been a while since I've posted.I've chosen to use this blog to address something I've been treating this last week in the hospital: hepatic lipidosis or fatty liver disease. I'd like to let you all know a little more about the syndrome, what to look out for and what you can do to potentially avoid it. Hepatic lipidosis is an accumulation of fats (lipids) in the liver tissue. The disease classically occurs after a period of anorexia (loss of appetite) of at least 2 weeks duration. Approximately 50% of the cases are deemed primary idiopathic, or unknown causes, however when an additional disease state is found to be the cause of the anorexia, the hepatic lipidosis is defined as "secondary." Some common underlying disease states that may cause the hepatic lipidosis include diabetes mellitus, pancreatitis, cancer, and/or other liver diseases. Other times, things like diet changes, owners being away on vacation, or new pets being introduced into the household can trigger stress-related anorexia. The disease is more common in obese cats because they tend to metabolize fat more readily than thinner cats.
This so-called “fatty liver” represents one of the most common causes of liver failure in the cat and it stems from the cat's basic design. Before cats were inside cats, being free fed through out the day, cats evolved as predators eating small birds and rodents, and they would have these small meals multiple times throughout the day. Their physiology is geared towards a completely carnivorous diet and with the assumption that cats would always live lean and never have the opportunity to develop extensive fat stores (they were not designed to have the extensive fat stores that we see in many of our domestic puss's today!)
Of course this all changed when cats became domestic. Today's cat has every opportunity to become overweight, but should the cat get sick or stop eating for any of the reasons I listed above, a very big problem can erupt. When this happens, excessive amounts of fat are broken down from the cat's peripheral fat storage tissue while they are not eating and the fat stores mobilize. Normally, in starvation mode, fat is moved from the body’s storage deposits to the liver for processing, but the feline liver was never intended to handle huge amounts of mobilized fat. In cats that develop hepatic lipidosis this process is impaired and the rate of fat export from the liver is much slower than the rate of fat intake, resulting in liver fat accumulation.The liver becomes infiltrated with fat and damage to the liver is caused by swelling of liver cells filled with fatty deposits as well as additional processes and the liver fails.
Clinical signs of this disease that your cat may show commonly include anorexia, weight loss, lethargy, jaundice (yellow tinge to the skin visible around the base of the ears, the whites of the eyes, or the gums. On white haired cats it may be visible through the hair on the skin, if severe.) Occasionally neurologic signs such as excessive drooling or seizures may be seen.
The suspicion of hepatic lipidosis is confirmed by a good history and physical exam as well as labwork and imaging such as radiographs and ultrasound. The definitive diagnosis of hepatic lipidosis requires visualization of fat globules in liver cells obtained via liver biopsy or needle aspiration.
Treatment of hepatic lipidosis is aimed at reversing the process of fat accumulation in the liver, by aggressively feeding your cat his or her full caloric requirements. If this is done carefully, the recovery rate approaches 90%.
Force feeding is usually not very successful. Most cats resent force feeding, are not very cooperative, and rarely eat sufficient amounts of food for effective treatment. In almost all cases, a feeding tube needs to be placed into the cat's stomach, either directly through the side of his body or through his nose or esophagus down into the stomach. The placement of most feeding tubes requires general anesthesia but they are generally very well tolerated and comfortable, and ultimately life saving for your cat. The average time from diagnosis to recovery with intense treatment is four to six weeks. Your veterinarian will prescribe a special food mixture to be syringed through the feeding tube three to five times per day. As your cat begins to eat again on their own, the tube can then be removed.
The feline liver has the remarkable ability to regenerate. Therefore, in cats with idiopathic hepatic lipidosis recurrence is rare, and the cats that recover go on to live normal lives.
(These pictures of a black cat have been of "Hal-o-ween", a cat that was afflicted with hepatic lipidosis and made a wonderful recovery.)
The disease is more common in obese cats because they tend to metabolize fat more readily than thinner cats. The best way to prevent your cat from developing hepatic lipidosis is to keep him or her in a healthy body condition. We can recommend an effective weight control plan for your cat to help keep them sleek and trim!!
Post Disclaimer: Not all of the pictures in this post are mine, I could not find the appropriate people to credit for these pictures, if they are your lovely pictures please let me know so that I can give you proper credit.
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1 comment:
I just lost my three year old kitty to fatty liver, she was also diabetic. The fatty liver was determined by am autopsy. She was not overweight. What is sad is she died from a old fat cat disease.
Thank you for sharing your information. I know by the time we figured out what was wrong with her it was too late.
Sometimes when you have two cats it is hard to tell who is using the litterbox and who is eating the food.
I stated a blog when we started working with a vet that said he could get Mama Kitty into remission from the diabeties.
Feel free to read it. These are my personal thoughts. The next few days will read anger and frustration.
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