Thankful Thursday: Stability

 

Last Tuesday, Carmine and Tylan went to the vet to get their kidneys, thyroids, and glucose levels checked. Both boys get a kidney panel done every three months to monitor their kidney disease. 

Carmine's kidney disease has been stable since he was diagnosed. I am happy to report that he remains stable with his kidney disease. His glucose was great at 137, so there will be no changes in his insulin or kidney disease treatment. 

Unfortunately, Carmine has been struggling a lot with his advanced arthritis in the past couple of months. Raising his gabapentin dose helped temporarily but quickly lost its effectiveness. Since he is already on gabapentin and adequan for his arthritis pain, we decided the best course of action would be to give him an injection of Solensia. Those who follow me on Facebook know that I've been waiting about 9-10 months for this medication to become available to vets after it was approved by the FDA for use in cats with osteoarthritis at the beginning of the year. 

Carmine was the second patient at our clinic to receive the injection. If it works for him, he will receive an injection once a month. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. I really hope it helps ease his pain. 

Tylan's creatinine (a kidney value) actually came down a little - from 2.7 (in August) to 2.4, which is a good thing. He may be stabilizing with his kidney disease. His thyroid was right where it should be. So, there will be no changes to his thyroid or kidney disease treatment for now. 

Today we are thankful for stability. I am very pleased with the boys' most recent lab results and hope they continue to stay stable as we move forward. 

What are you thankful for today?

Feline Hypertension

Hypertension, high blood pressure, in cats can cause damage to the eyes, heart, nervous system, and kidneys.

Causes

Hypertension in cats most often occurs as a secondary condition.  Hypertension is most common in cats with kidney disease; however, it can also occur with hyperthyroidism, heart disease, and tumors.  Though hypertension is typically associated with another condition, it can occur by itself as well.  

Symptoms

Unfortunately, hypertension may not present any symptoms until the condition is severe or has been around a while.  

Vision changes are usually the first sign of high blood pressure in cats.  You might notice that your kitty bumps into things or hugs the wall so she can use her whiskers to find her way around.  Blindness occurs when hypertension in the eye leads to the retina detaching.  Your cat may also have dilated pupils that don't contract with light and/or blood in the front chamber of the eye.  

Photo Credit: Moyan Brenn

Stroke, heart murmur, blood clots, and lethargy may also indicate that your kitty is suffering from high blood pressure.  

A cat's risk of developing hypertension increases with age.  Thus, it is recommended that senior kitties get regular blood pressure checks as part of their examinations.  Additionally, any cat with kidney disease or hyperthyroidism should have her blood pressure checked regularly.

Diagnosis

While there are different ways vets can measure a cat's blood pressure, most veterinarians use a machine much like the one used to measure human blood pressure.  A tiny cuff is placed around the kitty's tail or leg.  It's common for vets to take a cat's blood pressure a few times in a row and to average the numbers to get a more accurate blood pressure reading.

Photo Credit: Keith Ramsey

Treatment

Medications like amlodipine and benazepril are used to treat the condition.  Additionally, veterinarians should do tests to determine if the hypertension has an underlying cause, such as chronic renal failure or hyperthyroidism.  If an underlying cause is found, this will also need to be treated.