Just got Nova back from the vet after having him checked out for his weight loss (as mentioned last time in the currently meme), and... they basically couldn't find anything wrong with him. His thyroid levels were good (which reminds me, I'm overdue to have mine checked). His creatinine levels and white cell counts were outside normal range, but only the eensy-weensiest smidge, so the vet thinks that's probably noise rather than signal, meaning his kidneys are probably fine and he probably doesn't have an infection. They also x-rayed him and didn't see any tumors. Which doesn't necessarily mean there aren't any cleverly hidden ones, but, OK, he probably doesn't have cancer, either. The vet thinks mostly likely it's a gastrointestinal problem, and he's not getting full value out of his food. So they just gave him a vitamin B shot and switched him over to a higher-calorie food. I'm going to keep an eye on his weight -- I actually own a pet scale I originally bought to monitor the fat cat -- and take him back in in a few weeks if he keeps losing weight.
So, for the moment... No news is good news, I guess?
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Glad he's okay!
ReplyDeleteHopefully, anyway. We'll see how he does. And thanks!
DeleteIs Nova suffering from diarrhea or unusually foul smelling stools (and yes, I realize cat stools already smell bad)? I know these are weird questions, but this sounds kind of like what happened with our cat Romeo.
ReplyDeleteThe opposite, actually; he's been having constipation.
DeleteWhat was Romeo's diagnosis, do you know?
Intestinal inflammation that prevented him from absorbing nutrients. We tried an elimination diet, where we would feed him hypoallergenic cat food, but we were never able to get him to eat it. He ended up slowly starving to death. :(
DeleteIf Nova's issue turns out to be intestinal and you want somebody to take a closer look at it, we really like going to the Albuquerque Cat Clinic. One of the vets who works there, Dr. Olah, got his undergrad degree in physics before going onto veterinary school.
Oh, poor kitty! :( It's entirely possible Nova might have some similar problem, although it doesn't seem possible to say for sure right now. For the moment, I'm going to monitor his weight, and wait and see, and keep my fingers crossed.
DeleteAnd thanks for the recommendation. If I need another pair of veterinary eyes on the issue, I'll consider them. Although, man, the thought of transporting him all the way up to ABQ and back in the carrier when he can barely handle the five minute ride to the local vet is daunting.