Potassium Deficiency in Felines

Causes

• Low potassium in felines is usually a symptom of chronic kidney disease. When the kidneys are not functioning well potassium spills over into the urine. Potassium deficiency can also be caused by diets that are intended to acidify the urine and it is common in older cats.

Signs

• Potassium deficiency is hard to identify in its early stages and in an older cat may be written off as a sign of age. Symptoms include lack of appetite, weakness, poor coat, weight loss, stiffness and lethargy.

Diagnosis

• Diagnosis of potassium deficiency is done through a combination of blood testing and observation of symptoms. Often the blood test will come back normal because the body is using up stores of potassium in the body to keep the blood levels normal.

Treatment

• Severe potassium deficiency in felines may require intravenous treatment with a potassium solution in a hospital setting, but less severe cases can be treated at home with a potassium supplement. The potassium supplement is usually in a powder form that can be added to wet cat food.

Outcome

• It can take up to eight weeks to see a visible improvement after treatment has started. Treatment usually continues for the remainder of the cat's life with periodic blood tests to check potassium levels.