Cat Ultrasound For Blood in Urine

[kittygirl123]

Rescue kitty between 16 and 18 years old has had blood in her urine for a while.
Cultured showed no bacteria so after trying antibiotics vet determined that blood is coming from kidneys.

She is frail/muscle wasting and long history of IBD so on prednisone.
Great appetite, playful just hind leg neuropathy symptoms, loss of balance at times.

Veterinarian said we can "consider" an ultrasound to see if a mass, but she feels that the likelihood of a mass putting pressure and causing kidneys to bleed would be unusual but not impossible.
However - we would not be able to put her under anesthesia for anything surgical at this point. Her view was that if she is not uncomfortable, no point chasing something we can't really fix, she is an old kitty.
She is already on Prednisolone for IBD and is a tiny/7 pound cat
No weight loss, eating well. Grooming, etc. just very very dark urine (from blood)
She is a super high stress kitty and vet feels there is harm in putting them through tests "if" no solutions anyway.

My spouse and I are conflicted, yes we are curious but if no treatment - it is silly.
Love to know if there is another option "if" something were found.
Thank you so much

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I have read that Prednisolone, long term particularly, can cause blood in the urine. Did the vet mention this at all? Did the vet say anything about long-term Pred use causing some hind leg weakness as well? I would ask about both of these issues.

There is an alternative, called Budesonide, that works more directly on the intestinal tract than Pred, and seems to have less side effects overall. I'd ask the vet about this too.

What does her blood work (CBC, Chemistry panel, thyroid) look like?

The ultrasound may or may not reveal anything, but if it would show signs of cancer - or not - chemo could be an option in lieu of surgery. Some cats, even older ones, do pretty well with chemo. The dosage is nothing like what they give to humans, as the intent is not to eradicate the cancer, but to slow it down.

 

[kittygirl123]

Hi. I have read that Prednisolone, long term particularly, can cause blood in the urine. Did the vet mention this at all? Did the vet say anything about long-term Pred use causing some hind leg weakness as well? I would ask about both of these issues.

There is an alternative, called Budesonide, that works more directly on the intestinal tract than Pred, and seems to have less side effects overall. I'd ask the vet about this too.

What does her blood work (CBC, Chemistry panel, thyroid) look like?

The ultrasound may or may not reveal anything, but if it would show signs of cancer - or not - chemo could be an option in lieu of surgery. Some cats, even older ones, do pretty well with chemo. The dosage is nothing like what they give to humans, as the intent is not to eradicate the cancer, but to slow it down.

Yes all the labs were normal including kidney for her age. Normal X ray too. Budenoiside is not an option for her as I had asked and she does really well on Pred and it keeps her appetite strong. But it also helps her legs. She does not find that the Pred is an issue as she has no muscle wasting and no pain but more likely neuropathy, she had fallen before so not sure.
Been reading about Feline Idiopathic Cystitis, she doesnt show the symptoms but sounds familiar. Thank you hard to decide.