What can we expect?

Hi cat lovers:

I've been waiting for liver test results of my sponsored cat. He lives in a very nice cat care facility. We rescued him in June of 2016 from the streets. He now is about 2,5 y.o. He was tested FIV positive. I regularly visit him in his facility where he is regularly seen by a Vet and they have a Vet technician on site at all times. He has a very good appetite, he plays, he prefers to stay in the backyard part of the facility since he is used to the outdoors.  

Almost two months ago, I was told that his liver test count was 100, next visit it elevated to 400. He was put on two antibiotics but they did not help. So they continued and they told me that beginning of January 2017, they will run the tests again and if his liver count did not improve, he would need a scan and ultrasound and it won't be good.

When I visited him about two weeks ago, I noticed two lumps on his throat and their Technician told me that it is his Thyroid and that he would bring it to their Vet's attention in January.

I contacted my Vet as well. She told me that his high liver count was most likely due to the Thyroid problem. She told me that with her patients, when the thyroid problem is being addressed, the liver count gets normal. I very much hope so, but right now, I don't know what to expect.

Does anybody know what could be a problem? 

thank you for your help.

I'm curious why they haven't done thyroid testing if they suspect a thyroid problem.  Thyroid issues would be rare in a 2.5 year old kitty.  Is it possible the lumps were lymph nodes rather than thyroid nodules?

Not knowing what enzymes were elevated, it's hard to say.  Also, if they used an in-house lab test (at their facility), I would recommend sending a blood sample to a local lab (i.e., a human hospital lab) to determine accuracy of the test results.  A specific bile acids test could be helpful, along with ruling out pancreatitis, biliary obstruction, cholangiohepatitis, liver shunt, blood-borne parasites, etc.  An ultrasound can certainly be helpful, and hopefully they will get on this ASAP because the sooner they have a diagnosis, the sooner treatment can begin.  Because he is FIV-positive, he may be susceptible to bacterial and secondary infections, and it's a long-shot, but perhaps the wrong antibiotic was chosen, or, perhaps he didn't have an infection but something else (a blood-borne parasite for example, would require aggressive treatment such as doxycycline).

I'm glad you have your own vet to consult with, please keep consulting with her for additional ideas - I'm assuming the cat care facility might be low on resources, so any comments/advice you can also hear from your own vet will help!  Hang in there and try to press the facility to get going with diagnostics.