Fatty Liver and Finding the Underlying Cause

weemomma · Jul 28, 2014

Quiet said:
Please read this entire thing even if it gets hard to understand. It is important, please read it.

http://www.merckmanuals.com/vet/dig...n_small_animals/feline_hepatic_lipidosis.html

It definitely all makes sense and sounds about what we have planned for him. The issue is finding out what the underlying issue is, which we are currently trying to address.

All in all, we had a good day today. No vomit. He ate some. He's been social. He's show interest or curiosity in things that I've been doing. He's shown interest in his water dish, but has not drank. His color looks better to me. Perhaps it's wishful thinking, but he doesn't look nearly as yellow as he has been, even if it's the slightest bit. I know that we're in for a long fight. I know that it's going to be hard on everyone. I know that I'm always going to worry and probably think the worst.

weemomma · Jul 28, 2014

Everything that the article states is basically what we are going to do for him. The nasal tube is going to be started tomorrow. We have already talked about doing a feeding tube at the end of the week.

William has had a relatively good day today. He hasn't thrown up. He's been social and curious about his surroundings. He has shown interest in his water dish and his food, but isn't willing to eat or drink on his own just yet. He's been more social today, coming out and sitting in the same room that his sister or I have been in. We're going to do everything in our power to help him. I know that it's going to be a long and hard road for the both of us. We're been together for ten years and I can only hope that we have another ten years coming our way. I'm always going to worry about the littlest things when it comes to him.

quiet · Jul 28, 2014

What are they doing to find out the cause of the Hepatic lipidosis? Why would treatment need to be delayed till the end of the week. Sorry, I don't get it but it isn't up to me to get. I won't post again but I wish you the best with your cat and I hope he is feeling better soon.

weemomma · Jul 28, 2014

They are going to see if the nasal tube works in the short term. If it does work and gets him to eat on his own again, then we have saved him an invasive procedure. It is more of a process of elimination then anything else. If the nasal tube doesn't work, then we will do the feeding tube. I do not have the capability to do these things on my own, so I have to trust that they know what they are doing.

Right now, we are waiting on the result of a test to tell us if he has histoplasmosis. His sister is just getting over it so there is the chance that he got it from the same unknown source. After this, we will do a biopsy of the liver to see what the next answer is. His test results were relatively good besides the fact that his liver is effected. His kidneys were in good condition. His reds and white cells were alright. His platelets were low. That's about all that I know right now.

Willowy · Jul 28, 2014

weemomma said:
I have no idea to gauge if I've gotten 150 calories in him. How many calories are in typical cat food? I've been giving him baby food today, but I don't want him over full like he was last night.

You can Google for the calories in various cat foods. It seems like most pate canned foods are about 30 calories per ounce, but the prescription foods might be different. The baby food will have calories on the label. Anything else you give him (Nutrical, kitten milk, etc.) should have the calories on the label too.

oneandahalfcats · Jul 29, 2014

Hi @weemomma: Just dropping in here to wish you both good luck this week. Sounds like you were able to get some food into William. Depending on when you are going to the clinic today, you should make additional attempts beforehand.

If feeding by syringe, the best place to feed is your bed or somewhere he is likely to feel more comfortable. Wrap him in a towel or light blanket which will help to make him feel less stressed and also less likely to squirm and then sit beside him in the same direction and with your left hand on his upper back, slip the syringe into the right side of his mouth and give him small bursts of food. Just ignore him if he growls a bit.

Once the nasal tube is in they should be able to make some good progress. They will also likely be giving sq fluids. You were mentioning that you didn't think he had gone much in the litter box. I think this is normal due to the slow down in food intake but should hopefully improve once he is getting regular food and fluids.

All the best. Relax, have a good week and let us know how things are going.

weemomma · Jul 29, 2014

oneandahalfcats said:
Hi @weemomma: Just dropping in here to wish you both good luck this week. Sounds like you were able to get some food into William. Depending on when you are going to the clinic today, you should make additional attempts beforehand.

If feeding by syringe, the best place to feed is your bed or somewhere he is likely to feel more comfortable. Wrap him in a towel or light blanket which will help to make him feel less stressed and also less likely to squirm and then sit beside him in the same direction and with your left hand on his upper back, slip the syringe into the right side of his mouth and give him small bursts of food. Just ignore him if he growls a bit.

