It might be IBD, Irritable Bowel Disease. I believe this was diagnoised with an x-ray.
I'm sorry to hear that Othello still isn't eating. Thank you for posting his labs, but I will request that you include the lab's reference ranges with Othello's values. Reference ranges vary from lab to lab, so it's important to include them in order to put Othello's values in proper perspective. Based on ranges I've seen at several labs my vet uses, however, I don't see anything particularly worrisome in the results you posted except for perhaps a borderline high calcium.Othello went back to the vet this afternoon since he had no interest in his breakfast again. Same practice, but different doc. Blood test results retrieved:
Do you know specifically which test this was? I did some more research on feline pancreatitis diagnostics, and apparently some commonly used tests are unreliable, at best. This link describes pancreatitis and its diagnosis in good detail:Lipase snap test: negative
As you've undoubtedly discovered, I'm very big on the disease-specific mailing lists. So yes, by all means join the IBD lists and start sucking knowledge out of their brains. Also, start assist-feeding Othello if he doesn't start eating sufficiently on his own by tomorrow.The x-ray showed some inflammation in his intestines, so the vet gave him an injection of Cerenia (discontinuing the metoclopramide) and sent him home with a bottle of prednisolone, treating for presumptive IBD. She did take samples for a urinalysis and CBC, but only plans to run them if Othello isn't significantly better in 24 hours. I guess I'm signing up for one or more of those feline IBD forums mentioned on another thread!
That's excellent news!Othello is eating much, much better - probably 80% of normal yesterday, and this morning he ate his entire normal breakfast without any coaxing. And his activity is getting close to normal, including fighting with Desdemona.
Unfortunately, from my further research, it appears that the fPLI is not a terribly reliable test for feline pancreatitis. I urge you to read the following link to better understand the limitations and other available tests for pancreatitis:yes, the test that was done was the fPLI.
Unfortunately, biopsy is the only definitive diagnostic that I know of for IBD, or to differentiate IBD from other gastric issues.She did suggest that instead going for a biopsy if the tests don't show anything else, we start him on a special diet, and if he responds to that, consider the biopsy to get the definitive answer.
Actually, elevated Amylase in cats is meaningless. Here's a link to a site to which I regularly refer when trying to interpret blood test results:She came back - blood showed elevated Amylase, everything else perfect. Not a slam dunk, but indicative of the pancreas