American Association of Feline Practitioners/Academy of Feline Medicine Panel Report on Feline Senior Care

of overviewsHyperthyroidism * In the treatment of a hyperthyroid cat, special care should be taken to monitor renal function following therapy.The glomerular filtration rate will decrease regardless of treatment modality.Renal parameters should be checked 1 month following initiation of therapy.If concurrent hyperthyroidism and renal failure exist, the treatment of choice is oral anti-thyroid medication, used at the minimum effective dose.These patients should be monitored carefully.Chronic renal failure * Due to the exceptional concentrating capacity of the feline kidney, cats with renal insufficiency may have urine specific gravities greater than 1.035.* Potassium depletion is common in geriatric cats, especially those with renal insufficiency.Oral potassium supplementation is recommended when serum potassium levels fall below 4 mEq/l.* Moderate restriction of protein and phosphorus intake may reduce clinical signs of uremia.Consumption of a diet with moderately restricted protein has not been proven to slow progression of renal disease.Hypertension * Systemic hypertension in cats is usually secondary to chronic renal disease or hyperthyroidism.* Blood pressure can be measured indirectly by the Doppler method, taking the average of a minimum of five measurements.* It is important to measure cuff size carefully, as an improperly sized cuff will give an incorrect value.Cancer * Adequate nutritional support and pain management are essential components in the care of cancer patients.* Paraneoplastic syndromes may induce a disease at least as harmful as the primary neoplasia.Diabetes mellitus * Evaluation of blood glucose curves is the best method to determine insulin type, dose, and frequency of administration.* Urine glucose and single random blood glucose determination can be misleading in the assessment of glycemic control.If single blood glucose determinations are utilized, they should be timed to coincide with peak insulin activity, as ascertained by a previous blood glucose curve.