Some questions on new bloodwork results for my cat, Teddy

[RuthR]

My 14-year old male Maine Coon cat, Teddy, just had complete bloodwork and a urinalysis done yesterday. The vet tech called today with the results, and I have some questions.

She said that since his CREA is now 1.3 (she also said there is something in his urine, I don't remember what), he is now considered to be in Stage 1 kidney disease. He recently went through a period of 1-2 weeks where he was in a lot of pain because of his arthritis and was not taking any of his supplements, including Standard Process Feline Renal Support and Sustenance Herbs Kidney Works. His CBD dose was increased and just yesterday he started taking all of his supplements again. Please explain this to me - is it possible to get his CREA back down?

I had been giving him Pet Wellbeing Kidney Support Gold (Kidney Support Gold - for Cat Kidney Function), but it cautions not to use with blood thinners, and Teddy gets 0.3 mls of aspirin once on Mondays and once on Thursdays. Pet Wellbeing doesn't say why it shouldn't be used with blood thinners. When I was giving it to him, his kidney levels were good.

Because he was not taking his supplements, I was expecting his T4 level to be high (he was only taking his Methimazole, 5 mg. twice a day, and not his supplements). I tried to counter this by diffusing essential oil Myrrh for seven hours intermittently during the day and night, and applying essential oils topically to him. His T4 level is 1.0! I think it is because of the essential oils, but my integrative holistic vet, who says essential oils are toxic, says it could be Sick Thyroid Syndrome. Your thoughts?

She also said Teddy is definitely anemic and needs to be on Pet Tinic. The first ingredient of Pet Tinic is corn syrup, and it also has caramel color in it. Please tell me there is something better that he can take. I was giving him Ancestral Supplements, but I'm not sure they were doing anything. When he was taking his supplements, I was giving him a scoop of Dr. Jones Ultimate Feline a day (Dr. Jones' Ultimate Feline Health Formula (30 Day Supply)). Now that he is taking his supplements again, would this help him?

The attached bloodwork has yesterday's results as well as previous results for comparison. Please help me to understand what the results are showing and what I can best do to help Teddy.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hey Ruth!

is it possible to get his CREA back down?

Sure!

His T4 level is 1.0!

Yay!

I think it is because of the essential oils, but my integrative holistic vet, who says essential oils are toxic, says it could be Sick Thyroid Syndrome.

Either way would be fine with Teddy.

Dr. Jones Ultimate Feline a day (Dr. Jones' Ultimate Feline Health Formula (30 Day Supply)). Now that he is taking his supplements again, would this help him?

Probably (sorry, the page would load for me so I couldn't confirm). You might also see if he likes raw fresh liver.

BTW-His kidney values looked fine to me. He might be a bit dehydrated and definitely can use some blood building. Try the liver, but if it doesn't work there is a new pretty safe drug that recently came available for anemic kitties.

@Dr. Jean Hofve, do you know more about this drug?

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Yes, I did some research and had a little blurb in my newsletter about it:

"The Food and Drug Administration approved a novel drug, Molidustat, for the treatment of anemia in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is an oil-based liquid given by mouth; cats don’t seem to mind the taste (much). Possibly due to the relatively high rate of adverse events (mainly vomiting), widespread adoption among veterinarians seems to be slow. However, in cats who develop an allergy to the current standard treatment (erythropoeitin), this may be a hopeful option."

Personally I recommend NEVER applying essential oils directly to an animal. You didn't mention what you are using, but many oils are indeed quite toxic to cats, whose livers lack the enzymes to process many compounds that are safe for other animals. Cats' sense of smell is so sensitive, and the oil is on their body they cannot get away from it if they find the smell unpleasant. Seems a bit rude to me! If it's in a place he can lick it off, that could increase toxicity.

Methimazole alone would account for the normal thyroid level, that is what it's supposed to do.

Has his heart been assessed lately? I wonder if the aspirin is still needed; it could be contributing to the anemia. Standard Process dessicated Spleen is wonderful for anemia. I also agree about fresh liver. Pet-Tinic is a commonly used, though (as you discovered) crappy product. He is just *barely* anemic so nutritional support should be enough to stabilize that.

As Dr. Jeff said, his kidney numbers are perfectly normal. His urine specific gravity is low, but BUN and Creat are normal, and if he is eating a high moisture diet, it is not really a problem at this point.

 

[GinnyW]

Yes, I did some research and had a little blurb in my newsletter about it:

"The Food and Drug Administration approved a novel drug, Molidustat, for the treatment of anemia in cats with chronic kidney disease (CKD).......

....Standard Process dessicated Spleen is wonderful for anemia. I also agree about fresh liver. Pet-Tinic is a commonly used, though (as you discovered) crappy product. He is just *barely* anemic so nutritional support should be enough to stabilize that.

I'm wondering if anyone would consider using the TCM herb Dang Gui - angelica - for spleen, blood building, etc. in cats. We've seen some great results with it in dogs and horses, many of whom seem to actually crave it - lick it up, eat out of the jar, etc. Perhaps Dr. Christina can comment.

