Hikari
August 19th, 2008
Hikari is doing a bit better. According to the x-rays, it’s a fatty liver disorder. We’re just waiting on confirmation from the blood work. This means that there are fatty deposits on the liver and the liver is shrunken so that it cannot process food anymore. This is a really resilliant organ and can regenerate once the pressure is off. The goal of healing him is to get food into him that will support his liver and help it heal itself. He has a really good chance of being fine at the end of this, but it’s going to be a rough road. He’ll be on a feeding tube in the hospital for weeks, maybe a month while they try to kick start his system, get him eating, and help his liver to heal. He’s young and he’s strong and we’re hopeful for a good outcome. I’m kind of sad and kind of relieved that the vet said he’d be hospitalized throughout the process. Many vets send the animal home, with the feeding tube in place, for the owner to do the tubal feeding and only see the animal again when it’s time for the tube to come out. On the one hand I was scared about doing that. On the other hand it would have meant having him home. I think he’s better off in the hands of professionals right now.
With all the sickness we’ve had with the cats, I’ve explored what could be the cause and I think it’s the food. We’ve been feeding them Innova, which comes highly recommended, so highly that I didn’t bother to read the ingredients until a few days ago. When I did, I was stunned. The second solid ingredient is chicken meal, and there is milk in it. Who puts milk in cat food? Cats can’t digest milk? I did some exploring and I’ve switched them to Nutro’s Max Cat. The only downside is that is has turkey, and after devouring it my finickiest cat, Amanda, found a dark nook and sacked out until morning. I’m used to her jumping on my bed for a cuddle in the middle of the night, but I didn’t see her until I got up.
I have some fun things to share. I was involved in some projects to promote Mur Lafferdy’s new book, Playing for Keeps as part of her Stories of the Third Wave project. They have gone up. Lovelines is a radio call-in program set in Seventh City and featuring people in love relationships with heroes or villains. I also did a Knit Spirit parody about knitting a sweater for a winged superhero. Both were a lot of fun to do.
3 Comments Add your own
1. Stasia | August 19th, 2008 at 10:57 am
I don’t know if your vet concurs with your assessment of the food or not, but we feed Innova *EVO* and have been very pleased with it.
According to the Merck Veterinary Manual, if I’m reading the right part (“Feline Idiopathic Hepatic Lipidosis”), the liver illness is a result of a period of not eating (anorexia) due to one of two things:
1) stress (moving, boarding, death of someone in pet/human family) and/or a DIET CHANGE (this is why they warn not to put cats on severe diets for weight loss), OR
2) a primary metabolic (i.e., diabetes) or GI disease (inflammatory bowel, gastric foreign bodies, pancreatitis, cholangealhepatitis).
I had a dog with pancreatitis which went undiagnosed for MANY years – it was finally found with an excellent ultrasound. So you may wish to explore that option.
And my father passed away from cholangealcarcinoma, which also was very difficult to find – I don’t know how a vet might look for cholangeal disease in a cat…
So I would venture to say, if you hadn’t changed the food or eating arrangements directly prior to his not eating, it may just be something inherent in his digestion/metabolism causing it.
Prognosis is good if found early and the underlying cause can be found.
LMK if you need these pages…
HUGS. Hang in there!
2. Ivy | August 19th, 2008 at 11:17 am
My vet disagrees completely. He said if the cat is doing well on the food, we should stay with it. I didn’t point out that this is nowhere near my definition of “doing well”.
We switched six months ago and in that time Candy developed trouble with her kidneys, Dokuritsu showed early signs of liver failure, and Hikari developed fatty liver disease. I switched them back to Nutro Max Cat last night and Dokuritsu and Amanda ate more readily and seemed happier with the selection.
He’s scheduled for a sonogram on Thursday. It’s good to hear the prognosis is good. Thank you for the reassurance.
Right now, I can use all the reassurance I can get.
3. Syd T. | August 20th, 2008 at 5:15 am
As hard as it is to have Hikari at the vet’s, they can really monitor him/her much better then you can at home…many prayers still heading your way (never hurts). I am going though the food thing with my fur-faces….age (21 and 17) plus thyroid problems add a twist to my babies problems. Please keep us posted!
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