Potassium supplement

My 18yr old male cat had blood work come back this past Wednesday, 11/12/14 with a low potassium level (everything else was normal) after I brought him on Tuesday since he wasn't eating or drinking. They kept him overnight Tuesday since that is my vet's out of office appointment day. I had to bring him back Thursday and leave him as I was having a hard time giving the potassium supplement gel which is were he currently is. When I called to check up on him this afternoon he still wasn't eating and they said he maybe had drank a little water. They are giving the potassium supplement twice a day and fluids under the skin as needed.

He did have blood work done on Monday, 10/27/14, he didn't seem to want to eat then either, everything was normal so my vet suggested to do X-rays and a dental cleaning to make sure nothing was wrong in his mouth. This was done on Friday, 10/31/14. The dental cleaning was fine (he's had his teeth cleaned at least every other year since he was five), and on the X-rays there was what appeared to be a spot on his lung and liver. 

Will he bounce back from getting the potassium supplement in the next couple of days? He has until this Wednesday to show some sign of recovery or else "the decision" may have to be made and I did read on a website called poetical.com that it can take 2-5 days to show improvement but weeks to fully recover.

He's had pancreatitis in before in August 2013 and 2014, and has been exceptional healthy that everyone in the vet office praises me for how healthy he is for 18. I just want to know if there is hope of recovery from this or not.

My cat Cali had severely low potassium about 2 years ago. She couldn't lift her head and could barely use her back legs. It took about a week of supplements for her to walk normally but took months of frequent rechecks to get her levels in the normal range. The vet determined it was caused from being on diuretics and a short course of prednisolone (for a back injury). We did switch her to a potassium sparing diuretic and kept her on a low dose of supplements and the problem has not reoccurred. My question would be why did her potassium become low. I could be wrong but I would think there would be another underlying reason for it to drop. Is he currently on any medications?

He's not on medications from the vets but I have been giving him cosequin for his joints for around 2 years. After his teeth cleaning he was sent home with clindamycin hci 25mg to be taken twice a day for 10 days as a precaution for any infection (in the past he's given clavamox to take) and a cortisone shot to help with the appetite. On the 3rd day of the clindamycin he started throwing up so I stopped it. Maybe that triggered the low potassium level?  His blood work from 10/27/14 was better that is was in the month before in September when he was in for his annual exam according o my vet, and the blood work from 11/12/14 is still fine except for potassium level being low.

Also during the time your cat first started the supplements was she eating? As of Saturday he's still not eating and on fluid therapy in addition to the potassium supplement. Hopefully when I called Monday things will have improved.

With Cali her appetite remained ok throughout the whole ordeal but she was on pred for a back injury which causes increased appetite. I do know that lack of appetite is one of the symptoms of hypokalemia. Is the vet syringe feeding him? Since he hasn't eaten he probably feels pretty crummy and forcing food into his stomach may make him feel better and cause him to want to eat on his own. I hope you get good news tomorrow. Please keep us updated.

Just got off phone with vets. He doing about the same. They are syringe feeding with a high calorie food, and he eating about 1/3 can of that twice a day. He's not fighting them when they feed him and swallowing just fine. Going to do blood work again today. Hopefully that will be improved.

Got blood work results back and everything is in normal range. Still having to syringe feed and drinking a little bit of water. Getting to take him home tomarrow. After to wait and see how he does at home now. If he doesn't improve with his eating at home then a final choice will need to be made.

Maybe being back at home will perk him up. Hang in there, glad to at least see his blood work is normal.

the vet called me his morning, when giving him his complementary bath he became really stressed with very labored breathing, and even stopped breathing for a moment. They stabilized him and put him on a heating mat to warm up. Redid X-rays and found a quarter sized mass in his chest. The vet gave him a few days to a few weeks to live. Going to put him to sleep today, not right to make him suffer for my sake.

I'm so sorry. Please know u did everything you could for him and he was lucky to have someone who cared for him so much. As hard as making that decision is, it's a final act of love and kindness you can give him.

It's hard and it hurts but I have two other cats and a dog in the house so that helps.  One of the cats my father brought home that some just dropped off near the construction site was working at in the summer of 2013, of course he waited till the Saturday before christmas to bring home (had to get cat to trust him, then just picked him up and tossed him into truck and brought him home) so that cat is attached to him. The other cat I adopted from a Petsmart this past August so I would have someone else there since I knew my time with my 18 yr old was probably running short after the last time he had the pancreatitis. I will miss him greatly and it sucks that this happened 4 days before my birthday but have my other cat to focus on and love.

The TCS team would like you to know that we are so very sorry for your loss. Threads are locked after someone has suffered such a loss, as a sign of respect. We invite you to place a tribute at http://www.thecatsite.com/f/19/crossing-the-bridge as an enduring testimony to your friend.

May he rest in peace.