The big question: Calley

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Kris10mo

Kris10mo

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Calley was diagnosed with HBP. Was put on Amlodipine on Sunday 12/28. With a day Calley was very lethargic. Another day passed and she was sleeping most of the day, but was still able to jump on/off the couch. Tuesday she was losing interest in food, but still ate when I carried her to the bowl but was not drinking or using the litterbox. Today she has refused to eat at all and is very weak and sleeping 24/7.

She had bloodwork done on 12/26 that came back normal.

From what I have read in the last day regarding the symptoms Calley is displaying....all things point to either side effects of the HBP meds OR kidney failure.

My question: can a cat have kidney failure and have normal bloodwork? She isn't drinking, eating, using the box or opening her eyes.

I took her to the ER vet, he thinks it is just reaction from the HBP meds. he said she is not dehydrated and her heart is strong. But I think it seems extreme reaction to it, plus her BP was higher today than I was on Sunday before she was put on it.

I'm supposed to bring Calley back to the ER vet on Friday if she still isn't eating/drinking.

Thoughts?

Thoughts
 
When your blood pressure goes too low, you can try to stand up, but the blood doesn't make it to your head. You feel dizzy, nauseous, sick, weak, and downright yucky. Been there, did that, myself, on propranolol.

I think she is in the same boat. The BP med is dosed too high. It would have been better if the vet had started conservatively, then slowly titrated to optimal control.
 
Her blood pressure was higher today than it was on Sunday....up 20 points from 220 to 240. But you could still be right that she is dosed too high. Maybe, despite her high readings, she does not need to be on HBP meds or a much smaller dose.....maybe it's more a "white coat" elevation?

I'm grasping at straws trying to figure out why in a weeks time she has gone completely blind; from an eating, peeing, drinking, lively sassy cat, to one that can't hold her head up or keep her eyes open. I don't know if she is in the dying process or if this is all drug induced and she'll be fine once taken off/given a reduced dose.
 
If its the wrong dose for her, it doesn't matter what works for another kitty.

From Veterinary Partner web site:
High Blood Pressure
Amlodipine

"Infrequent side effects reported in cats include elevations in renal blood parameters, drop in blood potassium levels, lethargy, increase in heart rate, and weight loss."
 
I don't know about renal blood and the other things....but she will surely have weight loss if she goes a few more days without eating. If lethargy is described as no movement for two days, than YES....that is what Calley has and according to the ER vet....her heart beat is strong and steady. So....a confusing, mixed bag of symptoms.
 
Lethargy after starting Amlodipine is normal. I think we all want to believe the BP is falsely high when our cats are diagnosed with hypertension.
I also believed that as my cat is very stressed at the vet. I had a vet nurse come to our home to confirm the diagnosis, but that stressed my cat even more.
If your cat went blind from high blood pressure (most likely), you should definitely keep giving the medication at the dose prescribed by your vet.

Rest assured, Amlodipine is considered a very safe medication. My cat had already been diagnosed with CKD prior to starting Amlodipine and this medication did not harm his kidneys.
He has been on Amlodipine since June 2012. He was extremely lethargic for many months (a huge change), but he gradually adjusted to the medication and acted normally again.
I think you wait at least a week before testing BP again. If still high, then maybe you are not successfully administering the dose or need an increase.

We have a BP monitor to test our cat at home, but I don't recommend it. It's called PetMAP, but it's incredibly expensive and there's an art to using it.
My cat is more difficult having his BP tested at home. At the vet, he is paralyzed with fear. At home, he squirms and tries to leave (with cuff attached), and you can't get results on a cat 'in motion'.
 
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