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My cat just had a blood test done before the op to have her bad tooth taken out and the tests came back with liver enzymes very high so surgery out of the question.

Anyone else here with experience of their cats with this disease with some advice please?

Thanks,
Anna

How old is she? Hyper t can cause raised liver enzymes. Also, it could be the lack of eating and bad tooth rather than liver disease. The liver can regenerate though.

I don't know exactly how old she is but the vet who checked her 6 years ago in summer of 2009 when she was taken there by the Cats Protection said she was around 5-6 going by her teeth back then so you can add 6 years from then and she's probably around 11-12 years old now.

I've always fed her mainly wet and bought the good brands with high meat content such as Hilife (5 years ago), Purely, Applaws, Encore and more recently, Lily's Kitchen.
None of the cheap rubbish stuff like Whiskers, Felix, Sheba etc.

We were giving her some human food too over the years which included chicken pieces, fish and milk.
She has been a bit overweight since 4 years but generally averages at 4.6 - 4.7kg.
She is now 4.3kg.

The vet won't do the anesthetic and surgery to take her bad tooth out because of the abnormal blood results.
She was given a long lasting antibiotic injection on Saturday to help with the pain of the bad tooth but I don't understand how long she can manage on the bad tooth. The antibiotic effect will wear off and then what?

Do you happen to know which long-lasting antibiotic the vet gave your cat?

Is she eating now?

Could be hyper t, which isn't covered by standard blood tests. It might be worth checking to see if it was included

I don't know the name of the long lasting antibiotic injection the vet gave her on Saturday but after 2 days she seemed to perk up a bit and was more interested in food.
It could be the effects of the antibiotic and that she hasp was hardly eating any food over the past 6 days that caused her liver enzymes to spike up so high.
The enzymes today were over 500 where the normal range is between 70-100.

She is going back in to have an ultrasound scan on Tuesday to see if there's a mass or something else in her organs.

These past few days have been a living nightmare for me.
She is like a child to me.

My little fur baby isn't eating much of the Hills A/D prescription diet canned food prescribed by the vet to help with her liver.

The more she doesn't eat, the more damage will be inflicted on her liver.

What can I do????

Hi Anna

Any food is better than no food when the babies aren't well. Have you tried on some freshly cooked chicken or white fish, sardines (nice and smelly) or tuna, a little cooked minced beef or liver. Tempt her with whatever you can to stimulate her appetite.

Thinking of you and your little girl xx

We were forced to take Binky back to the vets this afternoon as she hadn't eaten a thing since a few mouthfuls on Thursday night and repeated attempts to force feed her failed.
Her body felt quite cold as well.

The locum vet decided to keep her in for the night on a saline drip as she had lost more weight from 4.3 to 4.1kg.

The vet read off the further special blood report which looks quite terrible.
On top of the liver ALT being 547, her white blood cell count is through the roof, as is the red blood count.
There are presence of lymphocites and also more worryingly, occasional blast cells.
I have attached all the blood reports here.

I phoned the vet this evening to check whether the saline drip would be in overnight and then was told that a further blood test was performed which came back positive for Pancreatitis.
What is unknown at this stage is whether it is primary or secondary.

Both me and my mother have been crying our eyes out this evening.
Even not having her in the house for a day feels so gut wrenching beyond words.
It's almost inconceivable to us for the space she occupied on her bed to be empty.

She really has taken out our hearts and souls.
Such a sweet darling thing too. She has character despite being loner, destroyed our furniture, moody, pleased herself etc., but I was the only person in our family whose lap she would sit and sleep on. I have such an immense bond with her, the pain right now is unbearable. I'm crying as I write this.

I feel angry and devastated. The report indicates a possibility of lymphoma.
We got her at the age of about 5 to 6 wandering outside our house and after a few weeks at the CPL, I decided to adopt her - our very first cat, and our only one.

I did my research into appropriate food and tried to get her on raw, but she was a fussy stubborn girl and refused to take to it.
I fed her good quality food such as Lily's Kitchen, Applaws, Encore etc., none of the cheap rubbish and yet she still ends up with this and she's only 11-12 years of age, old but by no means that old, considering many cats now live up to 15-16 and 20.

