Need help with Hepatic Lipidosis

katqueen68

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My two Siamese cats, age 4, stopped eating a week after given their vaccinations.  This caused them to develop hepatic lipidosis that caused them to drop weight rapidly.  I took them to a vet hospital following blood tests at the local vet.  I decided to bring them home and so syringe feedings of Hills A/D wet food.  After two weeks, they seem to be eating on their own but are not back to their playful selves.  I'm wondering if I should continue to supplement food or perhaps add a vitamin supplement or liver detox.

Let me say, the main reason I couldn't leave them at the animal hospital is the cost.  It would have been close to $4,000 for two cats to have feeding tubes, IV's, ultrasounds, food, for a week.  I just couldn't afford it.

Syringe feeding isn't all that difficult to do at home.  We wrap them in a bath towel, hold them close, and pet them between doses. 
 

pushylady

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Are they starting to gain weight back? How much are they eating on their own?
I'm not surprised that they're still not back to being playful after only two weeks as this is quite a big hit to the system and they'll need time to recover.
I don't know about a "liver detox". Personally, I'm very skeptical about such things and would only administer something the vet has prescribed.
 
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mrsgreenjeens

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Depending on how bad the HL is, normally cats with it ARE put on some meds to help the liver heal.  Did your Vet give your a prescription for Denamarin at the very least?  Sam E is good, Ursodiol (prescription, I believe), Milk thistle...sometimes even sub-q fluids done at home. 

I would definitely continue to Assist Feed them to make sure they are getting their full amount of food AND any supplements.  I don't want to scare you, but HL can be deadly.  I know, I had a cat who did not survive it
.  Did you notice your cats turning yellow around the ears?  That was my first clue that something was wrong since he was long haired and it's hard to notice weight loss as quickly in long haired cats
.  NOW I really monitor my cats when they eat so I know how much each cat eats at every meal because I never want to go through that again.  No more free feeding where I don't know whose eating what in this household.

It's a great sign that your two are back to eating on their own so quickly.  Hopefully they were just in the early stages


 
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