Apricot: a medical mystery
So... Apricot needs to be on an episode of House. In preparation for some tooth extractions to take care of some feline resorptive lesions, I had some bloodwork done in November. It turned out that her alanine transaminase (a liver enzyme) levels were really high - 444 IU/L when the normal range is 5-110 IU/L. The usual reason is an infection of the liver. So, on to a course of antibiotics she went.
On January 12, she had more blood taken to recheck the liver enzyme level. It had dropped to 295 IU/L which was still high, but much better than before! So she went on another month's worth of antibiotics.
Yesterday she went back for her third blood test. Her alanine transaminase is up to 361 IU/L in spite of being on a month's worth of antibiotics. :/ The vet told me that the high levels may not just be due to a bacterial infection; her liver may also be inflamed. Further down the list of possibilities is cancer. However, she is gaining weight, has been healthy and active, and seems to be in excellent spirits. So, I had a couple of options: shell out loads of cash for an ultrasound and biopsy to see what's going on with her liver, or shell out much less for a combination course of antibiotics and steroids, then recheck her in a few weeks to see what her liver enzyme levels look like. As a poor student, I am choosing the less expensive option for now. Hopefully the antibiotic and steroid course will resolve the issue; if not, then I'll have to consider the more expensive option. :/
Meanwhile she still has her feline resorptive lesions; until we figure out what's up with her liver, there isn't any sense in putting her under anesthetic (with all the possible complications that could arise for a less than 100% healthy cat) for a dental procedure when she is eating fine. I just remember her first bout with feline resorptive lesions, when even the lightest touch on her muzzle made her flinch. She doesn't seem to be in as much pain this time around, but that might be because the lesions are still pretty small.
On January 12, she had more blood taken to recheck the liver enzyme level. It had dropped to 295 IU/L which was still high, but much better than before! So she went on another month's worth of antibiotics.
Yesterday she went back for her third blood test. Her alanine transaminase is up to 361 IU/L in spite of being on a month's worth of antibiotics. :/ The vet told me that the high levels may not just be due to a bacterial infection; her liver may also be inflamed. Further down the list of possibilities is cancer. However, she is gaining weight, has been healthy and active, and seems to be in excellent spirits. So, I had a couple of options: shell out loads of cash for an ultrasound and biopsy to see what's going on with her liver, or shell out much less for a combination course of antibiotics and steroids, then recheck her in a few weeks to see what her liver enzyme levels look like. As a poor student, I am choosing the less expensive option for now. Hopefully the antibiotic and steroid course will resolve the issue; if not, then I'll have to consider the more expensive option. :/
Meanwhile she still has her feline resorptive lesions; until we figure out what's up with her liver, there isn't any sense in putting her under anesthetic (with all the possible complications that could arise for a less than 100% healthy cat) for a dental procedure when she is eating fine. I just remember her first bout with feline resorptive lesions, when even the lightest touch on her muzzle made her flinch. She doesn't seem to be in as much pain this time around, but that might be because the lesions are still pretty small.