 

[Dr. Christina]

I am not familiar with chinese herbs.

My experience with high quality EO in cats is opposite Dr. Jean. I do agree to be very careful with a lot of topical and especially diffusing because of their super strong sense of smell. In general, holistic vets either like or do not like essential oils in cats. I would always dilute them. To be on the safe side, hydrosols seem completely safe. it is not clear how long you have used the oils and the Methimazole together to judge which brought down the Thyroid value. Be accurate on a time line to help figure this out.

The timeline , and carefully evaluating every symptom (past and present) on the master symptom list will help you decide on your next steps.

Definitely no pet tinic. Try the other options, and not worry much about anemia.

Most importantly, focus more on his quality of life rather than chasing each different symptom or blood abnormality with a different treatment.

Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

I like Angelica myself, took it for hot flashes for a few years. It was one of the herbs we studied in a course taught by an apprentice of the brilliant herbalist Stephen Buhner. Spiritually it "connects heaven and earth," so theoretically has great benefits. It's traditionally considered a female herb, but since cats are so often yin deficient, it may have a place there.

As Dr. Christina said, hydrosols are safe; full-strength essential oils are not. I'm not a fan of them for cats (though I use them myself occasionally), but that's just my preference. Too much, even of a good thing, can be a bad thing!

 

[RuthR]

Thank you all for your answers. I'll try to fill in some blanks and provide more information below.

Teddy does not like raw liver, but I am also, for the majority of what I feed him, cooking the raw food tat I make for him. I found out since he had his episode with pancreatitis in March that cooked food is better for him. Yesterday morning, he had another episode of pancreatitis. Thankfully, since we knew what it was, we were able to use CBD and essential oils to get him through it. He ate a little bit by 12:15 in the afternoon, and till the day was over, he was asking for food many times and had also taken all of his supplements. I recently purchased Organic Chicken Bone Broth from Bell and Evans, and that has been a lifesaver for helping to get him to eat/drink his supplements.

The Angelica looks very promising, but I am doubtful I could get Teddy to take it (as Dr. Christina says, cats don't like herbs, and she is 100% correct in Teddy's case). I am looking at another product - Jackson Galaxy's B12 for Cats (B12 for Cats - Two Crazy Cat Ladies). This is liquid and probably doesn't have any flavor, so I am leaning towards trying it for Teddy. Your thoughts?

Teddy has a follow-up appointment with his cardiologist on June 10, so we can definitely ask if he still needs to be on the aspirin.

I apologize for not explaining myself very well on the use of essential oils. I have received Level 1 and am currently in Level 2 certification by Dr. Janet Roark (About Dr. Roark - Essential Oil Vet) as an Animal Aromatherapy Specialist. She does training and speaking throughout the country and internationally and is an excellent teacher. I have been fully trained on how to use essential oils safely and effectively to help animals. I only use doTERRA Certified Pure Tested Grade oils. When diffusing, only use a total of 4-6 drops of oil and place it in a room where the animal can leave if they wish. For applying topically, dilution is critical, as Dr. Christina said. When deciding which oils to use, self-selection allows the animal to tell you which ones they want and need! I believe the oils are helping Teddy tremendously, and they are providing miraculous results with his respiratory issues.

Despite Teddy being on the Methimazole and several different herb and supplements, we have had a hard time regulating his T4 level. I had been applying Myrrh topically to him for several months, but when he had the episode just recently where he was refusing his supplements, I also began diffusing the Myrrh. That is the only variable since his T4 level went down to 1.0.

 

[RuthR]

After paying closer attention to the premix I use to make Teddy's food (A Homemade Raw and cooked Cat Food Diet Premix/Supplement - TCfeline Plus Chicken Liver), I am concerned that, since I am now cooking most of his food, I might be cooking out all the vitamins. I was looking at Dr. Ruth Roberts' Holistic Total Body Support for Cats and Dogs (Holistic Total Body Support for Cats and Dogs - Glandular Supplements), but then I saw one of the ingredients is Iodine. I asked on a chat how much iodine is in it, and the response was "34.90 mcg of iodine". I then asked if that was per 1/4 teaspoon serving, but they didn't answer.

Is this too much iodine for Teddy, since he has hyperthyroid? Are there other suggestions for vitamin and taurine supplements without iodine that can be added to his food after I cook it?

 

[RuthR]

Update: I received a reply from Dr. Ruth Roberts that the iodine content for the Holistic Total Body Support is 0.035 mg per serving. The other amount was from their previous formulation, and this is the new info. So, this amount of iodine seems like it would be okay for Teddy, right?

Would I be able to make his food without using the pre-mix, and instead put 1/4 teaspoon of the Holistic Total Body Support on his food every day? I am trying to make sure, since I am cooking his food, that he is getting the proper amount of vitamins and supplements every day.