Bear's Liver Issues Thread. (part 2)

[katkisses]

Ok, time for a new Bear thread. The other one is way long and slow to load.

I am going to do a recap, so no one gets lost:

Originally Posted by The basics:

Bear was just fine until April 17th, he did not eat that morning. I checked him over and discovered that his skin was yellow (jaundiced). I knew that this was an emergency and took him to the vet asap. Blood tests showed skyrocket liver levels and he has lost a pound of weight. The levels are still high today, the vet (and vet school) are not sure exacly what is wrong. We have done test after test, many meds, xrays, an ultrasound, everything. Ever since he has been sick, he will barely eat, he went weeks without eating anything at all (I have to force feed him). He has only drank water 3-5 times since April 17th, so I also have to give SubQ fluids. At first he vomited all of the time and couldn't keep any food down. It slowly lessened, fast forward to today and he only pukes once a wk at most.

Other than that he acts fine, he weighs more now than he ever has (only because I am force feeding him) he plays, runs, and acts just fine.

His meds are:
-Milk Thistle
-Pred
-Ursodiol
-Famotidine
-Amoxicillion
-Metronidazole

My vet is going to do a liver biopsy soon, I have to get the money together. Maybe it will give us answers.

More details here: Bear is at the vet. He's very sick, liver looks horrile(old thread).

 

[samhainborn]

Just a quick note about the bonito flakes -- I DO cook with them, using them to make Miso Soup among other things. My cats absolutely LOVE the seaweed and fish flakes mixed together once they've been strained from the broth. You may be able to get him to nibble on that, just be careful not to give him too much of the seaweed, since it can cause constipation.

I'll be checking back to see how Bear is doing. I hope he continues his improvement. Heard any new news from the university?

 

[otto]

Thinking of you and Bear and will be watching this thread for updates. Has the yellow faded much more at all? How about a new pic for the new thread?

 

[laureen227]

Originally Posted by otto

How about a new pic for the new thread?

 

[cheshirecat]

My heart goes out to you

I've had 5 days with a sick cat and am about to lose my mind. I can't imagine over three months of this!

For you and Bear.

 

[katkisses]

Originally Posted by SamhainBorn

Just a quick note about the bonito flakes -- I DO cook with them, using them to make Miso Soup among other things. My cats absolutely LOVE the seaweed and fish flakes mixed together once they've been strained from the broth. You may be able to get him to nibble on that, just be careful not to give him too much of the seaweed, since it can cause constipation.

I'll be checking back to see how Bear is doing. I hope he continues his improvement. Heard any new news from the university?

Thanks! We haven't run out of the kittie brand flakes yet, but I will keep that in mind.

The University just said "Oh we are supprised he is still alive, it sounds like FIP. You should get a liver biopsy." I wasn't supposed to hear anything else from them, that was it. I am saving up for the Biopsy, it is really hard though, when I have $100 for the surgery.... that is when Bear's meds are running out. It is costing over $200 for his meds/fluids/Rx food per month. Biopsy is $300-500, depending on complications and whatnot. I cut back on getting his bloodwork, trying to save up. Now his color seems a bit better, and I need to get $80 up for a exam/blood work.

He is so worth it though.

Originally Posted by otto

Thinking of you and Bear and will be watching this thread for updates. Has the yellow faded much more at all? How about a new pic for the new thread?

It is about the same, but that is still good. It takes a long time for it to fade, it IS way better than it was 3 1/2 months ago. He looked radioactive back then, like he would glow in the dark if you turned the lights off. Now he is a little yellow inside his mouth and on his belly, and I can hardly tell if he is yellow on his ears. It's hard though because I take him out on the porch to check his color, he gets all wiggley wanting to go back inside.

My cats are divas, their precious paws cannot get dirty, and who knows, those wild squirrles and bugs might have rabies.

Originally Posted by CheshireCat

My heart goes out to you

I've had 5 days with a sick cat and am about to lose my mind. I can't imagine over three months of this!

For you and Bear.

I know, I felt like I was going to lose my mind for a while, but I learned to just take it day by day.

I saw your thread, how is he doing?

 

[katkisses]

Nooooo, I didn't ignore requests for pics lol:



Spidey cat! (spiderman)
I put him on a low branch, he loved it.

Making faces at the dog. Our dog, that he sees EVERY day. Same dog that lives in the house. lol. For some reason Bear was all "Omg, a dog. It looks funny." He was tugging the leash because he wanted to run AT the dog, probably to bop her in the face lol. I guess he didn't understand that is HIS dog, not a strange dog.






"I don't know about this... outside stuff." All of my cats hate outside, after 5 mins they want IN. NOW! They are spoiled diva indoor cats. They think they are going to catch rabies or something from the dirt/bugs/grass lol.





He is at a great weight.... because I syringe feed him. If I didn't he would be skelatal, no actually he could not have lived if I hadn't force fed him. He still eats 1 cup dry at the most on a rare super fabulous great day, but he eats no food for days still too. He averages about 1/4 cup on normal days right now.





The flash made him look brown lol. You can see where his fur is still growing back.

