Is Excess Weight a Risk for Feline Fatty Liver?
Fatty liver disease is one of the common ailments affecting cats, often seen in overweight or older felines. It typically presents symptoms such as loss of appetite, weight loss, vomiting, jaundice, and in severe cases, can even lead to death. It's crucial to take preventive measures early on.
Understanding Feline Fatty Liver Disease
Firstly, being overweight significantly increases the risk of fatty liver disease in cats. Excess fat around the liver can migrate into the organ. Moreover, overweight cats are more prone to diseases like diabetes and pancreatitis, which can lead to secondary fatty liver conditions. Lastly, prolonged fasting is another common cause of fatty liver.
When cats are fasting for an extended period, their blood sugar levels drop continuously, causing an increase in adrenaline, glucagon, and norepinephrine, while insulin levels decrease. This triggers the activity of hormonesensitive lipase, converting fat into fatty acids and glycerol, which then enter the bloodstream and are transported to the liver, ultimately leading to fatty liver disease.
Common Symptoms of Feline Fatty Liver
Fatty liver in cats primarily results in the following symptoms:
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Lethargy
Vomiting
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin, inner ear skin, and gums)
In the later stages, fatty liver can also cause neurological symptoms, such as excessive drooling, seizures, drowsiness, and even blindness. If you notice these symptoms in your cat, it's essential to take them to the vet immediately. Fatty liver diagnosis involves a combination of the cat's medical history, laboratory tests, imaging, ultrasound, and liver biopsy.
Treatment Options for Feline Fatty Liver
1. Nutritional Support Therapy
The key to treating fatty liver in cats is to provide timely highprotein, highfat nutritional support. For cats that can't eat normally, feeding through nasogastric tubes, esophagostomy tubes, or gastrostomy tubes is necessary. It's important to feed small, frequent meals until the cat's appetite returns to normal. Later on, a liverspecific prescription diet can be introduced, which provides essential nutrients without overburdening the digestive system, and includes antioxidants and lower copper content to protect the liver.
2. Medication
Correcting electrolyte imbalances: Prolonged anorexia can lead to hypokalemia, so potassium, fluids, and other electrolytes should be administered through intravenous fluids.
Controlling vomiting: Medications like metoclopramide and cimetidine can be used to suppress vomiting.
Liver protection: Hepatoprotective drugs containing liver cell growth factors, albumin, and traditional Chinese and Western medicine ingredients can promote liver detoxification, such as Hepatol, Qianbei GanKang Beef Tablets, etc.
Supplementing vitamins: Under a vet's guidance, appropriate amounts of vitamins B, E, and K should be supplemented, along with taurine, glutamic acid, methionine, and carnitine, among other nutrients.
It's important to note that obesity not only increases the risk of fatty liver but can also lead to cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis, and other health issues. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight for your cat is crucial in preventing diseases.
