Hepatic lipidosis--anyone have experience with tube feeding?

danacbus · Dec 17, 2012

We had a fun and active weekend.

Joey refused to be shut into a room so I try to watch while he eats but am still uncertain how much he is eating on his own? The 2 others tend to swoop in during feeding time but he's partaking in wet food again. I learned one night that he has been sneaking from a bag that was not tightly closed. I saw it was open so I clipped it then he woke me up around 3 am to open it. I don't know how long he has been eating from the bag but I gave him full feedings all last week. I plan to phone my vet today for some guidance since he ate a bit this morning (and in the middle of the night) but refused a tube feeding. I don't want to push him but want to ensure he is getting enough calories.

He is in the mix of everything again too. It has been nice to have him out of the spare room, which is now in desperate need of a steam cleaning from all my capping dribbles.

Oh and he and his little sister have been doing a little groomer again too.

mrsgreenjeens · Dec 17, 2012

This is all good news with Joey!

danacbus · Dec 17, 2012

Thanks! He's such a sweetie and def loving all the special attention!

I tried to do an afternoon feeding but he looked like he was gonna be sick. He did just eat some wet food but I wasn't sure if he had his fill I guess he did. I fear I am stuffing him! I guess I will fine out next appt. he was up to almost 15 lbs last Wednesday so I'm thinking they'll want him eating a bit less if his chemistries are all in check?

My Tyson and monkey Brewster, how are your babies? I hope well!!

mytyson · Dec 18, 2012

DanaCbus said:
Thanks! He's such a sweetie and def loving all the special attention!
I tried to do an afternoon feeding but he looked like he was gonna be sick. He did just eat some wet food but I wasn't sure if he had his fill I guess he did. I fear I am stuffing him! I guess I will fine out next appt. he was up to almost 15 lbs last Wednesday so I'm thinking they'll want him eating a bit less if his chemistries are all in check?
My Tyson and monkey Brewster, how are your babies? I hope well!!

I'm actually having a similar story to yours! The weekend was super eventful. Saturday I came home on my break to feed Tyson and the water I flushed with came right out his mouth. Rushed to the vet and it turned out he had thrown up the tube and the piece that was left was flipped backwards in his throat. He needed to wait until Monday to get a new one in.... But Saturday night at home he started eating on his own. He seems to be eating the same that he always did. The vet is having me track the amount, but the same as you- I can't really lock him in a room. He goes tomorrow and I think if he has still gained weight they will be ok with not putting the tube back in

His bloodwork showed good improvements as well, obviously still a ways to go though. The vet said he has had the quickest turn around he has seen in his ten years of practice! So as long as he continues to eat and we don't go backwards, I am excited!

danacbus · Dec 18, 2012

MyTyson said:
I'm actually having a similar story to yours! The weekend was super eventful. Saturday I came home on my break to feed Tyson and the water I flushed with came right out his mouth. Rushed to the vet and it turned out he had thrown up the tube and the piece that was left was flipped backwards in his throat. He needed to wait until Monday to get a new one in.... But Saturday night at home he started eating on his own. He seems to be eating the same that he always did. The vet is having me track the amount, but the same as you- I can't really lock him in a room. He goes tomorrow and I think if he has still gained weight they will be ok with not putting the tube back in His bloodwork showed good improvements as well, obviously still a ways to go though. The vet said he has had the quickest turn around he has seen in his ten years of practice! So as long as he continues to eat and we don't go backwards, I am excited!

Excellent news! Very quick turn around too. I'm so excited for you!!

Joey wants me to feed him BY HAND! I think he really likes the attention. I love him and want him healthy but feeding by hand isn't exactly what I had in mind. Lol Incidentally, this came about Tuesday morning. I work from home on Mon and Fri and back in the office Tues through Thursday... I hope his little appetite gets him eating his wet food on his own when I'm not around. He's eating the dry food while I'm sleeping so I don't see the difference. He is a silly little guy for sure! The vet said I could let him eat on his own (or me hand too) this week and we will see what his weight is on Friday. Fingers crossed!!!

