Kitty with low B12

We have been giving shows 1x a week for 3 weeks now. Vet said 2-4 weeks to see a reaction in the cat. Cat has not lost anymore weight, but has not gained anymore weight either. Kitty is 10 years old and weighs 8 pounds now. Doc said test to figure out why cat has low b12 is $650. Seems high. Thoughts?

Sometimes cats with borderline anemia are given B12 shots, but surely that would have shown up in a CBC, as would most of the usual things.  Kidney cats also sometimes run low on their B's.  IBD can also cause it,  

What prompted you to take your little one to the Vet in the first place...was he/she vomiting or having consistent diarrhea or something like that?  Did your Vet say any other blood values were off?  What specific test were they going to run, did they say?

I'll have the results in the AM. Losing weight. How long does B12 shots take to be effective? Is 4 weeks enough? Can a cat go lower than 8 pounds?  

Was his T4 (thyroid) checked? 

dpalen said:

 
I'll have the results in the AM. Losing weight. How long does B12 shots take to be effective? Is 4 weeks enough? Can a cat go lower than 8 pounds?  

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WHAT test results will you have?  The $650 test result?  Also, it depends on what's wrong as to how long it takes for B12 to take effect.  it's not necessarily something that instantly takes effect. 

Yes, a cat can definitely get less than 8 pounds.  My little girl weighed around 5 pounds the last three years of her life.  In her prime she weighted around 10 pounds (before she got kidney disease )  Some cats never, ever even get UP to 8 pounds.  They are like people...they come in all shapes and sizes.  So what has been happening so far with your little one that even caused you to take him or her to the Vet?  And what is your cat's name?  Can we get some background in order to try to help you?

B12

Low B12 is often associates with cats that have IBD and digestive disorders. Here's some resources for you to read. The best thing you can do for this (and for your cat, really) is to switch them to a raw or homecooked diet. 

http://www.ibdkitties.net/the-importance-of-b12/

http://vetmed.tamu.edu/gilab/research/cobalamin-information

http://www.rawfeedingforibdcats.org/start-here.html

dpalen said:

B12 <150 low
Folate 9.20 low
TLI feline 29.6
free T4 35
Total T4 2.7

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I'm sorry, just having this information doesn't really  mean much to me.  I wasn't asking for the lab results, I was actually asking for they were testing for.  and again, can you tall us what has been happening so far with your little one that even caused you to take him or her to the Vet?  And what is your cat's name?  Can we get some background in order to try to help you?

Weight loss. No additional weight loss with 3 shots so far. I think thirst has decreased. Still hungry. No weight gain. Francine. What else do u need?

What are you feeding this cat, and how long has it been on this food?  Brand name or names, size, amount.  Dry or wet food?  How often to you feed the cat?  Sometimes we can be a lot more helpful if we know exactly what is going into your cat.

OK, so to recap what WE know so far...you have a 10 year old cat so far who has low B12 and low Folate, WE think this cat is a female names Francine.  she has lost some weight over _____ period of time, which caused you to take her to the Vet.  The vet has no idea what might be wrong, what might be causing the low B12?  Has not mentioned IBD? Has not given you ANY IDEA what might be the problem?  There  has been nothing else indicating there is a problem with your cat...no vomiting, no diarrhea, no change in habits, nothing?

Are you feeding her any more to think she should be gaining weight back?  If you are feeding her the same as usual, then she should maintain if all is good.  She wouldn't gain weight (I wouldn't think) unless she is eating more than normal.  As asked above, WHAT are you feeding, and how long have you been feeding that food?  EXACT food, wet, dry, brand, flavor, etc.? 

Again, if you want our assistance, we need YOUR assistance in answering our questions.  We're here to help, but can't do that if we don't have information.  Did you read any of that information about IBD that was provided above.  Does that sound at all like what could be wrong with your cat?

dpalen , what test(s) is your vet suggesting? More blood work? I know we have done a feline GI panel in which we send off blood to Texas A&M. It checks for things such as malabsorption, pancreatitis, etc...this costs about $200 or so.

If the vet is wanting to do an ultrasound or other diagnostics, yes, the price an be more expensive, though I'd say an ultrasound is about $300-$350.

If the vet is wanting to do several tests/diagnostics, then $650 could be accurate.

