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Bear is at the vet. He's very sick, liver looks horrible. - Page 3

post #61 of 279
4/23/10 at 12:56pm
the numbers continue to go down
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post #62 of 279
4/23/10 at 1:21pm
Vibes and prayers for Bear and his Mom. I had to give fluids to one of my cats for kidney disease, and I HATE needles. Simon was so calm, he just laid there and purred; you and Bear should do just fine!
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post #63 of 279
4/23/10 at 2:53pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks so much everyone, your support means alot to both of us!

He threw up a little today, but not too much. And his jaundice is a tiny bit better today too!!! Which would mean that his bilirubin has come down some since yesterday! I wonder if it is because of the Amox, Fluids, new liver food, or just because.

After I get done feeding him I let him go and he pauses (facing the cage, butt towards me) so I can pet him a couple times, then he goes in the cage all by himself. WELL today, he didn't just pause, he actually turned around and looked at me like "come on, I want more lovins!" So I think he feels a little better.
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post #64 of 279
4/23/10 at 3:12pm
Thread Starter 
Here is his setup:


He's in there so I can see if he drinks/eats/ect and so the other cats wont try to play with him. He does not want out so far, in fact he gets in it himself when I get done feeding him. The notebook is so I can keep his medicne schedule right, and so I can write down if he vomits/keeps food down. This way I can see what works and what doesn't.




That is the carrier he stays in, he only gets out of it to pee-then he goes back in it and sleeps. He sleeps almost nonstop.
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post #65 of 279
4/23/10 at 3:17pm
I am glad he feels a little better.
That is a good set up.
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post #66 of 279
4/23/10 at 4:12pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Jacky!

Here is Bear when he was healthy:

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post #67 of 279
4/23/10 at 6:02pm
I don't normally lurk in the Health Forum I just got caught up in the news of your Bear. I'm glad he is doing better. It's because he has a Meowmy that loves him very much Continued Get Well wishes!
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post #68 of 279
4/23/10 at 6:45pm
I love the photo you posted of Bear.
Feel better sweet boy.
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post #69 of 279
4/23/10 at 7:27pm
He's a beautiful boy. I hope he gets better.
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post #70 of 279
4/23/10 at 8:54pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks everyone, it does mean alot to us.

Just fed him and he did not barf! And he didn't spit out as much food as usual. He has good days and bad days.

I got a couple cell phone pics of him just now:



Not feeling too good, wants back in crate...



"You is letting me in the crate, right?"




In the crate, hoovering over the water bowl. He didn't drink, but he did keep all the food down.



I pray that his Bilirubin goes down by Monday.
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post #71 of 279
4/24/10 at 5:54am
Sending vibes that Bear's labs will give you the numbers you are hoping for on Monday.
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post #72 of 279
4/24/10 at 6:09am
More strong healthy and lots of that Monday goes ok. He looks so sweet as well bless him
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post #73 of 279
4/24/10 at 6:21am
He looks brighter and more interested in life, doesn't he? he's such a beautiful boy. I have a black male too - but your Bear is just gorgeous. Good wishes to you both - and he's so lucky to have you at his back.
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post #74 of 279
4/24/10 at 9:34pm
Thread Starter 
He is a tinyyy bit more alert than he was several days ago. Meaning, when I talk to him and say silly kitty things to him, he looks at me with that spark in his eyes and listens. And he likes me to pet him a little more than he did days ago.

He is doing about the same today.

I saw a very good website this morning about his illness, I am going to dig it up and post it for those interested.

Everyones support means the world to me right now. Some days I wonder if I am doing right by Bear... But he still has that spark, that drive to live. As long as he has that, I will do whatever he needs to get well.
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post #75 of 279
4/24/10 at 9:39pm
You are doing the right thing.
I did not give up on Coco in 2001 when she was very sick and I was told she did not have a very good chance.
She is my cat that has CRF and high bp now.
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post #76 of 279
4/24/10 at 9:55pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by mews2much View Post
You are doing the right thing.
I did not give up on Coco in 2001 when she was very sick and I was told she did not have a very good chance.
She is my cat that has CRF and high bp now.
Thanks

What was wrong with Coco in 2001? She is such a strong little kitty!
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post #77 of 279
4/24/10 at 10:19pm
She had been 10 pounds and was down to 4 pounds and her fur was falling out.
She would fall over when she tried to walk and would just lay there.
They did so many tests and her blood sugar was very high.
She had severe anemia and they thought diabetes.
It turned out to be fia.
She stayed at the er for a few days then my vet for a week.
She also had many infections.
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post #78 of 279
4/24/10 at 10:32pm
Thread Starter 
Awwww, poor girl! She's been through alot! I never heard of fia, just looked it up.

Bear is a little wobbly when he walks too (since I got him back from the er visit), it's probably because their liver/panc causes their stomach to be sore.
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post #79 of 279
4/24/10 at 10:41pm
I hope something will help him.
Coco was given 5 months to live in Jan 2009.
I dread the kidney tests she has to get soon.
What time is the vet on monday?