I fear that I will worry that he's sick all the time now. Lol Like all 3 having been napping all evening but I'm staring at him for signs of illness.

Ohhh, did Tyson start snoring after getting the tube? Joey is so loud but has never snored. Hmmm lol

mytyson · Dec 18, 2012

It kind if sounded like a snore! I could hear his breathing in his throat was different with the tube in, especially if he was purring real hard. I think Tyson loves the extra attention too.. Now whenever I'm home he barely wants to leave my lap. At the beginning, I think his sister was jealous of the attention and was trying to act sick herself. She kept laying her head on her water bowl when I would be trying to check on Tyson. (She was probably more worried about him, but I thought it was cute to pretend she was trying to get special attention too.)

I feel like I may be paranoid too! I know they can relapse in th healing process and the fact that I didn't even notice he was sick until he was pretty bad off makes me extra cautious. He isn't interested in the wet food (AD) at all, which stinks since I know it is packed with calories. I'm definitely enjoying my little feeding tube break for now though, and getting to sleep through the night!

danacbus · Dec 19, 2012

Oh my!!! That is so cute! "Look momma! I'm soooooo sick... Uh, you see me with my head in the water dish!?!"

Joey has all sorts of energy right now. He's grabbing toys and playing catch the birdie with zeal. Lol hopefully this stays this way!

My Tyson, Joey doesn't want that stuff either... Thankfully he has interest in his Wellness wet again. Joey must be getting better as he wants a lot of my attention but seems to be getting tired of mommy's shower of kisses. He used to only tolerate them but after being sick he seemed to want me to snuggle and nozzle him all the time. This morning he graciously ignored me for the water faucet.

lol

mytyson · Dec 20, 2012

That's awesome he is doing so well! I think I'll look into some better wet food too to since they usually eat more of that in a sitting than the dry food. My girl Molly tries to eat everything I put down so I've been having a fun time trying to keep food away from her and not away from Tyson. After this whole ordeal is over my next challenge will be getting her to trim down some :0) (After being spayed she eats non stop and I don't want her to actually become obese.)

monkey brewster · Dec 21, 2012

Monkey moves around occasionally, but definitely naps more. I sometimes find her in a closet on her side, staring at the wall. I do let her sit outside when she ventures toward the door, which I hope helps her spirits. And we don't use clinicare, just straight a/d with a tablespoon of water to help with the blended consistency.

She actually had a couple of distressing set-backs this week. I brought her to the vet for her first bandage change, and left her in their care until I was free that afternoon. I brought her meds, food, and fluids, with specific instructions on timing and amounts of everything. I had given her denamarin around 7, and she was supposed to eat an hour later (soon after being dropped off at the vet). When I called to check on her around 2:30, I asked if she had gotten her second feeding yet. They said they would check and call me back. The tech who called me back asked "...did she get fed at home this morning?" !! They hadn't fed her anything, all day. I sped over to pick her up, and asked if she had at least gotten her antibacterials (they didn't think so). I was upset, but asked them to go find the bag I brought with all of her stuff. They brought it, and it was freezing cold (with the fluids in it). Annoyed that they had put fluids in the fridge, I pulled them out and saw that they were at the exact level from the day before. So I had to bring my cat home from the vet hungry, unmedicated and dehydrated. It was a stressful night for everyone.

