hepatic lipidosis part deux - Sammy

[pvthudson01]

Hi all, I am new here. Just found these forums after searching for other cat owners that may have the same problem. I noticed Briano is going through much we are going through

this thread (http://www.cathelp-online.com/forums/vi ... highlight=)

A little background. We got our cat Sammy after finding him abandoned on Dec 26th outside the local barber shop. We were on our way to dinner down the street and found him alone and cold and crying. He was de clawed and we knew that he had obviously had previous owners. He didnt belong in that state so before going on we called the local pet hospital, wrapped him up and took him in.

We signed him over and knew that he would go to a local non kill shelter and really didnt think much about it after that.

Well a month went by and each day the wife and I started wondering what the heck happened to that cat we found. It really started bothering me and I felt it was more destiny that we should have him and give him a loving home.

One day while surfing the web at her work (on her lunch break I swear) she decided to check the local shelter website. Low and behold there was the picture of the cat we had rescued. Well that was it, two times was enough to tell me it was fate. We went and got him that next day and took him home

3 weeks passed and he was loving it, eating like a horse. Clearing the bowl out.

Then BAM. One day last week nothing. he totally stopped eating. He wouldnt drink water or anything. We thought it may be a hairball or a blockage so for 3 days we tried everything to get him to eat. Still nothing but he acted perfectly normal. Playful and everything. So finally we took him to the vet and well guess what, the diagnosis was just as Traci described in the response to Briano

So now here we are force feeding him, starting yesterday, with special vet food and giving him the following meds:

S Adenosyl
ursodiol
baytril

Luckily we have a good vet that stays open late, and gives us a consultation, shows us the x-rays and covers exactly what is wrong with him.

Just wanted to share that story heh. i refuse to let Sammy not have a good life as its obvious his previous owners didnt really do too much to care for him.

Now i need to ask, those of who who have gotten throught this, what did you do? Did you simply keep feeding and feeding until the day came he ate again?

His fever is normal, down from the day we took him in. And he is acting normal. But gosh he just wont eat, it is very frustrating.

Please let me know any suggestions, thanks

Jason

[Traci]

Can you provide alittle more info....such as kitty's age, the tests your vet performed, and what other instructions your vet gave you? Did he mention the extent of the HL and did he feel it was caught early enough that forced-feeding for your kitty in particular was sufficient at this point, as opposed to a surgically placed feeding tube? Do you know what the values of the liver enzymes were? (i.e., low, mild, moderate or severe)

Did the vet give you a specific feeding schedule? (i.e., amounts and times per day to feed). Lastly, when does he request a followup bloodwork recheck/exam?

[pvthudson01]

Can you provide alittle more info....such as kitty's age, the tests your vet performed, and what other instructions your vet gave you? Did he mention the extent of the HL and did he feel it was caught early enough that forced-feeding for your kitty in particular was sufficient at this point, as opposed to a surgically placed feeding tube? Do you know what the values of the liver enzymes were? (i.e., low, mild, moderate or severe)

Did the vet give you a specific feeding schedule? (i.e., amounts and times per day to feed). Lastly, when does he request a followup bloodwork recheck/exam?

Sure thing to the best of my knowledge

Well since we found him stray, we are not 100% sure of his age but he is no older than a year and a half. he is still very young

Some tests that were performed:

Feline Leukemia
Erd Urine Test
X-Rays
Feline Amylase/Lipase

and some other things I didnt really catch the name of as he rattled them off

The extent of the HL is not bad, according to him. We caught it very early on and Sammy only had minor jaundice in the inside of his Ear skin was a tinge yellow, and this color was back to normal after two days in the vet hospital

His eyes were not bad at all

The doctor said the enzymes were a tad bit high, but in order to fix the problem he MUST be fed to force the liver to work properly.
He recommended 30 cc's of food per feeding (3 syringes) and to feed him every 2-3 hours.

Sammy is very good with the feeding, he sits comfortably in our large sink that has a towel in it and my wife simply feeds him the food by mouth. he doesnt even struggle. We mix the food to make it a little liquifed with Cat Sip milk so that its easier to get in the syringe and it goes down nicley for him.

He eats alot, he just doest eat on his own, and he doesnt throw any of it back up. Also this weekend he was fine, playing and jumping around and acting all nuts like he normally does

Follow up is to be in one week, after this week basically. To check his levels

he used the bathroom this morning also

looking at this info, do you think our cat can make a healthy recovery? i will feed him forever if I have to

One thing I am worried about is how do we get him more liquids? We have been giving him water via the syringe but he really doesnt like that too much

[Traci]

Nix the catsip and mix the A/D with water only, this is sufficient for the syringe feeding, as well as getting water into him. You can start with 5-10 cc's of water first, then the 30 cc's food mix and then finish with another 5-10 cc's of water. Give another few cc's of water a few times throughout the day/evening.

It is too early to predict results. The critical part of treatment is a sufficient and consistent feeding schedule, sufficient fluids, antibiotic support and keeping stress reduced at all costs. Followup blood rechecks will determine the success of the treatment. Do NOT skip a feeding, as this can lead to treatment failure.