Wet Fancy Feast. Have been increasing ones with liver. Dry no grain. Cat is not absorbing b12. Fed in am & pm wet. 1/3 of a can. Dry left out throughout day. Lost weight over the last couple of months. Did not mention IBD. Would that be caught in the 650 sonogram? No other changes in the cat except weight loss and hunger. Need to do some more reading. Have to get a list of what they want to do for 650.

I just would like to know how long b12 shots take to be effective. Is 1x a week for a month enough to see an improvement? She is less thirsty, but has lost .6 pounds.

I know for the cats I have had that required B12 injections they received shots more than once per week. I think we started with every day or every other day and slowly decreased to every third day and then twice a week. (The cat will urinate out any excess B12 that their body doesn't need.)

Ultrasounds are not always 100% diagnostic. But, can be a very useful tool. You would want an experienced Dr. to do the scan as there is margin for error/interpretation for what is seen on the scan. The hope with an ultrasound is that *something* is seen and thus, surgery can be avoided.

dpalen said:

 
I just would like to know how long b12 shots take to be effective. Is 1x a week for a month enough to see an improvement? She is less thirsty, but has lost .6 pounds.

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I guess it really depends on what exactly is wrong with her, what is causing her B12 to be low.  I just read on this site:   http://felinecrf.org/vitamin_b.htm

      " A commonly used dose for injectable cyanocobalamin is 250-500mcg every week or every two weeks. Drugs recommends 0.25 to 0.5 ml of the 1000mcg/1ml concentration (so 250-500mcg), every 1-2 weeksas required "

Update-Had the 650 test-fluid on abdomen. 2 suggestions given-1. Prednisone or 2. Another test for 250 to see if it was cancer or lymphoma. Was told if cancer, chemo would be several thousand dollars. Went for the Prednisone. First the liquid for 45 for a bottle & syringes. She fights putting it in her mouth. Got the treats(60). She ate for the first few days and started to put weight back on and then doesn't like them anymore and lost weight again. Try putting in with her food, mixing with treats, wrapping in meat. Going to get the pills to see if that works. Hopefully they do not smell. Any other ideas?

Update-Had the 650 test-fluid on abdomen. 2 suggestions given-1. Prednisone or 2. Another test for 250 to see if it was cancer or lymphoma. Was told if cancer, chemo would be several thousand dollars. Went for the Prednisone. First the liquid for 45 for a bottle & syringes. She fights putting it in her mouth. Got the treats(60). She ate for the first few days and started to put weight back on and then doesn't like them anymore and lost weight again. Try putting in with her food, mixing with treats, wrapping in meat. Going to get the pills to see if that works. Hopefully they do not smell. Any other ideas?

Update-Had the 650 test-fluid on abdomen. 2 suggestions given-1. Prednisone or 2. Another test for 250 to see if it was cancer or lymphoma. Was told if cancer, chemo would be several thousand dollars. Went for the Prednisone. First the liquid for 45 for a bottle & syringes. She fights putting it in her mouth. Got the treats(60). She ate for the first few days and started to put weight back on and then doesn't like them anymore and lost weight again. Try putting in with her food, mixing with treats, wrapping in meat. Going to get the pills to see if that works. Hopefully they do not smell. Any other ideas?

There are things called Pill Pockets made specifically for this, however, you have to be very careful when inserting the pills to make sure the pill doesn't touch the outside of the "pocket" or she will be able to smell it and possibly refuse it.  When I have done in the past is actually smoosh the pill pockets flat and then drop the pill on top, then wrap it around the pill, and usually I didin't use the entire amount, because they are kind of big. 

Another thing I have used is Whiska Lickin's soft treats, again smooshing them flat and putting the pill on top, then smooshing another one and putting it on top and smooshing them together to hold tight.  Then I would give my old guy a couple of the plain treats, then one with the pill in it, then another plain one, so he wouldn't know which was which, because they are very smart about these things.  Sometimes it worked and other times he would spit the pill out .  Oh, BTW, if you try this one, don't get the Wishka Lickin's with cheese...doesn't work for some reason.  They crumble instead of smoosh.

Now someone here on TCS recently said they have no issues when they wrap the pills in a little bit of American Cheese slice, then roll that in FortiFlora.  I think that would work well if you have a cat who likes FortiFlora.

My only other suggestion would be to see if this drug comes in a transdermal gel that you could rub onto her ear flaps, or an injectable.  We used both methods for one of ours that was absolutely impossible to pill that even a Vet Tech couldn't do it