Weight loss - very little appetite

[BobbyD]

Hello everyone. This is a bit long, so I thank you in advance for reading it. I've got a 12 year old Maine Coon who 8 months ago, weighted in at 19 lbs. He has had some minor heart issues, but other than that, pretty healthy. A few months ago, he stopped eating. The vet diagnosed him as having hepatic lipidosis. He lost about 9 out of 19 lbs during that but he pulled through - or so we thought. A couple of months in to our battle, while we were still force feeding him, he looked like he was dying. He lost over 1lb in a day, mostly water we think. He was throwing up what appeared to be bile. His fur was badly matted. He was hospitalized. Tests showed his liver was normal, blood work was fine, and an ultrasound looked fine. The vet gave him IV fluids, antibiotics, and within hours he was eating again. For the first time in months, he was eating some hard food.

We brought him home and kept up with his antibiotics, but his weight never recovered. As soon as the antibiotics ran out, he stopped eating again. We brought him in and the vet gave him fluids, then put him back on the antibiotics. Within a day, he was eating again. A few weeks later, they ran out again. He stopped eating once again. The vet has him on a weekly injectable antibiotic and we're giving him an appetite stimulant daily. His weight seems to be steady, within about half a pound of his now much lower normal of 9lbs. He goes as low as 8.7 to as high as 9.2. He behaves as if he's feeling just fine.

I'm here asking if anybody has any ideas as to what is wrong with him. Unfortunately, our vet is out of ideas and referred him to a specialist. They're so backed up, it will be over a month. I'm willing to try anything I can to save him. All I can get him to eat is Delectables Lickable Treats. He's going to see the vet for his weekly check up and shot tomorrow. Has anybody seen anything like this? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[StanAndAlf]

First thing I can think of is hyperthyroidism. Have you checked his thyroid levels? IBD may be a possibility as well, which would explain lack of appetite. What about testing for diseases such as FIP or feline leukemia, or even a nasty internal parasite such as hookworm? Or even lupus, which is rare but can act as an immune suppressant. Specialist is a great idea and I would definitely go ahead with that, even if you have to wait. Keep calling to see if there are any cancellations and you may be able to get in earlier, but secure a spot now just in case.

I'm a little worried about him being on antibiotics for so long, even though I know he stops eating without them. What kind of antibiotic is he being given? Are his kidneys functioning properly?

Have you considered a feeding tube? If he's refusing to eat, and the antibiotics are actually treating any sort of infection, perhaps talk to your vet about discontinuing them and trialing a feed tube instead. They aren't half as scary as they seem, and usually not uncomfortable for kitty if placed correctly. They can still eat on their own with a tube in as well, but it gives you a way to deliver nutrients when he's reluctant to eat.

Hills A/D is a great palliative care food, which can be fed as is or watered down for a feeding tube or syringe feeding. It should help him feel a little better and put some much needed weight back on him.

The only other thing I can think of to try is an exploratory laparotomy. Its probably one of the riskier options, but it may yield some definitive results and the most accurate way of ruling out any abnormalities in his abdomen. Just something to consider.

Please keep us updated with your journey if you can as well, we really do care.

 

[LTS3]

Did the vet check the teeth? Dental issues can cause a cat to not eat because it's just painful.

While you're waiting to see the specialist, your vet can contact vets at other hospitals and at vet schools for a consult and get ideas on what your cat's issue might be based on the blood work results and symptoms.

Besides Hills A/D, you can ask the vet for this recovery food: Oxbow Animal Health The ingredients are better than Hills. The product is a powder so you just mix with water according to the directions. You can water it down a bit more for use in a feeding tube or syringe.

 

[StanAndAlf]

Oh, yes, completely forgot, definitely check for dental issues, as mentioned above. That can cause a range of problems form appetite loss, nausea and so on.

 

[BobbyD]

Thanks so much for your suggestions StanandAlf and LTS3. I really appreciate the advice and concern, thank you!

They have checked his thyroid twice in the past several months. I know they looked for cancer, but I'm not sure specifically about leukemia. I would think so, but he did mention to me that some cancers are hard to detect in cats. I'll ask them about FIP, IBD, parasites, and lupus. As far as the dental issues, I know they checked him for that when I first brought him in but when the blood panel showed his liver was in pretty bad shape, we went the force feeding route. It certainly wouldn't hurt to ask again. That may explain why he only eats the lickables, but even then he doesn't eat a lot. Those are only, I think 30 calories or so. He often doesn't finish them so he has several throughout the day. He's very picky and if it's been sitting out for even 15 minutes, he'll sometimes turn his nose up at it. If he weighed more, I'd ignore him but I'm willing to do just about anything to get him to eat.

I will also ask about Hills or Oxbow, thank you. I'll try both. He's pretty picky though, but I can also force feed again. I did ask about a feeding tube and the vet seemed to think that if he was eating and maintaining his weight, that would be the better course. I know what you mean about the antibiotics long term. The doctor felt that, for now, it was best. When he stops eating, within a day he begins throwing up a lot. That's our big concern about stopping them and going with the feeding tube. He was on Veraflox initially, but I'm not sure what they're giving him now. I just know that a shot lasts him about a week. I'll check to see what he's getting. I'll also see if I can get copies of any of the lab work. Last week, they sent his blood to an outside lab that could do more testing than what they were capable of performing. Per the vet, the results looked perfectly normal - nothing was abnormal.

He's got an appointment scheduled for December 14th with the specialist. In the meantime, I'll see if there's anybody he can consult with for another opinion.

Thank you again! I really do appreciate it. When it's a problem I know nothing about and his doctor is even confused, I feel pretty helpless.