fatty liver

[chrisjoesepp]

My 10 year old went into a gradual decline, had a temperature and my vet gave him antibiotics and though the temperature disappeared, he continued to get sicker, stopped eating. Vet took him in, he's been at hospital 6 days now with fatty liver disease. Minimal improvement. On intravenous and being force fed. Testing and ultra-sound done to rule out cancer. Has anyone else had a cat under care for fatty liver disease? I'm concerned that there is so little progress and we have never determined what triggered the initial attack.

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. I am so sorry. Usually cats require a feeding tube to recover from hepatic libidos is. Force feeding is difficult at best in cats and it is almost impossible to get adequate nutrition into them.
That being said, if your vet has not recommended it, they probably don’t have experience doing it and you don’t want them to make a mistake. Mistakes with placement can be deadly. Although a veterinarian who does these often can place one in 5 minutes.
A referral to a specialist would be a good idea now.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

We have had several members with cats with Fatty Liver. I have had one myself. My was only under Vet's care to have the feeding tube inserted, everything after that was home care. Most members handle everything at home, including giving sub-q fluids. AND, often the underlying cause is never really discovered.

It takes a long time to recover from this, and they do not always make it. I don't want to frighten you, but you should be prepared. It's about 50/50. But with proper nutrition and supplements, they can survive. This is where a feeding tube can be invaluable. You can both feed them AND give them their medications and supplements all through the feeding tube and not have to stress them out giving pills, etc. My guy used to actually purr when getting fed through the tube. I trick is to slightly warm of food and give it very slowly. Of course, you hve to thin it out a lot too, so it will go smoothly into the tube. Whoever installs the tube should also provide prescription recovery food that is perfect for sick cats.

 

[chrisjoesepp]

Thanks for the comments but I should have been more clear. The iv is for fluids and meds, and he doesn't need a feeding tube. He won't feed himself so they are hand feeding him every 2 hours. He'll eat and swallow what's spooned in his mouth without problem. I'm just alarmed at what little progress has been made in nearly a week. Bringing him home is not an option as I live alone and work all day.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

My cat was on a feeding tube for four months. As I mentioned, it's a slow recovery. And even when they start eating on their own again, you still have to watch them like a hawk to make sure they continue eating enough not to backslide. Even their blood values tend to go in the wrong direction as they improve, for awhile. That doesn't mean they aren't getting better, but we've seen it happen over and over. they start eating and acting better, yet the blood work would say otherwise. They suddenly everything falls into place and they are themselves once again.

Patience is the key with this health issue. Unless your Vet says otherwise. They should be very upfront with you as to his odds.

 

[silent meowlook]

The following is a link to some information.
Hepatic Lipidosis

 

[chrisjoesepp]

Thanks for all of your excellent replies but as it turned out there was no saving him, he had advanced cancer but it took two x-rays and an ultrasound to finally find it.

 

[silent meowlook]

I am so sorry.

 

[chrisjoesepp]

I am so sorry.

Thanks. It was heart-breaking.