Liver issues in 8 year old cat

[Lindsayj014]

Hello,

I took my 8 year old cat Jax to the vet a couple days ago due to him acting a little off. He has not been as energetic and vocal as he usually is. Blood tests were ran and came back with high liver levels. His ALT was 356, ALKP was 186 and GGT was 41 on an interval of 1-4. The vet said she was only really concerned about the ALT and GGT. He did get an ultrasound as well that came back clear. No masses were found or felt and the gallbladder looked clear as well. No kidney or thyroid issues either and the red and white blood cell counts were good too.

There have been some recent changes in the house. One of my cats that Jax has lived with for 6 years passed away a month ago after a very sudden battle with pancreatic cancer. She only lived a few weeks after being diagnosed and was very sick. I also had an injured young stray cat show up in my garage during that time and took him in. I'm not sure if the stress of these two events has anything to do with what Jax is going through right now. The stray cat has also up until this week been eating a majority of the food and Jax is already a picky eater so im not sure if he has been getting enough to eat this past month. I am now feeding them separately.

The vet seems to think that him not eating enough is the cause of the elevated liver levels and gave me some denysol tablets and wants him back in a month. But since he's had his blood drawn and the ultrasound he's been even more lethargic/quiet and his stool looks very loose and pale. I should also mention that previous to his appt his appetite was good, no issues with the litterbox and no weight loss (he's down .2 ounces in a year).

Im looking for any advice on how much to feed him and if I should be giving him anything else to help get his liver back to normal.

Sorry for the long post and thank you for your help!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Poor Jax! How is his eating now?

Did the vet say this was hepatic lipidosis? How long has he been taking the denysol? Did his stool turn loose and pale only after starting this med? Maybe it doesn't agree with his system? These tablets are meant to be given about an hour before food in order to be most effective, although a bite of food can be used if needed to get a cat to take them. Have you contacted the vet to tell them about the negative changes?

I don't know if milk thistle can be used alongside of denysol, but there are many members on this site who administer milk thistle for liver support. But this would be something to ask the vet when you notify them of his recent changes. Some cats require sub-Q fluids for hydration, and other supplements such as taurine and B12 added to their diets to help the liver recover. Another thing to ask your vet about. He may even require an appetite stimulant if he is not eating well.

You might try some baby food meat (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut) to add some calories to his diet. Perhaps, some RC A/D Recovery food? If eating is an issue at this point, give him whatever it is that he will eat, and supplement as noted above if the vet thinks it would help.

Hope other members will come along soon and offer some additional thoughts.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm not sure if the stress of these two events has anything to do with what Jax is going through right now.

Hello - Welcome!

Check with your vet as mentioned, but my boy is one of those who is getting milk thistle for his liver.

In order to keep his weight where it should be, would you consider hand feeding him? Can you determine how many calories or how much of a can in a day he was eating before? I've read that you should feed for the cat's weight that is your goal. I'm not sure about that for a cat that needs to lose weight as it could be too much of a decrease too fast, but in your case I think it's an appropriate way of looking at it.

Could you give him Cat Music? There's Relax My Cat, MusicForCats and spotify and other sources have harp music specifically to help cats.

 

[Lindsayj014]

Thank you for the replies! He definitely has diarrhea now as he just went again and it was still pale as well. I only saw him go about a week ago and the color seemed on the light side but it wasn't diarrhea for sure. I did call the vets office today but my vet won't be in the office until Monday. He's only been taking the denosyl for 3 days.

The vet didn't give him any kind of diagnosis when we were there, she just thought the high liver levels could be due to him not eating enough and the changes in the house recently. I've only been giving him a half can of 3oz fancy feast and a 1/4 of dry food. He's also a grazer and doesn't eat everything at once. I havent really paid attention before since all my cats had been healthy but I don't think he's getting enough calories, especially since my new cat was eating a good amount of the food.

