My beloved bengal has triaditis, somebody please help

[pinkmio]

Hello all who read this. I have read some of your stories and am just overcome with emotion.

I have a bengal he is only 4 years old and he has a mass in his stomach. About a month ago he started vomiting once a day and sometimes 4 times a day. It was the weekend when he started. We took him to the vet and they did a blood test the liver count was very high so they gave me antibiotics pink tablets which we gave him half a tablet twice a day until he developed an advergence to it, everytime I went near him he would start licking his chops.
But they seemed to be working so we kept giving them to him. Then the vet had him blood tested again and he was ok his liver count was down really good news so we took him off the pills. I was glad. But a month down the track and he started vomiting again. So this time having lost faith in the vet we took him to a naturopath who gave him some bach flowers to put on his ears and said we have to take him to hospital right away. he had a large growth in his abdomen.

He stayed in emergency and about three nights and later he was operated on. this has cost us a bit, like $5000 and we were wishing we got pet insurance, but you cant out a price on part of your family.

We know know what the problem is. The biopsy results show that he had a cyst. the cyst did not appear to be associated with cancer. But there was some scarring on his liver and a few inflammatory cells in his pancreas and a mild inflammation in his intestines. He has likely triaditis. Ive been doing some searching on the net and as he is a young cat his chances of survival are increased but approximately half of the cats die or are euthanized within one year after diagnosis, 40% survive between one and five years, and the rest can be expected to have prolonged survivals beyond five years. More studies may show that initiation of standard treatment protocols combined, when needed, with surgical correction of bile duct obstruction may improve survival time.

We have just checked out of hospital and he has been given clavulox drops. I was angry at the vet for making us go through the whole tablet thing when there are drops available.

Does anyone have a similar cat in the same situation? I have just started researching this and I would really love to hear from anyone.


Natasha

[mamabear]

natasha, I am so sorry to hear about this. I do hope kitty is recovering nicely. I do not know of this and have no insight for you except prayers that he will be with you for a long time.

[pinkmio]

Thank you so much for your prayers. We need all that we can get.

Natasha

[mamabear]

You are very welcome dear. Our Vet Tech will be more of assistance and will ask you questions and tell you more info. She is very busy but I am sure once she sees this she will respond.

Hang in there dear and keep giving plenty of tlc to kitty.

[Traci]

Feline triaditis is a very complicated condition, and the vet needs to be highly experienced to treat it effectively.

Your kitty had antibiotic therapy and surgery, but what other tests were done prior to the surgery? Was an ultrasound done? Were bile acids done? Were immunological tests done? (i.e., toxoplasma) During surgery, was a sample taken for histopathic exam? (sent to an outside lab) Was a specific pancreatic test done? (i.e, TLI, has to be sent to outside lab, as in-house pancreatic enzyme tests are not accurate enough)

What condition is the liver in? Did your vet rule in/out the various forms of liver disease? (i.e., hepatic lipidosis, cholangitis, bile or pancreatic duct obstruction, excess bile leakage, sludge etc)

It sounds like the inciting cause was the "cyst", that probably leaked bacteria into the abdominal cavity, did the vet mention systemic sepsis? If this was the case, chances are, it can be effectively treated with appropriate antibiotics, BUT, other secondary conditions (i.e., liver condition, pancreatitis, and potential IBD) MUST be addressed as well. For example, if pancreatitis isn't differentiated from acute vs chronic, the condition can quickly worsen without appropriate treatment. Likewise, if there is cholangitis or bile duct obstruction etc, these need to be addressed ASAP and treated appropriately. IBD as a secondary condition to liver disease is rather rare, even in triaditis it is difficult to diagnose, but if the vet suspects in the least inflammation related to IBD, it demands to be addressed immediately.

Immunological problems also need to be addressed, viral disease, parasitic disease, etc. Nutritional support is mainstay in treatment, combined with fluid therapy, antibiotics or immunotherapy. Testing must be specific in order to choose the most appropriate treatment.

If the vet isn't experienced, demand he consult with a feline specialist on your behalf for your kitty's testing and treatment protocol. You DO need to rule out cholangitis or bile duct sludge or obstruction and ensure that is treated agressively NOW. The secondary conditions also must be treated agressively. The sooner these are treated agressively and appropriately, the more likely your kitty will recover. The problems started a month ago, but the concern is the time it took to diagnose, so agressive treatment is imperative. Again, your vet should be consulting a specialist to ensure that the most appropriate treatment and followup care and testing is done correctly.

Do not see the naturopath, nor any other alternative practitioner, most alternatives are crap, not only do they not work, but they have also not been tested for safety in animals. And, not only are you wasting your money, but you're also denying/delaying your kitty proper, proven treatment. Bach flower remedies are simply crap, since all they are, are a flower essence in alcohol. Homeopathy is simply water. Herbs are never tested for purity or safety, and many have been taken off the market because they are deadly. No studies have been done for safety/efficacy in animals.