I've attached a photo of her. Her eyes are beautiful.
So many people over the 6 years we've had her, including groomers, people waiting at the vets, passerbys, receptionists at the vets etc., commented that she is beautiful. At this point in time, I really need some guidance and would appreciate anything you can offer in opinions.

Anna

Hey,

Come on guys, I'm not getting much response and support on here regarding this and I really do need it as it's been a nightmare over the past few days.
Already going through a bereavement process.
been non stop crying and no sleep or much eating.
She is still being kept at the vets on a saline drip as she has still has not eaten anything at all today.

All her blood tests are attached.
She has also been tested positive for pancreatitis.

Thanks.

I'm really sorry to hear this Anna, and can understand how you feel - I've been through it a few times myself, with cats "far too young to be this ill", and it tears the heart out of your world. It seems so unfair, but our bodies are frail, and life's a lottery. It's sometimes as arbitrary as that.

These conditions rarely relate to how well the cat has been cared for, or what it's been fed, in the same way that humans who have lead very healthy life styles and eaten well can also go down too young with these types of condition. So please don't beat yourselves up thinking there might have been something you could have done differently to prevent this happening. The main thing now is to listen to the vet about future care, and pamper her like mad. I hope she will be home with you soon and that she will rally to have some more quality time with you.

Just want to say that I'm thinking of Binky, and you and your mother. It's so hard when our pets are ill.

Anna - have you searched for a Yahoo support group for feline liver disease? the members would be mostly Americans, who are very into blood test readings, and I think you would find some very informative and helpful people on such a group

found a link https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Feline_Liver/info" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Having spoken to the main vet this evening, what is really concerning is the presence of abnormal cells or blast cells which the vet says is an indicator of lymphoma.
He said that these abnormal cells are unusual in cats (typical isn't it....my Binky just has to get it).
That is on top of the pancreatitis.

The treatment and prognosis of lymphoma is poor.

It's devastating.
We find it unbearable to be in the house now.
I can't eat or sleep.

My mother is now very adamant to never go through this devastating process again and is completely closing the idea of ever having another pet.
This is literally destroying our souls.

I need so much strength and counselling now.
God help me.

Just take it a day, or an hour, at a time Anna. Trust your vet. It sounds like you have a good one. Could you go to visit Binky? You might find it helpful. I certainly did when I went through this with Mitz.

I'm so sorry to hear this, I wish I had something useful to add. As lilynmitz says, take it one day at a time. You, and Binky, are in my thoughts.

Dearest Anna

I am so sorry that your darling girl is so poorly and that, naturally, this is causing you and your mum such pain and distress. What a precious girl she looks. As lilymitz suggests, have you been to see her at the vets? She would appreciate seeing you and you may not feel quite so isolated from it all.

I am dropping you an email now too.

Sarah x

Anna what a dreadfully difficult time this is for you and your mother.

I agree. Could you visit her at the vets? I'm sure it would help you feel more in control of the situation.

(((Hugs))) xx

Binky stayed at the vets on a drip for 3 nights from Friday.
We visited her twice over the weekend.
She came back home this afternoon.
She was quite cross at having the saline drip inserted in her arm and kept on trying to get it off, poor lass.
She is well hydrated now and ate a bit while at the vets and gained 100g of weight.
She ate a little very early in the morning at the vets, another couple of mouthfuls when she got back home and then another couple of mouthfuls in the evening. Hardly much bit we can't expect a lot just after coming back after a 3 night stay at the vets.
She went straight back up to her favourite place - upstairs in the back room on the large cushion on the bed where she is sleeping now.
We just hope her eating can pick up gradually day by day.
Feel do sorry for her. Her arm where the drip went in is very sore and bleeding. We had to remove the bandage as she was trying to get it off all the time.

