Hi All,
I've been treating my kitty for hepatic lipadosis the last few weeks. She has recovered (at least her bloodwork has) and all her values are normal. Only, she wont eat on her own still. She has been wobbly the whole time, which we have attributed to the significant loss of weight she experienced leading up to the fatty liver (we weren't 100% sure what caused it to begin with, but it did all start with noticing she wasn't eating as much of her dry food, so she has a couple of bad teeth removed, but then her eating still declined) Anyway, on Saturday she became VERY wobbly, like she was drunk and was holding her head on a tilt. We attributed it initially to the start of a new medication (metronidazole) and immediately stopped it. Her head tilt has gotten better, but she is still quite wobbly (although, she does get around well enough) We went to see a specialist yesterday and they said she could be experiencing one of two things, either a stroke, or a brain tumor. I could have found out definitively if it was a brain tumor by having an MRI done, but they quoted that at $2,000. If she goes have a brain tumor, an MRI diagnosis wouldn't change my course of treatment for her. I wouldn't put her through a major surgery or radiation, as she is 14 and i cant imagine making her go through all that, after all she has been through already. But since she doesn't have all of the symptoms of either condition, i'm wondering if anyone can lend their own experiences with either condition. In the meantime, she is going to start steroid medication. The vet did imply that if it was a stroke (which can happen from the liver failure) that she would gradually show improvement, but that if it is a brain tumor (which can be exacerbated by anesthesia which she has had 2x recently for the dental and feeding tube) she would likely not show much improvement. Her biggest symptoms is the head tilt (which has improved but can sometimes slightly be seen) and her wobbliness "drunken" walk, and she wont eat food on her own, the only thing she will eat, is broth that she can lick up. No rapid eye movements. If anyone has experienced a stroke or more importantly, a brain tumor, how quickly can i expect to see a decrease in her quality of life? Right now she is very happy, despite everything. She is constantly wanting to cuddle, and when you stop petting her she pulls your hand to pet her more. So much so, she keeps me up in the middle of the night for lots of pets ;-) I don't want to allow her to suffer, i'm just hoping she will tell me when she has had enough.
I've been treating my kitty for hepatic lipadosis the last few weeks. She has recovered (at least her bloodwork has) and all her values are normal. Only, she wont eat on her own still. She has been wobbly the whole time, which we have attributed to the significant loss of weight she experienced leading up to the fatty liver (we weren't 100% sure what caused it to begin with, but it did all start with noticing she wasn't eating as much of her dry food, so she has a couple of bad teeth removed, but then her eating still declined) Anyway, on Saturday she became VERY wobbly, like she was drunk and was holding her head on a tilt. We attributed it initially to the start of a new medication (metronidazole) and immediately stopped it. Her head tilt has gotten better, but she is still quite wobbly (although, she does get around well enough) We went to see a specialist yesterday and they said she could be experiencing one of two things, either a stroke, or a brain tumor. I could have found out definitively if it was a brain tumor by having an MRI done, but they quoted that at $2,000. If she goes have a brain tumor, an MRI diagnosis wouldn't change my course of treatment for her. I wouldn't put her through a major surgery or radiation, as she is 14 and i cant imagine making her go through all that, after all she has been through already. But since she doesn't have all of the symptoms of either condition, i'm wondering if anyone can lend their own experiences with either condition. In the meantime, she is going to start steroid medication. The vet did imply that if it was a stroke (which can happen from the liver failure) that she would gradually show improvement, but that if it is a brain tumor (which can be exacerbated by anesthesia which she has had 2x recently for the dental and feeding tube) she would likely not show much improvement. Her biggest symptoms is the head tilt (which has improved but can sometimes slightly be seen) and her wobbliness "drunken" walk, and she wont eat food on her own, the only thing she will eat, is broth that she can lick up. No rapid eye movements. If anyone has experienced a stroke or more importantly, a brain tumor, how quickly can i expect to see a decrease in her quality of life? Right now she is very happy, despite everything. She is constantly wanting to cuddle, and when you stop petting her she pulls your hand to pet her more. So much so, she keeps me up in the middle of the night for lots of pets ;-) I don't want to allow her to suffer, i'm just hoping she will tell me when she has had enough.