Again, request of and demand of your vet or a new, more experienced vet, to consult with a feline specialist for the most effective treatment protocols for your kitty, TODAY. Be sure you know how to monitor your kitty post-op, follow up, and stay in constant contact with the vet.

[mamabear]

Homeopathy is simply water.

Now that will save me long talks with people when they speak of Homeopathy. LOL why didnt i think of simplifying that like that.

Pinkmio, i do hope you see this soon and take action in what Traci is saying. She IS VERY experienced in this field and would not post on here if she felt it was a waste of time.

Good luck to you and please if you have further questions please post again and again if need be.

[pinkmio]

Thank you very much Traci for the lengthy detailed reply.

We are going for a check up on Monday and he is having his stitches out. Yes we had an ultrasound at the first visit where they saw multiple small cysts and high LFT and he was put on clavulox antibiotic tablets. We did a LFT after the cource of clavulox and the LTF was right down so we though he's ok, then he started vomiting just 6 monts later and the cyst was the size of a manderin and his LFT was up again.

We had blood tests and biopsy's were taken of the liver, pancreas, small intestine and the cyst itself, the biobsy's showed inflimation of all three organs. He also did a VSC liver profile and PCV and TP and Electolights.
We dont know about testing for bile acids, dont know about immunological tests, Yes a a sample was taken for histopathic exam. Our vet said nothing about any of hepatic lipidosis, cholangitis, bile or pancreatic duct obstruction, excess bile leakage, sludge or systemic sepsis. We have the receipts and we cannot see anything else in there.

Our vet is a feline specialist at the veterinary 24 hour hospital. He has been put on a diet of canned tuna and chicken and rice, also clavulox drops twice a day.

Thank you so much for your replies Traci and mamabear

Natasha

[Traci]

I think the canned tuna (or any fish) is the worst you could be feeding right now, not only is it not good for cats fed in excess but it can cause pansteatitis, deficiencies in vitamins and minerals. With triaditis, that's the last thing you want to feed. The diet, particularly after a radical surgery, should be bland, on a temporary basis, then one that is easy on the stomach and intestines, and easily digestible. I don't think the chicken and rice is worrisome, but make sure the chicken is cooked (boiled) thoroughly, no fat, and the rice is white with no salt or anything else added.

The liver is usually the first organ of the three (hence, triaditis) to fail to some degree. The cause can be any number of liver diseases, I'm really surprised your vet didn't tell you that, or even tell you he's testing for these. Bile acids is imperative to test for! Immunology rules out viral and other immune problems that could be associated with the triaditis.

The inflammed organs are concerning and your vet should be addressing that more agressively. Prednisone might be helpful but there is a risk for immunosupression when this is used long-term or incorrectly.

Maybe your vet simply isn't discussing things with you, but if he didn't talk to you about potential liver disease or as the underlying cause, and is not testing further or addressing the inflammation, I'd recommend a second opinion immediately.

[pinkmio]

Thanks Traci,

Would the tuna be so bad, it is tuna in springwater with chicken and rice? but just to be safe I will just give him chicken and rice, the chicken is always breast and we don't boil it we steam it. But it is always throughly cooked and it is only temporary.

We took him back for an ultrasound last night (fri) which we got for free, as we accidentally left the collar off him for a bit longer than we should have (we got sidetracked) and he must of licked and licked and he coughed up a fur ball, I was so worried and nearly killed my hubby 2 b who is paying for all of this as he sidetracked me as he wanted me to come out for a coffee and cake, I told him I have to stay with Sudarshan as he has his collar off but he begged and gave me those puppy dog eyes and I forgot everything and just went, when I came back he had coughed up a fur ball. I was enraged.

It is the weekend now Saturday and I have printed out all this correspondence and I will show it to my vet when we have the appointment on Monday.

There is so many pages and so much stuff they did to him all abbreviated. I can not be totally sure if he did not do those tests.
I'm sure I will have more answers on Monday.

Thank you so much for your wisdom.
Hope you have a nice weekend.

Natasha

[Traci]

Well let me put it this way: tuna fed on occasion (miinimally at best, only as an occasional treat), and tuna in spring water only, is not detrimental. However, fed in excess, no matter if it is spring water packed, can cause pansteatitis, vitamin K deficiency, vitamin E deficiency and other deficiencies. Tuna contains high levels of unsaturated fatty acids, and due to the nature of Sudarshan's health problems, this would be risky on the liver and inflammatory process he is going through.

The steamed chicken is fine. Another option is asking your vet about Hill's prescription kitty I/D, which is a bland food, easy on intestines and stomach. Of course, at this point, whatever you're feeding should only be temporary, until the condition lessens in severity and/or resolves. Do monitor his appetite, his urine/defecation output, his hydration status, and watch for vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, fever, jaundice, and painful abdomen. If any of these occur, no matter how slight, get him back to your vet or an emergency vet IMMEDIATELY.

What did last night's ultrasound reveal if anything? How is Sudarshan doing?