental is planned for November 5th. Normally they will do intake for dentals at 8:30 but because Jerry is diabetic I can bring him for 11:00 and they will do him immediately which will be so much better for his stress levels.

I was expecting his BG's to be to the moon but I got a 71 just before I left and it only got to 103 at the vet.. I was super impressed with my little boy

 

Oh I don't get too tense until after we're back... he is talked to all of the way there, while we are there and all the way home.

 

WOW! I'd be impressed too! Excellent report! Luci is scheduled for the same in November - first the blood work...then the dental...I can hardly wait...(NOT)...

 

I will have to look into that one. He's normally ok until they start to take blood or go near his backend for temperature (we've actually given up on that unless it is absolutely necessary)... he will take your eyes out for that one ha ha.

 

My vet uses a Braun ear thermometer. While some vets will say it is not as accurate as a rectal thermometer, she’s compared them and said it is close enough and causes the cat much less stress.

Do you know where they take his blood from? A lot of vets do it from the neck which also stresses the cat. Mine does it from the leg and it’s so much easier on everyone. But I also have to say I have Scottish Folds and you can do pretty much anything with them and they purr. Everyone at our clinic is always excited to see them because they know they won’t get scratched or bitten

Good luck today!

 

Everything is normal for your little tiger; very happy for you!

 

Knowing he's wary about his backend she tried his front leg for blood,he hissed and growled so she went to the back leg. He didn't like that much either but she was further away from his head....
Jerry was fine and since it was the last thing she was going to do he dashed back into his carrier.
He has yet to actually bite or scratch anyone but he certainly warns the universe he is not happy.

 

Well he got his bloodwork done today, I have the AB's to start two days in advance of the dental. It's never easy on us... the hanging around waiting to pick them up etc. It's stressful. I went through it with Ben the civvie a couple of years ago and it went very well. The vet won't know if he needs any extractions until they scale the teeth..

 

I know it's stressful...plan on having yourself a relaxing evening, a glass of wine if you care to...and just rest up...

 

Oh I'm fine, relieved that its done and nothing bad showed up. I knew he needed his teeth taken care of, I mean he's 17 and never had them cleaned etc. So it was inevitable. I might have a rum later though..ha ha my excuse shh!

 

When is the dental? If you’ll load the labs on the lab tab when you get them and tag me, I’ll look at them for you.


I think this calls for Fireball Whiskey, baby!

 

Dental is planned for November 5th. Do I just transcribe the numbers to the lab sheet?

 

Yeppers. Thanks!

 

Great I'll get it done later or tomorrow.

 

He looks awesome!

How wonderful that your vet is impressed with the SS and this board!!

I second on rescue remedy. Also good for a stressed kitty is to spray some Feliaway on a towel to put inside the carrier.

 

I've used feliway before when we moved house in the netherlands to help settle them in and it worked really well. Jerry doesn't really have a problem with the carrier it's just when the vet starts to work on him..
We were in the room for about 30 mins and it was only the last 5-10 mins he got REAL agitated.

 

@Marje and Gracie I've updated the labs tab on the SS.
I also had a CHOL count of 264 and a TP of 7.3 but I'm not sure where these should be put if anywhere.
Thanks for looking at it for me.

 

CHOL is cholesterol and TP is total protein.

 

I know ( I had to look up TP though) but I couldn't find them on the lab sheet.

 

I have to be honest that I don’t understand why a vet, when you bring a cat in for a potential issue and the cat is 17, a full panel is not done to include superchem, CBC, and urine.

His creatinine and BUN look to me like he might be in early CKD. His phosphorus is too high....it should be below 4.5 and it’s another reason I wonder about his kidneys. In order to diagnose CKD, it would have been best to have a urine sample or, if she uses IDEXX labs, an SDMA.

The one parameter that really causes me concern is his tT4. When you look at the lab sheet, it, should state something about him being in the “grey zone” for hyperthyroidism. Elderly cats or cats with symptoms where the tT4 is greater than 2.5 are suspect for hyperthyroidism. Because of the connection between the kidneys and the thyroids, an issue with one can affect the other. Do your vet check his thyroid and palpate by hand? Diabetes can also mask hyperT.

I prefer to use Hemopet.org for diagnosing hyperthyroidism. Here is their form for cats and on the second page, the thyroid profile 4 is the one needed. Your vet draws the blood and puts it in the tube following the instructions and you mail it.

I’d suggest you get a free catch sample of urine and take it to the vet. If you can get his first pee of the day before he drinks much, it would be best. If that sample is not concentrated above 1.040, CKD becomes more suspect.

Sorry but I have seen vets miss stuff like this. She didn’t mention the creatinine, BUN, or thyroid being elevated?

 

It’s at the very top.

 

She did mention the BUN and CRE being elevated but said that she wasn't overly concerned as he was a senior. Did suggest fluids for both of them once a week to help flush the kidneys. She did a thyroid test and said it was ok and since he was maintaining his weight she didn't see any cause for concern. They had done a urine analysis when he was diagnosed but tbh I have no idea what they checked at that time, could be they were just checking for ketones.No she did not palpate..probably because he was being ornery. I'll get him through his dental and talk to them then about additional tests.

 

It doesn’t matter if he’s a senior or not; CKD is CKD and fluids are not given to flush the kidneys. Fluids would be premature at his creatinine level and I wouldn’t do it. Gosh I wish I had a dime every time a vet said giving fluids flushes the kidneys. That is not what it does.

My comments on his thyroid are based on the test she did. Typically, normal thyroid levels in older cats is lower than 2.5, not higher. Also, sometimes the typical symptoms are not evident. Is it possible his thyroid is totally normal? Yes. But it’s also possible it’s not.