On a recent trip to the vet with my cat, Motley, she was diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis. The costs that come along with a stay at the hospital, antibiotics, and being tube fed are just not feasible for me right now. I'm currently force feeding her now with a syringe using catsure and also have nutri cal that I am trying to give her. Shes drinking water and cat milk. Any input, suggestions, Ideas, anything at all is greatly appreciated!!
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Hepatic lipidosis
- Thread starter motleycruestyx
- Start Date
I'm sorry to hear about your cat. Hepatic lipidosis is caused from not eating and can be fatal if not treated soon enough. Did you notice her not eating? If so, how long has it been? Your cat really needs proper care. Here's a thread that provides ideas on how to afford a vet.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155462/cant-afford-a-vet-please-read
Did the vet offer any insight on why she wouldn't be eating? In order to diagnose her, she must have had blood work done, right?
She needs to be syringe-fed with canned cat food. CatSure is not suitable as a sole meal replacer. A lot of us use Hill's A/D, which is prescription canned food that can be purchased from the vet; it is high-calorie and has a thin consistency that makes it easier to syringe feed. You can also use any pate-style canned food from the pet store. It works best to add a little water and puree it in a blender. She should be getting at least 50% of her daily caloric intake, but ideally as much as she would normally eat. How much does she usually eat when she is well?
Also, as for the syringe feeding, never shoot the liquid in the back of the mouth/throat, as it can cause her to aspirate. Aim for the roof of the mouth or the side of the cheek. Here's a thread that features a video: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/227858/syringe-feeding-lucky-video-if-your-cat-is-not-eating
Unfortunately, HL is almost always secondary to something else that is causing the cat not to eat. It's really important to find out what that something else is while concurrently treating the HL.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155462/cant-afford-a-vet-please-read
Did the vet offer any insight on why she wouldn't be eating? In order to diagnose her, she must have had blood work done, right?
She needs to be syringe-fed with canned cat food. CatSure is not suitable as a sole meal replacer. A lot of us use Hill's A/D, which is prescription canned food that can be purchased from the vet; it is high-calorie and has a thin consistency that makes it easier to syringe feed. You can also use any pate-style canned food from the pet store. It works best to add a little water and puree it in a blender. She should be getting at least 50% of her daily caloric intake, but ideally as much as she would normally eat. How much does she usually eat when she is well?
Also, as for the syringe feeding, never shoot the liquid in the back of the mouth/throat, as it can cause her to aspirate. Aim for the roof of the mouth or the side of the cheek. Here's a thread that features a video: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/227858/syringe-feeding-lucky-video-if-your-cat-is-not-eating
Unfortunately, HL is almost always secondary to something else that is causing the cat not to eat. It's really important to find out what that something else is while concurrently treating the HL.
I agree with GoHolistic in that you need to get actual food into Motley. You can do that with a syringe. Check out this thread. There is a lot of good info in it. This person did not have a feeding tube installed, and their cat ended up being ok.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/250863/...ment-advice-needed-diagnosed-saturday-11-3-12
Just be aware that this is a very time consuming illness, and you must stay on top of things. Motley can take a turn for the worse instantly, and there might be no turning back
And even once she starts eating on her own again, you must still watch her intake like a hawk to make sure she gets enough so that she doesn't relapse. Many of us continue to assist feed even while they are eating on their own, at least for awhile.
BTW, if you can get your Vet to simply write you a prescription for the Hills A/D food, you can fill it at Petsmart (the ones that have the clinics in them) for probably less expensive. You'll just need to price it. But if you can't get A/D, ask your Vet to recommend something you CAN afford and thin it down with water or the Catsure for added nutrients.
http://www.thecatsite.com/t/250863/...ment-advice-needed-diagnosed-saturday-11-3-12
Just be aware that this is a very time consuming illness, and you must stay on top of things. Motley can take a turn for the worse instantly, and there might be no turning back
BTW, if you can get your Vet to simply write you a prescription for the Hills A/D food, you can fill it at Petsmart (the ones that have the clinics in them) for probably less expensive. You'll just need to price it. But if you can't get A/D, ask your Vet to recommend something you CAN afford and thin it down with water or the Catsure for added nutrients.
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
I just went out in search of the hill A/d pet food. I went to the anal hospital near by and they were out of that but gave me royal canine recovery rs which she said was just the same. I mixed it with a little cat milk to get in the syringe and fed her some for now. I'm off to work for now and well finish off her 8oz when I get home. Thankfully I have a very easy going baby who lets me get the job done without giving any problems!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Omgoodness! My auto correct got me that time. I meant ANIMAL hospital of course!
Yay that she is taking to syringe feeding well.
And that Royal Canin recovery should be just fine. Better than regular cat food when they are this sick.
Did you get a chance to read that thread I sent you last night? I think they may have discussed some natural herbs that may be good for the liver...can't recall
. Hopefully more folks who've had cats with HL will come on and tell you some of their tricks. It's honestly been so long since my last cat had it that I don't remember doing much more than just feeding him every 4I hours thru his feeding tube. I think that was probably 18 years ago.
Anyway, keep up the feeding, making sure she gets plenty of food. How bad did the Vet say she was? Is she yellow around her ears and on her gums? That's a clear sign of it.
Did you get a chance to read that thread I sent you last night? I think they may have discussed some natural herbs that may be good for the liver...can't recall
Anyway, keep up the feeding, making sure she gets plenty of food. How bad did the Vet say she was? Is she yellow around her ears and on her gums? That's a clear sign of it.
There is a supplement called denamarin that is good. It contains SamE and milk thistle and it has a protective coating on it so it has to be swallowed whole. My cats liver enzymes stayed high even after he was eating well. I think the supplement helped bring them down. My cat recovered it just takes a while. The main thing is to get at least a 5.5 ounce can in him everyday. I know with the A/D and probably also the Recovery is that it is both nutrient and calorie dense.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
I haven't been able to check it out yet but I def will tonight.
Yes she has the jaundice noticeably on her ear tips. He didn't say how far along it was necessarily but he did show me her liver enzyme numbers from her blood work and hers were pretty high.
Yes she has the jaundice noticeably on her ear tips. He didn't say how far along it was necessarily but he did show me her liver enzyme numbers from her blood work and hers were pretty high.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
Were do you get the denamarin supplement?
I got it from the vet but it is OTC if your vet doesn't have it. I know Amazon has it and that is probably the cheapest source. It comes in different sizes and you want the smallest one which is marked for cats and small dogs. She would get one tablet a day. It should be given between meals so it wouldn't stay in the stomach very long. The shorter time in the stomach along with the protective coating helps insure that it breaks down in the intestines rather than in the stomach.
Hopefully the vet has it but if he doesn't I think Amazon has two day shipping without paying a lot more.
Hopefully the vet has it but if he doesn't I think Amazon has two day shipping without paying a lot more.
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Hello. I just put a tube in my kitty several days ago. once you get used to the idea of it, it's good. I had tried force feeding and that was so much more stressful than this tube. Hang in they're and keep going. The one thing I understand about the recovery from this disease is that we have to realize it's going to be a roller coaster ride but if you hang in there, your cat will be fine.
How is Motley coming along?
