Is my senior cat on too many meds for her multiple illnesses?

You could take your cat to an internal medicine veterinary specialist for an ultrasound and/or other diagnostics to help get a definitive diagnosis. A specialist has more training then a regular veterinarian so may be able to read the ultrasound better. If you can't do that then you could try the anti-inflammatory and see if that helps. Your vet can monitor kidney function while on the anti-inflammatory. Hope she gets better soon.

I'm sorry to hear that Mittens has not been doing well. I agree that Mittens' chest x-rays appear to be progressing over the past 2 weeks. At this point, either pneumonia is less likely or the bacteria causing a possible pneumonia are resistant to her current antibiotic therapy. Cancer is absolutely a suspicion due to the x-ray progression. Consider asking your vets if they have considered performing either endotracheal or transtracheal washes on Mittens, which would be able to obtain a sample of fluid or cells in the lungs. These samples could be analyzed for cytology (which may be able to diagnose cancer) or culture (to determine if bacteria is present and an appropriate antibiotic). There is a chance that Mittens may not be stable enough to undergo sedation for this procedure, but your vets will be able to examine her to determine if the risks are worth the benefits. I hope that all goes well!

Thanks for visiting Petcoach. Poor kitty. I have to agree here, that if there is still gross blood in the urine, then additional testing is needed. I would highly recommend starting with a radiograph to check for urinary stones. However, a more inclusive test that is more cost effective, would be to do an ultrasound. Yes an ultrasound is more expensive than a radiograph, but if you still dont find an answer with the radiograph, an ultrasound would be needed. The ultrasound can not only tell us if there are urinary bladder stones, but it can look at the urinary bladder in 2D to determine if there are any structural abnormalities or growths inside the bladder. It is the best way to go here, especially after trying to treat this medically twice now. To help with finances though, I would suggest trying out for CareCredit. This is a line of credit for your pet that you can pay off slowly and oftentimes with no interest for up to 18 months. Best of luck with your pet Hobo moving forward. Take care Link to CareCredit--> https://www.carecredit.com/

I am sorry your kitty is so ill. I think rather than thinking about euthanasia, it is important to verify the diagnosis before taking such a drastic measure. The next step would be to do a bone marrow biopsy and to send the tissue harvested to a pathology laboratory. This will tell whether your cat indeed suffers from cancer of the bone marrow or another not so severe disease. If your vet cannot do the bone marrow biopsy, have him refer your kitty to either a veterinary oncologist or internist. Both of these specialists will also be able to inform you about less costly treatments and palliative care if needed. I think this would make more sense than putting down your cat on just the suspicion of a bone marrow cancer. Neka is very beautiful and certainly looks well taken care of. So I hope the diagnosis is not so dramatic after all.

I would recommend the bloodwork if possible. Many of the symptoms your describe could be due to hyperthyroidism which can often be managed with diet or medication. Renal disease diabetes are also concerns. Speak with your vet to determine what they suspect is most likely and find out if it is possible to test for one thing at a time instead of running a full panel at once. The vet will suggest the best options but often if you explain financial constraints we can work with owners. If unable to do the diagnostic testing then euthanasia is a reasonable option to prevent her from suffering. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

These signs may be compatible with either kidney failure or diabetes as you correctly suspected, but urinary inflammation/infection is possible as well. Urinary incontinence is possible but rarer in cats. A physical examination and urine analysis at least are necessary to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Unfortunately there is nothing you would have at home thst you could give her, and even meds from the vet could be dangerous if she has kidney issues. I would recommend taking her for an exam as it may just be bladder infection. The vets can check her kidneys too and get you sorted with safe medication.