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| BEN'S MEDICAL HISTORY SINCE 2002 |
| Ben was born feb. 2, 1998
Maine Coon male, neutered on april 29, 1998 Had a bad virus (which?) when still in the litter. He came to live with me on september 5, 1998. Ben is relaxed, sweet and easy to handle. His eyes and nose are allways a bit dirty (no pus), especially on the left side. Sensitive gums, red around the teeth, forms plaque. Finicky eater: eats only his food, nothing else, no treats. Problems related to this virus he had when he was young? Recurring periods of appetite loss, caused by different problems: sometimes stuffed-up nose, sometimes very painful gums. These periods last 5 to 7 days. Never had antibiotics: we decided he had to recover on his own strength. Treatment was: high-quality food,rest, fresh air. |
| april 2002
In april Ben started to eat less and less. On april 5 I had to syringe-feed. Went to the vet: temp normal at 100.76 F, everything OK except swollen lymphe glands in his throat. A slight heart murmur was heard, but 5 min. later it was gone. He got 3 shots: a painkiller, Baytril antibiotics, and vit.B-12. Plus Baytril pills for the next 10 days. His weight was then 13.5 lbs.. On april 7 he started to eat fairly well and on april 15 he finished the Baytril. On april 18 we went back to the vet, who did the following with Ben under anaesthesia: - 3 teeth were pulled (they hadn't properly developed. No inflammation.) - blood was taken to send to the Univ.Lab. of the Veterinary Faculty in Utrecht (incl. FIP-test) - Chlamydia-swab was taken - heart murmur is heard on and off - FIV and FeLV are negative HERE ARE THE RESULTS FROM UTRECHT On april 24 Ben started to change over to his kidney diet: Hill's Prescription Diet k/d |
| may 2002
Ben went completely on Hill's k/d dry after a mixing program of 1 week. He hated the k/d canned, so he only got a little of that in the morning. On may 13 his urine was tested: : pH 7.5, blood- glucose- prot.+ specific gravity 1055, no sediment On may 29 his urine was tested: pH 6.5, blood- glucose- prot.trace specific gravity 1050 no sediment On may 30 bloodtest by own vet in Amsterdam Weight now 14.5 lbs. All cats vaccinated without Chlamydia. |
| june 2002
All quiet Weight 15.4 lbs |
| july 2002
All still quiet. Weight 15.9 lbs. |
| august 2002
Ben was not eating too well. august 8: bloodtest by own vet in Amsterdam augustus 28: Ben had very little appetite. He seemed to have painful gums, so he got a painkiller. augustus 30: Ultrasound of heart & kidneys in a Specialist's clinic in Amsterdam: no abnormalities. |
| september 2002
Ben was still not eating well, had irregular bowel movements, so he was given a daily dose of 2-3 ml lactulose september 7: Ben started eating fine again. september 18: bloodtest by own vet in Amsterdam + x-ray of Ben's head (sinuses, jaws, teeth): no abnormalities. Ben was allowed a small portion of low-phosphor regular canned food in the morning because he seemed to like that for breakfast. New medication: Zitac (cimetidine) 2x 50 mg per day, assuming he may have stomach acid, even though he never vomited. The cimetidine made him eat better: he didn't eat more, but apparently easier, without so much help and encouragement from me. |
| october 2002
All quiet. october 22: Zitac reduced from 100 mg to 75 mg per day |
| november 2002
november 21: Zitac reduced from 75 mg to 50 mg per day (2x 25 mg) november 28: bloodtest by own vet in Amsterdam Everything stable, continued with k/d and Zitac |
| december 2002
december 5: Ben has lousy appetite (30-50 gr. instead of 60-70 gr.per day) december 12: eats 17 grams until 4 pm, and then stops december 13: refuses to eat: to the vet No fever, URI, gum problems or stuffed nose. Prednisolon 5mg 1x per day for a week. Ben immediately picks up: eats 70-80 gram per dag december 18: Prednisolon is reduced to 1x 5mg every other day. Ben has adverse reaction: back to 1 Pred. a day. Sometimes Ben has weird days: is restless, wants food all the time (!): 90 gram, 105 gr., 110 gr. and then more normal days of 65-80 gr. in between. december 27: Prednisolon now reduced to 3/4 tablet per day. And now he keeps eating well: 80-90 gram per day. |
| 2003
Ben has a perfect bloodtest on feb.11, 2003. Based on that test his diet is changed from Hill's k/d to Hill's i/d. One specific result in the test gives my vet cause to think there might be a gastrointestinal problem. Later bloodtests show a rise in crea and BUN. In may we happen to find out Ben has blood in his urine. Nothing else shows up: no crystals. Urinating is normal. After an anti-B-course the blood is gone. But it returns, and once with a painful constant urge to visit the litterbox. In august I've had enough and ask for an x-ray, which shows many small stones in the bladder. It's decided to operate, and many small stones and crystals are taken out. These are sent to Hill's in the USA for analysis. Conclusion: 100% oxalates. Ben in the meantime has been put back on Hill's k/d (also during the surgery they have thought of his kidney problem), and luckily this diet is also suitable to reduce the formation of new oxalates. It's impossible to dissolve oxalates. Then we notice during following urine-tests that Ben drinks way too little: his USG is more than 1.055 and his pH stays 6.0. An ideal condition to start forming new oxalates. To try and change this, I have started to give Ben potassium-citrate in gelcaps since the beginning of december. Praise to my vet who was willing to take the time and trouble to study this option. We hope that Ben's pH will now go up (it's getting better already) and that he will drink more. |
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