My cat has jaundice and liver problems. What affordable meds are there?

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!

You can try finding this in milk thistle, silymarin, or Vitamin E. Though none of them will actually heal the liver. They, and Denamarin, are antioxidants that can help protect the liver from further damage, but they cannot reverse damage that has already occurred.

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.

Your dog needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away. This jaundice is a strong indicator for liver failure and this can only be treated properly with intensive veterinary intervention. If you are in financial difficulty, there are ways of still getting your pet treated by a veterinarian. Ask if they take Care Credit and apply online. This is a credit card specifically for medical, dental, and veterinary expenses. Call a local animal shelter or college of veterinary medicine in your area and ask if they have a low- or no-cost veterinary care program. GiveForward and Youcaring.com are crowd funding websites that help you raise money to help take care of your pets Harley’s Hope Foundation is an organization that ensures low income pet parents and their companion or service animals remain together when issues arise. Many breed rescues and groups have specials funds available for owners who need financial assistance, such as the Special Needs Dobermans, Labrador Lifeline, and Pitbull Rescue Central. Banfield Pet Hospital has its own programs for owners that can’t afford their pet’s care. God's Creatures Ministry helps pay for veterinarian bills for those who need help. IMOM is dedicated to insure that no companion animal has to be euthanized simply because their caretaker is financially challenged. The Onyx & Breezy Foundation has many programs including helping people with medical bills. They are a good resource for information. Brown Dog Foundation provides funding to families with a sick pet that would likely respond to treatment, but due to circumstances, there is not enough money immediately available to pay. Some groups help with specific disease, such as Canine Cancer Awareness, The Magic Bullet Fund, Helping Harley Fund, and Muffin Diabetes Fund. The Pet Fund and Redrover.org are great sources for help to care for your pet. The Humane Society website has many links to other organizations that help with veterinary expenses.

I would talk to your vet about alternative supplements to Denamarin. This is an antioxidant supplement containing S-Adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and silymarin, which can usually be found at a human pharmacy, but you need to get the dose from your vet.

There are additional tests that can determine if the liver value elevation is actually due to liver inflammation. If she is drinking and peeing a lot, the liver values can be elevated due to Cushings disease where her body is producing excess steroid hormones. A blood test can confirm and it is treatable. Another test for liver function is bile acids, which is just a blood test before and after Peanut eats. Lastly, an abdominal ultrasound would help get a look at the liver to see what it looks like structurally to see if it is inflamed. If that's the case, then a liver-friendly food may be helpful.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Hepatitis (infection and inflammation of liver) is a very serious condition and is very hard to treat. If there is an internal medicine specialist in the area I would recommend having Nala seen by them. Otherwise I would be talking with your vet about testing for infectious diseases. However, it looks like they have treated her with broad spectrum antibiotics as well as IV fluids. I would recommend continuing treatment. She may need a feeding tube placed to try to keep her protein up during this illness. Unfortunately, with how severe this is, she may or may not pull through it, but the best chance of her making it through is to be aggressive with her treatment. I would suggest continuing to monitor her liver and white cell count, and to have imaging done and possible samples of her liver to try to determine the cause of the infection. Otherwise I would be talking to your vet about the parasites and infections present in your area and get covered with certain antibiotics. The white cells have increased however not that much, and the liver enzymes are actually improving if I can read the dates right from your picture. This is very hopeful. I would continue with antibiotics (IV if you cannot get them in orally), as well as IV fluids and I would think about syringe feeding or placing a feeding tube. Best of luck with Nala, I hope she makes a good recovery.