Hepatic Lipidosis otherwise known as Fatty
Liver Syndrome (FLS) is a disease that affects our feline patients.
This disease occurs more frequently in cats that are overweight who
have suddenly stopped eating for any number of reasons. When the
cat stops eating, the body begins to mobilize the fat stores to use
as energy. The fats are carried to the liver by the bloodstream
where they must be processed into more readily usable energy
sources. The sudden influx of fat into the liver causes the liver
cells to swell, which reduces the effectiveness of the liver in
doing its normal functions. The liver is responsible for
eliminating many waste products in the body. When it is not
functioning properly, the toxins it usually excretes build up in the
blood. As a result, the cats begin to feel nauseous and oftentimes
may vomit. They lose what is left of their already poor appetite
and continue to deteriorate until eventually they die. .
What are the
symptoms of Hepatic Lipidosis?
The early symptoms of hepatic lipidosis can
mimic many different illnesses in the cat. In fact, many times, a
cat may have another primary illness that causes them to stop eating
and the lipidosis occurs as a secondary problem. The following are
typical symptoms that are seen with Lipidosis and other liver
diseases:
-
Lack of appetite
-
Vomiting
-
Sudden Weight Loss in a heavy cat
-
Yellowing of the mucous membranes
-
Yellowing of the whites of the eyes
-
“Spacy” behavior
How do we diagnose Hepatic Lipidosis?
In order to diagnose Hepatic Lipidosis, we first
perform blood tests, which may indicate some dysfunction of the liver.
We would then follow with x-rays and ultrasound of the liver to check
for signs of cancer. Unfortunately, there are many different types of
liver disease and the only way to get an accurate diagnosis is by
taking a biopsy (usually using ultrasound to guide our biopsy effort) of
the liver and sending it to the lab for analysis.
How do we treat Hepatic Lipidosis?
Treatment of Hepatic Lipidosis depends a lot on how
sick your pet is when we first make the diagnosis. Usually a few days
of intravenous fluids and drugs in the hospital are required to
stabilize the patient. If there is a primary reason why the cat stopped
eating, we must try to correct it (example, a broken jaw which prevented
eating). Since starvation plays such a big role in the cause of this
disease, we usually will implant a feeding tube into the esophagus or
stomach so that we can supply the appropriate calories to reverse the
starvation trend. This is usually done at the same time as the liver
biopsy in order to reduce the risks of multiple anesthetics.
We then administer antibiotics (because there is
often bacterial invasion of the sick liver), anti-nausea drugs and drugs
to reduce the amount of ammonia formed in the intestines. Frequently,
we will add appetite stimulants to the regimen in order to help get the
cat back to eating as soon as possible.
What can we expect from treating this disease?
Hepatic Lipidosis is a serious disease and has a
guarded prognosis. If treated aggressively, approximately 70% of the
cats treated will respond to therapy and survive the incident. Usually,
the cats will start to eat again on their own within 1 to 4 weeks. We
continue our supportive care and tube feeding at home until the liver
enzymes are back to normal and the cat is eating on its own. Special
diets are used during therapy and afterwards to help prevent future
recurrence of the problem. Once this condition resolves, we must avoid
obesity in the pet for the rest of its life.
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