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post #80 of 279
4/24/10 at 11:30pm
Thread Starter 
I know how you feel, I am so scared every time we go that his levels will come back bad. I hate sitting there waiting, worrying.

Yeah, when I asked the vet what Bears chances are he said "it could honestly could go either way, but if we can get the levels closer to normal then Bears chances are much better."

My vet doesn't do appts (except surgery), it's all walk-ins. They see the most cirtical pets first though, so I have to wait a while, lol. I will update FB soon as we leave the vets, I would update here but my cell phone doesn't like TCS.
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post #81 of 279
4/24/10 at 11:42pm
My phone does not like TCS also.
That is why I always post from the shows on fb. the
What time will you be going to vets?
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post #82 of 279
4/25/10 at 5:02am
Bear is a beautiful kitty.

You are a strong, caring person for all you do for your guy.

God Bless you and Bear and many
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post #83 of 279
4/25/10 at 11:19am
Hoping and praying for good numbers tomorrow at the Vet.
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post #84 of 279
4/25/10 at 1:44pm
Thread Starter 
I will be going sometime after 12pm, they seem less busy in the afternoon. In the mornings you can barely find a parking space, lol.

He is about the same today. He pooped again, I think the pred has him constipated. Going to ask the vet if he needs anything for that.

I just mixed up another batch of a/d & l/d for him, I put a small amount of tuna in it for flavor. Maybe he will like it a little better. As gross as Bears food smells and looks (the l/d is yellowish, ew) the other cats love it. I let them taste some, to see if they would eat it. Apparently it's not as bad as Bear acts like, lol.

Thanks for the well wishes everyone.
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post #85 of 279
4/25/10 at 2:19pm
What about trying the Univ of North Carolina?
Maybe they would have advice about Bear.
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post #86 of 279
4/25/10 at 2:51pm
Thread Starter 
I highly doubt that they would take Care Credit... I don't even have $1 in my pocket right now. BUT! My vets call them all of the time when they are stumped or need info. In fact one fo the vets was on the phone with someone at NC State the last time we were there.

Here is some info about what we think Bear has. The only way to know for sure is liver biopsy, but the vet wants to see if the meds keep working. Bear is pretty weak to go through surgery right now. There is fine needle biopsy where they woudn't have to knock him out, but it is not too good at diagnosing this. The best way is wedge biopsy through surgery so the vet can see the liver and pick the worst parts of the liver to get biopsys from. The vet doesn't reccomend it right now. If the bilirubin is the same tomorrow we will schedule the ultrasound.



Here is the info:


Quote:
The next most common cause of feline liver failure is “cholangiohepatitis,” which amounts to a bacterial infection and prognosis is generally fair. The other two common causes carry a much poorer outlook so obviously it is important to distinguish them and this can only be done with some sort of tissue sampling of the liver, ideally a biopsy.
Quote:
The cat in liver failure will require hospitalization, fluid therapy, and some kind of nutritional support (force-feeding, syringe feeding of a liquid diet or whatever is necessary) regardless of the cause of the liver disease.
Quote:
Antibiotics are helpful in any liver failure case as they help reduce the intestinal bacterial populations (any noxious substances they produce are normally detoxified by the healthy liver but a sick liver will not be so efficient). Antibiotics also clear the liver of invading bacteria, which is what cholangiohepatitis is all about. Expect the cat to require 3-6 months of antibiotics after recovery.
Quote:
This may seen intuitively inappropriate for a condition that involves a bacterial infection, but some patients simply cannot get better until their immune system is suppressed. Why is this? For many cats, the problem started with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: infiltration of the intestinal lining with inflammatory cells. Immune suppression is the cornerstone of therapy for this condition. Once the immune reaction is suppressed, the lining of the GI tract regains normal thickness and function, the bacterial bloom subsides, the invasion of the liver and pancreas ceases. In some cases, immune suppression is simply needed to relieve the inflammation inherent to cholangiohepatitis. Typical medications include prednisone (or prednisolone depending on how severe the liver failure is). More aggressively, chlorambucil, a chemotherapy drug, is used.
All from here: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body...hepatitis.html
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post #87 of 279
4/25/10 at 3:15pm
The link does not work.
I hope he will not need the biopsy.
Do they think he had some kind of infection that is causing it?
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post #88 of 279
4/25/10 at 3:46pm
Thread Starter 
It works for me... Can anyone else see if it works for them?

I think I will do the biopsy as a last resort... he would have to fast over night (not good for his problem), there is added risk since he is not healthy, and his levels are still going down so far.

The vet suspects a GI tract infection is what damaged his liver, and that his pancreas is invloved. It's called Cholangiohepatitis and Pancratitis. The liver & pancreas are connected so when ones messes up, the other usually is too. Some cats have to be force fed for months before they eat on their own.
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post #89 of 279
4/25/10 at 3:51pm
Thread Starter 
Oh, did you copy and paste the link? If so that is why, click it and it will open in another window.
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post #90 of 279
4/25/10 at 3:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KatKisses View Post
Oh, did you copy and paste the link? If so that is why, click it and it will open in another window.
The link opened for me...
thanks for sharing the info.
I am keeping Bear in my thoughts.
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