Muffin's Bloodtest Today

blueyedgirl5946

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Muffin has lost a little weight. The vet wants to weigh again in about a month. He might just be mourning Speedboat. The thyroid test is fine. The urine concentration, bun, creatine, all is fine. There was a little blood in the urine and he is doing another test and will call me on that. The only thing remarkable about the bloodtest is once again his alt. Four years ago when he had bloodwork, his liver alt was 238. Today it is 234. His white blood count is just a bit low, nothing to be concerned about says the dr. There is nothing else out of the range on the bloodwork. I wonder if any of you have ever had this happen on the cats blood test where the only thing out of normal range is alt. Please answer.
 

mews2much

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After my Stormy was pts my Meeko became sick and it was because she was so upset about the other cat.
I do not have any answers about the alt for your cat.
 

farleyv

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I am happy that things seem to be within normal ranges. I am embarassed to admit it but what is alt?

You must be relieved.
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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Originally Posted by farleyv

I am happy that things seem to be within normal ranges. I am embarassed to admit it but what is alt?

You must be relieved.
Alt is one of the liver enzymes in the cats blood.
 
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blueyedgirl5946

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Is there anyone else dealing with liver issues with their cat. I would like to hear some other experiences about this..
 

the_food_lady

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blueeyedgirl,

Do you happen to know the normal range for the ALT? (the normal range of lab results can vary slightly from lab to lab so knowing that helps put the actual result into better perspective). If the ALT was 238 4 yrs ago and is 234 now, well that's a good thing. I mean, if it was something very serious with the liver you would expect things to have significantly worsened over a 4 yr period. PLUS.........with respect to liver enzymes in cats, there are 2; Alk Phos (ALKP) and ALT. Years ago my boy Taco had very severe Fatty Liver Disease (only a 40% chance of making it, of course he DID make it - for many more years!)...and of course his ALKP and ALT (among other things) were elevated. I was told them by 2 Vets that an elevated ALT isn't quite as much cause for concern as ALKP....and that an elevated ALKP is more indicative of liver damage (of course keep in mind, the liver is a neat organ and it has the amazing ability to repair itself).

Also, elevated ALT doesn't always denote liver issues. It can also be elevated due to general muscle injury/damage.........so ALT alone, even if elevated, doesn't automatically mean liver issues. I'd wonder what the other liver enzymes are: SGOT, ALKP...also bilirubin in both blood and urine.

Also, cats w/ hyperthyroidism often have elevated ALT. You mentioned weight loss and that often goes along with hyperthyroidism, so has your kitty had T3 and T4 levels (thyroid hormone levels) checked? If not, should be done.

Here's an excerpt that speaks to elevated ALT. I know it's from a Feline CRF site but it's still good info:

ALT (Alanine Aminotransferase) or SGPT (serum glutamic-pyruvic transferase)

This is an enzyme which is largely found in muscle, the liver and the brain. It often leaks out of damaged liver cells, so is an indicator of liver disease, although it is sometimes elevated in hyperthyroidism. Cats on methimazole for hyperthyroidism may also have elevated liver enzymes and low white blood cells. Mild elevations are not normally cause for concern - one of my cats has mildly elevated ALT for years without problems. If a sample is haemolysed, ALT may be elevated.


http://www.felinecrf.org/diagnosis.htm#other_bloodwork

Here's another link, from Cornell University, with info on ALT......and it shows that one of the possible causes of elevated ALT can just be due to hemolysis (just something that can sometimes happen with blood samples, largely due (if I'm not mistaken) to how the sample was handled once collected.....

http://www.diaglab.vet.cornell.edu/c...s/chem/alt.htm

Also..........I know you recently lost your dear Speedboat and I'm so sorry about that. Just keep in mind when you read responses here that just because someone's cat had a particular condition that turned out to be fatal, it surely doesn't mean that this will be the case for yours. Every cat's situation is completely different.

Is kitty on any medications at all? (some can be hard on the liver) Was kitty EVER on any long term meds in the past?

If it turns out to be issues with the liver for sure, you may want to ask your Vet about Milk Thistle, or read up on it. It's awesome for helping a cat's liver to heal.

What did Vet think about the blood in the urine? Nothing else funky with the urine, like to indicate a UTI or crystals, etc?

ALSO...........if I'm not mistaken, one of my cats over the years frequently had elevated ALT (similar to what was mentioned in the excerpt I posted above) and for whatever reason it was just "the norm" for him or her. Can't remember which one now.
 

sharky

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I have two with liver issues .. no known cause just seems to be a norm to them...
 
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