Feline Liver Disease
There are several types of feline liver disease, all of which are serious since the liver is a vital organ. The most common cause of liver failure in cats is hepatic lipidosis, or fatty liver syndrome. Cholangiohepatitis is the next most common feline liver disorder. Other liver problems cats may suffer are feline infectious peritonitis and toxoplasmosis. Secondary problems with the liver can stem from feline leukemia or other feline cancer that metastasizes to the liver from another location in the body.
Hepatic Lipidosis
Hepatic lipidosis may be the result of another disease process, such as diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or infection of the respiratory or urinary tract. Any gastrointestinal illness which results in the cat being unable to keep food down may also cause the condition. In as many as half of all cases, however, hepatic lipidosis is idiopathic, meaning its specific cause is unknown.
Unique to cats, the syndrome seems to be a type of anorexia in which the cat develops a persistent lack of appetite for no apparent reason. Because the liver is important in metabolizing fat (lipid), when fat accumulates in the liver cells due to starvation, a process known as lipid mobilization takes place. This means the stored fatty molecules begin to move throughout the body to be used for energy production, resulting in nutritional deficiencies and disease.
Symptoms of Hepatic Lipidosis
Whatever the cause of this syndrome, it appears in male and female cats of all ages. Its symptoms typically set in after the cat has stopped eating for at least a couple of weeks, but the syndrome has also been diagnosed after just a few days of anorexia. Dogs who are obese or who have been under severe stress are more at risk. Symptoms of hepatic lipidosis include:
- Enlarged liver
- Jaundice
- Drooling
Diagnosis of Hepatic Lipidosis
Apart from palpating an enlarged live during physical examination, this condition is diagnosed through X-rays and an ultrasound scan. Blood work and a liver biopsy may also be necessary to confirm the diagnosis.
Treatment of Hepatic Lipidosis
Cats diagnosed early and treated promptly and aggressively have a very high rate of recovery from this disorder (about 90 percent). The treatment for the condition is forced feeding through feeding tubes and intravenous fluid replacement. In most cases, this nutritional support reverses the damage and the cat recovers to live a healthy life. If the cat does not receive medical intervention promptly, however, the chances of survival dwindle to as low as 10 percent.
Once the cat begins to eat on its own again, complete recovery requires 2 to 3 months of diligent home care. If a cat survives the first intensive inpatient treatment, it will almost certainly recover. If pancreatitis is present, however, the prognosis is considerably worse.
Because of the seriousness of hepatic lipidosis, and because of the tendency of cats to develop liver disease, cat owners should make sure that any cat that stops eating for more than 2 days has a veterinary examination.
Cholangiohepatitis
Feline cholangiohepatitis is an inflammatory disease of the liver and bile ducts. Bile, produced by the gallbladder, is essential in digesting fats and removing toxins from the blood. When bacteria from the small intestine make their way into the bile duct, and then the gallbladder and liver, the result is cholangiohepatitis. This liver disease is frequently associated with pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease (IBS).
Symptoms of Cholangiohepatitis
While some cats may show only a loss of appetite, upon examination they will exhibit jaundice and an enlarged liver. Other animals may become extremely ill with this illness, showing some or all of the following symptoms: vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss, and depression.
Treatment of Cholangiohepatitis
Because cholangiohepatitis is a bacterial infection, in addition to fluid therapy and nutritional feeding, often through a feeding tube, antibiotic treatment is also required. Antibiotics may be administered for 3 to 6 months, along with antioxidants that may assist in healing the liver, such as SAMe and vitamin E. Milk thistle, an herb, is often prescribed as well since it is known to have positive effects on the liver. In cases where the cat suffers from inflammatory bowel disease as well as cholangiohepatitis, additional immunosuppressive medications like prednisone may be prescribed.