Elaine
,@annasiberian
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Anna is turning her nose up at both wet and dry food. When she does eat (with aid from appetite stimulant prescribed by vet) her stools are normal. She drinks/pees normally and is playful. She’s taken to sleeping under my bed rather than up with me but maybe it’s cooler there? It has been very hot here this summer. Less eager to go exploring on harness/leash in fenced in yard/garden but may have issue that I tell her not to eat the grass (have organic grass inside for her but she wants the outside stuff that has Creeping Jenny in it -toxic to cats. Grass eating only started a few months ago and she eats it & throws up a small amount of clear fluid with the grass in it). Got 2 vet opinions regarding Anna’s refusal to eat (I have tried everything from raw to cooked and every prepared wet & dry food off shelf to no avail). Anna will eat some Temptations Mixups BBQ flavor. Weight fluctuates between 6.7 and 7.7lbs. A “normal” Siberian female her age is 10-15lbs. (Anna does have very mild gingavitis & plaque but vet said this wouldn’t be reason for not eating.)
Both vets recommended an ultrasound of her abdomen but as a retiree the $500-$700 is a big chunk of change. Mostly, as a Cat Mom of many years my gut tells me something else may be the culprit for Anna not eating. She has been “flicking” her tongue over her nose more often (she has no upper respiratory issues says both vets). And, to me, the right side of her mouth seems to be looking different than the right side lately. It reminds me of my Nana who had Bells Palsy and one side side of her mouth “drooped”. I will see if I can post an upclose picture below of her right side (photo left) mouth.
Was intrigued with your video of polyps in cats and would love to know if maybe a change in Anna olfactory senses might be tied to her disinterest in eating? She doesn’t snore, btw.
Thank you!
Here is a picture of Anna from February before the eating issues began. Her mouth on her right side (left in photo) looks different to me, ie not drooping like it is now.
Hello,
My recommendation is to have a blood work panel done. It should include a full chemistry a cbc, fecal, urine and thyroid. At my clinic this is about $200. An abdominal ultrasound is about $350. I think that these are imperative to figure out what’s going on. And hopefully be able to start a treatment plan for. I doubt it’s a polyp. Use your resources elsewhere. I also think it’s perfectly acceptable to see if you can find these cheaper elsewhere if you are unable to afford them with your vet.
Good luck
Thank you, Doc. My vet did a “pre-op” panel and everything was normal except:
Total protein: 5.9 (6.3-8.8 normal)
Globulin: 2.6 (3.0-5.9 normal)
Alp: 11 (12-59 normal)
The ALB/GLOB ratio was slightly high at 1.3 (normal 0.5-1.2)
The neutrophils were slightly low but the vet said it was probably due to the stress from the visit. (The vet gave me deworming for both kitties, too)
Because Anna doesn’t have diarrhea and a mildly decreased appetite (and holding her weight level) the vet said we could hold off on the US. But the past few days (without the appetite stim) Anna is again not eating well (treats, some yogurt, a few licks of wetfood & a few dry kibbles) I called and they are going to put me in touch with a “traveling” ultrasound doc who charges $300-$350 and uses different hospitals to do the US. Still awaiting a call back.
Is this now an “emergency”? I am so worried about Anna…
Thank you for your input. Muchly appreciated!
Lynn