Worried about Taz, another useless update #28.

[Taz_Zoee]

Taz went to the vet last Thursday for a couple regular shots. He now weighs only 10lbs. That may not sound too bad, but for Taz it is. He has weighed as much as 21 1/2lbs. The vet wanted me to get him to be around 15 or 16lbs. Now he's only 10!!:eek: He looks so skinny and sick. But the strange thing is he is eating like a pig! I had him on k/d canned food. Recently, he stopped eating that so we put him on the k/d dry and I found another wet food that was very close in the percentages (like protein and fat and all that) to the k/d. He is scarfing it up. But he seems to be losing weight anyway. :(
I had him in the vet last month for his bloodwork recheck after his surgery in November (he had psuedo-cysts removed from around both kidneys) and the numbers were not much higher than they were before surgery. So that was good...well, okay at least.

Does anyone have any ideas why he might be losing weight even though he is eating well? Do I need to take him to the vet to be tested for something else? The full panel blood work is very expensive, but I'll do it if its necessary. I didn't think it was when I had his BUN and Creatnine checked last month.

Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated. :)

[Catty1]

Diabetes? It's all I can think of.

If his sugar levels are wonky that could explain his moods...like people get with varying sugar levels.

Even if it is, perhaps it can be controlled by diet.

The only other thing - a nasty intestinal parasite.

Prayers for dear Taz, and for you!:love:

[Taz_Zoee]

Yeah, I guess I could get his blood checked for diabetes. Even though it was fine back in November.
The thing is, his mood has been fine. He's actually been very lovey with me. Anytime I sit down here at the computer he is right here in my face.

Thanks for the response and prayers Candace. :D

[Catlady711]

Blood sugar or thyroid is all I can think of off the top of my head as far as tests would go. The only other thing I'd think is maybe that particular food isn't working out well for his particular system?

Whatever it is, I hope your vet can get to the bottom of it to get Taz's weight back up.

[Emeraldgreen]

I'm sorry to hear that Taz is losing weight. I wonder if the vet would be okay with you switching back to a higher protein diet. I know the K/D and low protein is for his kidneys but it might be the reason he isn't keeping weight on.
I was also wondering about a parasite like Catty1 mentioned. Maybe the vet could dispense a Drontal tablet just in case.
I would go ahead with the blood tests if you can swing it because you've already gone through so much with him with this last surgery. If it's diabetes, you can change his diet and maybe he'll need insulin but hopefully you'll have him around for a good long time.
Big prayers going out for beautiful Taz. :love:

E.T.A. Oh yes, as Catlady711 mentioned, maybe it's thyroid. The rapid weight loss made me think of Fatty, the stray cat that lost all that weight and he had a thyroid problem. Thyroid meds are not too expensive if that is what it turns out to be.

[Taz_Zoee]

Thank you Catlady711 and Emeraldgreen. Looks like I'll be making him another appointment. I need to take Zoee in for something too, so I might as well do it at the same time.

[Medusa]

My Boo is painfully thin, too, and, like you, I became concerned, especially when people commented on how thin he is. He was always such a muscular boy. So I had his blood work done for my peace of mind, worrying that he may have thyroid problems or diabetes and it turned out to be nothing. In Boo's case, he's old; he's now 18 but he was 17 when I had the blood work done. He's even thinner now so I'm going to take him in and have a panel done again just to be safe. He's eating fine, litter box habits are all in order, everything seems to be fine; he's simply thin. So I understand how you feel except that Taz was having problems and Boo wasn't. If you can swing it, take Taz in for your own peace of mind. In the meantime, we'll do our part by sending up prayers. Keep the faythe. :love:

[Moesha]

I don't have any suggestions or ideas. I just wanted to add my thoughts and hopes that it isn't anything serious with dear Taz. Please keep us updated if you hear anything.

[Taz_Zoee]

Thank you Mary and Moesha. :)

[Randi]

I'm sorry to hear that Taz is slimming down, I hope there's nothing serious wrong. November isn't long ago, so hopefully it's just because of age. However, to ease your mind, a bloodpanel soon might be a good idea.

Sending good thoughts to Taz, and to you! :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Cindy, I'm sorry to hear that Taz is still loosing weight.:( Hopefully another blood test will show what's going on with him and I also hope it can be easily treated and that it's not too serious. Positive vibes are being sent his way. Please continue to keep us updated about him.

[jennielynn1970]

Poor Taz... I hope it's nothing serious. I was thinking thyroid would be a possibility. Not sure about diabetes. I have a diabetic cat and he's a fatty!

