Lexie's blood results! - advise needed

[Quins-mum]

Well, I've managed to get some bloods done on Lexie, everything was good apart from her liver. I dont have the results to put on here, but all her liver counts are high, and she is apparently dehydrated. I havent noiticed her to be jaundiced - have checked her eyes and mouth.

Apparently high liver counts can be due to diabeties, so the vet and I have decided to split her insulin dose - half in the morn, and half at night.

Is there anything I can give her to help her liver? (she is allergice to shellfish - thats meant to be a great thing for the liver)

Is there a liver detox for cats????

ANY help, insight or first hand knowledge on liver disease would be great.

I am so thankful that her kidneys are in good shape... I was worried about that, as aparently the Arthtitis drug Metacam which she is on can cause kidney disease... must check to see if it can cause probs with the liver.

Once again, thanks in advance.
Pam and Lexie

[~michelle~]

sorry to hear no advice for you though, dividing the nsulin should help keep everything more regular.

[badger]

Info on Matacam, Rimadyl, liver probs:

http://bbs.sitstay.com/showflat.php?...sb=5&o=&fpart=

I have heard that milk thistle works for dogs, as well as humans, to clean the liver, but better check with your vet. The liver is a regenerative organ, maybe this is just temporary?

[Quins-mum]

Thanks Michelle and Badger.
I've had a look at the link you sent Badger and am gonna have a chat with the vet about changing her onto some of the other meds mentioned. Most mentioned were for dogs tho, and most will prob not be registered here in NZ for cats... metacam isnt, but due to her intollerance to shellfish, which most arthritic over the counter remedies have some degree off, I had to get him to prescribe Metacam - she was on something called Bio-oil, which I honestly seen no benefit from.

I knew that Metacam caused some probs with the Kidneys, I wasnt aware that it caused probs with the Liver

[RolandsMom]

so i had a little search and this is what has come up with in the meantime. the one is some holistic info and the other is a story of a family who dealt with their kittys liver disease. Hope it gives some insight.
for Lexie

http://www.holisticpetinfo.com/Conditions/liver.htm

http://www.i-love-my-cat.com/cat-liver-disease.html
gclid=CI27v9j794oCFSejhgodmEY5lA

[RolandsMom]

(the second address is the whole two lines)

[rainbow]

I've heard that milk thistle is very beneficial to the liver.

[RolandsMom]

one more useful link http://www.peteducation.com/search_action.cfm?cls=0

[Quins-mum]

thanks rolandsmom and rainbow, I have just been on the phone to our health shops, but none of them stock remedies for cats, only for humans and Im not sure of what dose to give her. Thankfully my mum and dad are going to visit my brother who lives in the biggest city in NZ, so Im gonna give them instructions to have a look (and buy) some milk thistle remedies for cats.

thanks again

[RolandsMom]

some herbals for humans can be used for cats and dogs too. im not an expert though so i couldnt tell you which ones. I know cause i got some for Roland from the health food store here. i did a lot of internet research first. i will try to find the web pages i used and send them.

[Frenchy]

I don't have any advice for you, but just wanted to tell you good luck

[Quins-mum]

Originally Posted by RolandsMom

i will try to find the web pages i used and send them.

thank you very much.
I used to use some human herbal stuff for my dog, and I feel that in some ways it contributed to her cancer, so I would prefer to use a remedy specifically for cats.

[RolandsMom]

So this is what i found so far. not much but at least its in New Zealand and has the option of online consultation with a herbalist and homeopath.
maybe it will help, maybe it wont. i hope it does


http://www.animalherbs.co.nz/

[Quins-mum]

thanks again Rolands mum! Its great to have your help and it is very much appreciated, by both lexie and I

[RolandsMom]

you are more than welcome. id rather be browsing the internet than watching the hockey anyway!!!! i just hope it helps.

[Quins-mum]

Thanks Frenchy, your thoughts are appreciated. Im just thankful that the liver can re-juvenate, hopefully, with the right diet and lots of love and special care, Lex and I can sort it!

Thanks again to each and evey one of you who have posted advise and good wishes

[rainbow]

Milk thistle is safe for cats.

http://www.wellvet.com/milkthistletincture.html

[Quins-mum]

thanks Frenchy, I have sent my mum up to Auckland NZ to get some cat liver remedies... and have given her instructions that it has to have milk thistle!
Thanks again for your help....I guess i just dont want to loose Lexie just yet.
I know she's going on 15, but with good kidneys, and if we can get her liver functioning correctly, I hope she can carry on for a good few years.

I do appreciate each and every one of your help and advise.
a BIG thank you

One thing I really dont understand tho, if she is drinking, WHY is she dehydrated?????? that was one thing that did come back with the tests, and it really confueses me!