Then yesterday (a day later) I had finally gotten her back to purring while "eating", when I left the room after her morning feeding and came back to her staring at me and doing her deep meow right before she gets sick. I panicked and tried to pet her to calm the urge to throw up, but she heaved up ALL of her food, PLUS the back end of her feeding tube -- it was literally sticking out of her mouth three or four inches. I ran around grabbing my phone and her carrier while she sat there gagging and chewing off the half of the tube that was stuck in her mouth. They had to remove the tube, and without telling me beforehand, forced a longer, wider tube through the same hole because they were out of the smaller ones. Now when she breathes she sounds like a pug. I just hope she's not uncomfortable, because she has to feel good enough to want to eat her own food and push it past a big obstruction in her esophagus.

mrsgreenjeens · Dec 21, 2012

Monkey Brewster said:
Monkey moves around occasionally, but definitely naps more. I sometimes find her in a closet on her side, staring at the wall. I do let her sit outside when she ventures toward the door, which I hope helps her spirits. And we don't use clinicare, just straight a/d with a tablespoon of water to help with the blended consistency.

She actually had a couple of distressing set-backs this week. I brought her to the vet for her first bandage change, and left her in their care until I was free that afternoon. I brought her meds, food, and fluids, with specific instructions on timing and amounts of everything. I had given her denamarin around 7, and she was supposed to eat an hour later (soon after being dropped off at the vet). When I called to check on her around 2:30, I asked if she had gotten her second feeding yet. They said they would check and call me back. The tech who called me back asked "...did she get fed at home this morning?" !! They hadn't fed her anything, all day. I sped over to pick her up, and asked if she had at least gotten her antibacterials (they didn't think so). I was upset, but asked them to go find the bag I brought with all of her stuff. They brought it, and it was freezing cold (with the fluids in it). Annoyed that they had put fluids in the fridge, I pulled them out and saw that they were at the exact level from the day before. So I had to bring my cat home from the vet hungry, unmedicated and dehydrated. It was a stressful night for everyone.

Then yesterday (a day later) I had finally gotten her back to purring while "eating", when I left the room after her morning feeding and came back to her staring at me and doing her deep meow right before she gets sick. I panicked and tried to pet her to calm the urge to throw up, but she heaved up ALL of her food, PLUS the back end of her feeding tube -- it was literally sticking out of her mouth three or four inches. I ran around grabbing my phone and her carrier while she sat there gagging and chewing off the half of the tube that was stuck in her mouth. They had to remove the tube, and without telling me beforehand, forced a longer, wider tube through the same hole because they were out of the smaller ones. Now when she breathes she sounds like a pug. I just hope she's not uncomfortable, because she has to feel good enough to want to eat her own food and push it past a big obstruction in her esophagus.

Oh dear! This is very distressing, AND maddening

. I would be furious! Absolutely livid

. Poor Monkey. She probably got sick from having an empty stomach for too long.

that she does ok with this newer, bigger tube.

monkey brewster · Dec 21, 2012

Thanks for the good vibes! Monkey amazes me sometimes how she can go through that and then rub against me and purr as if she's feeling fine. Today she even licked the gravy off of a little pile of wet food I brought her. A little late for our next feeding actually . . . at 20cc's working our way back up to 40.

mrsgreenjeens · Dec 21, 2012

Awwww

She knows you are helping her

danacbus · Dec 21, 2012

MyTyson said:
That's awesome he is doing so well! I think I'll look into some better wet food too to since they usually eat more of that in a sitting than the dry food. My girl Molly tries to eat everything I put down so I've been having a fun time trying to keep food away from her and not away from Tyson. After this whole ordeal is over my next challenge will be getting her to trim down some :0) (After being spayed she eats non stop and I don't want her to actually become obese.)

I hope they declined any payment from you! That is completely unacceptable considering WHY she requires care in the first place! My vet had the tech do a treatment plan immediately then I decided to keep him there for 5 days.

Also, I would look into getting the clinacare stuff. It helps to increase calories. Joey went from 13.5 to 15.18 lbs in a month. Granted, he has never really vomited so that helped with the gain. The liquid helped smooth out the slurry as well. I hadn't had a problem with tube clogging since it helps it blend well.

