Cat recently diagnosed with hepatic lipidosis & feeding tube issues

[xxbuggyxx]

I have been looking for help online. I don't want to have to take my kitty back to the ER due to cost and them insisting on a whole bunch more tests to determine if he maybe has cancer (he is a healthy 2.5 year old cat, no issues ever prior to this... just them trying to get their percentage they make from treatments) before his primary vet appointment on Tuesday.

Long story short, my ones cat was eating my other cats food and he developed hepatic lipidosis from this and had to have a feeding tube placed. He was fine the first few days but on day four he vomited every meal. He was constipated and staining to poop so I got him pure pumpkin puree baby food and it helped him begin to pass the BM he was struggling with (I assume it was the anesthesia from getting the e-tube placed + weakened hind-quarters causing him difficulties). I am now feeding him about 5-10 mg every hour and a half until he can't really handle it and that seems to be working out (no vomiting yet today). I also got him max cal cat food which hopefully can help a bit too.

I was wondering if anyone had similar stories, I am mostly worried and have read a lot that it can take a good while for cats to get better with this illness. If his vomiting persists threw today I will take him to the hospital because that means he will have gone over 24 hours without his medications. Just looking for similar stories since I am so nervous and never experienced anything like this.

Thanks : )

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, I personally don't have experience with e-tubes, but there are several members who have - they'll see your post soon

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Sorry no one, with firsthand knowledge, has responded to your post - yet. I think you will eventually hear from some when they come across your post. In the meantime, maybe you would like to look through some previous posts related to hepatic lipidosis.
Search Results for Query: hepatic lipidosis | TheCatSite
I do believe that it can take a long time for a cat to recover from this condition, based on the posts I've seen on this site.

 

[xxbuggyxx]

Hi. Sorry no one, with firsthand knowledge, has responded to your post - yet. I think you will eventually hear from some when they come across your post. In the meantime, maybe you would like to look through some previous posts related to hepatic lipidosis.
Search Results for Query: hepatic lipidosis | TheCatSite
I do believe that it can take a long time for a cat to recover from this condition, based on the posts I've seen on this site.

thank you! i feel so bad because he seems like hes in such bad shape after having the e tube in for less than a week and the vet told me he thought he'd be fine in just a few weeks given how normal he was (apart from his liver issues) when i brought him into the er

 

[FeebysOwner]

I certainly think a week is not enough time to see much, if any, improvement, tbh. The liver has to heal, and that, from what I understand, is a long-time process. I've even heard of cases where a cat's condition can still deteriorate a bit even after e-tube feeding begins. But I think if you feel he is worse now than before, you need to tell your vet what you are seeing.

 

[xxbuggyxx]

I certainly think a week is not enough time to see much, if any, improvement, tbh. The liver has to heal, and that, from what I understand, is a long-time process. I've even heard of cases where a cat's condition can still deteriorate a bit even after e-tube feeding begins. But I think if you feel he is worse now than before, you need to tell your vet what you are seeing.

i have primary vet appointment, i just dont want to go to back to the er since they were trying to pressure me into paying 5k for other tests and frankly i cant afford it. but again if i have to take him to the er again i will
i have had a bit more success with feeding him way less but more often throughout the day

 

[white shadow]

Hi X xxbuggyxx and a warm welcome to the forum !

There's a specialized online community whose focus is tube and assist-feeding. They've been active since 2002 (yep, 21 years!) and have had over 3,000 members and cats.......that's a lot of experience available to you. From what you've posted so far, it's the nitty-gritty details of tube feeding that's the issue right now [e.g. small but frequent amounts]........and those folks can ensure those techniques are covered off for you. You can find them right here: Feline Assisted Feeding.

There is also a group dealing with liver conditions/disease, and I'm sure that, if these folks feel you could benefit from other expertise, they'll connect you there.

Keep us posted..........oh, and.........a pic or two would be gratefully accepted

 

[xxbuggyxx]

thank you so much!!! i really appreciate this. since you requested, here is a pic of him, his name is goblin <3

 

[nurseangel]

X xxbuggyxx I agree with you 100% on taking him to the primary vet, especially since you feel pressured by the ER to do tests that you can't afford. I have never had a cat with a fatty liver disorder and just read up on it. I would recommend writing down questions for your vet, such as which tests are the most important in determining the cause. It seems reasonable to me to begin with the test for the most likely problem and go from there rather than doing 5k at once. I will be praying for you and your boy. Please let us know what you find out. I really want to know how your guy is doing and what the vet tells you.

 

[xxbuggyxx]

thank you! i'm 99% sure we know the cause, i changed his food and his brother (my other cat) was bullying him out of his food. i began feeding them in different rooms + got him his old food but i think he was already stressed out by then and he was only eating a few bites a day. i didnt realize it wasnt enough

im a bit annoyed bc the er made it seem like i needed 5k worth of varying blood panels, 3 xrays, a fine needle aspirate, an ultra sound & for him to be checked up by specialist as well. i know its more expensive, but i also know from friends who work in er animal hospitals that the dr's do make a percentage of the procedures they do so they are on some level incentivized to do a lot of testing... i will see if my primary vet has any suggestions when i take him in

he is (or was at least) a healthy 2.5 year old cat other wise and his personality was still there even when i took him to the pdvm/er initially but i think the feeding tube + surgery has caused some more issues w his tummy (since the anesthesia can cause constipation) so im just going to take it slowly until then or if something drastic happens in the interim

 