The pics DO NOT show his true color, it is hard to get a pic of the actual color. And his color looks different in every pic.




That is my boy!

 

[otto]

Awww...! He looks great! Seeing the dog out of context is what is freaking him out most likely. (That's why sometimes it's so hard to recover cats who get lost outside. The kitty's person doesn't look sound or smell the same in the scary outside)

Black cats ARE difficult to photograph. Thank you so much for sharing those pictures!

PS..I take my cats out in harness. They have RUGS spread out in strategic spots in their (fenced) yard. They do not like lying in the grass.

 

[carolina]

how do i send you money?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Oh, he's looking GREAT!

 

[katkisses]

Originally Posted by otto

Awww...! He looks great! Seeing the dog out of context is what is freaking him out most likely. (That's why sometimes it's so hard to recover cats who get lost outside. The kitty's person doesn't look sound or smell the same in the scary outside)

Black cats ARE difficult to photograph. Thank you so much for sharing those pictures!

PS..I take my cats out in harness. They have RUGS spread out in strategic spots in their (fenced) yard. They do not like lying in the grass.

I think that is what it is. He just took a nap next to the dog, lol. I agree about outside, Cody got loose one day. (someone was replacing part of the floor, someone else let him out of the bedroom he was locked in) Thank GOD he just went under the house! He would not move, at all. He was scared stiff, I had to go under and get him. There are black widow spiders under there, are probably snakes. And you know what I was concerned about? I was worried that if I did get him out asap that he would get bit by a spider/snake. After I crawled back out with him, I realized that I didn't even think about the possibility of ME getting bit by a snake/spider. Then I quickly got all of the spider webs off of me!!!

I was just in "OMG MY CAT IS OUT" mode.



It's not is coat.. well that too, but his jaundice doesn't photograph well either. Some pics make it look worse than it is, others make it look like there is no jaundice. These pics make it look like he is super pale, lol.

Originally Posted by Carolina

how do i send you money?

The Weebly finally has a functioning Paypal button, that is very gracious of you. I am trying to see if I can get yet another student loan... I know I am going to be screwed in the future, paying it all back. But I will just worry about that later.

Originally Posted by mrsgreenjeens

Oh, he's looking GREAT!

Thanks!

I do have a big announcment.... I give up seperating him.

It broke my heart every single second. I am still putting him by himself at night, with a huge bowl of food.

If I could free feed I would just leave him out at night, but my cats, like me, have no portion control lol. And Chicken will LITERALLY eat until she barfs. She even did it as a tiny kitten, I had to do schedule feedings with her ever since I had her (she was about 5wks when I found her) I had to, she was loosing weight. Funny enough, she is the same reason that I have to hide the cat/dog food bags. She will tear them up to get to the food. A couple weeks ago I was cleaning the closet out that I keep their food in. I had the dog food sitting against the wall next to the closet. (you see where this is going...) I left to go get some juice, come back and Chicken has the bag ripped from top to bottom.

Luckily she didn't make it through all of the layers of the bag! None of the other cats do that. Once she gets a bag open (yes, she has ripped many bags of cat food wide open - 3 big bags at once before!) the other cats will sit there and pull the food out with their foot.

Little criminals.



Anyway, Bear is about the same today. He ate about 1/3 cup of dry in 24hrs, still haven't seen him drink. He still follows me around, I don't understand it. If someone forced me to eat, poked me with a huge needle, and gave me 6 meds (some twice a day), I would resent that person. He does not hold it against me at all. I love this silly cat.

 

[katkisses]

Great update....

Bear's appetite has slowly been improving over the last few days, I really think this may be it. He might be over this in 2-5 weeks if he keeps improving at this rate.

I was force feeding him 3-4 times a day, but earlier this week I felt comfortable enough to cut back to 2 times a day because he was eating enough for me to cut back some more. Yesterday & today I only force fed him once per day. He has been eating about 2/3 cups of dry food per day for the last 2-3 days.

Tonight I got him a few cans of Fancey Feast and Meow Mix in the plastic cups, just to give it a try again. He has not been eating wet on his own for a long time, except every once in a while where he woult eat a teaspoon of it, then make a face and walk away. I just gave him one of the Meow Mix cups, he ate about half of it. It was a 2.75oz cup!!! I took it up and put it in the fridge, I will see if he will eat more in a couple hours.

Guys, you have NO IDEA how happy I am about this!!!! I am scared to get too happy, because he could easily go back downhill but he is SO CLOSE to being normal again!!!!



I think he weighs close to 11lbs now, which is slightly overweight for him. I am not going to cut back his food anytime soon though. Not with known liver issues. When he gets better, and his bloodworks come back normal THEN I will focus on his weight.


I just had to share the news, I can't even believe it myself.

 

[carolina]

Wow, that's AWESOME!!!!!!!

Do you think maybe he is happier by not being separate anymore, maybe not as stressed out?
I mean... It is a coincidence... I think... Excellent news!

:cl ap:

 

[otto]

Thanks for the happy update on Bear. That is really uplifting news!

 

[katkisses]

Originally Posted by Carolina

Wow, that's AWESOME!!!!!!!

