Fatty Liver

[lillypoo]

My cat has what I believe to be fatty liver. The vet wants to do an ultrasound to make sure, but fatty liver makes sense. She was lost for a month and lost a lot of weight during that time. When I took her to the vet to see if she got sick while she was gone, they said her liver levels were too high. She is taking Denamarin for her liver and I am giving her milk thistle daily also. She had a sinus infection when she got back also, so she was given antibiotics for that and they gave her fluids for being dehydrated. She is still not eating on her own, but she seems to be getting stronger every day. I am tube feeding her 20ml at a time, 2-3 times a day of the a/d Rx food from the vet. She still is jaundiced, but not as bad as some pictures I have seen of other jaundiced cats.

I just want to know if anyone else has had experience with a cat that had fatty liver. I am not sure how far along in her progress she should be at this point. She has about 7 days left on the Denamarin. She still isn't eating on her own, but she isn't vomiting or having diarrhea either, which I have read sometimes happens with fatty liver. Thank you for any help!

 

[denice]

I have a kitty that survived fatty liver. It is a long slow recovery. You can continue the supplements as long as necessary, you don't have to discontinue after 7 days.

 

[mewcatmew]

My cat just got over a small bout of fatty liver. He stopped eating, I recognized it pretty fast and got him to the vet before he was in complete crisis. The best thing you can do for him is make sure he EATS. My cat had an etube in place (feeding tube) and recovered. Just be dilligent in making sure he gets fed and is keeping the food down. Expect it to take at least 2 weeks to improve, but can take months. With really good feeding and care, your cat has a good chance of pulling through.

 

[lillypoo]

Do you mean the milk thistle supplement?

 

[denice]

Also the denamarin.  It is a combination of the active part of milk thistle and SamE.

 

[lillypoo]

I just started trying to get 30ml into her in a sitting, because I work full time and it is hard to feed her 3x a day with that and then spacing out her pill, which she has to take on an empty stomach. She has also gained strength and has started to resist... My cat was gone for a month, so I am not sure when it all started, but I got her started on the meds, etc, as soon as she came back. How long before you noticed your kitty was back to normal and didn't need any more assistance with feeding or meds? Thank you for your reply

 

[lillypoo]

I have been giving her the Denamarin for about 3 weeks now and she still has a week to go. Does that sound right? I am concerned because she is so far into the Denamarin and is still not eating and is still a bit jaundiced. 

 

[denice]

It is a long recovery.  If I read your post right you are giving her 40 to 60 ml per day, I would consider working her up to a little more food.  With Patches I was giving a full 5 1/2 oz can of the a/d daily.  It's fine to give the Denamarin longer.  I know some people whose kitties have permanent liver issues give it and have given it for quite some time.

 

[lillypoo]

I will ask the vet for more Denamarin once it's all gone, if she is still jaundiced. I just started giving her 60ml of the a/d Hills food a day. I am waiting to see if she throws it up. That's one thing about her with the liver issue, she has not vomited and doesn't have diarrhea. I am hoping that is a good sign that she wasn't that far along before it was caught. Thank you for all your help

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Cats with Fatty Liver can takes MONTHS to recover before they are eating fully on their own.  Even once they begin to eat on their own, sometimes they still don't eat enough to sustain them, and you will need to continue assist feeding them.  If your work schedule is too difficult to give the Denamarin AND try to get more food into her, then perhaps once the first 30 days of Denamarin is up, you could just give her the milk thistle and maybe some Sam E or plain  Vitamin E (just one or two drops per day)  vs. the Denamarin?  I would just discuss with your Vet your schedule and how it would be easier if you didn't need to give anything on an empty stomach, etc.  Are you giving her plenty of fluids as well, either by watering down her food, or separately?  Is or WAS she getting any other meds...perhaps some antibiotics? 

