1/15 Moo Moo update

Hey y'all,

Previous post here

Sorry for the long gap in updates. This is Moo Moo's bloodwork from yesterday:
Her previous bloodwork:


The vet gave her another subq and said he will be setting me up to do them at home next week. I haven't recorded her past couple blood sugar readings, yesterday and today have been very hectic and I will be updating it once I get home.

Thank you to everyone who has been following along and helping!!

 

Hi Sydney! Moo Moo's values are looking so much better, but more importantly how is she feeling? Cats are more than their numbers . And hope you are doing okay too, I'm glad to see a good update from you

 

She still isn't back to her normal self, but I'm still hopeful that she'll get there. She still can't walk well enough to make it to the litterbox, so I have to carry here there a couple times a day. The vet said we can evaluate that when I go in next week. She's eating a lot more, still by syringe but I'll take it. She seems more alert and, I guess engaged is what I could call it, in what's going on around her. She HATES her potassium supplement, and tries to shake it out of her mouth every time. I think she is feeling better though.

 

As for me, I'm tired and have a lot on my plate right now. I'll manage, it's just been a lot to keep track of and plan for, let alone do.

 

Did your vet say anything about the low HCT of 18.4? That is really low.

 

@Larry and Kitties The only thing he said about that section is that cats with CKD are often anemic, but that he wasn't as concerned about it right now.

 

Sydney how is Moo Moo doing? I looked at your SS it's not updated
@phakewishard

 

Hope all is OK with Moo Moo and yourself, Sydney.




Mogs
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@Diane Tyler's Mom I'm updating it now! Sorry, I was exhausted yesterday after work and overslept this morning Luckily, I only live 10 minutes from my work so I wasn't that late after taking care of Moo Moo.

ETA: it has been updated

 

Hi Sydney, the only reason I mentioned the SS was because I was worried about Moo Moo , I wanted to make sure she was ok. How is she doing?
@phakewishard

 

She's doing okay, pretty much the same these pst couple days. No worse but not a lot better from the last vet visit. She's in good spirits and has been, just still needing to be syringe/spoon fed and carried to the bathroom.

 

I'm glad she's in good spirits, ,hopefully soon she will eat on her own and use the litter box. She's just so adorable

One thing I see @Larry and Kitties mentioned in post #5 about the HCT being low , I also agree with him. You said your vet wasn't that concerned about it right now. Of course cats with CKD
are often anemic. I would keep an eye on that and not wait too long to get it checked again.
I lost Tyler's brother to CKD this past Oct. I would ask your vet when he plans to do something about it.
Just looking out for Moo Moo

 

@Diane Tyler's Mom
I'm so sorry for your loss. I know that had to be hard, I'm sorry.

I am going back to the vet on Tuesday for more bloodwork, I will ask about anemia and what the plan is for it. Dr. B has, for the most part, been very open to my concerns. I believe he is also going to set me up with things to do subqs at home. I know the anemia could be a but part of why she isn't getting much stronger, even though all of her other numbers are improving.

I'm also a little concerned about her sodium being low, only because I have a sodium potassium imbalance myself. When it gets bad (more potassium than sodium), I will throw up and almost pass out if I'm standing up. I can normally feel it come on and eat salty things to get it back in check, but since Moo Moo cannot, it's something I would really like to keep an eye on. I know CKD puts cats at a high risk of high blood pressure and sodium makes it worse, so I don't want to go overboard either.

 

Anaemia info from Tanya's Site here.

It's important to determine the cause of the anaemia (anaemia of inflammation, iron deficiency, other). If there's infection present, iron supplements shouldn't be given until the infection is cleared up. (According to Tanya's Site, bacteria thrive on iron.)

My understanding from what I've picked up over the past number of months is that low haematocrit levels need to be addressed ASAP, including treating for any infection/inflammation. Lúnasa (The Noodle) was very anaemic last summer, secondary to a UTI. At time of infection Dx, her HCT was only 21% and our vet was very concerned that the anaemia might be non-regenerative (the Noodle's IRIS stage III). Thankfully the UTI was cleared with antibiotic treatment and her HCT recovered, thought still some of her RB values were still low. Our vet was a bit 'meh' when I asked him about B-complex vitamin supplementation. I went ahead with it and since I managed to get her on the right dose, the Noodle's appetite and energy levels have shown improvement. Her coat condition's better too (softer, not as sheddy). I'll be getting her next round of blood work done in a few weeks' time so I'll find out then how much the supplement is helping her at a cellular level.

Vitamin B supplementation also helped Saoirse, in particular when she had coat regrowth problems.

Anaemia can cause weakness/tiredness, and apparently it can make a body feel cold too. It can also adversely affect appetite. There's good information here on how B vitamins can help (for both anaemia and appetite), maybe something to discuss with the vet tomorrow?

On hypertension, it'd be a good idea to ask the vet to check Moo Moo's blood pressure while you're at the vets (for a baseline). With CKD in play, it's also a good precaution to ask the vet to check eye health regularly.

Hope Moo Moo and yourself have a grand day. Have you managed to catch up a bit on rest for yourself?

(((Moo Moo and Sydney)))


Mogs
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@Critter Mom I was able to sleep for an hour more today, but I'm still pretty tired. I'm hoping to catch a nap at some point today. Thank you for the information, Moo Moo has been wanting to lay under the covers with me which is a little strange for her. She might be cold, and I'll mention it to the vet. When I get a chance today I will go through the Anemia link you sent. Thank you again!

How is The Noodle? And, how are you doing?