[BellaBlue82]

thank you! i'm 99% sure we know the cause, i changed his food and his brother (my other cat) was bullying him out of his food. i began feeding them in different rooms + got him his old food but i think he was already stressed out by then and he was only eating a few bites a day. i didnt realize it wasnt enough

im a bit annoyed bc the er made it seem like i needed 5k worth of varying blood panels, 3 xrays, a fine needle aspirate, an ultra sound & for him to be checked up by specialist as well. i know its more expensive, but i also know from friends who work in er animal hospitals that the dr's do make a percentage of the procedures they do so they are on some level incentivized to do a lot of testing... i will see if my primary vet has any suggestions when i take him in

he is (or was at least) a healthy 2.5 year old cat other wise and his personality was still there even when i took him to the pdvm/er initially but i think the feeding tube + surgery has caused some more issues w his tummy (since the anesthesia can cause constipation) so im just going to take it slowly until then or if something drastic happens in the interim

I'm sorry Goblin is going through this. I have not had experience with a feeding tube, but I have had experience with assisted feeding (similar approach, just no tube.) Sadie unfortunately ate a teeny tiny piece of a plastic shopping bag that fell off and I never noticed. I found out after x-rays and eventually the poo where she passed it. She threw up for hours after she first ate it, then didn't want to eat for almost two days after that. She had the beginning stages of HL and Addison's crisis since she could not take her daily medication.

I would suggest to make his food into a liquidy slurry. For Sadie I would take her 3oz can of Rx food, split into 4ths, add a tsp of water and a tsp of Beechnut chicken baby food, mix it up, and put that in the plunger. Then I would feed her a very little bit at a time over the course of 14-20 minutes. I paused after each little bit to make sure she tolerated it well. The loose consistency and longer feeding time helped her belly accept the food.

Every cat is different. Sadie was eating normally and on her own within two weeks, but her condition was not as bad as it could have been. I've known some cats to stay on feeding tubes for a few months. It just all depends, and it's nothing to be scared of. The best part is that he has a feeding tube, which is half of the battle. Now you have an avenue to ensure he's getting nutrition. Time is the key with these things if I've learned anything. The site that white shadow suggested is a great resource as well! Good luck, keep us posted. Hopefully Goblin starts feeling better soon.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I am sorry your cat is ill. Did the ER send you home with a special diet to feed through the tube? Did they explain that you need to warm the food before feeding? Are you feeding his meds through the tube? Did the ER send him home with any anti nausea medication like Cerenia? Is he keeping food down now?

 

[xxbuggyxx]

Hi. I am sorry your cat is ill. Did the ER send you home with a special diet to feed through the tube? Did they explain that you need to warm the food before feeding? Are you feeding his meds through the tube? Did the ER send him home with any anti nausea medication like Cerenia? Is he keeping food down now?

Yes, but they said any food is good (I ran out --it was the Hills sensitive stomach diet-- and I purchased the Nulo wet food since it is over 200 cals/ can. I do warm it up (in a cup of warm water). Same with the water and the water w/ the medications in them. Currently all feeding is through his tube. He is on Cerenia, but I am going to ask for an increased dose when I take him to his primary Vet. He is keeping food down with more frequent feedings of less food. I think the doctor's notes to scale up his feeding was too quick for him. I ordered a scale to make sure I can measure him daily too

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

There are other anti-nausea meds that might work better than Cerenia for your guy. I would definitely discuss that with your Vet when you see them on Tuesday. Is he on any other medications? Any liver supplements? Any antibiotics?

When you push his food into the tube, are you doing it oh so slowly? You definitely need to go slow, and I wonder if as you became more comfortable perhaps you went a little faster? When one of my cats was on a feeding tube, if I went too fast, it would immediately come right back up.

Are you still offering him any food to try to eat on his own? He can still do that even though he has that feeding tube. Has he tried eating on his own, either food or treats? With my guy, he wasn't interested in doing that, but many cats are. And my little guy was on the feeding tube for four long months. He had H/L and it was very bad. He turned so yellow, that's how we discovered the problem

Hoping your little one starts feeling better soon.

 

[xxbuggyxx]

Sorry for the late response, I have been a bit emotionally overwelmed. I just tried letting him eat by himself this morning and he did! It was a little bit of meow mix (I know its not the healthiest, but I read that they put chenicals in it to make cats want to it). I had been going super slowly with the feedings. He was constipated and once he started passing his stools he wasn't puking anymore

 

[Furballsmom]

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

That's great! Meow Mix or not, the fact they he is eating on his own is wonderful news!

 

[Fergusboy]

Here's my experience with feeding via e-tube: I followed the directions I was given by the vet and my cat got ONLY Science Diet A/D canned, thinned with water (anything else I tried just clogged the tube). The amount of food she was given was based on her weight and required calories per day. You have to really give kitty lots of food via tube, to get their body to stop living off their fat & muscle, which is what causes fatty liver. It took my girl a solid month, of being fed 4 times a day with high calorie food, for her liver values to become normal again. It takes time for the liver values to change. My girl was totally not interested in eating by mouth, even after her liver values were normal. My vet had me reduce the food intake by half for a week, then by half again...then she finally started eating on her own. You do not want to reduce caloric intake until the liver values are normal again, and then do it very gradually, otherwise they could begin to get fatty liver again. I think if you follow this protocol, your cat will be fine. You will have to commit to blood tests and be very strict with feeding regimen and nausea meds. Definitely work with your regular vet on this, and not the ER vet. The A/D is high calorie and it's very good for fatty liver kitties. It's a very common condition for cats and your vet will know how to manage it. Good luck!