Strange blood cell count after hepatic lipidosis

[learningmom]

Hi,
I'm new to this forum and hoping someone has had experience with this situation.
My cat stopped eating when I changed her brand of food. She lost weight. After a trip to the vet she was diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis but they could find nothing else wrong with her. We put in a feeding tube and I've been feeding her for about 4 weeks now. She has had alot of improvement. She's much more alert and starting to eat on her own and play again.
She is still fairly lethargic although she was always a quiet cat. She is only 2 and has tested negative for FLV with the ELSIA test. We also have her mother, father and the whole rest of her litter. No one else is sick.
I took her back to the vet for blood work. Her liver has dramatically improved and the vet said the hepatic lipidosis has cleared up however now her WBC is high and her RBC is low. I don't remember the exact numbers. They think that it might be an infection or a problem with her bone marrow.
In the mean time she has become congested. I can hear it when she breathes and she coughs once in awhile. I'm calling the vet today but I was wondering if anyone has had anything similar happen.

[Karen]

Oh, goodness, how worrying!

Is she indoor only, or indoor, outdoor?

She'll be in our prayers in the meantime, that the vets can find and fix whatever is causing this.

[learningmom]

She is an indoor cat only. Her father will escape on us from time to time but he stays in our yard and is only out for about 15 min and is supervised when he gets out until we catch him again.
I just called the vet but she is in surgery right now and I'm waiting for a call back. It's just so frustrating considering that she seems to be improving and the hepatic lipidosis has resolved and now there is another problem. I'm wondering if it could be an URI since she is congested or maybe pneumonia from something related to the feeding tube. She has an E-tube.

I've attached a picture of my kitty her name is Crybaby.

[Catty1]

Crybaby is just beautiful!

I hope the vet has answers. It MAY be just that she picked up a bit of an infection while her immune system was out of whack with the lipidosis.

There is an antibiotic called Convenia (sp?) that can be given as an injection - one lasts for 2 weeks. That might be a thought.

Please keep us posted!

ETA: Maybe ask your vet about a slight infection from the feeding tube. I hope your little girl is eating on her own again soon!

[Anikaca77]

I'm sorry I don't have any info for Crybaby but she's very cute. Poor girl. I hope she heals up soon. She's so young.

Prays & Welcome to this group,
Melissa

[learningmom]

Finally talked to the vet tonight. I'm taking Crybaby in tomorrow to have her blood cell counted again. 3 days ago they were :RBC 14 and WBC 32,000.
When I first took her to the vet when she was diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis both her WBC and RBC were perfectly normal.
So tonight the vet thinks that this maybe a secondary problem from the lipidosis. She said sometimes the white blood cells will respond to an infection and go wild and start attacking the body's own red blood cells. Also there is a possibility that she has the herpes virus ( her sister does) and the stress from the lipidosis has caused a URI and this is cause the irregular blood cell count. Of course it could still be something more serious with the bone marrow.
Anyway I'll let you all know how the numbers are tomorrow. The vet thought she could make a better diagnosis once she sees a few test results over time to see what direction the numbers are going in.

I am so grateful that I live near an animal emergency hospital. My vet is part of the hospital so they are very experienced. Thank you for your prayers and thoughts. They are truly appreciated.