Topic: Liver problems (Read 9854 times)

JackSpratt · « **Reply #28 on:** June 04, 2008, 10:54:37 AM »

Thanks Rosella, sorry to hear you had a rough night with Tom.

The problem is LJs ulcer seems to be making it painful to open his mouth, so eating and taking the antibiotics cause discomfort. Have started opening the capsule and pipette feeding the antibiotics today and that seems to give him less cause for concern. Am also getting a couple of cans of liquivite for him, then at least he can get something in his system without it hurting his mouth poor lad.

Hope Tom has a good day today. And yep, I'm sure being off her food won't hurt Noni; she'll make up for it when she feels a bit better!

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #27 on:** June 04, 2008, 07:24:02 AM »

Am sorry you had a rough night with Tom R, it is worrying when they are poorly, but at least the liver can regenerate. Snowy wasnt put on any meds till hers developed into something else, but we did have a lot of locums that year, and I wasn't impressed with most of them (I'm very fussy!!). I am glad the vet went back through things with you, and good luck with the food, I know we had issues with food back then. Snowy's main symptoms were sickness and diarrhea, we did have constant weight issues with her, but her fur was poor for most of the time

Maddiesmum · « **Reply #26 on:** June 04, 2008, 07:11:28 AM »

Hope your chat with the vet today goes well

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #25 on:** June 04, 2008, 07:04:24 AM »

Popping on to give a morning cuddle to Tom.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #24 on:** June 03, 2008, 23:21:33 PM »

Yes good luck with the vet chat tomorrow JS and antibiotics take at least 24 hrs to kick in

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #23 on:** June 03, 2008, 22:47:00 PM »

Tommy says thankee mateys

. I is rather proud o me coat

He's eatin fine which I am so very grateful for. He even seems rather partial to this RC Sensitivity stuff (as does Freddie lol) He ain't been sick since yesterday which can't be bad either.

Poor lil Noni a wee bit low tonight

but expect it's from top up vaccination today. Will do her no harm at all to be off her food overnight that's for sure

.

Big

to LJ and JS and best wishes for tomorrow's chat with vet. Difficult to guage how long to give anti biotics before deciding on any other course of treatment but can't expect much after only a day. Much will depend on whether he is managing to eat anything. My heart goes out to you both.

JackSpratt · « **Reply #22 on:** June 03, 2008, 22:28:45 PM »

Just topping up.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #21 on:** June 03, 2008, 21:56:02 PM »

Tom sounds good for his age and if he has a glossy coat then that cat be bad either

alisonandarchie · « **Reply #20 on:** June 03, 2008, 16:11:23 PM »

So sorry to hear about Tom, only just seen this thread.

It sounds a good sign if his coat os glossy

Archie and I are sending a gentle hug to Tom

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #19 on:** June 03, 2008, 13:42:13 PM »

Many thanks Paddy

, Sue, MM and SMM. Comforting to hear that Swampy had similar course of treatment successfully. Tom is in fine fettle for his age and thankfully still eating (I really will worry if he goes off his grub coz he's always liked his food) so could be a very great deal worse. In fact he looks a bit fab in a slim sorta way and his coat is nice n glossy. I'm beginning to get a firmer grip I think. Am so lucky that OH works from home as, whilst he ain't the most reliable for regular feeds for Tom, he's pretty good

.

Quote from: Rosella moggy on June 03, 2008, 12:10:12 PM

Felimazole and Vidalta meds are very similar so unlikely to try Felimazole for HyperT but there are other ways to manage HyperT...... Will worry about that later...

Just remembered that vet said someat bout medication for Tom's heart which is main concern with HyperT and Tom has a heart murmur. Am mentioning it so I can use this thread to refresh my memory. Also his sneezes are back. Bummer

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #18 on:** June 03, 2008, 13:17:42 PM »

hope Tom gets sorted out soon. Yes, now I remember, Swamp was on steroids (cortisone), antibiotics for a month and Destolit for 6 - 9 months. If he's eating little and often that's the best too - remember being told even 8 -10 little meals a day is best for their liver (and kidneys). The good side to liver problems is that they can get better but it can be a long haul.

