Need advice from people who has a cat with Liver Disease

[rg_girlca]

Need Advice from people who has a cat with Liver disease

A friend of mine has a 7 year old Himie who has developed liver disease (Hepatic Lipidosis) for the second time. In fact she is one of my rescues that she adopted along with her brother. The first time was back in June to Sept. 2010. Then she needed a feeding tube but came through it and last October it has come back again. I don't have the readings of her blood tests, but her Liver Enzymes and potassium levels were high and her salt was to low. She was first put on Metronidzole for 2 weeks but was not getting better so she was put on Amoxillin. Plus she goes for VB12 shots to stimulate her appetite. She had x-rays and an ultrasound done which they found that she also has polycystic kidney disease which she was told is hereditary in Himies. Also her heart murmur has gotten a little worse. Right now she has tried many different types of food to get her to eat. Foods that she use to eat she is now refusing so she has to force feed her. The last time she had to bring her to a specialist, but she hasn't been able to get a response back from them yet. Tomorrow she goes back to her vet to get some sub-q fluids.

She would like to know from anyone who is going through this with their cat of has gone through this, if you have any advice on what kind of food she can try to help her poor cat eat. Or if there is anything else that she can do. She's going to try again tomorrow to get a hold of the specialist who treated her the last time. Also if anyone has a good link that she can read up on, it would be much appreciated.

Thank you

[Catty1]

Oh gosh...poor kitty. All I know is that Prednisone is an appetite stimulant.

I know someone here will have some great information.

Prayers for that sweet Himie!

[Lizzie]

I've fostered about a dozen cats with hepatic lipidosis, both with a feeding tube and force feeding, but I've never cared for one who got it twice. Did the vet say why they thought she developed it a second time? Is it because the kidney disease is making her feel nauseated?

I don't understand the Metronidazole because I thought that was used for infections in the gut. Is she on an anti-nausea medication? Mirtazapine helps with nausea and is a good appetite stimulant, though if a cat is feeling nauseated from both liver disease and kidney disease, it won't be powerful enough. Have they tried Famatodine/Pepcid for acid stomach which kidney disease cats get? It seems they need a triple-pronged approach - treat the kidney disease to reduce toxins and so reduce nausea, reduce nausea with medication, and give appetite stimulant. I don't think they will use Pred. because her liver is compromised.

I don't understand the high Potassium level. Is that something that happens with fatty liver disease? Cats with kidney failure typically have to be given potassium because those levels drop. It's the phosphorous that sky-rockets. That said, a high phosphorous level causes really bad nausea. If that is the case, she could try giving Milk of Magnesia - it won't make her popular by any means, but it does bind phosphorous and coats the stomach.

It will be good if the cat can be seen by a specialist because she sounds seriously ill. Please keep us updated.

[rg_girlca]

Thank you for your prayers Catty, Sherry is sure going to need them and thank you Lizzie for your info. I'm sorry but I have no answers for the questions that you've asked. I remember reading an article about hepatic lipidoses and they said that it can come back.

I got an e-mail today from my friend updating me on Sherry's condition.
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Sherry was eating wet food Hills C/D chicken along with a little G/D and T/D try, then when she gave up on that was the grocery store stuff, even her favorites like chicken baby food didn't work anymore. She is now way beyond the trying food to get her appetite up just being force fed with K/D that she doesn't like but is formulated for her illness, I suspect she may have to have the tube in the neck surgery again if the specialist just finds ordinary hepatic lipidosis and no other liver diseases. She's on antibiotics by IV today.

She is at her vet now, and we will be going to the DMV Rive Sud as soon as her vet Dr Trudel can get an appointment with a liver specialist she referred me to, so rather than put Sherry through the possibility of 2 tests if the liver aspiration doesn't give enough info, she will go for liver biopsy with a really detailed ultrasound guiding the biopsy that will be more complete and targeted so hopefully will get all the info possible in one try.

Dr. Trudel confirmed what I found on the Google search, the seizures were from the liver disease rather than the new antibiotics, and apparently it is prone to happening during feedings due to the stress on the liver from the food in her bloodstream. Sherry's now on IV with a serum to give her a boost and her antibiotics that way and the blood tests and x-ray to make sure she doesn't have fluid in her abdomen to prep for the biopsy, which I am doing at her regular vet, then just do the specialty test at DMV-RS. She apparently wasn't in as bad shape as she appeared, and is in good enough shape to manage a sedation, but getting the IV boost today to help her as much as possible.

She does like kitten food and tried her darndest about 6 times on the weekend to eat some over about 10 minutes before she had to give up because she felt too crappy. She is grooming herself for the first time in ages, so that's a good sign. I sure hope that I find out once and for all what's going on after this ultrasound guided biopsy with the specialist, vet didn't think an MRI is needed.
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So it looks like precious Sherry is in good hands. I just pray that she pulls through again like the last time.