poor mr. poo *updated*
mr. poo is not well.
he'd been having digestive issues for the past week -- less-than-normal appetite, throwing up his meals, weight loss. he'd been losing weight very slowly for the past few months, ever since we switched him to an all-wet-food diet (which is better for cats), but had kind of plateaued around 11.2 pounds. he'd go up and down a few ounces from day to day, but 11.2 was the average for a long time.
yesterday, he was 10.5. that's almost a pound in a week, which is a LOT for a cat. (imagine if you lost 10% of your body weight in less than seven days.)
other than his weight and eating habits, though, he's still been exactly the same kyle. finicky, grouchy, lovey-dovey, playful and sleepy. still, weight loss is always a red flag when it comes to cats and, of course, googling his symptoms only resulted in fear and worry (for all of us) about what he might have.
thankfully, he was already scheduled for his annual check-up at the vet today. so, just before 9am, mom brought him over.
the vet apparently did a thorough physical exam and said she didn't feel any masses in his abdomen, but she did say that it's possible he might be suffering from a thyroid condition... or his kidneys might be failing. :-(
she took blood and will have the results tomorrow. we're all hoping it's something simple and easily managed, and that mr. poo still has a few more lives to go.
update: it's just after 12noon on saturday, and mom heard back from the vet. kyle has hyperthyroidism, meaning his thyroid-hormone levels are off and his metabolism is working WAY too quickly. so, the vet has prescribed special diet food and they'll try that for four weeks. if his levels don't stabilize, then he'll have to be medically managed. so, it's a BIG relief to find out his kidneys are okay. now we just have to make sure he actually *eats* his new food. fingers (and paws) crossed.
7 comments:
((((((Mr.Poo))))))
Oh, Mr. Kyle...I hope you'll be better soon :/
Aw. Me Dex, and Bent all wish Kyle well!
many thanks, all.
trix, mom and i have been preparing ourselves for the diagnosis and reading up on feline chronic renal failure -- it seems mr. poo has actually had quite a few symptoms of the disease lately.
his bony spine and inability to jump up (which i wrote about previously), for example, can be indicators of kidney problems. we didn't know.
fortunately, we've found websites with tons of useful information and some encouraging success stories of cats who were near death's door but, with treatment, rebounded to live several more years.
we're hoping the vet calls soon, though, because waiting for word is stressful.
Good news!
That is good news! Something that is manageable. Eat up little Kyle!
he went from fattie to featherweight.
on the upside, knock on wood, he's managed to hold down all the baby food (chicken) we've fed him today. and we laced it with a stomach-settling homeopathic remedy, which (again, knock on wood) seems to be working.
this morning, when trix and i arrived, he was withdrawn, hiding in the basement, wouldn't move.
this evening, he's alert, perkier (still very obviously tired, but better) and sitting at the front door, watching the world pass by.
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