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The litter tray

Experience of hepatic lipidosis / tube feeding?

20 replies

TheSpottedZebra · 09/01/2018 18:21

I've posted already on the seniors thread, but it's now looking more likely that my 16yo has hepatic lipidosis - so the liver breaking down (?) after a period of not eating.

He had been a bit poorly, and broken tooth was found e before Xmas, so a dental was booked last week. 5 teeth out, he started to get better, but then went downhill, fast.

He's not eaten for a couple of days, had painkiller, appetite stimulant, some fluids yesterday afternoon in the hope he'd eat. He didn't, so he's now on iv funds. Another blood test has shown a slight change in liver values, so hepatic lipidosis is looking probable* Basically he needs to eat or his liver will break down more, and he will die.

Anyone have any experience of this please? We will speak to vet tomorrow am and discuss progress, and whether to tube feed if he's still not eaten. It would be an op to insert a tube in his neck. I wonder if this is a process too far for him.

as I type this, it just occurred to me that I don't know if HL is his original problem, or whether there could be something else at play that we've not found.

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Oops4 · 09/01/2018 18:36

Our cat had this. Our local vet diagnosed liver failure and basically only option PTS but I asked for further diagnosis and vet hospital diagnosed lipidosis. Our cat had a few days stay and then came home on a tube feed. That was pretty hard going and a big time commitment and not something we would have put the cat through had we/the vet not been confident it would work. Unfortunately our cat suffered a seizure (unrelated) about a week later and was PTS but all the markers for the lipidosis were significantly improving and the vet hospital had expected her to make a full recovery before her seizure. It was a very expensive episode so I hope you have insurance. Good luck, I hope you let moggy feels better soon x

Oops4 · 09/01/2018 18:37

Just another thought.....we were warned that there could have been another underlying cause and so there may still have been something untreatable but with our cat it did turn out to be lipidosis on its own.

TheSpottedZebra · 09/01/2018 19:20

Thank you for your reply, but so sorry that it didn't have a better outcome for you.
We don't have insurance! I have the money, that's fine, but I do worry about too many processes for a 16yo cat who hates vets and other people, and who may have an underlying issue.

Hmm...

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Vinorosso74 · 09/01/2018 19:42

Ours had a tube in after surgery (she had cholangitis rather than HL among other things). We used the tube feeding to "top her up" as she was starting to eat more independently.
We did it for just under a week (sooner than planned as she vomited it up at the vets) but I wouldn't like to have done it for long and she was a calm cat.
Have you tried various foods and ways to tempt him to eat? Eg. offering warmed food or freshly boiled chicken (the mini fillets are useful). We found one appetite stimulant helped but another didn't.
Hope all goes well, they are a worry.

TheSpottedZebra · 09/01/2018 20:26

Thanks Vino good to know that you had some positive results. Yep, my cat is very tolerant so it might be a possibility - but only if it could lead to a 'cure'. If he had to have it longer term I am thinking probably not, as he loves to sit outside, and he'd be miserable if we denied him that.

I suspect I have another sleepless night ahead!

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TheSpottedZebra · 09/01/2018 20:27

Meant to add - we've tried all the food! Chicken and tuna, so many different tins and cans and packets and trays

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Toddlerteaplease · 09/01/2018 20:47

Snorg has one last year as she had pancreatitis. I was not phased by it as I'm a peadiatric nurse so am completely used to tube feeding. I just put her on my knee and syringed it in. It was incredibly easy.
My main concern was trying to work out how much to feed her. As I didn't know what the feed requirements are for a cat. I gave her a few milk feeds with it, then realised she was t eating because she wasn't hungry. So stopped milk and just gave her water. Then stopped that. Tube was removed a week later.
The tube it's self didn't bother her at all. She never touched it.

Experience of hepatic lipidosis / tube feeding?

Experience of hepatic lipidosis / tube feeding?

Toddlerteaplease · 09/01/2018 21:01

Have you tried Getting him to drink Royal Canin recovery milk? Or will he allow you to syringe feed it to him?

Vinorosso74 · 09/01/2018 22:12

Poor old boy. Have a talk with the vet and see what their thoughts are and raise your concerns. I hope you manage to get some sleep.

TheSpottedZebra · 10/01/2018 08:45

Thanks both. Just waiting to hear now how he was overnight. Am hoping to all hope that he's eaten and is on the mend. If not, I think I need to understand more about the tube. Obviously I've googled the hell out of it but I do have concerns as to what h kind of life he'd have ultimately.

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Toddlerteaplease · 10/01/2018 09:15

It's difficult. If he was younger I'd go for it. As it would only be temporary, but in a 16 year old I wouldn't be as sure. Fingers crossed he's eaten.

Toddlerteaplease · 10/01/2018 09:20

The tube is only a minor procedure. It's the little white thing sticking out of Snorg's neck in the pictures. It was stitched in and was just pulled out. By the vet when not needed. (I couldn't believe how thick it was, I thought it would be gastric tube sized. Tiny!)

TheSpottedZebra · 10/01/2018 09:38

The nurse has called, and he's not eaten. They're trying more foods now, and the vet is calling soon.
It's not the size or the cost or the hassle of the tube, rather the life that he'd have with it, and the life that he'd hopefully get back to after it had gone.

I think I have to go in and say goodbye to him.

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TheSpottedZebra · 10/01/2018 09:39

Thank you, again, for being so kind to me.

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Toddlerteaplease · 10/01/2018 09:59

Hugs and a handhold.

Vinorosso74 · 10/01/2018 11:10

I'm so sorry. I came on hoping for better news.

TheSpottedZebra · 11/01/2018 17:03

Thank you again for caring. Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to him a few hours ago. He was purring, and it was very peaceful.
We did actually go ahead with the tube, but it transpired he had more problems than first thought, and he went further downhill.

It's gutting. I know that I did everything I could for my cat, but I am so sad that his last few days weren't spent with us, going from lap to blanket to outside for a (carried) lap of the garden.

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Toddlerteaplease · 11/01/2018 17:28

So sorry to hear this. I'm sure you gave him a wonderful life.

Wh0KnowsWhereTheT1meG0es · 11/01/2018 18:12

I'm so sorry . You did do your best for him, I'm glad the end was peaceful. RIP.

Vinorosso74 · 11/01/2018 19:57

So sorry for your loss . I carried our old girl around our garden before we had her PTS too.
You did the best you could for him RIP Puss.

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