What about adding some babyfood to his diet? Would that be ok for him? It's low in sugars, and Calloway absolutely loves his. He gets so excited to hear that lid pop open, he gets really vocal!

Hugs to Taz, and hope he is just "aging" gracefully and that's all it is!

[pomtzu]

Diabetes came to mind here too. Is he drinking more than usual? That was a dead give-away when I had 2 dogs with it.

[Barbara]

It can be the kidneys. With Filou we are in the same situation: his renal failure is now diagnosed since 4 years and in the last year we only fed partly k/d. Our vet says that they shouldn't lose weight (and Filou is at only 6,5 lb) because while losing weight they digest their own protein which is just as bad as eating protein. So she says Filou should eat whatever he wants. He eats a lot now- and doesn't gain weight but I am glad to say he didn't lose any since Christmas when he was really in bad shape. He even gained half a lb.
I try to give him fatty treats as often as possible.
I do not know why they seem to use more calories whith these kidney problems but it is the case.

[Taz_Zoee]

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Jennie, I am not sure about the baby food. I mean, I'm not having a problem with getting him to eat. In fact he's eating a LOT now.

Pomtzu, unfortunately I can't tell how much water he is drinking exactly. Because Paizly can get to his water and we have a large dish down in the kitchen for all four animals. However, he has been peeing (huge clumps) a lot and I asked the vet about that back in Feb and she said it could be due to the kidney disease. He has been doing that since before his surgery anyway, so that's nothing new.

Barbara, thank you for that info. Taz had been sick a couple years ago (we never determined what it was) and the vet had told me to feed him "kitty junk food". So I fed him Friskies for probably a year. Then when this all happened with the cysts around his kidneys they suggested the k/d. He loved it at first. Just as he does all food at first. Then he loses interest in it. So if he loses interest in the Friskies Indoor that I'm giving him now I'll try to go back to the k/d. And I do give him Greenies treats usually once a day, sometimes twice. OH, and he has been caught in Paizly's room eating her food too. (Brat!) So I know he's not starving. LOL

I just made an appointment for him and Zoee for next Thursday the 26th. I will keep you all updated.

Thank you!! :D

[Moesha]

The excess drinking and huge pee clumps were my clue to take Morgan in to be checked. That's when they diagnosed him with diabetes. With diabetic cats they need the protein and not the carbs like kidney cats do. That could be the problem. When they checked Morgan first, they did a small blood test and just checked the sugar level. When it was high, then they did the full blood panel for a more accurate reading. I don't know what each of those kinds of tests are called, but I'm sure they have a name that someone else knows.

[kb2yjx]

Since I am a bit late in reading this thread, I have to agree with the thoughts on thyroid and diabetes...Will light a candle for your boy....

[Moesha]

Any update on Taz?

[Taz_Zoee]

Taz's vet visit was tonight and the vet thinks it could be his thyroid. She took blood and I'll have the results tomorrow.
I'm so stressed. It's going to be so hard (on him and me) to give him a pill twice a day, for the rest of his life. :(

Moesha, thank you for asking about my "old man". :) I will definitely up date this tomorrow when I hear from the vet.

And thank you for the candle kb2yjx. I really appreciate every prayer and good thought for my guy. He is everything to me....ugh, I must go wash my face now.

[Catty1]

Cindy - IF Taz needs tapazole, can it be compounded and rubbed on his ear? Much easier that way.

Or, there's Pill Pockets (can't remember if Taz has used them).

HUGS and best wishes for you and Taz - hopefully the tests will turn up an answer.:love:

[Taz_Zoee]

Cindy - IF Taz needs tapazole, can it be compounded and rubbed on his ear? Much easier that way.

Or, there's Pill Pockets (can't remember if Taz has used them).

HUGS and best wishes for you and Taz - hopefully the tests will turn up an answer.:love:

Yeah, I was thinking about asking for alternatives. But my vet doesn't seem to be open to things like that. But I shall see. I'd love to do a rub on his ears. I always rub his ears so that wouldn't be a difficult task.
I have not used Pill Pockets with Taz, I used them for the dogs. That's another option. Thanks Candace!! :D

[krazyaboutkatz]

I was also going to suggest pill pockets. These have helped me so much. I buy the chicken flavor and then cut them into 4 pieces and roll them up into balls. Then I just wrap them around the pills. Starr takes 2 pills every morning and now he begs me for his pills because he loves the pill pockets so much. I hope that you'll finally be able to find out what's wrong with Taz and hopefully it can be easily treated. Good luck.:)

[Taz_Zoee]

Well, I got tired of waiting and called the vet to find out the results. His thyroid is fine. His kidney level is fine (or hasn't escalated at least).
So now they are going to test his liver and sugars. I will have those results tomorrow.

