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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / December 2006Sick cat losing weight - any suggestions.
Hi all, Would some of you be kind enough to give me some advice about my cat Max ? He has chronic Renal Failure and recently a tumor was found on his leg. He limps now, eats like a horse and otherwise seems OK. We feed him Hill's KD at our vet's recommendation and he eats it without too much fuss. I'm wondering if the KD is nutritious enough since he continues to lose weight. He is becoming a skeleton with fur. Does anyone know of a supplement I can give him to help gain some of the weight back ? The KD food won't do much for his kidneys if he starves first ! Any advice would be much appreciated. - Thanks to all - Tom D. Talk with your vet...they may be able to offer some suggestions. When was your feline companion diagnosed with kidney problems ? My vet also suggested Eukanuba Renal formula. Try that too. > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > - Thanks to all - Tom D. Red flag. He limps... perhaps he is in pain? Just because he isn't crying in discomfort, doesn't mean he isn't in pain. If he's in pain, I'd be looking into taking him out of that pain, if you know what I mean. The tumor may be a sarcoma, which is cancerous. Maybe he is losing wt. because of the cancer. You should bring him back to the vet. Gail > Red flag. He limps... perhaps he is in pain? Just because he isn't > crying in discomfort, doesn't mean he isn't in pain. If he's in pain, I'd > be looking into taking him out of that pain, if you know what I mean. > Hi all, > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > - Thanks to all - Tom D. k/d is too low in protein for all but cats in end-stage CRF. If your cat's BUN is less than 60-80 mg/dl, you might want to speak to a vet about feeding him x/d or g/d canned. x/d is the closest to k/d (non-acidified) just with a little more protein and slightly higher (acceptable) phosphorus (as long as your cat doesn't have hyperphosphatemia). You might also want to speak to a vet about potassium and omega-3 supplements. Both supplements can slow the progression of CRF and omega-3s, (EPA) and (DHA) can limit tumor growth and make tumor cells more susceptible to both chemotherapeutic drugs and the cat's own immune system. Has the tumor been biopsied? Phil Another thought is to have they thyroid checked. Could be hyperthyroid - leading to weight loss and continued hunger. I had a cat with renal failure who also limped but had no tumor. Perhaps the limp is from the kidney pain? Just a guess. > > Hi all, > > [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > Phil Thanks Everybody for the helpful advice, I'll be calling the Vet again soon to run some of your suggestions past him. Guess I should have given more info about my cat in the beginning. Max is 14 years old, and neutered. He was diagnosed with Kidney problems a few months ago. His BUN level was in the low 50's and Creatinine was high also, though I don't remeber the exact number. He has been checked for thyroid problems and does not have a problem. He was also checked for diabetes which was negative also. A month after the first vet visit we noticed weakness in his leg and some limping. We brought him back and that's when the vet found the tumor. He wasn't positive if it was cancerous and couldn't say if the cat is in pain. Like I said, except for the limp and the low weight, the cat seems to be enjoying life. He eats, drinks, plays, sleeps and purrs when petted. This is why I haven't considered Euthenasia yet. When the time comes, it will be hard , but I won't let him suffer. > Another thought is to have they thyroid checked. Could be hyperthyroid > - leading to weight loss and continued hunger. I had a cat with renal [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > > > > Phil Most tumors in cats are cancerous. Also, at his age, the likelihood is that it is cancerous. Gail > Thanks Everybody for the helpful advice, I'll be calling the Vet again > soon to run some of your suggestions past him. [quoted text clipped - 59 lines] >> > >> > Phil > Thanks Everybody for the helpful advice, I'll be calling the Vet again > soon to run some of your suggestions past him. [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > This is why I haven't considered Euthenasia yet. When the time comes, > it will be hard , but I won't let him suffer. Have you offered him treats to entice him to eat more? I would think that in his situation, adding some treats is not going to harm him at this point. Cooked chicken breast or meat baby food (with no onions) are some things I used to entice my cat to eat when he was ill. You can warm them a little to be more appealing. Hugs to you and Max. Thanks for your kind words and advice. Yes, I have offered him extra food in the form of treats. He really likes Deli Turkey (at 8.99/lb) ,which he gets almost daily, and poached Salmon (about once a week when I cook it for myself). I'm worried about the whole "too much protein" thing, but like I said before, limiting protein will do him no good if he dies of malnutrition first. I guess I'm lucky since he still devours anything I put in front of him. I guess when he loses his appetite, it will be a sign that things are really bad. > Have you offered him treats to entice him to eat more? I would think > that in his situation, adding some treats is not going to harm him at [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Hugs to you and Max. > He has been checked for thyroid problems and does not have a problem. If he has a healthy appetite and is still losing weight, I'd have his thyroid checked again for occult hyperthyroidism. An underlying problem could be altering thyroid hormone binding causing a misleading T4 determination. The tumor could be affecting thyroid hormone binding- especially if its malignant. Speak to your vet about a free T4 by equilibrium dialysis (fT4ED) assay. fT4ED is the most accurate way to measure fT4 in cats- especially when T4 could be falsely depressed by an underlying problem. >We brought him back and that's when the vet found the tumor. He wasn't positive if it was cancerous and couldn't say if the >cat is in pain. I think you need to find a new vet ASAP. Your vet should have *immediately* sent a biopsy sample to a pathologist for cytologic and histopathologic examination. What is your vet waiting for- to see if the tumor gets bigger or spreads??? Please don't take this lightly- you need a second opinion ASAP. Phil
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