Unfortunately for her, she has to go back to the vets tomorrow morning for the ultrasound scan. She certainly won't be pleased with that!
She will have to be dropped off at 9:30 in the morning and collected when she's ready to leave.

Attached is a photo of her with the drip at the vets taken on Saturday. She looks rather cross.
She hated the bandage too.
Her eyes show a lot of fight and feistiness.
I won't accept that she's leaving us now. I'll do anything I can to heal her.

Will update soon....
Thanks everyone for your support. It's appreciated.
Anna

She looks lovely, Anna. Keep fighting for your girl and keep us updated. How is she tonight?

Xx

Fingers and paws crossed for Binky.

She doesn't look like a girl who's ready to give up without a fight.

Please keep us updated X

Binky's update:
She had the ultrasound scan yesterday. Poor thing had to have two large patches of hair on her body shaved off.
Scan showed a shadow on her kidney and in her spleen.
A needle insertion to obtain a sample with Binky sedated, showed that these shadows were fluid build up around her spleen and kidney.

After a brief consultation with the locum vet yesterday afternoon, the report summary is that her gall bladder and bile duct lining is very thickened which means inflammation.
This has had a knock on effect on her liver and pancreas.

What is not confirmed is whether the fluid in her kidney and spleen is due to lymphoma or is simply caused by inflammatory disease.

She s still not eating anything since coming back home on Monday afternoon.
She has taken only a few mouthfuls of warmed up Lily's Kitchen Chicken from my hand.
My mother and I have had to resort to syringe feeding her some water and watered down Hills Prescription A/D Critical Care wet food, which is like a mousse texture so can easily go through a syringe with some water.
She puts up a fight all the time with the food as well as taking her antibiotic and liver pills.
It's really very stressful for us and I don't know how much longer we can carry on like this.

W have another vet appointment on Friday evening to assess the situation.

Apart from that, I'm really at a loss as to what to do.

Can you get another opinion, Anna?

Something just occured to me? What's the state of her mouth? Could there be a side issue with a poorly mouth making her reluctant to eat?

Hi,

Yes she does have a bad tooth which is what we thought the problem was originally and she was going in last Wednesday to have the tooth removed but when her blood test was taken before showing abnormal liver results, the whole thing escalated into this.
The tooth wasn't taken out. Her blood results were showing some serious underlying issues.

I have suspected a poorly mouth and she chews on one side of her mouth.

It's really a vicious circle. She has a poorly mouth due to her teeth so may not be eating due to that and has now been found to have problems with her internal organs.
The tooth can't be removed till the underlying condition with her organs are confirmed and addressed.

Can anyone here suggest some alternative/holistic approaches?

Hi again Anna.

I'm going to throw this in at the fear of being completely berated however it might be an option for you to consider.

Clearly I understand everyone's beliefs/views on this subject are different and I think we need to respect each other's thoughts.

I think that should be sufficient 'insurance' before I throw this idea in....

For the last 5ish years Dora & I have used an animal communicator. The ladies name is Becs. She lives only 25 miles from Dora and I but does the communication via telephone. As she is so close I have met her several times and now consider her as a friend too. There's 4 or 5 people on the forum that have used her following my recommendation.

It might help give you an insight into how Binky is feeling and what she's thinking. It could help put together some questions for your vet? It may well not be your cup of tea but if you would like to contact her the website is http://www.petsperspective.co.uk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I hope you don't mind my suggestion and I will understand if it's not your 'thing'.

Best wishes. Fusses to Binky xx

Anna, I'm sorry, I was dumb asking about Binky's mouth as of course the tooth issue was mentioned right at the beginning. I'd been focusing on the other symptoms since. I do apologise. But yes, that will seriously contribute to her struggling to eat.

I would just like to back up Shelly's suggestion, although aware that many people will think it's eccentric. On Shelly's recommendation, I started working with Becs a year ago and all three of my cats love their sessions with her, and the greatest beneficiary has been my 18 year old tuxie girl who enjoys Reiki sessions with Becs too.

Love and fusses to your beautiful girl, and hugs to you.

