Why do wellness bloodwork? Whisker's Story

Whiskers is our Technician Bretton’s kitty and here is her story.

Whiskers started life in a barn in Iowa, her mom was named Fanbelt, and she was destined to be a farm cat. A visiting relative met Whiskers and her sister Spooky and brought them back to Michigan. This is where our story begins. She immediately chose me over other people in the house and ever since we have basically been inseparable. Over the past 16 ½ years she has been my best friend. She’s been with me through the end of high school, helped me learn in collage and tech school, and continues to help me be a better technician every day.

Whiskers has been having wellness bloodwork run most of her life. When she was 13 yrs we started noticing a trend that her kidney values were increasing so we took action. Since we were able to detect changes early, we started her on a Kidney-friendly diet (k/d) that can slow the progression of the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). We also check her bloodwork often, every 3-6 months, and take blood pressure readings to track the progression of the disease. Adding a water fountain and feeding more canned food also help flush the kidneys.

With the early detection of the Kidney disease we were able to slow the disease, monitor the progression of the disease, make changes to her health plan with information provided by regular blood checks, and help keep her happy longer for many more years.

Kidney diets:

There are several different types of prescription kidney diets out there. When our pets eat food the body breaks down the food to gain nutrients. During this process there are waste products created that need to be filtered out by the body. One of the major filtering organs in the body is the kidneys. So the goal of these diets is to help lessen the filtration work the kidneys have to do when filtering waste products. They are formulated by doctors who balance the specific needs of patients with kidney disease.