My kitty and Hepatic Lipidosis

[Catlover0188]

Has anyone ever had any experience with the jaundice getting worse before better?

I came home from work and saw that my Izzy girls gums are now yellow when they were pink yesterday. I feel her jaundice is getting worse quick and that can't mean anything good, right?

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

my cats gums were yellow almost from the start. First thing we noticed were his ear, next were his gums.

Have you been to the Vet yet for the recheck? How are things? How is she acting. Still perkier? I know it's hard not to be stressed out,but remember, cats are very good at picking up on our stress. If she is acting like she feels better, I would take that as a good sign and try to relax somewhat. If she wasn't feeling better, I don't think she would be acting like she feels better. I would think she would just be like she was before she started getting some nutrition back into her.

 

[Catlover0188]

my cats gums were yellow almost from the start. First thing we noticed were his ear, next were his gums.

Have you been to the Vet yet for the recheck? How are things? How is she acting. Still perkier? I know it's hard not to be stressed out,but remember, cats are very good at picking up on our stress. If she is acting like she feels better, I would take that as a good sign and try to relax somewhat. If she wasn't feeling better, I don't think she would be acting like she feels better. I would think she would just be like she was before she started getting some nutrition back into her.

We went back today and they rechecked her levels. Her sodium was still low, but has improved to almost normal. Her RBCs dropped a bit and her bilirubin continues to climb, so I worry. They did a repeat Ultrasound to rule out an obstruction and couldn't find one. However, her liver looks larger and "brighter."

They saw a very small pocket of fluid, but they said that could be from a number of things.

They still say she has a chance since she is showing improvement. However, only time will tell.

I'm very stressed.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I'm glad her sodium levels are almost back to normal. From I can glean from my research, H/L causes both an enlarged liver AND brightness an an untrasound, so I feel that is to be expected .

I still say if she is acting better, that is good. Is she?

Of course you are stress and worried, but as I said before, with this issues, it's a slow recovery. Hang in there and continue to keep us posted. We're right here with you

 

[Catlover0188]

I'm glad her sodium levels are almost back to normal. From I can glean from my research, H/L causes both an enlarged liver AND brightness an an untrasound, so I feel that is to be expected .

I still say if she is acting better, that is good. Is she?

Of course you are stress and worried, but as I said before, with this issues, it's a slow recovery. Hang in there and continue to keep us posted. We're right here with you

They also found a small amount of ascites, but said this has multiple causes. They do feel her HL has progressed, but they encouraged me to continue doing the same thing at home. I feel my cat isn't as perky today.

 

[Catlover0188]

Izzy continues to get more and more jaundice everyday. I know this situation isn't good. She's not getting any more perkier.

I feel so helpless. I feel like the vets missed something. Why is her bili increasing so incredibly fast? They did a repeat ultrasound because I asked about a blockage. They didn't see one. Her disease is progressing at lightning speed.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Can you ask them to consult with one of the Veterinary Universities near you to get their take on what else might be happening? Usually the universities are up on the latest and greatest and might have some ideas as to what is happening and/or a different set of medications to try.

Did your Vet think what is happening with her is highly unusual? You said she isn't getting any perkier, but is she holding her own? I mean to say, she was up and about...is she still doing that, or is she sleeping all the time? I would continue doing what you are doing, just as the Vet said. I believe she has only been getting her meds and being fed through the tube for about six days, which seems like forever but in reality is just a short time. Give it a chance to work, always keeping her quality of life in the back of your mind. Since your Vet said to continue, they must think there is a good chance for her to come out of this. Ask them to be honest with you about it.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Any updates? How is she doing today?

 

[Catlover0188]

She's doing good as far as I can tell. She's not necessarily perkier, but gets around. My bf watches her on nights when I work and he sent me a picture last night of her sitting on the counter. He said she jumped up there.

And he couldn't confirm, but he's pretty sure she took a couple sips of water when he was prepping everything.

She does have some respiratory symptoms going on; nasal drainage, sneezing. She's already on antibiotics, but I'm just going to monitor.

