My cat has lethargy & poor appetite. What do his bloodwork mean?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If there is lymphoma, it is not going to show on bloodwork in any specific way. There are certainly values that may be abnormal if a patient is affected by lymphoma though they are not specific for lymphoma. Regardless, Artie does not have any of the things I would expect abnormal with lymphoma. This bloodwork is concerning for hyperthyroidism and renal disease. Both of these can cause anorexia and vomiting. It is very important to discuss with your veterinarian further treatment options based on these findings. They have more knowledge on the case and should be able to recommend accordingly. Best of luck!

Poor guy. I see elevate liver enzymes (ALT,AST) and kidney values on the paperwork you have attached here. Low hgb means that the red blood cells are not oxygenating well, but if the RBC count is also low (anemic) then that is a sign of chronic kidney failure. Cats can recover from kidney disease depending on the underlying cause. An abdominal ultrasound is needed to determine the cause of the kidney failure exactly, or a positive response to bloodwork is used as a means of determining a positive outcome. In most situations we treat the pet with fluid therapy to help idurese (flush out) the harmful toxins (BUN, CREA), get the pet started on a prescription kidney diet (ie. Hill's K/D, Royal Canin Renal) and also a supplement (Azodyl- which helps to remove toxins from the gut) can be given as well. The most concerning values for me on this bloodwork are the liver values (AST, ALT). It is not common for a cat to be in both kidney failure and to have abnormal liver values concurrently. THis raises suspicions for infectious diseases such as any number of tick diseases. I would recommend discussing with your vet about possibly doing a tick panel, if the history indicates tick exposure is probable. Also a FeLV/FIV test may also be indicated, depending on the complete CBC results, which you didn't post here. At the very least a liver protectant medication should be started, which is typically a medicine called Denamarin. Additional treatment may be needed depending on the underlying cause for the liver abnormalities. If you would like to discuss Toby's case further, then please feel free to request a consultatoin with either myself or another expert here. Toby's case is definitely a more complicated case where it is best to have a complete dialogue back and forth to get all the information you need to make the best decision moving forward with his care. I wish you all the best moving forward with Toby's care and I hope that he makes a full and speedy recovery. Take care.

Poor Sachi! Significant weight loss and inappetence are certainly a major concern. I'm glad to hear that his blood work (I assume a CBC, chemistry and T4?) was unremarkable. However, foreign body intestinal obstruction/blockages, intestinal malabsorption issues that can cause inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), chronic pancreatitis, or cancerous processes, do not necessarily cause changes on screening blood tests. If Sachi has not yet had abdominal x-rays or an ultrasound, consider talking to your vet about these tests as his next diagnostic step. If he has a foreign body obstructing his intestines, this is a surgical emergency, and these tests would be helpful in obtaining a diagnosis. If pancreatitis, IBD or EPI are more highly suspected, consider talking to your vet about testing for vitamins B12 and folate, as well as TLI and fPLI. I hope this helps!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Blood work was not performed prior to the sedation and if there is a pre-existing condition, the anesthesia may have made the condition worse and more pronounced. I would also consider a fructosamine test to check and see if the level is consistent with diabetes. I would say that the ultrasound is the next appropriate diagnostic test to have performed with what is going on. I hope this helps better determine what the cause could be. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

If all his bloodwork was normal that rules out kidney disease, liver disease, diabetes, etc. If your vet did not test for hyperthyroidism than a test should be done. An x-ray and/or ultrasound is defintely needed and will, hopefully, provide more information. He could have an infection, cancer, or obstruction/foreign body to name a few other possibilities. If he is not able to keep food down, I am not sure waiting until Friday is a good idea. He may continue to weaken and may become dehydrated. If your vet can't take an x-ray then you could consider taking him to an emergency clinic or another vet that can. An anti-vomiting injection may be helpfull if your vet didn't give him one. I hope that his problem is diagnosed and treated soon!

I wold be concerned about the lethargy and the vomiting, although vomiting may be related to the change in diet it may also be related to kidney disease. More lab tests would be required in order to investigate the elevated urea and elevated red blood count which may be related to a degree of dehydration at the time of sampling also. A urine (especially specific gravity) and repeat blood panel (fasting at least 12hours) with a view to repeat assessment of urea, creatinine and electrolytes would be important to assess kidney function

He needs more testing. Just because the blood work is normal does not mean there is nothing underlying. Something is wrong. I suggest x-rays as the next step and maybe an ultrasound of the abdomen.