Maddiesmum · « **Reply #17 on:** June 03, 2008, 13:07:02 PM »

It's hard not to worry when we love them so much. Hope they can get to the bottom of it and sort Tom out soon.

Sue P (Paddysmum) · « **Reply #16 on:** June 03, 2008, 13:02:40 PM »

Rosella, am thinking about you both. As always, Pads sends his very best for Tom.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #15 on:** June 03, 2008, 12:10:12 PM »

Cheers BM. Worrying gets me nowhere (I say in a pull yourself together girl sorta way). Spoke to vet. She's very patient and led me thru everything again.

I have come away with a pack of RC Sensitivity (the VN rang RC whilst I was there to confirm the correct prescription diet for liver problems as there seemed to be some question) and a few wet pouches to see if Tom likes them. Vet concerned that Tom is continuing to be sick (not food just nasty cloured liquid) on and off and losing weight. She thinks it more likely that Tom does have underlying liver probs rather than just reaction to meds.

If sickness continues this week, will bring him in on Saturday and start anti biotics and steroids. That is the treatment apparently for most liver conditions. I am not at all keen on a liver biopsy involving GA to pinpoint precise liver condition in view of Tom's age and more likely it would be one of the conditions that is treated with anti biotics and steroids in any event

Pointless doing further blood tests to confirm liver malfunction exists for sure until he has been off HyperT meds for a month. Felimazole and Vidalta meds are very similar so unlikely to try Felimazole for HyperT but there are other ways to manage HyperT...... Will worry about that later

BTW Noni (it was her appointment for follow up jab but discussing Tom took up 95% of time) is also going to go on the RC biscuits dry food for a bit due to blood in her stools likely due to her overeating.

Bazsmum · « **Reply #14 on:** June 03, 2008, 09:28:46 AM »

Sorry to hear you had a rough night Rosella....hope once you gain more knowledge your mind can be at rest!

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #13 on:** June 03, 2008, 09:04:45 AM »

Thanks a million Desley. Had a rough night worrying about Tom and your post is comforting

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #12 on:** June 03, 2008, 07:48:45 AM »

Snowy had weight issues due to her liver issues - she had raised liver enzymes for 10 months with no meds and just the odd bit of prescription food before it developed into anything more serious - and even then, it was something potentially treatable, just I manage to get cats that refuse all meds (Snowy started hiding from me and stopped purring, which I couldnt have), so fingers crossed Tom's can be controlled for quite a while like hers was, and if you can get him to eat the food, maybe longer. Do remember it is about quality and not quantity though, so if he wont eat the special food, let him have what he likes - and fish doesnt have a lot of taurine in it, so can't be used as a long term diet.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #11 on:** June 02, 2008, 23:08:12 PM »

Lots of love to Tom and hope you are able to get him sorted

I would suspect but my feeling only, that its the Hyper-t thats causing the weight loss.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #10 on:** June 02, 2008, 23:01:41 PM »

Thank you so much SMM. Am at that weird stage at the mo where I haven't digested what vet told me on Thursday.

Phrases like raised liver enzymes not necessarily indicative of underlying liver function come to mind. I would however have thought that, whether the blood results are caused by medication or an underlying liver malfunction, I need to get Tommie on the right diet until blood results are better or tell us more about any existing liver disease.