If at any time he vomits, seems lethargic, fights the feeding or seems depressed/withdrawn, or if the jaundice increases/reoccurs, contact your vet immediately for further instructions.

As long as you comply completely with the feeding schedule and any other instructions your vet gives you, your kitty has a good chance at recovery. But, there is always a margin for treatment failure....most cats fair better and recover faster with a feeding tube surgically placed, but if your vet feels this was caught early and that forced-feeding at this point is sufficient (along with rechecks on bloodwork), then follow her instructions and keep her up-to-date on kitty's progress/signs of improvement, or notify her at once if there are any changes or worsening symptoms.

[pvthudson01]

Ok we will do that

Couple of questions:

1) how do you suggest getting the water in his mouth? he doesnt like that water being put in too much.

2) We are going to be returning to our work hours, the wife and I both work, I leave at 8am and get home at 6pm, what about the hours in between when he is alone? Generally he does ok, but should we move to 2 feedings in the morning and then more at night? I was thinking like 30 cc's of food at 5 am and then at around 7:00 am or so. then as soon as we got home feeding him all through the night until we went to bed. Such as 6, 8, 10pm. There is not much we can do about the work thing though. Our hours are pretty tight.

[Guest]

Well the funniest thing happened tonight

We went to feed Sammy as normal

On one of our doses a shot of the food didnt go in so well and dripped down his chin and landed on the towel beneath him

As went to refill the syringe, he bent over and licked up the food!

We were shocked, and didnt move a muscle. We purposely dripped a little more on the towel, and sure enough he bent down and ate it

Next we deposited a whole squirt of food and he ate all of that

Next thing you know we were feeding the food to him on a spoon, and he ate all of it

We then took what was left of the liquid mixture and put it on a small tupperware cap, and he ate all of it!

How very odd! We will continue to monitor his new eating habit

[LisaLisa]

What ggreat news...I hope that Sammy continues to eat on his own...YOU all must be so relieved...

[Traci]

You will still need to continue forced feeding. Don't assume he's going to eat what you put on a plate in front of him. You can try to do so, but you MUST ensure that you provide for him the exact amounts each feeding that your vet instructed you to do (30 cc's each feeding). If he eats from a plate, that will be great, but it still must be exact and sufficient.

Ideally, the feeding schedule should be spaced apart in a normal time frame throughout the day. That is, at least 4 feedings, 4-6 hours apart. If you feed too close together, kitty may not be able to digest properly and this will lead to vomiting, which in turn leads to anorexia and dehydration, the very symptoms you are trying to avoid. This is one common treatment failure in kitties who are force-fed, as opposed to a surgical feeding tube....with the surgical tube, the feeding is consistent (and on a strict feeding schedule).

I understand the hours the two of you work, but I would suggest modifying your schedules so that one of you is up earlier than normal, so that the first two feedings are done at least 3 hours apart. (you could take turns with whomever is to get up early). Then in the evening, feed when you get home, wait 3-4 hours, and feed before bedtime.

As for water, you can't rely on him to drink a sufficient amount on his own at this point, and you certainly cannot monitor his water intake during the hours you are not home. For this reason, using the syringe is important to ensure that he *is* getting sufficient water intake, just as important as his feeding schedule. Remember that both the food and the water should be administered through the syringe slowly, so that kitty doesn't stress, and so that it is more comfortable for him, and most important, to prevent vomiting. The liver's ability to regenerate depends largely on nutritional support as well as proper hydration, so his water intake is critical as well.

Two other options you can discuss with your vet:

1) ask about sub-q fluids you can give kitty at home. Your vet can talk to you about this and instruct you on how to administer fluids, the amounts to give (usually twice a day, morning and night).

2) you could consider dropping kitty off at your vet's clinic on the days you work, then pick him up after work. This would ensure that his feeding schedule is met, and that his hydration status/water intake is sufficient (or your vet could give sub-q fluids as needed)

I would strongly suggest option 1, rather than option 2 because kitties often fair better and are less stressed at home. However, you and your vet together need to determine the extent of the HL at this point and determine what is truly best for kitty as far as stress is concerned, and if you feel there may be chance when his feeding schedule is not met on a consistent schedule. This is often a factor in treatment failure, when compliance is not met, or a feeding schedule is missed and subsequent schedules are missed or spaced too soon together.

[pvthudson01]

Ok sounds good.

yes we have been getting up extra early and doing just as you mentioned, and have been still feeding him even though he "plans" to eat on his own.

Everything is still being strictly kept to the vets orders, so hopefully all will go well. He did not eat on his own this morning but i think he knew there was medicine in his food. or he just wasnt hungry. but either way we had to syringe feed him again this morning.

For some reason I think he knew there was medicine in that food.

[Tina B and crew]

Just wanted to say good luck...we had a cat with HL so I know the whole ordeal. Assisted feeding did not work in our case so we ended up having a feeding tube put in...I hope you are able to over come this without having to resort to that. The fact that he at least shows interest in food is great. Our Gizmo would have nothing to do with it and he faught us tooth and nail, literally, when we tried to assist him.