[Quins-mum]

well i've been surfing the net as to what diet to feed Lexie... and OMG Im so confused.

For a diabetic cat I should be feeding her a hi carb, hi fiber, hi protein diet....the exact opposite to what I should be feeding her for liver probs!!!!!
I am really stressing about this one, as whatever I do seems to be wrong one way or the other!

[RolandsMom]

Quins-mom, has she had a specific diagnosis on her liver? i found a sight that talks about Hepatic Lipidosi, fattly liver disease which sometimes occurs in older cats with diabetes. i can send the link to you if you like but reading it makes me think that this is not what Lexie is dealing with cause the symptoms are quite severe.

[Quins-mum]

Thanks Rolandsmom
I have been reading about Fatty liver, but please feel free to send your link, every bit helps.

No diagnosis was made, I think she will need more tests for that (bile acid stimulation and maybe a biopsy).

She really has no exterior symptoms of any liver complaint, or maybe they are being masked by the diabeties. The only noticable things would be that she seems to pee and drink quite a bit, which happens with diabetics.

the vet just thinks that the liver is not functining due the her Diabeties not being contolled. He suggested not only the split insulin dose, but to put the insulin up one unit, which Im unsure about doing as the last time she was on 4 units, I found her hypoglousimic, nearly in a coma on the floor - bloody scary.

[RolandsMom]

There seems to be a lot of info on this site about diabetic cats (the first link) . the link is only one of the pages. if you go to the search box and type in diabetes they have a few other pages too.
The second link has a list of other websites that deal with diabetes and cats too. maybe you will find something useful there.


http://www.cathealth.com/LivewithDiabetes.htm

http://cats.about.com/od/diabetesinc...s_in_Cats_.htm

[RolandsMom]

oh and someone elses question i found with about the same issues as Lexie. so maybe its her thyroid? has this been tested (although im sure your vet is totally competent!!)

Elevated liver enzymes in diabetic older cat

Question: Dear Dr. Mike,
I have written to you before regarding my 18 year old diabetic cat regarding
his licking behavior, etc. I thought he was doing really well with his
insulin ( 5 units 2x per day, Humulin N 100). However, he had a follow up
blood test done on Monday. The results came back OK regarding the diabetes
and the kidneys. His liver enzymes were "off the scale" (his words). He
called it hepatitis and stated that while the liver test was high before,
they are very high now. Given his age, he felt that a biopsy or anything
invasive would be a bad idea. I agreed. He suggested a bland diet with a
Vitamin B complex. The unusual thing is that his appetite is still quite
healthy and he is still demanding his food as well as home made boiled
chicken. This is unusual in liver disease as I have been reading. The
vitamin complexes that I have seen contain corn syrup or sucrose. He is
diabetic so this is a problem. My vet said that there is absolutely nothing
I can do but keep him comfortable and eating. He also could not say how this
"hepatitis" developed and said it may be connected to the diabetes. He has
always been an indoor cat. I would appreciate your thoughts on this.

Thank you so much for your time
Barbara

Answer: Barbara-

We have seen several cats in our practice with hyperthyroidism that seemed
to be causing elevations in liver enzymes. These cats have a very good
appetite, in most cases, despite the presence of the high liver enzymes.
Sometimes liver enzymes are elevated when only part of the liver is
damaged, which can happen with blood clots disrupting circulation or when a
tumor is occupying only a portion of the liver. In these cases pets tend to
feel well despite elevations in liver enzyme levels. I tend to think that
it is worth considering diagnostic testing, such as ultrasound exam and/or
biopsy of the liver, but that is a judgment call and your vet knows the
overall situation better than I do. Testing for hyperthyroidism is
minimally invasive, since only a blood sample is necessary and I think that
is worth considering, too. If hyperthyroidism is present, treatment will
often help the liver a great deal.

The usual diets recommended for liver disease are low protein diets, such
as Hill's l/d or k/d diets and Purina's NF diet, among others. There may
also be benefits to the liver in using ursodiol (Actigal Rx), which
increases bile flow and in using SAMe (Denosyl-SD4 tm), a supplement that
seems to help some liver patients.

It is good that your cat continues to have an appetite and to do well with
the insulin regulation. It is challenging to keep up with all the problems
that can occur in older cats but it is often possible to make them feel
much better and to live longer with good quality of life, so it is
rewarding, too.

Good luck with this.

Mike Richards, DVM
12/16/2000

[Quins-mum]

Thanks again Rolandsmom.

Yes, we did do thiroid bloods and the were good. Im just going to look at the sites you posted and see what I can find on them.

Once again, thank you so much for you help.