My old cat had yellow skin, liver failure. Did I give up too soon?

I'm sorry to hear about Huck's passing. Without knowing what caused the liver issues, it would be hard to say, but it does sound like your vet was doing everything they could. Younger cats with liver issues may have congenital problems that would not be treatable with antibiotics as it's a problem with the liver itself, rather than an infection. If possible, you can request a necropsy (animal autopsy) to see if the direct cause can be determined, however it would be hard to say. If you're having trouble coping with Huck's passing, seeking out something such as The Rainbow Bridge where you can talk with other pet owners and create a virtual memorial for Huck may help in your time of need.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am so sorry for the loss of your cat P! Cats are very good at hiding illnesses until they are very sick. Jaundice in cats can be from: 1) destruction of red blood cells. They tend to be anemic on blood work. This can be from blood parasites, cancer, immune problems 2) Liver disease: cancer, infection, toxin, inflammatory conditions or fatty liver disease (hepatic lipidosis). Fatty liver is a secondary condition. Prolonged anorexia is usually the cause. Anything that makes a cat stop eating for more than 3 days can cause fatty liver disease and 3) Gall bladder, biliary or pancreatic disease: infection, cancer, gall stones, biliary obstruction. P didn't die from an overactive thyroid. She died from whatever disease caused her to stop eating, that could have been liver disease or another disease that caused fatty liver syndrome. She sounded like she was very sick. I hope this provides some insight. Again I am sorry for your loss.

Poor Sky. If his belly is yellow, he could have liver problems. He sounds extremely sick, and if you don't have the money to treat him, letting him go peacefully may be best for him. You cannot leave him in this condition, it sounds like he is suffering. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Carefree Credit online. http://www.carefreecredit.co.uk https://www.rspca.org.uk/whatwedo/vetcare http://www.easipetcare.com Best of luck.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am so very sorry for your loss. It sounds like your cat was very ill and really took a turn for the worse suddenly. It is really quite hard to say whether or not it was too late on this one. Cats are very stoic creatures and sometimes it is not easy to pick up on signs of illness or these signs may not be easily noticed. If it was FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), cats with this disease can become sick very quickly and typically will not make it past a week after diagnosis. The presence of a tumor can have vague signs but can end rapidly depending on what time of tumor so it can be hard to say for sure. It sounds like you did everything you could for him at the time. Sometimes things do worsen and progress rapidly despite all efforts. You certainly did the right thing to bring him into a veterinarian. Again, I am so sorry for your loss.

Poor guy. It is tough when you are in these situations where you are deciding on continued care (which isn’t 100% guarantees to work) or Humane euthanasia. Unfortunately we don’t have enough information about your cats particular case to help you decide things here. Perhaps a consultation would be best to comb through all of the details such as lab work findings (even seeing the normals is quite helpful), medications tried so far, and his physical exam findings would also be helpful. But generally speaking if your pet is ill from liver disease, which can be any condition such as hepatitis, hepatic lipidosis (carries a poorer prognosis unless aggressive treatment is implemented including a feeding tube in most situations), liver cancer or even gallbladder disease can cause elevated liver enzymes, then it’s best fo an abdominal ultrasound to determine what specific liver condition is present. The prognosis of your pet should be determined by your vet and then carefully considered when determining if continued care should be done or if Humane euthanasia is the better option. I hope this helps and best wishes moving forward with a good decision regarding Elmo’s care.

Your cat is seriously ill and needs to be seen by your veterinarian or in a pet hospital NOW. Your cat is jaundiced which points to serious liver disease. There is nothing you can do at home for this. The vet needs to examine your cat, do blood tests and possibly x rays, put your cat on iv fluids and medications needed for her condition. Pisay must see a veterinarian now.

I'm so sorry to hear about Sylvester and your loss. It sounds like you did everything you could for him and he was likely in renal failure. Sometimes this is treatable, other times the kidneys do not recover and cats may need dialysis or even a renal transplant. It sounds like you did everything right by him but his condition was too severe.