Need support - rodent ulcer, fatty liver, not eating, dental issues

I'll try to keep this brief but my apologies if I ramble as so much has happened in the last few days that I just don't know where to begin. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone that has been in a similiar situation or that can offer advice on what I should/shouldn't be doing to help my kitty.

About 3 weeks ago I noticed that my gray tabby had lost some weight. She is about 7 years old and was diagnosed with rodent ulcer a few years back. We've tried managing her rodent ulcer through an elimination diet and I changed her to a Limited Ingredient Food (Natural Balance) in August. I assumed that she was not fond of the new food (she was always skinny and didn't get chubby until she started eating Pinnacle or Natural Instinct) and made a mental note to switch her back to a different food when we returned from vacation.

Monday night we returned from a 16 day vacation to find Winnie incredibly thin and weak. She wanted pets and purred like a kitten but she looked horrible. She ate a bit of canned cat food when it was offered and although she was too weak to jump up onto the counter, she spent hours in the kitchen sink when hoisted up there as it is her favorite place to drink water. Since we hadn't gotten in until late (10:30 pm) and we found ourselves with a few other small emergencies to handle (can you say, full moon?) we waited until Tues morning to take her to the vet.

The vet determined that she was 7 lbs 14 oz (weighed 10 lbs at her last visit some time ago), with a regular temp and a sore mouth. They said they found some ulcers and 4 teeth that need to be extracted. They did some blood work and sent her home. They also suggested that we get her scheduled for dental surgery ASAP as the thought was that the sore mouth had kept her from eating for quite some time.

When the blood work results came in they showed "significantly elevated liver enzymes - most likely hepatic lipidosis". The levels lead them to believe she hadn't eaten for 10 days (although she was well hydrated so obviously drank plenty of water). To say I feel horrible about her not eating is an understatement.

They prescribed 1x daily denamarin for liver support, 2x daily liquid clindamycin as an antibiotic and 2x daily buprenorphine as a pain killer. They are hoping that the meds will help her feel better and get her back to eating on her own but we found ourselves syringe feeding her yesterday and today as she doesn't seem willing to eat on her own. We've purchased KMR, meat baby food, canned cat food, high cal canned cat food and cat liquid diet from the vet etc. and while she does sniff at those things when offered, we are syringe feeding her the highest cal liquid diet we purchased from the vet. The goal is to get her feeling better so she can start eating on her own again, and then hopefully get her in for dental surgery next week.

The vet has said that Winnie is recoverable but that it won't be easy and the best thing may just be to let her pass. Seeing how happy and loving she is right now, I'm not giving up on her without a fight.

So...any suggestions?
Should we inquire about a feeding tube to make home feedings easier or give her some time to regain her appetite before we get too drastic?

I've tried heating some of the foods to make the smell more obvious, is there anything else I should be doing to try to get her to eat on her own?

Is there anything else we should be trying/doing for her?

If you've read this far, thank you so much! I'm trying my best to stay optimistic and fight enough for both Winnie and myself until she can start fighting on her own. I really appreciate any advice or support you can offer.

Thanks,
Heidi-

When we were dealing with our Deli's lymphoma, a vet I know recommended Nutri-Cal. It's a super high calorie corn syrup, molasses and malt syrup based product that comes in a tube and can be administered by syringe. Ask your vet if this might help.

I don't know much about the issues except that my cat had rodent ulcers before.

But I want to send you prayers and . She is a little fighter...and you have good hearts to fight along side her.

Was Winnie boarded or did she have a sitter? I would be PO'ed. Someone had to have noticed she wasn't eating! I notice if one of my cats loses so much as .1lb (but then I'm really good at guessing weight for some reason).

I really don't have any advice besides keep offering her food and treats along with the feedings. She may decide to snack a little on her own one day.

How long were her teeth starting to get bad? I know that doesn't happen overnight. That could have been part of the reason she had the ulcer issues. If she pulls through this hopefully clearing up the dental issues and staying on top of that will help keep the rodent ulcers away.

Don't give, keep fighting for her.

We had a cat sitter come in at least every other day to check on the kitties. Unfortunately, our cats become complete wusses when we go away and they hide non stop. Sometimes it even takes an hour or so for them to sneak out from their hiding spaces once we've returned. Throughout the entire time we were gone our cat sitter only managed to see 1 of the cats although we have 5. I'm trying not to be too miffed at her but I really wish she would have looked harder because one glance at Winnie made it obvious that she hadn't been eating.

I'm not really certain how long the teeth have been an issue. Winnie is frequently called Scary Kitty around here because she tends to hide and is very unpredictable when she chooses to cuddle (hence all the scratches I tend to get when the dogs, the other cats, or my husband startle her when we're cuddling). The first time I noticed the black spot on the bottom of one of her canines was the night we got home from vacation and I hadn't noticed anything before but I don't check her mouth as frequently as I should since she is so skittish and prone to being easily traumatized. You better believe I'll risk scratches in the future to get a better and more frequent look at her.

Hi, the key to recover from HL is eating, eating eating... I highly recommend getting a feeding tube - I really do think that would be the way to go. You need to get at least a can a day of food into her, otherwise she will not get better. This is a slow recovering disease, but it can be done. Since she has a very sore mouth from the rodent ulcer, and you might have to have those teeth extracted, it will be very difficult, if not impossible to feed her orally. She will not recover without food. Are you feeding her A/D?
Make sure the Meat babby food has no Garlic or onions in it, as they are toxic for cats.

But I assume she had been to the vet earlier this year, correct? I'm not blaming you for not noticing, I'm blaming the vet for not checking properly!