Do you think maybe he is happier by not being separate anymore, maybe not as stressed out?
I mean... It is a coincidence... I think... Excellent news!

:cl ap:

I think it is because he has more room to run around and play. He spent a good 5mins trying to catch a fly today.

He didn't act like he missed the cats much, he is sleeping on the foot of the bed right now... by himself. He is ok with or without other cats, it doesn't seem to matter to him. Bear is a *very* happy-go-lucky cat, I have never really seen him get sad/mad before honestly.

If one of the cats bop him in the head, he just loooks at them like "whaaaa... ?" and walks away. He does cuddle with Chicken or Cody once in a while, but he mostly sleeps by himself.

He follows me around alot, which is unbelievable. Most cats would run away from the person who gives them meds/fluids.

I think of it like this... If I layed around all day I would eat less, I would not be that hungry because I wouldn't be burning many calories. But if I was getting out and exercising all day, then I would be hungry from buring calories.

You helped me out A LOT, you do know that right? You and ML, and everyone else who has helped Bear. I have no idea what I would have done.... I mean, I don't even want to think about it. You know though, you've been in my shoes.

I can't thank you enough. You got the wheels rolling so that I could help Bear to my best ability.

Originally Posted by otto

Thanks for the happy update on Bear. That is really uplifting news!

I was afraid of jinxing myself, almost every time I said "oh, he seems a little better" he would go into a puke fest, stop eating, levels went higher, ect.

But this time I can feel it, he IS getting better. Thanks for following his progress and offering advice, at times I felt hopeless but you guys (all of you) helped keep me sane. It was a aweful feeling, waking up in the morning or just walking in the door... and that horrible feeling hits you. "Is he still hanging on?" That was the worst thing ever.







It's not over yet, but he is sooooo close.

I still haven't seen him drink water, but the last few days he was sperated it did seem like there was some water missing here & there. He could have just splashed some water out of the bowl though, it was a small amount. If I can get him to eat more wet food then I will try cutting his fluids back a little. He gets 100 units per day, but I skip one day per week. Just to give him a break from being poked and because when I did it every day it was taking longer for the fluids to absorb. If I can get him to eat more wet, I will try 75 units of fluids and see how he does.

 

[farleyv]

I am wiping the tears away as I read this. So very happy for you and your buddy!!

I bet you never thought you would be writing this great improvement thread. He is a handsome guy and by looking at his eyes, he sure is looking healthy.

Again, he is still in my prayers. You have every reason to be proud. You and your pal, Bear, have come so far.

God Bless you both!!

 

[katkisses]

One more thing....




















I just gave him the 1/2 Meow Mix that was left....













HE ATE IT! He finished 2.75oz in 4hrs (with a break in between). WOOOOO HOOOO!!!

I got trigger happy and gave him a can of the Fancey Feast, but he didn't want it. I put it in the fridge for later. If he keeps eating these foods, I am going to be keeping an eye out for UTIs. He is super prone to them and I worry about the fishy foods. He had to have p/u surgery in 2008 for it and I have been keeping it under control with a proper diet, but that is out of the window right now.




Thanks Farleyv, you are so right. At the begining of all of this... I though I would be writing a "Bridge" thread, I really did. This cat does not give up, he is making it and we are almost there! I haven't got his boodwork in forever, I am scraping the money together and going as soon as I can. I know the vet will think Bear has passed by now, the last time I called I was asking him questions and he kept talking about Bear in the past tense... I was like "... well, he is still hanging on..." I forget what the vet said after that, it was something to the effect of "well I hope he keeps improving!" He will be floored when he sees Bear.

Bear now looks like he use to, my siggy pic is from Jan before he got sick and he looks just like that now, if not fatter lol. He has come a lonnnnng way, little cat has a huge heart.


I kept forgetting to mention, when his Bilirubin was high his eye color was different. They went from yellow (healthy) to a really golden color, a bit darker too. You can kinda see it in his old pics.

 

[farleyv]

He is the Energizer Kitty!

 

[laureen227]

great news about Bear! y'know, MM makes some non-fish flavors - i used to get them because of Chip's prior bout w/crystals... just read the labels, i know there's a couple of them.

 

[carolina]

Originally Posted by KatKisses

I still haven't seen him drink water, but the last few days he was sperated it did seem like there was some water missing here & there. He could have just splashed some water out of the bowl though, it was a small amount. If I can get him to eat more wet food then I will try cutting his fluids back a little. He gets 100 units per day, but I skip one day per week. Just to give him a break from being poked and because when I did it every day it was taking longer for the fluids to absorb. If I can get him to eat more wet, I will try 75 units of fluids and see how he does.

He is eating wet food AND getting fluids... chances are, he will not be drinking water on his own, as he really doesn't need right now.
I would definitely talk to the vet about cutting back the fluids to get him to drink water.
My cats who eat wet only drink not water - and I am saying not at all

I mix a little extra water on their food as they like it a little softer, but that's all they get... And really, when it comes down to it, in ounces, that's all they should be getting.
Cats will drink when they are thirsty, and sounds to me Bear is just not getting thirsty. Just wanted to throw that out there