TBT: I am annoyed and Marley will be on Monday!
Last month, I brought Marley in for dental work (his teeth were fine) but part of it involved checking his blood. The results were at a borderline level of concern for kidney issues, so they asked me to bring Marley back after a month to see if they changed. This vet is big on preventive care and I appreciate that.
So they took a blood sample Friday and said they would call me with the results. They did. Apparently Marley has "too much fat in his blood" for their equipment to handle. Now, that concerned me immediately (like there were liver problems) but they stressed I should not be concerned until they actually had test results. OK, that makes sense.
They asked if I had "fasted" him 12 hours before the visit (that could cause temporary "fat" in his blood). I had. And we don't have mice in the house, so he wasn't finding anything to eat on his own.
So they want to send a blood sample to a lab with more sophisticated equipment. The "annoyance" is that the sample they got Friday is not enough for the specialty lab. So I have to bring him in for another, larger blood draw.
Well, Laz is scheduled for booster shots Monday, and they agreed to fit Marley in to that appointment. Which I appreciated. One appointment for 2 cats goes faster than 2 appointments for 1 cat each. And if Marley is developing a problem, I think "the sooner, the quicker" about dealing with it.
The vet mentioned that if Marley's creatinine and blood urea nitrogen are higher than on the previous visit last month, he may need weekly sub-cutaneous fluid injections weekly. And they would want to do it themselves. Weekly visits seem like a lot. I've read it is possible I can do that myself. But we will wait to see what the lab tests say...
No POTP is needed right now. I will know more in a week. Marley is doing fine for now...
Hoping for good news...
ReplyDeleteHang in there, Marley (and TBT). I hope it is just a blip.
ReplyDeleteI hope the new blood test shows good results. I really can't understand why they want to do the sub Q fluids themselves. Fair enough if it is to show you how to do it, but after that there is surely no need (unless they are thinking of insurance payment to add to the bill!)
ReplyDeleteI have had a lot of cats and never heard of this. I honestly think you need a new vet. If Marley was in need of sub q fluids, he would not be acting fine and he would not look so healthy. Also, if he did need them, they should let you do them yourself if you want to. XO
ReplyDeletePurrs that it's just nothing and everything is fine!
ReplyDeleteWe send purrayers and POTP anyway for the test results to stabilize and be normal. Any time test results are "inconclusive" or "incomplete" it cannot help but be worrying...And the fewer times to drag the kitty to the vet the less stress on everyone.
ReplyDeletePoor Marley. Of course the want to do the fluids themselves due to $$$. I've been giving Brian fluids at home for years and you can do it to, it's actualy pretty easy. Purrs to you and Marley both.
ReplyDeleteBugger. Marley will be annoyed - you're right.
ReplyDeleteMegan
Sydney, Australia