As she gets stronger and stronger, it probably will get harder and harder to do the syringe feedings.  Most people get a feeding tube installed.  it is SO MUCH EASIER.  Believe me, I've been there too.  With our guy, we had to do feedings every 4 hours for 4 very long months.  (don't worry, I think that's the longest time frame in history

) 

I'm with Denice in thinking that your ultimate goal would be to feed an entire can of the A/D per day, PLUS added water.  And don't be fooled in thinking that just because the jaundice goes away that it means she is "cured".  It definitely means she is on the mend, but doesn't mean her liver values are necessarily back to normal. That doesn't just happen overnight.  It is a long road to complete recovery.  But, luckily, it can be recovered from, unlike some things. 

 

[lillypoo]

Thank you so much for your response I have been trying to figure out how long the process will take to get her better and I haven't had much luck. I just knew it could be a long time. She is definitely stronger and attacked my arm during a sponge bath yesterday. She isn't bathing herself, so I clean her with a washcloth periodically. I am managing to get 60ml of food in her via syringe throughout the day, which is what my vet said she should be getting a day with her size. She is a small girl. And I give her the Denamarin as soon as I come home from work, so waiting the hour is no problem. I believe if I tried to feed her more than the twice a day, she will not let me find her. I tried that on the weekend and she hated me. At least now she is sitting still and letting me feed her for the most part. After about 20ml she gets ansy. She hasn't vomitted, so she is keeping that amount at once down. I was under the impression that there was enough water in wet food (I read it is 70-80% water), so I hadn't been doing extra, but I was starting to think that logic may be a mistake. I have started adding water recently. I am not really getting any positive help from my vet. I had one of the doctors put in the file that I was just "making her comfortable" in the time she has left, even though I said she is getting stronger. I have switched to the other vet in the practice since then. I can't seem to get any advice on how to get her better from the vet, so I have been looking on here for help. I started the syringe feeding on my own. They never suggested it. 

Do you remember how long it took for the jaundice to go away? I don't know if it should be gone by now this far into the Denamarin. She did get an antibiotic shot at the vet (she refused the pills) for an infection a few weeks ago and I gave her an appetite enhancer that just made her pupils huge, so I stopped that. 

Thank you for helping. I feel like I am getting no real help from the vet...

 

[denice]

Have you considered getting a second opinion from a vet at another clinic?  I don't know the specifics of what is going on with your kitty but I do know that fatty liver is survivable, Patches had it 4 1/2 years ago and he is still here and doing well.  I wouldn't trust a vet that isn't aggressively treating fatty liver and has gone to the idea of palliative care if it is just fatty liver.

 

[lillypoo]

Exactly. I haven't gotten a second opinion. They keep pushing for an ultrasound and pretty much tell me they can't know what to do until I get that done. The things is, they confirmed that all they are looking for in that would be a tumor, which is untreatable. She was lost for a month, so fatty liver makes complete sense and that is why I am treating her for that. 

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

 
Exactly. I haven't gotten a second opinion. They keep pushing for an ultrasound and pretty much tell me they can't know what to do until I get that done. The things is, they confirmed that all they are looking for in that would be a tumor, which is untreatable. She was lost for a month, so fatty liver makes complete sense and that is why I am treating her for that. 

I agree that considering she was lost for a month, there is really no reason to think there is a tumor, etc.  There is a legitimate reason for her to have lost weight here. 

BTW, when my cat had Fatty Liver, it was probably 20 years ago, so I honestly don't remember how long it took for the jaundice to disappear.  All I know is that I waited and watched and it seemed like it took FOREVER. 

Maybe this thread will shed some light on that.  THIS cat was extremely ill, and his treatment seemed to go on for an extremely long time.  There are pictures of him as he recovered, so you can see how yellow he was throughout the thread, and see the timeline:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/215150/bear-is-at-the-vet-hes-very-sick-liver-looks-horrible

 

[lillypoo]

Wow, he was really yellow. She isn't that yellow, so I am hoping that is a good sign that she can recover. My vet also said that she didn't lose enough weight to have it be fatty liver, since she only lost a little over two pounds from her normal 8-9lbs. From what I have read, just not eating enough will do it regardless of how much weight she lost.

Thank you so much for responding and sending the link. I do feel more optimistic that she can recover