Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Primary hypodipsia in a cat with severe hypernatremia.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2014
- Authors:
- Bach, Jonathan & Claus, Kimberly
- Affiliation:
- School of Veterinary Medicine - Medical Sciences · United States
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 4.5-year-old male domestic shorthair cat was brought to the vet after having muscle tremors, weakness, trouble walking, mild facial twitching, and eating less than usual for two months. The cat was diagnosed with primary hypodipsia, which means he didn't feel thirsty, leading to high sodium levels in his blood. To help him, the vet provided intensive fluid therapy and monitored his condition closely. After stabilization, the cat was managed successfully with a diet of canned food that included extra water. Overall, the treatment worked well for him.
Abstract
CLINICAL SUMMARY: A 4.5-year-old male castrated domestic shorthair cat presented with a 2-month history of muscle tremors progressing to weakness, pelvic limb ataxia, mild facial twitching, poor appetite and polyuria. Primary hypodipsia and resultant hypernatremia was diagnosed. Intensive fluid therapy and monitoring were initially required for stabilization, and the cat's condition was successfully managed long-term using canned food supplemented with additional water. PRACTICAL RELEVANCE: Primary hypodipsia is rare in clinical practice, but experience with this case suggests that associated hypernatremia can be successfully managed using a water-enriched diet to provide maintenance hydration.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24563495/