Joey just got his bandages changed this evening. He's about had it with going to the vet office too. My sweet laid-back boy now fights when it is time to get into his carrier. The vet says he thinks Joey's tube is ready to come out next week. I am both excited and terrified! I am afraid he will stop eating when coaxed or he's not completely healed and will not hold down food or that he's not really eating enough on his own.... I know lol I'm a wreck!he has only had one 40cc feedings this week. He was 14.56 last week and 15.18 this week. I am going to buy a baby scale tomorrow... So if all goes well, his tube will be removed on Wednesday morning.

Maybe having the tube out will make it easier to eat his pâté??

danacbus · Dec 21, 2012

Monkey Brewster said:
Monkey moves around occasionally, but definitely naps more. I sometimes find her in a closet on her side, staring at the wall. I do let her sit outside when she ventures toward the door, which I hope helps her spirits. And we don't use clinicare, just straight a/d with a tablespoon of water to help with the blended consistency.

She actually had a couple of distressing set-backs this week. I brought her to the vet for her first bandage change, and left her in their care until I was free that afternoon. I brought her meds, food, and fluids, with specific instructions on timing and amounts of everything. I had given her denamarin around 7, and she was supposed to eat an hour later (soon after being dropped off at the vet). When I called to check on her around 2:30, I asked if she had gotten her second feeding qyet. They said they would check and call me back. The tech who called me back asked "...did she get fed at home this morning?" !! They hadn't fed her anything, all day. I sped over to pick her up, and asked if she had at least gotten her antibacterials (they didn't think so). I was upset, but asked them to go find the bag I brought with all of her stuff. They brought it, and it was freezing cold (with the fluids in it). Annoyed that they had put fluids in the fridge, I pulled them out and saw that they were at the exact level from the day before. So I had to bring my cat home from the vet hungry, unmedicated and dehydrated. It was a stressful night for everyone.

Then yesterday (a day later) I had finally gotten her back to purring while "eating", when I left the room after her morning feeding and came back to her staring at me and doing her deep meow right before she gets sick. I panicked and tried to pet her to calm the urge to throw up, but she heaved up ALL of her food, PLUS the back end of her feeding tube -- it was literally sticking out of her mouth three or four inches. I ran around grabbing my phone and her carrier while she sat there gagging and chewing off the half of the tube that was stuck in her mouth. They had to remove the tube, and without telling me beforehand, forced a longer, wider tube through the same hole because they were out of the smaller ones. Now when she breathes she sounds like a pug. I just hope she's not uncomfortable, because she has to feel good enough to want to eat her own food and push it past a big obstruction in her esophagus.

Ok, my bad!!!! I hit the wrong post's quote button!! My previous message was to Monkey Brewster.

monkey brewster · Dec 22, 2012

DanaCbus said:
I hope they declined any payment from you! That is completely unacceptable considering WHY she requires care in the first place! My vet had the tech do a treatment plan immediately then I decided to keep him there for 5 days.
Also, I would look into getting the clinacare stuff. It helps to increase calories. Joey went from 13.5 to 15.18 lbs in a month. Granted, he has never really vomited so that helped with the gain. The liquid helped smooth out the slurry as well. I hadn't had a problem with tube clogging since it helps it blend well.
Joey just got his bandages changed this evening. He's about had it with going to the vet office too. My sweet laid-back boy now fights when it is time to get into his carrier. The vet says he thinks Joey's tube is ready to come out next week. I am both excited and terrified! I am afraid he will stop eating when coaxed or he's not completely healed and will not hold down food or that he's not really eating enough on his own.... I know lol I'm a wreck!he has only had one 40cc feedings this week. He was 14.56 last week and 15.18 this week. I am going to buy a baby scale tomorrow... So if all goes well, his tube will be removed on Wednesday morning.

Maybe having the tube out will make it easier to eat his pâté??

