Hi, everyone -
I'd like to give you a little history on our Kirby and ask for ideas on what could be going on with her, based on your experiences. Kirby is a beautiful tabby that we rescued as a stray malnourished kitten back in Oct. 03. So she'll be 4 in a couple of months. When she was about a year old, she was scheduled for a spay, but developed a uterine infection requiring immediate spaying. since that time, she's still experiencing mild heat cycles (well, usually mild, lol). She has a history of very frequent bladder infections - usually 6-8 per year. For the past few years she's had sort of a potbelly appearance, but the rest of her isn't overweight. She doesn't eat any more than normal - about 1-1 1/2 Tbsp. of wet canned Evo in the morning, then a little dry Evo a few times later in the day. Last time she stayed at the vet for her bladder infection was 2 months ago, and there was a lot of bacteria in there. But the rest of her results were fine (ran the full blood panel and checked glucose levels and kidney function), and the abdominal xray didn't show any blockages or stones. No constipation, occasional diarrhea accompanied by the lovely butt scoot on light colored carpet since her belly is so big she can't reach to clean herself... eww.
The past 6 months or so, her abdomen just keeps getting larger and harder. I would think roundworms would do this, but her fecal didn't show any eggs. She waddles when she walks and looks very uncomfortable - it's expanding more and more all the time. Other symptoms: she has a dry coat and very sensitive back (to the point that she'll bite if it's touched for too long), is a flea magnet (we use frontline plus), and she's very anti-social (she takes a valium when it gets too bad). Vet just says she's eating too much, but i've been monitoring her intake closely, and it's still getting bigger and harder.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what we could possibly test for? Obviously the vet doesn't want to do the research, so it looks like it's up to me to suggest things.
Thanks so much, and I hope all of your furbabies are healthy and happy!!
I'd like to give you a little history on our Kirby and ask for ideas on what could be going on with her, based on your experiences. Kirby is a beautiful tabby that we rescued as a stray malnourished kitten back in Oct. 03. So she'll be 4 in a couple of months. When she was about a year old, she was scheduled for a spay, but developed a uterine infection requiring immediate spaying. since that time, she's still experiencing mild heat cycles (well, usually mild, lol). She has a history of very frequent bladder infections - usually 6-8 per year. For the past few years she's had sort of a potbelly appearance, but the rest of her isn't overweight. She doesn't eat any more than normal - about 1-1 1/2 Tbsp. of wet canned Evo in the morning, then a little dry Evo a few times later in the day. Last time she stayed at the vet for her bladder infection was 2 months ago, and there was a lot of bacteria in there. But the rest of her results were fine (ran the full blood panel and checked glucose levels and kidney function), and the abdominal xray didn't show any blockages or stones. No constipation, occasional diarrhea accompanied by the lovely butt scoot on light colored carpet since her belly is so big she can't reach to clean herself... eww.
The past 6 months or so, her abdomen just keeps getting larger and harder. I would think roundworms would do this, but her fecal didn't show any eggs. She waddles when she walks and looks very uncomfortable - it's expanding more and more all the time. Other symptoms: she has a dry coat and very sensitive back (to the point that she'll bite if it's touched for too long), is a flea magnet (we use frontline plus), and she's very anti-social (she takes a valium when it gets too bad). Vet just says she's eating too much, but i've been monitoring her intake closely, and it's still getting bigger and harder.
Does anyone have any ideas as to what we could possibly test for? Obviously the vet doesn't want to do the research, so it looks like it's up to me to suggest things.
Thanks so much, and I hope all of your furbabies are healthy and happy!!