My 3.5 year old shorthair indoor kitty stopped eating and drinking as much in the past week and a half. There is visible weight loss. I brought her to the vet last night and they did blood work and gave her an antibiotic shot as well just in case, the vet did state that she seemed dehydrated. The vet called me back this morning with her results; her liver enzymes and gallbladder enzymes are off the chart. He said that it could be hepatic lipidosis, but without further testing there's no definitive diagnosis. He suggested a very aggressive (and costly) treatment of admitting her to a hospital in Boston and giving her a feeding tube through her stomach to make sure she's getting proper nutrition. Based off of my research, it seems as though as long as she starts getting proper protein/nutrition intake you can almost "reverse" the hepatic lipidosis or "jump start" her liver back into being well. I guess hepatic lipidosis occurs because for some reason the cat stops eating as much as it normally does? I quite frankly do not have the financial means to admit my cat to a hospital and do tons of more testing, feeding tube, etc. But based on my research, if I force feed her the amount of a high protein food (put through the food processor and water added) that she should normally be eating (but broken down into frequent intervals) this can work just as well. I will be using a syringe, wrapping her up nice and snug in a towel and holding her close as I give her the food...I've already successfully given her one "dose" of food this way! Has anyone else tried this approach? I love my cat more than I can express, but we just can't afford all of these vet bills right now. Her visit, blood work, and antibiotic shot was $240 alone! I'm looking for some hope out there that someone else has been able to help their poor kitty "reverse" hepatic lipidosis and nurse them back to health!
Also, this website http://www.hepatic-lipidosis.com/ has been EXTREMELY helpful.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Also, this website http://www.hepatic-lipidosis.com/ has been EXTREMELY helpful.
Thanks in advance for your feedback!