I should mention too that I have a 3rd cat that is also a grazer that might not be getting enough calories either. He isn't showing the symptoms that Jax is though. This past week, I've started increasing the wet food to a can for each of them. Jax has been eating a majority of that can since I've been feeding everyone separately. Could this also be a cause of the diarrhea possibly? As far as drinking, I haven't seen him drink that much.

His weight has always been around 9-10 pounds but im starting to wonder if his issue isnt an intestine issue like my other cat had? Does an ultrasound look at the intestines too? I was only charged $75 for the ultrasound so im not sure what all was looked at. She said his kidneys, gallbladder and liver look clear and his whole belly was shaved.

I'm just really scared that this is cancer and I just went through this a couples months ago with my other cat who was relatively young as well (only 10). He's in a lot better shape then she was before her cancer was caught but I still can't help but think the worse.

I will try the milk thistle, thank you!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Jax has been eating a majority of that can since I've been feeding everyone separately. Could this also be a cause of the diarrhea possibly? Does an ultrasound look at the intestines too? I'm just really scared that this is cancer...

If Jax is used to the canned food, you wouldn't think that it would cause diarrhea, but I suppose it is still a possibility. A normal abdominal ultrasound SHOULD include the intestines. I have not known of one that didn't, but you may have to ask. I cannot fathom only doing enough to cover just the upper portion of his digestive tract, but again I suppose that is a possibility - however odd it sounds to me. You can call and get the ultrasound results without the vet being in the office since it should be noted that the vet has already talked to you about the results. Once that discussion occurs, the records are normally released to the pet parent without question. Ditto for blood work and any other tests as well. The results are yours for free.

I will say that an ultrasound many times is not conclusive in terms of cancer, unless there are very obvious signs. There can be some signs to suggest it, but it usually creates follow up testing to go further. The biggest indicator that I have known about regarding suspicions of cancer is if the intestinal wall is thickened. However, that among other things can also suggest IBD (inflammatory bowel disease). I am not saying that the liver cannot be impacted by IBD, but I've read too many cases where that does not seem to necessarily be the case. I would not go down the 'could it be cancer' path just yet.

 

[Lindsayj014]

Okay thank you, I just wasn't sure how common of a symptom diarrhea is with liver issues. I will call the vet back on Monday and ask for the ultrasound results. I tried to look up the side effects of denosyl and vomiting was the only one that was listed. But he is eating really good on his own, he seems to be eating a lot more in one sitting since I've been feeding all the cats separately and he basically finishes his dish shortly after so I think that is a positive. I have only seen him vomit a few times over the last 7 years I've had him and nothing recently.

I dont think I mentioned either that the vet said he did have pretty bad gingivitis and will need to have two or three teeth extracted. She said that could also increase his liver levels a little bit. I dont notice any jaundice anywhere and hes still walking around interacting with everyone and jumping on his perches just fine. His only symptoms right now are the mild diarrhea and a little lethargy.

I know I shouldn't assume he has cancer yet, it's just really hard with what I went through a couple months ago with my other cat. She got very sick very sudden. But she almost stopped eating entirely and lost 3 pounds very quickly. It was my first experience with that type of thing and I've been freaked out ever since. Thank you for the reassurance

 

[furmonster mom]

If he has some bad teeth, don’t delay on getting them taken care of.
Periodontal disease is no joke.
Your vet is right to suspect it may be contributing to stress on the liver. It can cause infection to get into the blood stream (blood vessels are close to surface in gums), which can also eventually lead to heart issues. You want to nip that problem in the bud before it compounds into something worse.

 

[Lindsayj014]

Hello,

I talked to my vet this week and she said she did look at the intestines and all the other organs on the ultrasound and there was no thickening so thats a good sign. But I just weighed Jax today and he possibly lost an ounce from last week. It went between 9.7-9.8 depending on where he was standing on the scale. I also weighed him after he ate a little bit and he went up to 9.9. Is this a cause for concern? He's been eating an almost 100% wet food diet for the past two weeks which is very different from what he was eating before, which was about 50% wet and 50% dry. I have barely seen him touch his dry food since I've given him more wet food during the day. Could this be the reason for the slight drop of weight?

