Cholangiohepatitis/pancreatitis/fatty liver--1 month into treatment, need advice.

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denice

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Yes the ALT dropping is a very good thing.  It means the damage to the liver is slowing down which means he is coming out of the vicious cycle of hepatic lipidosis.  The liver has to use the fat deposits that have been stored on it.  http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/12/13/feline-hepatic-lipidosis.aspx  I don't know how much has been explained to you about hepatic lipidosis, this link has a good explanation.  The feeding stops kitty from trying to use it's own body fat which means fat is no longer sent to the liver and the liver has a chance to catch up and metabolize the fat that has already been sent to it.
 

kate007

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Denice, Thank you for your help. Very little was ever explained to me other than the highlights that the only way to get him thru was to ensure he got proper nutrition. Most of what I've learned is what I've read and I didn't even start doing that until I started running into the many bumps along the way that we've had. Some of it was due to just trying to grasp and learn to manage the tube feedings and some of it was that it was pitched as something that was not such a big deal - that it's pretty simple after you get going and the cats tolerate the tube very well and do well overall. For us it was not as easy as I anticipated. 

At first I felt i was such an idiot for having so many issues and questions. Plus in working with the school I'm frequently dealing with students and usually its a different student and frequently a different vet. All in all it has been a very overwhelming journey.

I hope kitty continues to get thru it then it will all have been a no big deal and quite the learning experience.

I have been reading here for weeks and I'm so glad i finally mustered up the courage to seek the guidance of the gracious and kind and knowledgable folks here. 

Thank you!
 

denice

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I think sometimes vets and vet techs forget that what is routine to them isn't routine to those of us that aren't working in the field.  I know I read Jackson Galaxy's book and he was talking about his first experience with holistic remedies that were developed by a vet that eventually became his line of Spirit Essences.  They had a bad URI in the shelter that he was working in and most of their cats had feeding tubes, they wouldn't eat because they were too stuffed up to smell their food.  For them I am sure doing the tube feedings were routine but that isn't the way it is for the rest of us.
 

kate007

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Denice, 

Again, thank you for your kind words. I agree. My instructions in first using the tube was the student took two small syringes, filled them with 5-7 cc's of tap water. She pushed hers in to his tube in maybe 5 seconds and told me to do the same thing with my little syringe filled with a few cc's of water. That was it. Doing that with a small amount of water with a bewildered cat and a more bewildered cat mom in an exam room is not comparable to attempting to get water, meds, food and more water thru a tube.  

A shelter full of cats with tubes? Good Grief! Poor things! I mean it's good they were getting food but wouldn't it have been easier and way less invasive to just treat the URI? I love Jackson! He's fascinating to watch him do his magic. 

I apologize to Wendy for hijacking your thread!  :-)  When are the next labs due to be drawn?

In reading thru your posts I'm not seeing Abbs is getting Ursodial or the SamE. I may have missed it but if she's not might that be of some help?

Also how does a dermal patch of prednisolone work compared to the liquid pred? I'm using liquid pred. Started with .08 ml which was dropped to .6 when the March 10 labs dropped. But with the next lab draw some values were back up so pred was upped to 1ml daily.

I was freaking out again and the vet resident was concerned. Later when we talked she told me she'd consulted with the liver specialist and the specialist said it was not unheard of that the labs rebounded. I asked if it was because the pred was decreased by .02 mL's? The vet said it might have been due to that small drop on pred and sometimes they raise after dropping also.  
 
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kate007

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Hey Wendykins,

Just checking in to see how you are doing? I hope things are going well. You and Abigail have been in my thoughts. 

Hugs, Kate
 
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wendykins

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Hi Kate and all,

I'm so sorry not to have replied back sooner, but things were not going too well, and I didn't want to bring sadness to the board.

In short, upon the second ultrasound there were masses seen in both the liver and the pancreas that were not visible on the first.
We continued supportive care and assisted feedings with the hope that it was inflammatory in nature...but it was just not meant to be. Abigail started retaining a lot of fluid in her abdomen, which started to put pressure on her lungs. There was the possibility that there was also fluid in her lungs as well. Yes, we could have aspirated, but it was just going to be a temporary improvement. After 7 weeks from her first vet visit, Abigail lost her battle with what was probably a pancreatic or liver neoplasia. I opted to forego autopsy--I was secure in the fact that this was something that was not environmental that could affect my other fur kids.

I wish I could have come back with better news, but even when I compared the bloodwork, it just seemed that Abigail's was very different from everyone else's...

Abigail lived a wonderful life before this illness. I called her my little princess and the pea kitty who slept on two pillows, because one was not fluffy enough! She never had a cold, a bad tooth or any other medical problem. The only time she was at the vets for other then her well visits was when she was spayed.

It's amazing--but with three cats at home now, it seems so empty. I miss her very much, her funny little meows (if a cat could sound like a three pack a day smoker!!!!) and the way she would have these long commentaries while completely asleep!

I hope your little guy is doing well--and Denice's and GoHolistic's kitties as well. Thanks very much for your interest and replies.
 

goholistic

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Oh no. 
  I'm so, so sorry for your loss, @Wendykins. This is just heartbreaking.

You were so dedicated to Abigail and took such good care of her. You fought WITH her for those seven weeks. She knew how much she was loved, and it sounds like you were totally in tune with her quality of life and had the strength to make the right decisions. 
 

kate007

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Hi Wendy,

I was so afraid when you were quiet that things were not going well for you.

i'm so sorry for your loss. I know how hard it is and how quiet the house feels when we lose one. 

I'm sad to say I join you in your sorrow as things turned poorly, very quickly, for my little guy also.

 I'm sure he and Abigail are together watching over us from kitty heaven at this very minute.

Hug your other babies for me! <3
 

pushylady

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I'm so sorry for your loss.
Rest in peace Abigail. :rbheart:

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