That baby scale is a good idea, and I'll ask about the clinicare. And no, they definitely charged $55 to my credit card for the check-up and bandage replacement, which is all they did for her that day. Probably could have done that myself . . . Oh well. Monkey's dad actually got angry and called them asking to speak with the doctor (definitely not his style), and requested an explanation of what happened / reassurance that it wouldn't happen again. In better news, Monkey has been doing more on her own despite the big tube making her grunt and snort constantly. I'm paranoid that her rattling breathing is fluid in her lungs, but the vet didn't sound concerned. She's been drinking water, licking gravy off of canned cat food, even eating a couple pellets of dry food after coming into the kitchen and meowing at me. I should probably divvy up the rest of her leftover fluids over the next couple days, before they're not usable anymore.

I can't wait for Monkey's tube to come out, but I have the same paranoia. After already replacing it once, I do NOT want them cutting through a healing incision to insert another one. I wish cats could understand us and we could just explain what they need to do to help them get better! You'd think that their natural instinct to survive would prompt them to eat when necessary. Good luck to Joey! Sounds like he's progressing really well.

danacbus · Dec 24, 2012

Hi Monkey Brewster, yes I think he is doing better but I still worry. I just can't be sure how much he's eating. At the vet office on Friday he weighted 15.18 lbs and weighs 15 lbs 2.5 oz on the baby scale. I think .18 is 2.9 oz so he has lost .4 oz. I can't be sure if the scale is different since I didn't get it til yesterday he weighed the same yesterday as today.) it is so frustrating lol I walk around attempting to feed him Wellness wet every time I walk into the house. Joey eats a bit of it but it isnt enough to sustain his weight. He is definitely eating some meow mix in the night. I just bought some dry Evo to mix with the meow mix but he has no interesting in eating the evo on its own. In fact, at this very moment, he pulled the bag closer to his cushy bed then started eating some. Never mind there is a full bowl of Evo in front of him too. This is the first time I witnessed him eating dry food before 3 am (when he would wake me up if he couldn't do it himself). Hoping that he will be able to consume greater amounts of wet food once his tube is out? It seems like it may be difficult to swallow wet food with the tube?

monkey brewster · Dec 27, 2012

DanaCbus said:
Hi Monkey Brewster, yes I think he is doing better but I still worry. I just can't be sure how much he's eating. At the vet office on Friday he weighted 15.18 lbs and weighs 15 lbs 2.5 oz on the baby scale. I think .18 is 2.9 oz so he has lost .4 oz. I can't be sure if the scale is different since I didn't get it til yesterday he weighed the same yesterday as today.) it is so frustrating lol I walk around attempting to feed him Wellness wet every time I walk into the house. Joey eats a bit of it but it isnt enough to sustain his weight. He is definitely eating some meow mix in the night. I just bought some dry Evo to mix with the meow mix but he has no interesting in eating the evo on its own. In fact, at this very moment, he pulled the bag closer to his cushy bed then started eating some. Never mind there is a full bowl of Evo in front of him too. This is the first time I witnessed him eating dry food before 3 am (when he would wake me up if he couldn't do it himself). Hoping that he will be able to consume greater amounts of wet food once his tube is out? It seems like it may be difficult to swallow wet food with the tube?

It shouldn't be difficult for them to swallow wet food with the tube in place, since the esophagus is very elastic. But Monkey actually hacks loudly every time she eats her dry food. I think when they had to put in the larger tube, they irritated her throat a bit, and the bits of hard food have to scrape by there. Didn't keep her from eating the rest of it last night though! The past day or so, she has very suddenly gained some energy and definitely some of her appetite. She had dropped in weight over Christmas, vet said she was about 7.5 (my scale always shows her as a bit heavier, even up to 8lbs). Because of the lack of weight gain, I upped her food intake to 50cc per feeding. After a full 50cc, she literally walked downstairs and started nibbling on more of her dry food. She even woke us up this morning with her sore throat meow demanding more food. I feel bad having to give her the denamarin and make her wait an hour since she's hungry right away. The vet told me I could crush the pill and inject it with a bit of water (even though the box says not to), and I assume the medicine absorbs faster that way. Right now my new paranoia is that her rattling breath and snoring could be fluid in the lungs -- pneumonia. It sounds more like a shallow upper respiratory issue to me, but according to the doctor, she can't rule out pneumonia completely unless she takes two xrays, which is another $110. I'm opting to keep an eye on Monkey for now since she hasn't been displaying other symptoms of feeling sick. My common sense still tells me that a doctor can check for pneumonia in a cat the same as for a human, by listening to the lungs with a stethoscope. I suppose I'm not the expert though.

