Bad lab work but unclear diagnosis...sry this is long

Hi everyone. I haven't been on this site in many years but now I really need some support from other cat owners who may have suggestions or info that could help my situation. Just over the past 2 weeks my brown Bengal (6yrs old) got very thin and I took him to the vet this past Friday. The vet gave him his regular shots(that he was due for) but told me to come back Monday for the additional bloodwork and to give him fluids because he was very dehydrated. I wasn't getting a good feeling from my vet about the health of my boy. He kept saying "well you know he was always a sickly cat". This isn't exactly true. He did have a heart murmur as a kitten and some issues with a sensitive stomach but as he got older his heart murmur improved to where the vet could no longer hear it and his stomach issues also cleared up by the time he was about 2. Anyways I brought him in Monday for his bloodwork & fluids and today when I called for the results I did not like the way my vet was acting about the situation. He didn't give me an exact diagnosis but told me that it's kidney related. He told me that his levels were abnormal but not on the extreme side, yet all along I felt that his attitude kept implying that I should give up because he is too sick. This made no sense to me since he told me that his levels weren't extreme which would seem to me that he's not critical and it could be treated. One of the things in his bloodwork that was high was his white blood cell count so I had asked if there was anyway that all of the abnormal results could be related to a possible infection but he dismissed my theory and told me that if that was the case my other cat would be sick too. So I asked him what we could do as the next step and he said we could do antibiotic and a special diet. I then asked which diet he would be recommending since I read online that some are in favor of low protein and some are in favor of higher protein(especially to improve weight gain) and I guess this somehow irritated him because he told me I could prepare my own food if I wanted to. I didn't mean to insult the vet by doing my own research and asking questions but I made that mistake years ago with my Autistic son who was misdiagnosed and overmedicated several times by doctors with degrees so now I've learned to stay informed(SORRY ABOUT THE SIDE RANT).  I told him I'd figure out the food situation on my own. I also told him that the fluids seemed to help but he responed by saying "well we can't just keep giving him fluids as a transient solution". That doesn't make sense to me because I've read that I can give my cat fluids at home myself. I have an appt tomorrow at Banfield Hospital in my local Petsmart with a Vet to help me understand my labwork results. I'm hoping that maybe the person I meet with tomorrow can give me better answers and make me feel more hopeful about the situation. Meanwhile I'm giving my boy the antibiotics from the other vet and hoping for the best. If anyone has any suggestions on food that would be helpful. Today I bought a can of Wellness CORE high protein and he liked it. Both cats have been on Science Diet dry food from the time they were kittens but I'm trying to switch them to wet food since I now know that is a healthier choice. I would like to find the most healthy canned food available on the market. I appreciate any input and I realize everyone will have a different opinion. My vet insists that the dry food is perfectly healthy for them but I just don't believe it anymore. Sorry this is so long.

Labs( In case some of you know what this means....I don't )

Total Protein 7.5

Albumin 4.0

Globulin 3.5

Urea Nitrogen 47

Creatine 2.6

Glucose 226

Calcium 9.9

Magnesium 1.4

Sodium 145

Potassium 2.5

Chloride 99

Cholesterol 221

Triglycerides 198

Amylase 1922

Lipase 352

CPK 395

WBC 17.5

Platelet count 138

Neutrophils 14000

Monocytes 1400

Aw, so sorry you're going through this with your current vet. When my vet at the time diagnosed Tuffy with CRF, they basically sent me home for him to die. Fired that vet and found a new vet, who we have to this day. Tuffy was diagnosed when he was only around 2 years old, but he lived another 5-1/2 years. If I knew then what I know now, I feel he would have been around way past the 5-1/2 year post-diagnosis mark. Your kitty is pretty young, too, so that is in his favor if it is indeed CRF/CKD and/or diabetes.

I hate to ask, but could you provide the results with the reference ranges for each? Different labs can have different reference ranges, so to get a truer picture of what is going on, we need the reference ranges specific to that lab (they should be listed on the printout next to each value).

Also, was phosphorus listed? That would be helpful to have.

Did they test his thyroid?

Do you have the urinalysis? This would be helpful.

What antibiotic did the vet prescribe and what dose, for how long? I'm taking it he didn't do a culture and sensitivity to know for sure what type of infection, just kinda threw an antibiotic at ya.

The kidney values don't look too overly high, but need the reference ranges. Glucose may be high, which could indicate diabetes, but need the reference range.

Just take a deep breath and know that we are here to help. I'm sending calming prayers and vibes your way...and my kitties send little headbutts.

What is your kitty's name? Bengals are beautiful kitties!

I don't have much info or advice. 

I had CRF issues with my cat and found several websites on CRF.

http://www.felinecrf.org/diagnosis_test_ranges_factors.htm

holisticat website and book to have a lot of information. 

felinecrf.org

If it is CRF, cats can live for years with proper hydration.

There is one thing I would not recommend.  In hospital IV infusion.  My cat developed breathing issues after 2 days of treatment and did not survive.  I do not know how long she would have had with simple in home sub q infusions of a much smaller amount of say 50-100ml a day.

I am not saying in any way that your kitty has CRF.  Just if he does it is not a death sentence and if it to be wary of too much hydration at once.