Izzy goes back this Wednesday for repeat labs. They'll look for ascites again, as well.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Being up on the counter sounds very promising! Have you tried giving her one or two of her favorite treats to see if she'll eat them? She can eat even though she has that E-Tube. (but don't be too disappointed if she doesn't take them, I'm just saying you can try)

One of my cats has been sneezing lately...I think it may be allergies. Tis the season.

 

[Catlover0188]

Does this look black? My cat pooped and it came out looking brown. However, after sitting looks black. I'm worried because my cats rbcs keep dropping. Her bilirubin is coming down, nicely. I just left the vet office and they were so busy I spent 5 hours.

 

[BellaBlue82]

Does this look black? My cat pooped and it came out looking brown. However, after sitting looks black. I'm worried because my cats rbcs keep dropping. Her bilirubin is coming down, nicely. I just left the vet office and they were so busy I spent 5 hours.

I don't think it looks black, it looks like a normal poo to me. Keep in mind that if uncovered poo will oxidize so it will naturally look darker the older it is.
Hang in there, it sounds like kitty's system is trying to come back around slowly but surely! So sorry you had to spend so much time at the vets, I empathize with you - I feel bad, it seems vet clinics everywhere have been suffering the same plight.

 

[Catlover0188]

Update on Izzy:

Her bilirubin came down quite a bit! It went from 25 to 11.8! My bf thought her jaundice looked better. I honestly couldn't tell. Good news, yay!

Bad news; she dropped quite a bit of weight within the week and her RBCs keep dropping. She was put on a low dose steroid to see if that helps the anemia. She was having some nausea issues this past week, so the vet added on Cerenia. They also switched her food to Hills Urgent A/d. She gets feeds every 6 hours, but days I'm off, I'll be doing every 4. She shows interest in food, but isn't quite ready to drink on her own. She's drinking water, though!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Great news on the bilirubin. So the Vet isn't giving anything for the low RBCs? I think the change in food is good (that's the question I had posed earlier in this thread.). Do they want you to try to give MORE food each feeding? more calories equals weight gain, or at least no weight loss, but perhaps the A/D is more caloric?

Is the Vet optimistic at this point?

 

[Catlover0188]

Great news on the bilirubin. So the Vet isn't giving anything for the low RBCs? I think the change in food is good (that's the question I had posed earlier in this thread.). Do they want you to try to give MORE food each feeding? more calories equals weight gain, or at least no weight loss, but perhaps the A/D is more caloric?

Is the Vet optimistic at this point?

He is giving steroids to see if that helps with the Red cells. Yes the A/D has more calories vs the other food. She seems to handle this food a lot better.The vet we saw yesterday was new to her case, so he didn't really say much about prognosis. He just kept saying this can take months. She has an infection at the E tube most likely from vomiting. She's on antibiotics now, too.

 

[Catlover0188]

Her new Kitty Kollar. Been washing them by hand and air drying.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

How do you like the new Kitty Kollar? They look like "the cat's meow" .

Hoping that infection gets better soon and that she starts putting some weight on. Also hoping the RBCs start going up. Yes, it definitely takes time with this one

 

[Catlover0188]

How do you like the new Kitty Kollar? They look like "the cat's meow" .

Hoping that infection gets better soon and that she starts putting some weight on. Also hoping the RBCs start going up. Yes, it definitely takes time with this one

I really like the new kitty collar. I found a detergent that is pet friendly, so I hand wash and exchange them every other day.

Yeah this infection appeared out of nowhere. I look at the site and cleanse it everyday. However, she started not tolerating her last food and was vomiting at least once per day. The clinic believed it was caused by her throwing up. They said they see infections quite often. Just awaiting results on cultures to make sure she's on the right antibiotic.

She is doing a lot better with the Hills A/D. No throwing up since starting. The food is just thicker and sometimes harder to push through tube.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Are you thinning the new food out with water? Or you can even use KMR or goat's milk to thin it out to make it easier to push through the tube.

 

[Catlover0188]

Are you thinning the new food out with water? Or you can even use KMR or goat's milk to thin it out to make it easier to push through the tube.

Yes. They wanted me to use 5-10 cc for every 65 cc of food. However, I usually have to add more water.

It just seems like she mopes around depressed. She occasionally will rub up on my legs, but for the most part, moping. I know I need to be patient, it's just hard to see her this way. She isn't a fan of her tube, at all. Lol.