Late last week, Abbey started looking jaundiced. The vet suggested we insert an esophageal tube. She had a decent weekend, was begging for food in the morning. After several morning feedings she went into condo and stayed there the rest of the day. She only came out when I took her out to feed her by syringe and give her medicine. So, this morning she is at the vet having the tube inserted. Asking for prayers and healing thoughts. My baby is only 6 years old and I’m hoping this will kick start her into enjoying a better life of chasing yarn balls and attacking dad’s feet.
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Hepatic Lipidosis
- Thread starter Cojakama
- Start Date
- Status
Hi! ...sending every good thought I own to you-all!
May I ask what happened that got her into this situation?
For the near future, if you have trouble getting her to eat canned food here are a couple of ideas;
1. Try getting one of the high-calorie gel products available for cats who aren't eating well (or at all). One example is Tomlyn Nutracal for Cats and it, or something similar should be available at most pet stores. You can rub the gel in her mouth or, if that doesn't work, try rubbing it on her paws. She will naturally lick her paws and ingest the nutrients that way.
2. Try giving her KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer). It works well for adult cats, in addition to kittens and is packed full of the nutrition she needs. I know that she's only drinking from sink faucets at this point but KMR is quite tasty and she may go for it on her own. Otherwise, you are back to the syringe.
3. I've found that heating up a bit of ham and/or cheese and crumbling it up sometimes is so enticing to a cat that they'll eat it, especially if I feed them by hand. Heating food until it is slightly warm will release enticing aromas from it so this is worth trying with anything you are offering her.
4. I've only read about this next tip so I don't know how well it works. Place a little bit of warm tuna in her bowl right near her nose as she's sleeping. Supposedly cats will automatically go for the food when they first wake up.
5. You can also try sprinkling Bonito flakes over her food or other tempting toppers like crumbled up cheese or boiled egg.
May I ask what happened that got her into this situation?
For the near future, if you have trouble getting her to eat canned food here are a couple of ideas;
1. Try getting one of the high-calorie gel products available for cats who aren't eating well (or at all). One example is Tomlyn Nutracal for Cats and it, or something similar should be available at most pet stores. You can rub the gel in her mouth or, if that doesn't work, try rubbing it on her paws. She will naturally lick her paws and ingest the nutrients that way.
2. Try giving her KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer). It works well for adult cats, in addition to kittens and is packed full of the nutrition she needs. I know that she's only drinking from sink faucets at this point but KMR is quite tasty and she may go for it on her own. Otherwise, you are back to the syringe.
3. I've found that heating up a bit of ham and/or cheese and crumbling it up sometimes is so enticing to a cat that they'll eat it, especially if I feed them by hand. Heating food until it is slightly warm will release enticing aromas from it so this is worth trying with anything you are offering her.
4. I've only read about this next tip so I don't know how well it works. Place a little bit of warm tuna in her bowl right near her nose as she's sleeping. Supposedly cats will automatically go for the food when they first wake up.
5. You can also try sprinkling Bonito flakes over her food or other tempting toppers like crumbled up cheese or boiled egg.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
She went through a lot of stress when we moved. She originally thought to have IBD and after trying various meds she ended up on Prednisolone. She was doing well so I decided to start switching her to a raw diet, which she loved. I tried the Instinct Raw Boost Rabbit (which also has a lot of pork) and she had a reaction. We’re not sure which protein was the culprit. The vet put her on Antibiotics which caused her to stop eating. I was syringe feeding her, but I could tell, even on the Cerenia that she felt ill. I noticed she was becoming jaundiced and mentioned it at her checkup. We agreed that once off the antibiotic her appetite may return. I had started her on Stella and Chewy Duck Duck Goose and she was eating a bit in the morning, but none the rest of the day. The e-tube surgery was suggested to kickstart her liver so that hopefully her appetite would return. She was scheduled to have the surgery this morning, but I just got a call from the vet doing the surgery saying he wasn’t comfortable doing it until we had a more definite diagnosis. He was very kind and compassionate, but I didn’t get the feeling that the surgery would be beneficial. Now awaiting blood work and an ultrasound. My gut is telling me that she’s at the end...
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
I mixed the Nutrical with her food in the syringe and she would eat the Stella and Chewy nuggets...just not enough to give her the calories she needed. She seemed to eat well until after her first meal and then her whole demeanor would change and she would become lethargic and, though she wasn’t exhibiting signs of nausea, you could see she didn’t feel well. We had tried the Cerenia and Pepcid to no avail.
I'm so very sorry to hear this!! My heart goes out to the both of you, hang in there and let us know what happens.
Sending LOADS of good thoughts and prayers your way!!
Sending LOADS of good thoughts and prayers your way!!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
I’m sad to say that today Abbey crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. It turns out she had an aggressive form of cancer. It did not show up on her x-rays in November, but, today, they could barely make out her organs due to the mass. I could not see making her suffer any longer. Thank you all for your kind words and support.
oh my gracious sakes. I'm so very sorry to hear this, but she knew you loved her. RIP sweetheart!!
I'm so sorry.
I came to this thread hoping to give some advice about e-tube care, am upset to be giving condolences instead.
Rest easy, little Abbey xx
I came to this thread hoping to give some advice about e-tube care, am upset to be giving condolences instead.
Rest easy, little Abbey xx
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
Oh behalf the mod team, we are so sorry for your loss. Out of respect, we lock threads when one has passed on.
Do feel free to post a tribute on the Crossing the Bridge forum when you are ready.
Do feel free to post a tribute on the Crossing the Bridge forum when you are ready.
- Status