It's nice to know there's people out there who understand what these numbers mean cuz it's like gibberish to me. I appreciate the encouraging words from both of you. It's really sad that the vet was so negative. Amoxicillin is what he gave him for an antibiotic. I'm very concerned about his potassium level because he was twitching badly over the weekend. I actually googled to see if cats had Tourette's because that's what I thought it might be at first and that's how I learned that it had to do with their potassium. He seems to be twitching less now so I wonder if him getting fluids on Monday somehow helped his potassium. Idk if there's a connection I just see a small improvement in that spasms and the sneezing. 

Oh the prescription says 1 dropperful twice a day until gone. It's a 15ml bottle. They told me to call the office in 4 days and let them know how he's doing but I'm not sure I'll be dealing with them again. My boys have only seen this vet 3 times before this but I always liked him and he was good with them. However my experience with him this time really left me feeling discouraged.

My boys names are Titan and Sangha. Sangha is not being nice to Titan anymore. He's been hissing and growling at him since Friday when he went to the vet. I even brought Sangha to have his shots on Monday thinking that would solve the problem since they both would smell like the vet's office but it make a difference. It breaks my heart because they've been together since day 1 when I brought them home from the breeder.

LuvMyBengals33 said:

Oh the prescription says 1 dropperful twice a day until gone. It's a 15ml bottle. They told me to call the office in 4 days and let them know how he's doing but I'm not sure I'll be dealing with them again. My boys have only seen this vet 3 times before this but I always liked him and he was good with them. However my experience with him this time really left me feeling discouraged.

My boys names are Titan and Sangha. Sangha is not being nice to Titan anymore. He's been hissing and growling at him since Friday when he went to the vet. I even brought Sangha to have his shots on Monday thinking that would solve the problem since they both would smell like the vet's office but it make a difference. It breaks my heart because they've been together since day 1 when I brought them home from the breeder.

Click to expand...

Just try "scent swapping" with them: Take a small towel or rag and stroke one kitty then the other then back again a few times to mingle their scents on each other. Try to get some of their scent glands, like the cheek area, included in the stroking. I would do this a few times a day until you see improvement. With mine it only takes one or two back and forth's for it to do the trick, but all kitties are different.

I have tried everythig that I've read online such as vanilla, dryer sheets, blankets that they share, catnip, brushing them with the same brush, etc. The only other time this happened was when Sangha was neutered and he was at the vet overnight but if I remember correctly Titan only hissed at him for 2 days and then they were fine. I'm wondering if it isn't just the smell from the vet but Sangha is smelling that Titan is sick and that's bothering him. I just keep trying to pet them at the same time and make them both feel safe.

LuvMyBengals33 said:

I have tried everythig that I've read online such as vanilla, dryer sheets, blankets that they share, catnip, brushing them with the same brush, etc. The only other time this happened was when Sangha was neutered and he was at the vet overnight but if I remember correctly Titan only hissed at him for 2 days and then they were fine. I'm wondering if it isn't just the smell from the vet but Sangha is smelling that Titan is sick and that's bothering him. I just keep trying to pet them at the same time and make them both feel safe.

Click to expand...

Titan was just at the vet on Monday, right? Maybe it's just taking Sangha a bit longer to recognize him? Do try the scent-swapping with the towel, though; it really does work really well. I find that the other things you listed are mostly going to add a foreign scent, not theirs mingled. I mean you really have to use the clean towel and rub on their cheeks and all over their body. I would start with the towel on Sangha and then rub on Titan, then go back to Sangha to Titan, and repeat. Do this quite a few times during the day--just in case Sangha is a harder kitty to get to recognize Titan.

When petting them at the same time, you can switch hands between them because your hands will then have both kitties scent on them. Rub on their faces, etc. if you can.

In my experience with a sick kitty and his brother (my Abby and Tuffy), the one that wasn't sick was even more loving toward the sick one, but that's just what happened in my case.

More on the lab work tomorrow. When you had him in for sub-Q's how much did they give him--or maybe it's next Monday?

He went to the vet on Friday and then again on Monday and Sangha also went on Monday? I didn't try the towel, I tried rubbing them both with the small blanket that they lay on together. I will try the towel when they wake up. Did you see the phot I posted above with the full test results on it? Does that make more sense than what I posted before since it shows all the numbers? Thanks again for all your feedback it really helps to have support at a time like this.

We saw a differerent vet today and I felt much happier with his attitude. Unfortuately I didn't know that the urinalysis results weren't included in the paperwork that my previous vet gave me. The vet I saw today said that those are important to help him get a full idea of whats going on so we still don't know exactly what the problem is. He suggested an ultra sound and a urine culture a week after Titan finishes his antibiotics. I'm also going to have the urinalysis faxed over from the other vet. I feel happy that at least this vet is trying to figure out whats wrong instead of just implying that I should give up because he's too sick. It's also interesting that this vet entertained the idea that Titan could possibly have a silent UTI and this could be causing the abnormal numbers where the kidney is concerned. When I suggested that to the other vet he dismissed me by saying that he didn't have the symptoms of a UTI. Either way the antibiotics must be helping out with something because he was acting a little more like himself today. He followed me around the house(which he hasn't had the energy to do for at least 4 days) and he was jumping up onto things like the bed and the top ledge of his kitty condo. He also ate 3x today so far. I feel hopeful

Great news!  I am glad this vet is trying to find the source of the problem. 
 

Finally got his diagnosis. His ultrasound was today and they found kidney stones and also a stone in his bladder. Also him and Sangha both have URIs.