Will my cat be on Denamarin medication for the rest of his life?

Hello and thank you very much for your question. Because the liver enzymes are increasing, even with liver protectant medications on board, I now believe it is time to perhaps consider a liver biopsy. It is possible that when the original ultrasound was performed, there was a liver specific disease that was not detectable on the ultrasound. So at the very least, I would repeat the ultrasound, as well as try to get a liver biopsy. Make certain that your general practitioner feels confident with this procedure. If they are not, please have them refer you to an internal medicine specialist. Thanks a lot for your question. I hope you find the answer.

Hello. There are many underlying causes for high liver values, some more serious than others. The beauty of our livers is it is the only organ that can heal & regenerate once an insult is removed. I am not sure what your veterinarian hoped to accomplish keeping Lucy over night, but if she is otherwise feeling well, use of the Denamarin & prudent monitoring of the liver values is a good start. It would be helpful to obtain a bile acid assay & abdominal ultrasound to try & get as much information as possible about the liver, but the Denamarin can protect the liver from further oxidative injury. It will not help much if this is cancer, or an active hepatitis or infection, but it has helped to bring the enzyme levels down in some patients. Once you can obtain more detailed information about the liver can you determine how absolutely serious this might be. Stay in contact with your vet & try to follow their recommendations as closely as possible. Hopefully, Lucy will do very well. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would continue the Denamarrin for at least 4-6 weeks because this is how long the effects of steroids on the liver can last. I'm sorry you're having to go through this. Hopefully since his numbers are improving his mood and energy will follow. Good luck!

Denamarin is a liver support supplement. If Wuggy is healthy and not having any liver problems, the supplement probably wouldn't do much. However, if your vet has prescribed it as a supplement to help with any health issues or for general liver support, it is worth trying and may be beneficial.

It is unlikely that diet alone is the cause of significant decrease to liver function. I would agree that Royal Canin and Hill's are not very different in terms of dietary quality. I feel that starting on a liver diet at this point based on one blood test is very premature and that further diagnostics are likely warranted. Some possible causes of increased liver values including endocrine conditions, liver shunts, hepatitis, bile duct / gall bladder issues, liver / gall bladder tumors, or fatty liver disease. Depending on the nature and magnitude of the elevation, it may be insignificant as well if Maki's findings were not coupled with any clinical signs of illness. Some additional diagnostic testing to look into things more would be additional more specific blood work, radiographs, and ultrasound. Rather than dietary change, there are more target liver supplements. One that comes to mind is called Denamarin. There is a feline formulation available that would work fine. Hope this helps.

Hello, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Unfortunately, Denamarin only comes in tablet form. You could try pill pockets, or potentially crush it and mix it with a bite of canned all-meat baby food. If that doesn't work, and you're really struggling to get the medication into him, I recommend reaching out to your vet. We understand that many cats are nearly impossible to get pills into! There are other liver support options, such as milk thistle, that can come in liquid form if you need a "plan B" option. It wouldn't be quite as good as Denamarin, but better than nothing! Hope this helps!

Dahlia will need a follow up blood test because thats the only way to know if the medication is helping. Most pets will have the blood retested 1 month after starting the Denamarin. The medication is safe to use long term. Call the clinic to get an appointment at the 30 day mark since starting the pills. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.