I have a feeling those will come back fine too and I still won't know whats wrong with him. :( Just like when he was sick 3 or 4 years ago. He is my little mystery man. :rolleyes:

[Medusa]

It's just so frustrating when we can't figure out what's wrong w/our furkids. I know that it's causing you anguish and it would me, too. Hang in there and know that we're continuing prayers that Mystery Man will give up the ghost and that your vet will be able to figure this all out. :)

[Catty1]

Heavens...what a puzzle. Would you consider getting a reading done on him?

Brody's_Mum on PT does them, as does Nancy Efrusy. [email protected]

It might provide some answers and solutions.

[Taz_Zoee]

Thank you Mary, I really appreciate it. :)

Candace, I actually have thought of getting a reading done on him. But I'm also afraid of what I might hear. :( And I could never tell anyone but fellow PTers what I did, because people would think I was crazy. They just don't understand.

I'll see what happens next and then figure out what I'm going to do. Thanks for the suggestion though. :)

[Moesha]

Well, look at it this way, you've ruled out two big things...kidneys and thyroid. If his kidney levels are good, see about taking him off of the kidney related food even though he isn't on the k/d right now. If his sugar is high, he needs more protein and less carbs the exact opposite of what the kidney kitties need. Hopefully tomorrow will bring some answers. I won't be online until late evening, but this will be the first place I'll check. I like that Taz kitty for some reason. ;)

[Taz_Zoee]

LOL, thanks Moesha.

Well, the vet called and could find nothing to explain his weight loss in the last tests (liver and sugar). She said if his weight keeps dropping the next thing would be to do a full body xray to see if anything is going on.

Bruce seems to think it's just because he's old. I keep telling him he's not that old. He could have another good 5 years or so left in him. Especially if the vet is not finding anything wrong with him.

Oh, and his kidney numbers are not "good" they just aren't increasing at a very fast rate, which is good. So I think his diet is what is keeping them from increasing quickly. I am not strict with his diet by any means. He has access to eat Paizly's food and I give him Greenies treats.

So here we are, right back where I started. :( :confused:

I'm going to try to get some new pictures of the kids this weekend and will post them later. :)

[krazyaboutkatz]

Cindy, I'm sorry to hear that his weight loss is still mystery.:( At least you've ruled a lot of things out. It very well could be his diet. Have you ever thought of trying a holistic vet? If so I have a very good one that I'd be happy to refer you to.

Taz is only 12-13 years old right? If so that's not very old. My Storm is 13 and he's doing great and he still acts like a big kitten from time to time. Taz remains in my thoughts and prayers. Please take care. (((HUGS)))

[Taz_Zoee]

Thank you Tracey. Yes, Taz will be 14 this summer.
If your vet isn't too far away from me, or too expensive, I'd love to give them a try. :)

[Emeraldgreen]

I hope that you will be able to solve this mystery soon. Poor Taz. :(
I think a full body xray is a good idea and if you do go to a holistic vet, you could bring the xrays for them to look at.
I took my dog Muddy to a holistic vet a few months ago and was so amazed at how effective it was. Their approach is so different and it might be just what Taz needs. Prayers that he will begin to heal and put on weight soon.

[jennielynn1970]

Sorry I misssed this thread until now. I hope Taz will be ok. Poor old guy!

Good healing thoughts and prayers going out across the miles to Taz and you from me and my gang.

[Taz_Zoee]

Thank you Lara and Jennie!! :D

[Catty1]

Cindy - in another thread, you mentioned that Taz hasn't flopped for belly rubs since his surgery. I wonder if something could still be hurting him? I have no idea what, though.

Think about a reading. Could be something emotional.

HUGS to you and that precious boy!

[Taz_Zoee]

I've been wondering if he's in pain too, Candace. I think another reason he doesn't sleep with his tummy exposed anymore is also due to the newest additions to the household, Paizly and Taggart.
That might even be part of his problem as well. He may be stressed out because of them. But I don't know what I'd do if that was the case. I'm not willing to get rid of anyone. I tried the Feliway and that didn't seem to make a difference.

I will contact Brodys_mum and see what she can do for me. :)

[pomtzu]

Poor Taz!!! It's hell gettin' old - ain't it boy? I'm right there with ya'! :eek:

Here's hoping you can get to the bottom of this problem and that he'll be back to his old self soon. Hang in there.! :love: