I will be thinking of you and Darius

Well the first attempt did not go so well. LOL He kept trying to tuck his ears into his head and I couldn't get a good grip. Then when I finally did get a prick, I massaged his ear forever and it STILL didn't get enough blood. I am going to try to sneak attack him while he is sleeping.

Oh, poor Darius....sending lots of cuddles his way.

I gave up after the second try last night. His poor little ear is bruised where I tried to get blood so I figured that was enough torture. Just will have to let the vet do their thing without any help from me today! He is currently curled up under my desk here at work, ignoring me and being pissed that he had to be taken somewhere strange in the cat carrier.

poor little man

Vet said it's probably kidneys, thyroid, or diabetes. Told her I tried to get blood last night and it just didn't work. She said his teeth are not looking good either (which is not surprising since he has been eating slow). He was just put under in October so I hate to have him put under again but we'll see what happens with the bloodwork first.

Originally Posted by buzzytoes

Vet said it's probably kidneys, thyroid, or diabetes. Told her I tried to get blood last night and it just didn't work. She said his teeth are not looking good either (which is not surprising since he has been eating slow). He was just put under in October so I hate to have him put under again but we'll see what happens with the bloodwork first.

Oh, poor little Darius. When will you get blood results?

About another 15 minutes or so probably. I do like that it doesn't take them very long! I am just hanging out at the vet waiting for him.

Tests were pretty much inconclusive. Ugh. Nothing was really out of the ordinary. Glucose was 143 so it's not diabetes, creatin (or whatever it is) levels were fine so it is not full blown kidney disease. Thyroid stuff was fine. His globulins were a bit high which she said could be because of his teeth. She said his teeth are pretty rough but not to the point yet where they absolutely have to be cleaned since he is still eating. Then of course there are the risks with that. It could possibly be cancer but she said that is hard to diagnose through blood, she could do xrays of his chest but didn't feel any masses, or we could take him down to the big city and have an ultrasound but that wouldn't neccessarily show anything either. The bump they removed from his nose in October could possibly be cancer since it is growing back but he has no discharge or trouble breathing from there so it is not a problem at this time. Got him some Nutrical and some food that will hopefully be easier for him to eat and maybe he will gain some weight.

^ At least some things were ruled out. I'm so sorry you don't have a conclusive diagnosis to start working with. Maybe a change in diet will do the trick.

I'm glad some of the big bad ones were ruled out. Was she able to get a good look in his mouth? Is it possible there is an infected tooth in the back causing the trouble? At least you have this baseline for his blood values now. I would give him some supplements with his diet and have him rechecked in 6 months if nothing changes. Poor old guy. It just sucks when they get old and frail.

As far as I know she got a good look. She gave him a cursory glance in the exam but then when she was giving me his results she went in the back and looked at his mouth again. I am not really sure where that would get us with an infected tooth anyway, only because at this point I would worry that removing any would have the same effect as a good cleaning, and would cause the bacteria to get released into his blood stream. I am going to try not to worry because really the only reason I took him in was because he was losing weight. He is still eating normally (if slowly), he acts the same, hasn't been spending time alone or excessive time sleeping, so if there is something wrong he surely doesn't know it!! I have been on pins and needles with him for about three years now anyways just because I know he is getting older and I don't know what DH will do without him. I know it's going to come at some point but I am going to try not to dwell on that!

lactated ringers .
for my old cats thin and dehydrated body .
injected daily. to replace his lost fluids vet said.
its not troublesome if it helps.
and
wet food for male cats always.
at least 80 - 90 % of the time vs. dry.

food with high ash should be avoided because it crystallizes and hardens
within the tracts that urine flows thru.........dry food is perhaps the major culprit.
thats why male cats have pee problems more than females.
and special kidney oriented wet food helps from the vet is preferable.
nothing from grocery store places.

i miss my little old boy . he had a lot of health issues. even when i first adopted him.
which compounded.
i wish i learned a few things earlier and done other things differently.
that was 2 yrs ago.

i hope Darius will be fine. he's beautiful.
you guys are great parents to him! he's lucky!

What a handsome boy! Wishing you the best of luck with your kitty.
My old cat had to have a ton of teeth removed late in life. It was pretty sad at first but once he recovered he was fine and happily gumming wet food.

Has the vet suggested anything to make wet food more palatable? We ended up warming food, mixing with baby food, & even hand feeding to get our old cat to eat.

At least the nasties have been ruled out. I always think, with my oldies, that as long as they are eating and the Four Ps are happening (purring, peeing, pooping and playing), then things can't be too bad. But I know how it feels, watching them get older. Lots of hugs to you, Mr Darius - you are very much loved!