Sarah and family. xx

Well, it's funny that you should mention an animal communicator because I did in fact (out of distress and desperation) contact one last Saturday and no, I don't think it's eccentric at all.
This lady charged £70 for the 1st session and £55 for the 2nd and her message was that she felt Binky wasn't as ill as the blood tests showed (this was when Binky was staying over at the vets on a drip) and that she would start eating soon. The only area she could sense a bit of discomfort was in Binky's stomach area.
Binky did perk up a bit on Monday when we took her back and she had eaten a bit the day before, putting on 100g.
She seemed to want food on Tuesday morning but she couldn't have any as she had to be taken back to the vets for the ultrasound scan and they wanted an empty stomach.
In addition to the scan, she also had a fine needle inserted, under sedation, to get a sample of the fluid build up around her kidney and spleen.

Since coming back home on Tuesday afternoon after the scan, she has shown complete disinterest in ANY type of food, opting to lie and sleep on the cushion on the bed in the back bedroom all the time.
No amount of taking food up to her, warming it a little, treats, plain boiled mashed chicken etc. has worked.
We've had to resort to carrying her downstairs, wrapping her up in a blanket, force opening her mouth and putting some watered down Lily's Kitchen Chicken, Hills A/D Prescription Diet and boiled chicken into her mouth along with using a pill popper to dispense her antibiotic and meds for her liver.

I've lost a bit of faith in the first animal communicator as she says, according to the updated photos I send her, that Binky's health is improving and she will eat in time.
I told her to communicate to Binky that she needs to cooperate with eating some food and taking her medicine, but the message doesn't appear to have gone to Binky as she fights like a little tigress. God knows where she gets the strength from with so little eating!

I can't just let her stay upstairs all day and night for days without eating absolutely anything. She will starve to death.
I get the feeling it could be due to nausea and the bad tooth, which could be a tooth abscess which caused an infection to spread in her body which caused her white blood cells to shoot up so much.

Right now, we are feeling stuck with our vet, who want to get to the bottom and stabilize her condition but she cannot get better if she doesn't start eating a little from her own accord.
To put her through anaesthetic now for the tooth removal would be another major assault on her little body.

Thanks for the animal healer recommendation. I will contact if nothing improves in a few days.

Has the vet tried giving her an appetite stimulant? I had a cat with a bad tooth who also lost en eye last week who was also very timid and wasn't eating. The appetite stimulant really helped.

Update on Binky...
She was taken to see the vet again on Friday evening and it wasn't good.
She had hardly eaten anything since Monday except by force feeding her what little we could manage.
She had lost another 0.3 kg and was down to 3.9 kg and the locum vet said she was jaundiced by looking inside her ears.

She read out the basic report. The sample of the fluid taken from her kidney and spleen was analysed and those who did the analysis are very suspicious that it is lymphoma although a definite conclusion could not be made without a liver biopsy.
We were told we had 3 options. One was euthanasia, 2nd was liver biopsy and chemo, which does not have any guarantee, has risks and most probably won't extend life beyond 6 months and 3rd one was to give steroids to ease the discomfort and make her feel better for the remainder of what she has left.

My mother was adamant not to go ahead with the biopsy, which is invasive and poor Binky had already been through so much already and was so weak.
We took the steroid option.

Since putting her on steroids, she has perked up a lot and is eating a lot more, but we know this is just temporary and cannot be sustained for long.

I'm now really looking for an alternative approach, i.e., holistic, homeopathic in an attempt to treat her.

Does anyone have any advice/suggestions?

Hi Anna

That's a shame you didn't have a good experience with the animal communicator; I can understand you don't want to pursue that further.

Is your vet a holisitic vet? If not, it may be worth making some enquiries and getting recommendations.

This is a little radical, but if things don't improve, might it be worth talking over whether Binky should have the procedure on her mouth? If mouth problems are preventing her from eating and not getting better then perhaps it might come to it that you have to take the risk of her not surviving the procedure - if she's not going to cope much longer without it. Something else to discuss with the vet.

My heart is aching for you. I wish we could do something to help. xx