I really need a better chat with vet with my head on right way round which hopefully I will get tomorrow. I'll ask about liver prescription food and k/d chicken flavour. (Just realised Deley said k/d not a/d! As I said head not working terribly well

). Meanwhile, Tom on a mixture of mainly poached fish with a bit of normal cat food too. Have also boiled 3 chicken thighs tonight to add a bit of variety although he gets part of my chicken dinner every night anyway. Now realise he has lost a little bit more weight recently. Has lost a total of 1kg since January (from 5.4kg to 4.4kg) but whether that is down to HyperT or liver disease is anyone's guess at this stage. In any event he eats little and often with no problem at the moment.

swampmaxmum · « **Reply #9 on:** June 02, 2008, 16:42:06 PM »

Hi Rosella Mog, my Swampy nearly died of liver disease 2 years ago. IF Tom will eat liver prescription food, it contains vitamin K to a level that's apparently helpful; otherwise my vet said k/d (the chicken one is more palatable). Basically, nothing rich food wise (no tuna for eg).
We had really great results with Destolit tablets which often work a dream on liver disease - no clinical trials yet but the specialists are happy to try them. Depending on the weight of the cat, the dose is 1/4 tab a day. I am convinced it really helped. Initially they were combined with antibiotics. Obviously don't have any idea if they would clash with other meds for other health issues. I also to this day still give Zentonil (vet UK is the cheapest AFAIK) which helped and helps with feeling a bit off colour. I found when he was very poorly with his liver that a few hours after the Zentonil (best on an empty tum) he ate better.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #8 on:** June 02, 2008, 13:19:51 PM »

Thanks everyone.

Was hoping you'd see this Desley as when I did a search I saw you had a cat with liver problems. I have cooked a large bowl of fish at the moment and he's eating that OK. I'll look into the Hills A/D though. Am going to see vet again tomorrow for Noni's follow up vaccination so will have another chat about Tom then.

The Vidalata medication is newish I believe and requires just one rather than 2 tablets a day. I have just looked into Felimazole adverse side effects and they appear similar to those listed for Vidalta.

When I asked vet if we might restart Vidalata in a month on a lower doseage, she didn't seem keen. Tom's T4 levels are not terribly high though so how we will manage the HyperT issue is not causing me that much concern at the moment. More concerned about blood results for Tom's liver.

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #7 on:** June 02, 2008, 08:22:54 AM »

Sorry to hear this - I had a cat with raised liver enzymes, the vet recommended Hills K/D at the time, as Hills had discontinued their liver diet, and RC didn't have one. She preferred the dry to the wet, and I knew if she was feeling bad as she would eat the wet food. She did go on a chicken only diet for a while, but got bored of it, so we went to chicken once a week.
I am curious as to why they used that Hyper-t med rather than Felimazole though. Maybe that could be used if his liver values are a reaction to that med.

Bazsmum · « **Reply #6 on:** June 01, 2008, 21:59:43 PM »

Ditto.....

to you both! x

Maddiesmum · « **Reply #5 on:** June 01, 2008, 21:55:15 PM »

from me too

JackSpratt · « **Reply #4 on:** June 01, 2008, 21:38:19 PM »

Aww, Rosella.

I don't have any advice, but am sending you a big hug.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #3 on:** June 01, 2008, 20:16:57 PM »

Thanks Sam. Poached fish sounds like a good start then.

Sam (Fussy_Furball) · « **Reply #2 on:** June 01, 2008, 19:14:53 PM »

The following link may be of interest: http://www.johnburns.co.uk/Cats/feline_liver_disease.htm

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #1 on:** June 01, 2008, 18:11:06 PM »

Thomas (18 1/2 years old) recently diagnosed with HyperT and been on Vidalta (Carbinamazole) tabs for just under a month. We've had to stop tabs as Tom's blood results now show raised liver enzymes (377 compared to "norm" of 111) and bilirubin levels raised. He has been vomiting bile like liquid on and off for over a week which continues but not throwing up food after food as such. Appetite still OK thankfully, drinking more than usual. Could just be medication aftecting liver but might be underlying liver probs. The idea is to see how we go but Tom is going back afterr a month off the HyperT meds for more tests.

That's background. What I'd like if possible are tips on what to feed him meanwhile. He is eating fine but I'm just concerened that perhaps I should be feeding a light diet (chicken/fish) in an effort to alleviate what the liver has to process. Vet did mention light odet when I originally explained about throwing up but that was before liver probs came to light.

Ta for your time

Author Topic: Liver problems (Read 9854 times)