My cat's ALT ( blood work) norm 20-100 ~ his is 1497?

Question

My 11 yr old cat ( willy) was fine, healthy, normal in every way when I left town for 3 days. I had someone come in to take care of him and my dog. When I returned, Willy was sneezing and not eating. I thought he had a cold and left it at that for 2 days. When still not eating and not at all himself, I took him to vet. He has no fever, no jaundice. They took blood work and most is in the norm range except for the ALT ( an enzyme that leaks out of the liver into the blood) The norm range is 20-100, Willy's is 1497. The vet feels he has a type of hepititis and has been at the vet for 3 days with IV and antibiotics. Still , as of Sat. am, would not eat on his own. Vet says if by Monday he doesn't show improvement, he most likely has cancer vs hepititis. Has anyone known of liver damage being reversed? I am so upset about this...He was fine when I left and when I returned, my cat I have known and loved for 11 yr. was gone. I am just looking for a ray of hope for my cat to recover.

Answer 1

The liver has amazing recovery and regenerative powers, but if it's damaged by hepatits or cancer, it is a challenge for the liver to recover faster than the damage that's caused by the disease. =(

Unfortunately, part of the downside of the liver's powers is that by the time it's damaged enough that it IS causing other symptoms, the damage can be extensive.

If it is cancer, take comfort in the knowledge that there was nothing that was "done wrong" when you left town, and even if you had stayed home and cared for him, he would still have gotten sick. A cat doesn't "catch cancer" from someone else taking care them. And even if you had taken him to the vet on the day you got home, the extra time between the symptoms and the vet visit probably didn't matter much.

I wish you well for your cat, but I think you also need to prepare yourself for the worst. =(

Answer 2

Liver damage can be reversed to some degree since the liver can regenerate and grow from a small portion (even in people) but hepatitis type problems usually involve ALL the liver and it's very difficult.

If you have a holistic trained vet, ask them about milk thistle dosages for your cat. I think a cat dose is 55mg a day. It helps liver function and it doesn't have a taste so can be put over dry food. Plus it doesn't have side effects (other than a little constipation sometimes) and doesn't interfere with other meds. You can't overdose on it either as the body will excrete what it doesn't need.

If it is cancer, that happens very quickly, but right now your vet isn't sure which it is.

Answer 3

Hi

Liver damage can DEFINITLTY be reversed. Food has to be gotten into him and if he is not eating, a feeding tube should be installed.(It really isn'tg as horrible as you think and can work wonders. Is AD being force fed besides the fluids? (He should be)
I have no clue how a vet can say cancer because of this. You gave no idication that he flt a mass or that any xrays were taken. There is no way cancer can be diagnosed because of high alt or bun ect