![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
So for those that know and love my felines (and aren't on Facebook) - a quick update on them. He and Romeo are both getting up there in years; they're 12.5, which isn't old for an indoor cat, but they are considered seniors. Romeo had a bout of lameness, a slowed gait, and stiffness not to long back and had to be taken in and evaluated. My new vet (whom I adore) diagnosed him with arthritis (as I expected) and started him on a supplement. He gets one every other day and is doing awesome. No more limping, nothing. Back to his normal self, which is awesome. He is getting a little thick and stocky, though, since I have to give him the powder mixed up in canned cat food. Thankfully his Siamese blood is keeping him from being a total lard-butt.
Dante, on the other hand, has been losing weight pretty severely. He's down to 7.5 lb from almost 8 about 6 months ago; the doc recently said that with his frame and length he could easy support a healthy weight of 13 or 14 lbs. I took him in on Friday and they drew blood and shot some films. X-rays looked good except for there not being a scrap of extra meat on him; very little subcutaneous tissue at all and no fat to speak of. One kidney was a little irregular and the doc said his intestinal walls felt a little thick, but she didn't seem to concerned. Since Jesse's cat, Ripple, goes outside, we decided to run some tests for FIV and feline leukemia as well as a CBC (complete blood count) and BMP (basic metabolic panel). Doc called back not too long ago. Negative FIV and feline leukemia (OMG YAY), negative hyperthyroidism. Slightly elevated platelets but that's not too uncommon with cats, especially older one. BMP looked great except for an elevated calcium level which apparently can be a symptom of a parathyroid malignancy, most commonly treated with surgery. She suggested some more blood work to check his parathyroid level and her assistant just called to let me know the test will be a whopping $250 plus tax. Damn. I said I wanted to talk to the doctor more before I made any decisions.
I'm unsure what to do. I'm leaning toward not doing the test. Even if the results come back indicating an parathyroid tumor, I don't know that I'd put Dante through surgery. Aside from being expensive, it seems almost unnecessary if he's otherwise fine besides being skinny (which he is, totally normal and active and stuff). I always said I'd never be one of those people who threw thousands of dollars at my pets, that I'd just keep them comfortable and happy as long as possible and, when the time came, have them euthanized. Dante's lived a good life and seems to still have years left in him, even without treatment.
But (or also?) I've also read on some vet sites online that most parathyroid tumors can be palpated through the skin, especially on lean cats. The doc felt his neck but didn't feel anything. So does that mean I should go ahead with the test to rule it out and see what else it could be? Or do I just keep an eye on him and monitor his neck myself with regular palpation?
Conflicted...
Dante, on the other hand, has been losing weight pretty severely. He's down to 7.5 lb from almost 8 about 6 months ago; the doc recently said that with his frame and length he could easy support a healthy weight of 13 or 14 lbs. I took him in on Friday and they drew blood and shot some films. X-rays looked good except for there not being a scrap of extra meat on him; very little subcutaneous tissue at all and no fat to speak of. One kidney was a little irregular and the doc said his intestinal walls felt a little thick, but she didn't seem to concerned. Since Jesse's cat, Ripple, goes outside, we decided to run some tests for FIV and feline leukemia as well as a CBC (complete blood count) and BMP (basic metabolic panel). Doc called back not too long ago. Negative FIV and feline leukemia (OMG YAY), negative hyperthyroidism. Slightly elevated platelets but that's not too uncommon with cats, especially older one. BMP looked great except for an elevated calcium level which apparently can be a symptom of a parathyroid malignancy, most commonly treated with surgery. She suggested some more blood work to check his parathyroid level and her assistant just called to let me know the test will be a whopping $250 plus tax. Damn. I said I wanted to talk to the doctor more before I made any decisions.
I'm unsure what to do. I'm leaning toward not doing the test. Even if the results come back indicating an parathyroid tumor, I don't know that I'd put Dante through surgery. Aside from being expensive, it seems almost unnecessary if he's otherwise fine besides being skinny (which he is, totally normal and active and stuff). I always said I'd never be one of those people who threw thousands of dollars at my pets, that I'd just keep them comfortable and happy as long as possible and, when the time came, have them euthanized. Dante's lived a good life and seems to still have years left in him, even without treatment.
But (or also?) I've also read on some vet sites online that most parathyroid tumors can be palpated through the skin, especially on lean cats. The doc felt his neck but didn't feel anything. So does that mean I should go ahead with the test to rule it out and see what else it could be? Or do I just keep an eye on him and monitor his neck myself with regular palpation?
Conflicted...