Once the nasal tube is in they should be able to make some good progress. They will also likely be giving sq fluids. You were mentioning that you didn't think he had gone much in the litter box. I think this is normal due to the slow down in food intake but should hopefully improve once he is getting regular food and fluids.

All the best. Relax, have a good week and let us know how things are going.

Hi. Thanks for the encouragement. We are about to walk out the door to go to the vet. He hasn't been interested in food offered this morning and I am going to hold off on feeding since they are going to do the tube at around 9. He's looking okay this morning, but I'm really missing my friend right about now. I have hopes that he will be a lot better by the time I come back from my trip.

weemomma · Jul 29, 2014

I dropped William off at the vet this morning. She's really concerned about him and even said that I need to prepare myself that I migh lose him. Of course, not what I wanted to hear. I just have to hope that his will is strong and that he has a good couple of days with his nasal tube.

oneandahalfcats · Jul 29, 2014

Yes, definitely not something you want to hear, but I guess she felt she should make this clear to you to prepare you in the event. Let's stay positive and focus on William doing well and getting a whole lot better.

Mega vibes for William.

denice · Jul 29, 2014

My kitty did survive Fatty Liver. Now that he is being tube fed there is a chance that he will pull through. It really depends on how far he is into the fatty liver rather or not the feedings will turn it around. My kitty was very very sick and he pulled through. He was 7 1/2 when he had it so he wasn't a young kitty.

weemomma · Jul 29, 2014

He has been losing weight since his sister had histo. We simply thought that it was because of a reduced diet on his part. He was active, bright, and normal up until a week ago. Then he went downhill. He has only been jaundiced for a few days. Of course, we have no idea how long this has been going on but we have hope that we caugh it early.

She said that he did well with the nasal tube and he's getting fluids. She thought he was still about the same as he was when he was brought in so he was just sitting and looking at them all. She said that didn't worry her because he was understandably upset at having the tube put in. Every little victory is what we need.

oneandahalfcats · Jul 30, 2014

Glad to hear that the nasal tube insertion went well and William seems to be settling in okay. Continued vibes for your boy

weemomma · Jul 30, 2014

I had a dream last night that William was better and back to his own self. I can only hope that it's a good sign to his recovery. It's really hard not to constantly be calling the vet for news and updates. I don't want to be a bother and I know that there's not much that they can tell me after just 24 hours. I hope he had a good night and I hope he has a good day today.

weemomma · Jul 30, 2014

William had a really good night last night and gained back around 4 oz. He is tolerating the feeding tube well. He's active and alert and getting all of the snuggles and attention that he can want right now. He's still a really sick kitty. His liver is enlarged, but his lungs and intestines looked clear. Fingers crossed that his increased feeding went well today and he continues to do well and gets strong enough to put in a esophageal feeding tube.

oneandahalfcats · Jul 30, 2014

So pleased to hear this positive report. All really good signs especially the weight gained!

Your dream of the night before is good positive energy. It must have been lovely to envision William looking and feeling well.

Thanks for the update weemomma. Continued vibes for William

weemomma · Jul 31, 2014

William took a turn for the worse today. His blood work isn't showing improvement. We are in talks to take him to a university for closer monitoring. Never in a millions years would I have thought that I would be doing this right now.

denice · Jul 31, 2014

When Patches had this the main number the vet watched was the ALT. His ALT continued to rise even when he was doing better and had begun to eat on his own. It did finally drop but it lagged behind his symptoms. The vet even said at one point that you have to start treating the cat rather than the lab numbers. Recovery from this is a long slow process.

weemomma · Jul 31, 2014

All she said in the email was that his bilirubin was up near 8.5 when it should be around .1 and .5. He is running a low grade fever, his white cells have gone up and his red have gone down. His electrolytes are also out of balance and she thinks he might be losing fluids into his abdomen.

weemomma · Jul 31, 2014

William is being transported to an intensive care unit tomorrow morning. They will see then if they can diagnose the problem that is occurring. His current vet has done all that she can for him. I can only hope that it is something that can be dealt with and not something that will take him from me before his time.

quiet · Jul 31, 2014

I am sorry. I hope he is doing better soon.

Fatty Liver and Finding the Underlying Cause

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