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Old February 18th, 2011, 03:46 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by katts View Post
Even when I took him into the vet initially, he didn't seem “sick”.
Yup the darn buggers are so good at hiding illness/pain.

Quote:
Originally Posted by katts View Post
I'll be getting Tuddy tested ASAP as well.
for Tuddy's tests

Quote:
Originally Posted by katts View Post
UA
Specific Gravity: 1.013
pH: 5.5
Urobillogen: 3.2
Blood: Positive 2+
Urine Bilrubin: Negative
Glucose: Negative
Ketones: Negative
Protein: Negative

Sediment:
Amorphous debris: Moderate
Bacteria: None seen
RBC: 0-3/HPF
Squamous epithelial: 1-5/HPF
WBC: 0-3/HPF

Comments:
Iatrogenic hematuria
Prior azotemia noted, this usg supports renal insufficiency and borderline failure
Urinalysis tests look pretty good, as noted in the comments the blood in the urine was as a result of the process of urine collection, not a medical reason.

Ideally the USG in a completely healthy cat should be between 1.035-1.060, but normal is quite wide ranging 1.015-1.060. The 1.013 is reflective in part due to dehydration as Boi was likely drinking/peeing more trying to flush the toxins out. The USG may drop even lower after the IV treatment but that is to be expected, it may also stay around the same once he's stabilized & off IV for a bit.

Quote:
Originally Posted by katts View Post
I know this isn't good - in CRF cats, failure is 90%+ loss of kidney function, right? If there's anything else you can think of, let me know. Just hoping to get a little more time with him.
Failure is about 66-75%+, but as it is a chronic condition it is not immediate.

Quote:
Originally Posted by katts View Post
Vet now says it is NOT poisoning because the USG is high, and that it is CRF(?!). I'm not sure about this. He is presenting with no anemia, extremely high creatinine/urea, metabolic acidosis... no problems with anything before recently... this isn't making sense to me.
I'll ask for an ultrasound to check for enlarged kidneys (CRF = shrunken kidneys, ARF = enlarged?) - is there anything else I can do?
Not all CRF cats will be anaemic, mine never was, and though she did have a short term issue with metabolic acidosis it was from a protein allergy reaction, once that was treated, she didn't have any more issues with ma.

Though most of the time the sudden high values are Acute RF related, sometimes CRF will present this way as the cat is able to manage & seem fine for some time with high numbers and when they do show it's more of a shock. This is what's called a Crashing cat. At this point the dehydration has really made things look worse at the initial diagnosis, quite possibly those really high numbers are not going to be too bad once the dehydration is taken care of through the IV fluids Boi is already receiving.

An ultrasound is a great (but expensive usually runs about $400+) tool to visually check the form/function as well as progression of disease, if you are just looking as a "back-up" to the diagnosis your vet should be able to physically palpate the kidneys & tell if they are abnormal in size.

My girl had a few ultrasounds done in the later stages of her fight w/CRF, they were done to check the kidneys but we also had other concerns we were looking into at the same time. While they are cool to watch/participate in (if given the chance) and do give good indications of size, scar tissue etc you might choose to save yourself the cost now unless the vet feels something really abnormal when he palpates Boi's abdomen.

How is Boi doing during his "Vet-cation"? Has he been eating well for them?

Loads of awesome info here: http://www.felinecrf.org/index.htm
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