10/8 Possible hepatic lipidosis, feeding tube in place

Suzanne & Darcy said:
I'm happy to see that your Basic's kidney values appear to be good. When my cat was in DKA and also developed Hepatic Lipidosis, I started him on a liver supplement called Denamarin, which is a small pill. Also, you can try milk thistle which can be mixed into food (I opted for a pill, since I did not want to add anything to his food so that he would eat.) We also had a feeding tube, which helped him to recover more quickly and he was eating a lot of food on his own within a week or so.
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He wouldn't eat his food with anything added either. If it were that simple for me, I'd probably be confused. Hahaha
 
Sybil said:
She mentioned that med to me. And she said the st Mary could help too. She also explained to me that if he hates being pulled (which he absolutely does), the stress of that may do more harm than the meds will benefit. I understand that. Would like others to weigh in on this.

I do know my cat, and I do know without having to think about it that he is 100% over all of this. My cat has never growled at me and he is now. It is breaking my heart that he doesn't understand I'm just trying to help him.
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I know this feeling. It hurts so badly when we just love them so much and we are just trying to help them and they don't understand and will even run away from us! I'm so sorry!
 
Sybil said:
His dosage was increased. Someone broke down dosage on that med for me last night and she agreed. He is still nausea. I'm hoping this correct dosage will change that now.
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I'm very glad to hear this and I hope it will make him feel a lot better and eat more on his own. Even the constipating effect of the Zofran (Ondansetron) may help with stools (we can hope anyway.)
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
Well, maybe you can tough it out for another five days if you want to. I would definitely not down in his file that Clavamox causes extremely bad diarrhea for him. Some of my cats will also vomit a lot on it.
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He is still on cerevia (not sure if that is correct spelling, the first antinausea med he was given that didnt help, but it does hwlp with vomiting. While he hasnt been vomiting, i want to prevent it if i can) and maybe with this increase of Ondansetron, the pepcid, and now the K-pec, it will help him.

She helped clean him and I asked her to shave him as well, back there.

I will definitely tell them to note his file regarding the Clavamox.

Thanks again for your time.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
How did things go at the vet overall?
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Good. We all did a happy dance because he hasnt lost anymore weight and he has gained some back. We are almost back to the weight when he first arrived at the vet. I'm just not sure how much he weighed when this all initially started. He was clearly overweight, but it is extremely unsafe for them to lose weight rapidly and it had been a pound in a week when right before tube was installed.

I really like her. I feel bad that I initially presented all the info in a poor way. She know understands that I want what is best for my cat and I'm not the average patient's mom. I'll go to war for my babies, but I want to also put their happiness before my love of them, if that makes sense. It is a fine line for me. She was receptive to discuss everything I had on my list.

We will do blood work at next appt. I'm a little worried, but trying to remain optimistic.
 
Sybil said:
Good. We all did a happy dance because he hasnt lost anymore weight and he has gained some back. We are almost back to the weight when he first arrived at the vet. I'm just not sure how much he weighed when this all initially started. He was clearly overweight, but it is extremely unsafe for them to lose weight rapidly and it had been a pound in a week when right before tube was installed.

I really like her. I feel bad that I initially presented all the info in a poor way. She know understands that I want what is best for my cat and I'm not the average patient's mom. I'll go to war for my babies, but I want to also put their happiness before my love of them, if that makes sense. It is a fine line for me. She was receptive to discuss everything I had on my list.

We will do blood work at next appt. I'm a little worried, but trying to remain optimistic.
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That sounds really good. Not losing weight is HUGE! That's fantastic. I'm glad you had a good discussion. He will be eating more on his own soon, I feel confident of that. Now that all of your feeding tube problems are over, you can get him the nutrition that he needs (I was going to mention the coca cola thing before as it's quite commonly done, but I was glad to see that your vet did this!)
 
Sienne and Gabby (GA) said:
Sybil - I would keep an eye on the ketone reading. Basic's numbers were looking good even with the dose being moved around more than what we typically do. The higher numbers may be a bit of a bounce. Let's see how he does over this evening's cycle. I'm hoping you were able to get a ketone test during the AM cycle. If ketones aren't an issue, you would typically raise the dose after 6 cycles providing numbers are still outside of normal range.

With all that Basic's been through, we tend to be pretty aggressive about ketones. Generally that means that we aim for as much insulin as is safe and the kitty is eating.

Does that help in terms of having a strategy going forward?
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I just was rereading responses for me moving forward. I will try really hard to get a ketone reading this evening. He is now leaving the room when I enter. I may have to get the meter, but I really don't want to add an additional poke to him right now. I'm so torn. I'll look up how much those meters are. I want to make sure he is still negative before increasing. Can't believe I forgot this. When you have time, or anyone reading this, can you explain why that would be bad to do. I need a better understanding because I thought the insulin and calories kept the ketones away. I'll keep everyone posted on results.
 
You definitely need to try your best to get a ketone test at least once a day. Those pink numbers on his spreadsheet are not what we want to see. How is his eating today/tonight - I mean eating on his own as I know you are feeding a lot of calories through the E-tube.

I did use a blood ketone meter- the Nova Max Plus blood ketone meter after my boy’s DKA and hepatic lipidosis.
 
Suzanne & Darcy said:
You definitely need to try your best to get a ketone test at least once a day. Those pink numbers on his spreadsheet are not what we want to see. How is his eating today/tonight - I mean eating on his own as I know you are feeding a lot of calories through the E-tube.

I did use a blood ketone meter- the Nova Max Plus blood ketone meter after my boy’s DKA and hepatic lipidosis.
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I was changing the litter and came in and peed. He is another negative ketone test.
He's been very stressed with appts at the vet and having to be held against his will for up to 6 hours a day for feeding and meds. So, all that plus the food could be why his numbers are up. No clue.

I've seen him taking bites periodically. He is doing most his bowl eating a night. Handful of kibble and some wet. Not enough to sustain him tho.

I have to be patient about this. Everytime I get happy, something kicks me down. We both need positivity right now. I just upped his ondansetron. He has had his tube for five days and the first two days it clogged on me. So, he's truly only had three days of all of his meds and a good amount of food.

He is grooming himself, playing sometimes, still enjoying being in the sun, and allow me to brush him. I think he is starting to feel better regardless of what his BG is doing.

Thanks for the heads up on the meter. I'm still looking though both of them to decide which one I want.
 
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