Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat very tired and not eating - could it be adrenal necrosis?
By Manson, Rebecca A et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2024·University of Georgia Veterinary Teaching Hospital, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Acute adrenal necrosis in a young female cat.
Plain-English summary
An 18-month-old spayed female domestic short-haired cat was brought to the vet because she had a poor appetite, was very tired, and was swallowing excessively, along with regurgitating food. After some tests, the vet found signs of adrenal gland damage and diagnosed her with hypoadrenocorticism (a condition where the adrenal glands don't produce enough hormones). The cat was treated with prednisolone and desoxycorticosterone pivalate, and she improved both in her symptoms and blood test results.
People also search for: cat poor appetite lethargy · cat regurgitation treatment · adrenal gland problems in cats
Abstract
CASE DESCRIPTION: An 18-month-old spayed female domestic short haired cat was presented for poor appetite, lethargy, exaggerated swallowing, and regurgitation 2 weeks after endoscopic retrieval of gastric foreign material. CLINICAL FINDINGS: The cat was quiet with tacky mucous membranes on physical examination. Point-of-care blood testing identified mild azotemia, moderate hypercalcemia, and a sodium-to-potassium ratio of 26. An ultrasound examination the next day identified moderate to marked bilateral adrenomegaly. Cytology of a fine needle aspirate of the adrenal glands was consistent with necrosis and associated inflammation. Hypoadrenocorticism was diagnosed by a confirmatory adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation test. TREATMENT AND OUTCOME: The cat normalized both clinically and biochemically after treatment with prednisolone and desoxycorticosterone pivalate. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Acute adrenal necrosis has been well documented in human medicine after anesthetic events. To our knowledge, hypoadrenocorticism caused by cytologically confirmed acute adrenal necrosis has not been previously reported in dogs and cats.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37945312/