Bloodwork Results - Are My Calcium-Phosphorus Levels/Ratios Appropriate?

[mildlyironic]

Hey everyone!

Got the twins some bloodwork in preparation for their spay and neuter, and received copies of their medical records. My vet had said they're totally fine, but I noticed that both kittens are off the charts with phosphorus. Since I do a home-made raw diet, and am a nervous first time cat mom, I know that calcium and phosphorus levels and ratios are important but never quite figured out how to interpret them. Can anyone with more experience on the matter check out these readings and let me know if they're appropriate for my growing kittens or if I should augment their diet?

Thanks!

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• mildlyironic
• Jul 17, 2014

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• mildlyironic
• Jul 17, 2014

 

[emandjee]

Hi there, mildyironic

I'm going to say straightforward that I'm not a vet or anyone who works with feline/animal lab testing companies. However, I'm going to take an educated guess to say the high phosphorus content may be from any possible fish in your cat's diet, especially if you feed frankenprey and use occasional fish like sardines or tuna/salmon from time to time. Other foods that are high in phosphorus are meats and bones, so I wouldn't necessarily be alarmed when the numbers seem high. Added to the fact that you have growing kittens, elevated levels of phosphorus may be the norm. I will also say that a serum chemistry test is really a small sample of their overall blood circulating in the body, and is really more like a "snapshot", a mere "second" of their health at that specific point in time. Any assessments and diagnosis based soley on lab results are not very accurate. It needs to be done in combination with other things like a physical exam (by doing proper visual, tactile and auditory checks) and factor in things like age, weight, temperature, medical conditions, past history, hydration levels, urinary output, diet, activity, and stress level, etc. Since your kittens probably exhibited no obvious health ailments at that time, I don't think your vet was overly concerned about the phosphorus levels. 

If you're still concerned about the test results or have any questions, I don't think it's a bad idea to ask your veterinarian for a private discussion or consult. Were I a vet, I'd be thrilled that a cat owner is that deeply motivated to learn that much about their pet's health! I also think only a vet is really qualified to make suggestions here with collaboration on your part to fill in the blanks (cat's overall health, activity levels at home, behaviors, diet, etc) to make further suggestions about adding/reducing the phosphorus-containing ingredients, but I'd be more inclined not to increase or at least decrease it a bit more and follow up with another serum test if you're worried.

I hope this helps you somewhat, and who knows, maybe someone can give you more insight on the lab results you've posted. It's always a great indicator to me when someone is so passionate about their pet's health and is very proactive in doing so. Best wishes to you and your kitties future! 

Here's a link I found in interpreting feline lab results: http://www.2ndchance.info/normaldogandcatbloodvalues.htm

 

[ldg]

I don't think those results are because of the diet. They're growing - that can account for it (PHOS and ALP). It can also be just from the blood sample not being handled properly (the PHOS level).

Glucose is often elevated just from stress of the visit.

If there were an issue with calcium levels, that would be reflected in the parathyroid hormone levels (PTH). If you're concerned, you can ask the vet to run the test, they can draw blood at the neuter.

Was the vet concerned?

And if you are worried, you can take them back for a recheck when they're a few months older.

 

[mildlyironic]

Thank you both for your thoughtful responses! And sorry for the delay in responding - both of the kittens just go spayed and neutered 1.5 days ago and I've been up to my eyeballs in stress trying to get them calmed down and settled in. 

The vet didn't seem concerned and the blood test was taken as part of an overall wellness check, so I think the most likely explanations are the meat and bone (EmandJee) and the fact that they're growing (LDG) - especially since Apollo now likely eats more than 8oz a day >.> I was likely being overly-cautious, since I remember seeing information (and being unsure I wholly comprehended it) about calcium and phosphorus ratios and cat poop and balanced meals, which fed into some existing nervousness I had about whether or not I was properly measuring out supplements. [Long story short - I'm probably fine, but from now on I'm using my sensitive kitchen scale rather than the H-T scoop because I'm paranoid.]

I super appreciate you guys taking the time out to help me make heads and tails of these results

 

[ldg]

I hope things are settling down now and they're feeling ALL better soon!

If you're following a balanced recipe, there shouldn't be cause for concern. If you're not sure, just let us know and I'm sure we can help!