For cats, after suffering from liver disease, all aspects of the body’s functions are affected, because the liver is the place where most nutrients are digested, absorbed, metabolized and stored, and it is also involved in the detachment of a large number of toxins, hormones and harmful foreign substances. Toxins, catabolism and excretion. In the initial onset of liver disease or during the treatment of liver disease, due to the impact of liver function, we must also pay attention to the way we feed cats and nutritional supplements, so that the cats can get better as soon as possible. ​​​​​​

Nutritional support is critical in the management of liver disease in cats. Especially for cats with fatty liver disease, nutritional support is the only effective treatment. Nutritional management of liver disease has four main goals:

1. Correct malnutrition by meeting basic energy and nutritional needs (amino acids, potassium and zinc, and certain vitamins, especially vitamins B, C and K).

2. Support liver cell regeneration by providing restrictive nutrients (especially protein). l

3. Limit liver damage by preventing the accumulation of copper and scavenging free radicals. There is evidence that a low-copper diet can significantly reduce hepatic copper in dogs with storage diseases.

4. In order to prevent or reduce complications, such as hepatic encephalopathy, portal hypertension and ascites, highly digestible plant and dairy proteins are better tolerated than animal proteins in patients with hepatic encephalopathy.

Anorexia is a common complication of liver disease. Clinicians must consider placement of a feeding tube to ensure adequate energy and nutrient intake. If the animal is anorexic or eats very little, it is important to reintroduce the diet gradually (gradually reaching 100% of nutritional requirements over 5-7 days). To avoid oversaturation of the liver, the daily intake should be divided into 3-6 doses. Nutritional support must be appropriate for each individual case based on the type of liver disease, degree of liver dysfunction, dietary protein tolerance, and nutritional status. After surgery (hepatic arteriovenous shunt) and/or drug (fatty liver disease) treatment, the liver may return to normal function, and the patient's diet can be gradually changed back to a normal maintenance diet. In other cases, dietary treatment will be lifelong.

How long is the loss of appetite worthy of our attention? General doctors will suggest that if the cat does not eat for about three to five days, be careful and it is best to take it to the hospital. In addition, if the cat starts eating, you should also pay attention to the amount, because eating 1/4 of the usual necessary amount can also cause serious problems. In addition, if you have a group of cats, or you adopt arbitrary feeding methods, it is easy to ignore or unfavorably observe the appetite, and the problem is often not discovered until it becomes serious.

When a cat stops eating, due to insufficient energy obtained from food, it must use the fat stored in the body. Therefore, the fat will enter the liver and be captured by the liver cells and stored in the cytoplasm. Therefore, during tissue cell microscopy, it can Small fat vacuoles are seen in liver cells. In fact, the mechanism causing this phenomenon is not very clear, and it should be discussed with the catRelated to special digestion and metabolism methods. Regardless of the cause, once liver cells are occupied by fat, liver function will be affected.

Once this course of disease begins, it is difficult to terminate. Being sick due to poor liver function due to esophageal rejection will further affect appetite, thus creating a vicious cycle. In this case, death may occur if appropriate medical assistance is not provided. the result of.

In the early stage of nutritional treatment, it is necessary to start with small amounts and feed frequently, and gradually increase the feeding amount within 3-4 days. Forced feeding can be used for some cats, but this method is prone to anorexia syndrome and delays the time of active feeding.

The advantage of nasogastric feeding is that it is easy to place and does not require anesthesia. When placed, the end of the tube should be located behind the heart base but not reach the cardia to avoid reflux esophagitis and make it difficult to spit out. Chinese knots should be used for suturing to increase the firmness of the nasogastric tube. The disadvantage is that the nasogastric tube is easily blocked and only liquid food can be fed. It is mildly irritating to the nasal cavity and can also affect the pharynx. Therefore, nasogastric tube treatment is contraindicated in cats with rhinitis. After using a juicer to crush food, the problem of pipe blockage can basically be solved.

Both esophageal and gastric feeding tubes require anesthesia. Physical condition must be corrected before anesthesia is administered. Recommended anesthetics are butorphanol or mask induction combined with isoflurane. Atropine is contraindicated before anesthesia. Esophageal feeding tubes are easy to operate, less painful, easy to care for, and have few complications. The advantage of gastric tube is that it is easy to feed, but the risk of anesthesia is higher, and it is prone to complications such as gastric discomfort and peritonitis after surgery. They are all commonly used feeding methods in Europe and the United States.

Once your condition stabilizes, the doctor will recommend that you consider being discharged from the hospital and take care of yourself at home, using a gastric tube to feed three to four meals a day. Except for special needs, high-calorie foods, such as kitten food, are generally used. Add a little water and mix thoroughly, then draw it through a needle and pour it into the stomach tube. Another thing to remind is that in order to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort to cats, it is best to warm the food before use.

How long it takes to recover from this disease depends entirely on the cat’s own condition and whether it eats or not. Most of the conditions improve after starting gastric tube feeding. The affected animals can eat on their own after about 2 to 18 weeks. The most critical treatment period is the first month to see the extent of improvement and prognosis of the sick animal.

Finally, how to prevent liver disease in cats? If you have a fat cat, in order to prevent the occurrence of fatty liver, it is best to start formulating a safe and progressive weight loss plan now!