Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Kitten with poor growth and bone weakness from diet fixed by balanced
By Zambarbieri, Jari et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2023·Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Nutritional secondary hyperparathyroidism in a kitten, supported by immunoenzymatic measurement of feline intact parathyroid hormone.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 6-month-old male domestic shorthair kitten was brought to the vet because he was not growing well, seemed reluctant to move, and had a deformed nose. His diet mainly consisted of tuna and a complementary pet food, which lacked essential nutrients. Tests showed he had low calcium levels and high parathyroid hormone (PTH), indicating a nutritional issue. After switching him to a complete and balanced wet food designed for kittens, his calcium and PTH levels returned to normal within two months, and he started to thrive.
People also search for: kitten poor growth diet · cat nasal deformity · nutritional hyperparathyroidism treatment
Abstract
A 6-mo-old, intact male, domestic shorthair cat was referred with a history of poor growth, reluctance to move, and deformation of the nasal profile. The kitten had been fed a diet composed almost exclusively of a complementary pet food and tuna, which was similar to an all-meat diet. We detected osteopenia and hypocalcemia associated with severe parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcitriol increases; we measured PTH concentrations with an immunoenzymatic method that has been validated in cats. Dietary correction, consisting of a complete and balanced wet pet food formulated for growth, resulted in normalization of calcium and PTH concentrations within 2 mo.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36625404/