Malaysia Veterinary Forum (Archive)

ROZANA · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 19

Need some input on managing an 8 year old male Birman who has jaundice. Have taken him to family vet and he has been put on drip and given two injections.

Is currently refusing to eat and will only drink some water.

Is there anything else that can be done to treat cats who has :cry: jaundice??

kraniumz · Joined: 20 Sep 2006 Posts: 25 Location: KL

Sorry to hear about your cat Rozana. I can imagine what you are going through at the moment. I am no vet and i am sure the expert will give their inputs soon enough, but here is what i have found from the net :

" Treatment: There are various treatments for jaundice, all of which depend on the symptoms and the cause. Some diseases that cause jaundice, such as inoperable cancer, are irreversible and result in death. However, other diseases, such as feline fatty liver syndrome, in which fat gets deposited into the liver tissue, can be managed quite effectively. Cats with life-threatening anemia will need a blood transfusion.

Most animals with jaundice will require hospitalization initially. Intravenous fluid administration, cage rest to encourage the liver to heal, and appropriate nutritional support may be needed. The veterinarian will prescribe medications to manage symptoms such as vomiting, nausea, excessive abdominal fluid, and neurological problems; these medications must be carefully monitored, however, since the liver metabolizes many drugs. Follow-up visits with blood and urine re-evaluations will be needed to determine the success of the treatment. "

Basically, from what i have read jaundice is a symptom of a disease. So curing the disease will cure the symptoms. If the cat is at home with you, the best you can do is pamper the poor thing and encourage it to eat. Talk to him, give him messages, try different food, basically make him feel as happy and content as possible. I feel so sad writing this as i went through this just quite recently :(

Dr Nat · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 1834 Location: Klang Valley

Yes, jaundice is just a symptom. It is not the primary problem. That means, there are something else that is causing your cat to be jaundiced. You need to find out the cause of the jaundice, before anything else could be done. Some causes of jaundice can be treated, while others may not.

The best advice we can give you here, is to listen to your vet and be prepared to make several trips to the vet. Get your vet to explain to you what the suspected cause is, and if it is a confirmed diagnosis. From there, get your vet to explain to you what can be done.

ROZANA · Joined: 06 Mar 2006 Posts: 19

Hello All.

Thank you for your input. I am sad to say that my Pom-Pom Birman passed away to greener pasteurs last nite at the Animal Hospital. My family and I have just buried him in the garden today to join our beloved 5 cats.

I still have another 13 cats to attend to at home presently and hope to find another Birman to ease the pain of losing a beloved family member.

The Doctors have indicated that Pom may have been suffering from some kind of blood parasite as he had some lice infection the last few weeks causing him to lose fur around his back and part of tail.

Although he was being treated with medication for the problem and our familay vet had runned a blood test earlier last week before he developed jaundice, his immunity system obviously could not withstand the parasite which was already in the blood system.

Anyway, thanks again I hope to chat again soon.

Cheers all.

Dr HanMRCVS · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 566 Location: Johor Bahru

so sorry to hear the passing of your cat.

Dr kawitha devi · Joined: 29 Jun 2007 Posts: 7 Location: malacca

sorry ,ROZANA. :( Do u give lice treatment for your other cats as well?

Dr Nat · Joined: 07 Dec 2005 Posts: 1834 Location: Klang Valley

So sorry to hear that.