Hepatic Lipidosis? Home remedy of force feeding?

My 3.5 year old shorthair indoor kitty stopped eating and drinking as much in the past week and a half.  There is visible weight loss.  I brought her to the vet last night and they did blood work and gave her an antibiotic shot as well just in case, the vet did state that she seemed dehydrated.  The vet called me back this morning with her results; her liver enzymes and gallbladder enzymes are off the chart.  He said that it could be hepatic lipidosis, but without further testing there's no definitive diagnosis.  He suggested a very aggressive (and costly) treatment of admitting her to a hospital in Boston and giving her a feeding tube through her stomach to make sure she's getting proper nutrition.  Based off of my research, it seems as though as long as she starts getting proper protein/nutrition intake you can almost "reverse" the hepatic lipidosis or "jump start" her liver back into being well.  I guess hepatic lipidosis occurs because for some reason the cat stops eating as much as it normally does?  I quite frankly do not have the financial means to admit my cat to a hospital and do tons of more testing, feeding tube, etc.  But based on my research, if I force feed her the amount of a high protein food (put through the food processor and water added) that she should normally be eating (but broken down into frequent intervals) this can work just as well.  I will be using a syringe, wrapping her up nice and snug in a towel and holding her close as I give her the food...I've already successfully given her one "dose" of food this way!  Has anyone else tried this approach?  I love my cat more than I can express, but we just can't afford all of these vet bills right now.  Her visit, blood work, and antibiotic shot was $240 alone!  I'm looking for some hope out there that someone else has been able to help their poor kitty "reverse" hepatic lipidosis and nurse them back to health!

Also, this website http://www.hepatic-lipidosis.com/ has been EXTREMELY helpful.

Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Thank you ALL for your support, good vibes, suggestions and input!  I am going to check out a local pet store to see if I can get a cat bag...I'm sure it is much easier than our towel technique!  And don't worry, I am making sure that she will be getting the proper amount of food daily.  I heard 1/2 ounce-1 ounce per pound?  She currently weights 10 lbs (but did weigh more).  Do you think 6 oz per day is enough, or should I start off with a little bit more to bulk her up at first?  I am planning on feeding her one ounce each feeding and at least 6 times per day.  Thoughts?

Thank you SO much everyone!!!  I spoke with the vet again not too long ago and I let him know that I am definitely going to go with the force feeding w/ syringe option versus the feeding tube in the stomach.  I am picking up some A/D tonight and will start using that.  I'm lucky enough that my husband has an incredibly flexible work schedule, so I can feed the kitty in the morning before work and a few times after work when I get home, but he can stop at home throughout the work day a few times to feed her.  I'm praying this works for my poor little Meowzers!  She is such a good little kitty and has the most awesome temperament-we just wrapped her up loosely in a towel and held her close and she was OK with the syringe feeding.

Just so there's some measurements for you all to go by, the vet said her liver enzymes AST are 414 and high normal is 100, her ALT is 727 and high normal is 100.  There was another liver enzyme (sounded like vet said "alcfoss", but I can't find that online) that was 588 when high normal is 102.  Her gallbladder bilirubin level is 2.6 and high normal is .4.  Again, this is all according to her vet.

I really, really, really am hoping for the best here!  I hope I can save my poor kitty!

Thank you all again for all of your support!  I have another question for those of you who have experience or know people who've had experience with force feeding for hepatic lipidosis; how long have you had to force feed your kitty for before they start eating again on their own?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denice 

Patches started eating again within about a week and a half but I continued the tube feedings for at least two weeks after he started eating again.  The vet told me that overfeeding was fine because he needed to be getting enough calories so that his body wouldn't try to draw from his fat stores.  When he came off the tube feedings I weaned him off of them over about a week.

I'm glad your kitty healed quickly!  I hope mine does as well...I'm starting to get very discouraged and incredibly worried.  I brought her back to the vet today and she got a subcutaneous injection of fluids...bringing her again tomorrow morning too...she was slightly jaundice =(.  I'm bringing IV stuff home so I can do it myself over the weekend as well (the tech is teaching me tomorrow).  This is all just so sad!  I can't stand seeing poor, helpless animals sick and helpless-it's especially heartbreaking when it's your own!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carolina 

Honey, please don't get discouraged.... This is a long road, but can be done.... There have been kitties right here at TCS who were very, very jaundiced, not slightly.... but they made it That is the very nature of HL - that happens when the bilirubin is high....
It is a difficult road, and it does take perseverance.... You are in the very beginning of it.... Keep going - we will be right here with you....
Just make sure she keeps eating..... That's the only way you will break the cycle of Hepatic Lipidosis - with food. It takes consistent feedings for that... There is plenty of fluids in her food - she needs nutrition, all the nutrition she can get.... The fluids will help to keep her hydrated, and will perk her up to a certain point, but nothing will help her like food....
Edit: Why was she on the vet, and is there medicine being added in those fluids?
Also, can you update us on her feedings? How is that going? How did she eat today?

Thank you for all your support!  We are feeding her every 2-4 hours; I'm making sure she gets fed 6 times throughout the day.  We are giving her 1 oz at each feeding.  She's 10 lbs, so I think 6 oz is is good for now, but as she gets used to the feedings and tolerates it better (she's vomited after a feeding twice so far) I think I'll start feeding her more.  We're feeding her A/D critical care wet food with a supplement mixed in that comes in a squeeze bottle that's high in fat and nutrients.  I brought her to the vet because she's not drinking any water, and when I brought her the first time the vet said she was dehydrated.  I know being dehydrated can make anyone feel crappy, so I'm sure the extra hydration can't hurt.  There was no medicine added to the fluids.  The first time I took her to the vet she was given a shot of antibiotics to "cover all bases" as the vet said.  Her feeding schedule today was this:

7:00AM - 1 ounce

9:40AM - 1 ounce

12:30PM - 1 ounce

2:30PM - 1 ounce

6:00PM - 1 ounce

And I plan on giving her another feeding at 9:00PM.  I'm thinking maybe I should set an alarm in the middle of the night and feed her once then too?  The first time I tried feeding her today at 6:20AM she threw it up...so I waited a bit and then at 7:00AM she handled the food just fine.  After the 6:00PM feeding I had given her about .5 ounces and she got sick...so I waited a few minutes and tried again and she kept it down.  I have a log going and am keeping track of how much and how often she eats!  Also, her daily meal plan will be similar to that of todays, but times may alter slightly due to my husband and I's work schedule.  But like I said before, I'm fortunate enough that he works incredibly close to home and is able to stop in at least twice during the work day to feed her.

Suggestions/input/thoughts are greatly appreciated!