November 2010 - Yoshi Rodman
Yoshi is a one year old very friendly and extremely talkative ragdoll cat and was first seen at the end of October with a history of lethargy, anorexia and weight loss. Bloods were taken which showed raised liver enzymes (this could indicate liver disease or liver failure). Yoshi was placed on antibiotics, appetite stimulants and liver supplements (To support liver function).
Three days later Yoshi was seen again, this time his appetite had increased, so further tests were not required at this time.
However, after initial improvement, Yoshi lost his appetite again. A further blood sample showed increased bilirubin levels (This causes jaundice which could be caused by liver failure or a blocked bile duct). An ultrasound was performed, which showed no obvious obstruction of the bile duct. He was placed on intravenous fluids and given a drug to improve the transport of bilirubin. Yoshi was sent home the following day to see if his owners could tempt him to eat.
After one day at home, Yoshi returned, having still not eaten. Another blood sample was taken, showing a further increase in bilirubin levels. To add to his problems, Yoshi was now hypokalaemic (low potassium).
Vet Lennon Foo advised that an exploratory laparotomy (Surgery to explore the abdomen and its organs), may help find the cause of Yoshis’ inappetance. The operation showed a distended gall bladder, but with no obvious obstruction and a jaundiced liver of which biopsies were taken. Yoshi recovered well from surgery.
The results of the biopsy indicated that Yoshi was suffering from a fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis) which could be the result from him not eating rather than the initial cause of the anorexia. Hepatic lipidosis can be caused by dieting a fat cat too fast and the liver is not able to cope metabolising the fats fast enough. The key to improving the outcome of fatty liver disease is making sure the animal is well-nourished.
Yoshi would still not eat voluntarily, even with the nurses putting lots of tempting foods in front of him, so it was necessary to syringe feed him with a high calorie liquid diet. After a day of syringe feeding Mr Foo decided to place a feeding tube down his nose into his stomach via his oesophagus, this was done with the aid of local anaesthetic.
For the following two days, Yoshi was fed on a regular basis according to his calorific needs via his feeding tube. On the third day, Yoshi decided he wanted to eat tuna; in fact he ate nearly a whole tin of tuna straight away!
Yoshi has since come back for regular check-ups and blood tests. He is doing really well at home and back to his normal self. The most recent blood test shows normal liver and bilirubin levels and he has maintained his weight.
The next day, Yoshi was still eating so the nasogastric tube was removed and his owner was informed that he could go home on a high calorie diet. His owner was delighted and picked him later that afternoon.