mytyson · Dec 28, 2012

Monkey Brewster said:
It shouldn't be difficult for them to swallow wet food with the tube in place, since the esophagus is very elastic. But Monkey actually hacks loudly every time she eats her dry food. I think when they had to put in the larger tube, they irritated her throat a bit, and the bits of hard food have to scrape by there. Didn't keep her from eating the rest of it last night though! The past day or so, she has very suddenly gained some energy and definitely some of her appetite. She had dropped in weight over Christmas, vet said she was about 7.5 (my scale always shows her as a bit heavier, even up to 8lbs). Because of the lack of weight gain, I upped her food intake to 50cc per feeding. After a full 50cc, she literally walked downstairs and started nibbling on more of her dry food. She even woke us up this morning with her sore throat meow demanding more food. I feel bad having to give her the denamarin and make her wait an hour since she's hungry right away. The vet told me I could crush the pill and inject it with a bit of water (even though the box says not to), and I assume the medicine absorbs faster that way. Right now my new paranoia is that her rattling breath and snoring could be fluid in the lungs -- pneumonia. It sounds more like a shallow upper respiratory issue to me, but according to the doctor, she can't rule out pneumonia completely unless she takes two xrays, which is another $110. I'm opting to keep an eye on Monkey for now since she hasn't been displaying other symptoms of feeling sick. My common sense still tells me that a doctor can check for pneumonia in a cat the same as for a human, by listening to the lungs with a stethoscope. I suppose I'm not the expert though.

Tyson's breathing was very loud as well with the tube-- so hopefully that's all your issue is too. Sometimes it sounded louder than others- like something was stuck in his throat. I felt so bad, but he didn't act any different. But maybe that's why once the tube came out with his emergency he started eating on his own again.

I'm super paranoid now that he will revert back. I need to save some money to go back and get his blood work done to make sure it's getting back to normal still. But it looks like his jaundice is all clear and he is definitely the most lovable he has ever been. He must know I saved his life

danacbus · Dec 28, 2012

I had an out of town guest this weekend. Joey immediately joined our company and even insisted on sitting on his lap or between us the whole time. My guest said that he has a confident strut and seemed well.

Joey was 15.18 lbs friday and 15. 20 lbs Wednesday. We ran chemistries again; not only were they all normal, they were all WELL within normal I could hear the excitement before the vet and tech reached our exam room! Joey wasn’t happy about going back to the vet but he was a real trooper as they poked him not once but 4x trying to get blood. I felt terrible for him. He wanted to sit on my lap while we awaited the results, a cleat indicator that he had enough.

I think he picked up on the good vibes though because when we put him back on the table he was purring. He seemed to take “good” boy to heart and was more than cooperative when removing the bandage and the tube. Unlike the previous times, he immediately hopped back into his carrier and was ready to go. His little sister also warmed up to him too. She started snuggling with him immediately and Joey’s bed is now a free for all, which was not the case before. The 2 girls never attempted to steal his spot until the tube was out. I think the whole family is excited. I still believe the tube hindered how much he could eat of the wet food because he enjoyed two big scoops in one setting after returning from the vet office.

His incision has scabed over and he asked for dinner before his sisters, as well as woke me up at 4am for a snack. I worked from home Today. He is sprawled out asleep next to me now.

mrsgreenjeens · Dec 28, 2012

Yay for Joey and Tyson! And it sounds like Monkey is coming along nicely as well

. After all, having an appetite is what it's all about

Hepatic lipidosis--anyone have experience with tube feeding?

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