The doctor did put him on steroids and antibiotics as well but he's only been taking those for a couple days. Does anyone know how long it takes before I see a difference in him when taking the steroids? I haven't really noticed an appetite change but his appetite was okay before so it's not really a big deal. Do most cats gain weight when they are on prednisolone?

He has been taking the denosyl for a little over a week now and although his mood hasn't really changed he's still active and doesn't seem to be in pain. He also had a bowel movement yesterday that was a very normal color and wasn't loose at all so im hoping the denosyl is helping his liver at least.

I know I'm probably overreacting based on what I went through with my cat with cancer last month but it just worries me that he isn't back to himself yet. He still seems very depressed although he is purring more now. Should I ask for a biospy or further testing or wait until the doctor wants him back in a few weeks?

 

[Furballsmom]

Could this be the reason for the slight drop of weight?

It could. Wait a couple days and weigh him, then another couple days and weigh again .

 

[mommet]

Hello,

I took my 8 year old cat Jax to the vet a couple days ago due to him acting a little off. He has not been as energetic and vocal as he usually is. Blood tests were ran and came back with high liver levels. His ALT was 356, ALKP was 186 and GGT was 41 on an interval of 1-4. The vet said she was only really concerned about the ALT and GGT. He did get an ultrasound as well that came back clear. No masses were found or felt and the gallbladder looked clear as well. No kidney or thyroid issues either and the red and white blood cell counts were good too.

There have been some recent changes in the house. One of my cats that Jax has lived with for 6 years passed away a month ago after a very sudden battle with pancreatic cancer. She only lived a few weeks after being diagnosed and was very sick. I also had an injured young stray cat show up in my garage during that time and took him in. I'm not sure if the stress of these two events has anything to do with what Jax is going through right now. The stray cat has also up until this week been eating a majority of the food and Jax is already a picky eater so im not sure if he has been getting enough to eat this past month. I am now feeding them separately.

The vet seems to think that him not eating enough is the cause of the elevated liver levels and gave me some denysol tablets and wants him back in a month. But since he's had his blood drawn and the ultrasound he's been even more lethargic/quiet and his stool looks very loose and pale. I should also mention that previous to his appt his appetite was good, no issues with the litterbox and no weight loss (he's down .2 ounces in a year).

Im looking for any advice on how much to feed him and if I should be giving him anything else to help get his liver back to normal.

Sorry for the long post and thank you for your help!

I know this is an older post, but I just joined and came across it. How is Jax? Has your vet looked more into the liver? My little guy ended up with major problems, including seizure due to a liver shunt and it took months to figure it all out until I recently had him to the ER and he is already doing much better. Best of luck to you!

L Lindsayj014

 

[Lindsayj014]

I know this is an older post, but I just joined and came across it. How is Jax? Has your vet looked more into the liver? My little guy ended up with major problems, including seizure due to a liver shunt and it took months to figure it all out until I recently had him to the ER and he is already doing much better. Best of luck to you!

L Lindsayj014

Hello,

Fortunately, Jax doesn't have any liver issues anymore. He has had three blood tests since July and his liver levels have been normal so his vet said he had cholangiohepatitis that improved with a couple weeks of steroids, antibiotics and liver supplements. I took him to the vet because he was acting lethargic and not his usual self and was having some diarrhea. I was a little bit paranoid in July as well because I just lost a cat to cancer the pervious month but im glad I did end up taking him in.

While his liver is okay now, he is still having diarrhea on and off and is suspected to have IBD but has not officially been diagnosed yet. So he's still having some issues just not with his liver anymore.

I'm glad to hear your guy is doing better!