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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / July 2005My cat has been diagnosed with Steatitis - looking for cat owners/vets who have experience with steatitis
Hi, My cat was just diagnosed with steatitis (yellow fat disease) She stopped moving, stopped eating and had a fever. Also, her white cell level was very low. An ultrasound showed the inflammation of the fat. We gave her antibiotics and vitamin E for a week. The next blood test came back completely normal. The vets all felt a mass in her abdomen so they decided to do exploratory surgery yesterday. It turns out that the mass was an accumulation of fat and that yellow fat is all over (around the kidney, etc) The surgeon cleaned up as much as she could but could not remove all of it. The vet called me before the end of surgery to let me know that my cat definitely has steatitis and she asked me if I wanted them to put her to sleep while she was under anesthesia. She explained that it's a rare disease these days, and since my cat never ate fish a day in her life, it's even more bizarre since it's usually caused by a vitamin E deficiency from eating tuna. So the problem we're facing is that no vet at that clinic has had experience with treating steatitis and even though they know what to give her (antibitics, vitamin E), they don't know if it will help. We want to make the best decision for our beloved cat and since steatitis is very painful, we don't want her to suffer. But we also want to do everything we can to try and treat it. Does anyone have experience with steatitis? Did your cat have it and recover? Did the treatment not work? I would appreciate any feedback. Thank you V > Hi, > My cat was just diagnosed with steatitis (yellow fat disease) [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Thank you > V Sounds like euthanizing her may have been best for her. > Hi, > My cat was just diagnosed with steatitis (yellow fat disease) [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Thank you > V Hi. I have no experience with this disease, but looked around and found these links that talk about treating steatitis with diet and vitamin e: http://tinyurl.com/bc6bs I assume you chose not to euthanize her. I think you are wise to be concerned that she may be in pain, but also think you are right to see if you can treat this. Since she has been through the surgery, it seems a shame not to try. I wish I could help you more. Thank you. We definitely want to try that treatment (antibiotics, vitamin E and possibly steroids) but I'd really like to hear from other owners who have gone through it and find out if it was successful, how long it took for their cat to get better. I don't want to treat her for a long time if it's not going to be helpful in the long run. It's such a difficult decision to make... Thanks for your reply. > Thank you. We definitely want to try that treatment (antibiotics, > vitamin E and possibly steroids) but I'd really like to hear from other > owners who have gone through it and find out if it was successful, how > long it took for their cat to get better. I understand. Please consider posting to alt.med.veterinary. There are actually some vets who post there. >I don't want to treat her > for a long time if it's not going to be helpful in the long run. > It's such a difficult decision to make... I know. She is a beloved member of the family, and totally dependent upon you. It is very hard. > Thanks for your reply. I just wish I could help. Please keep us posted, as your experience may help others. I would ask my vet to contact a vet university for an idea of how well treatment works. They can consult. I've not heard of another cat having this on this board. I'm really sorry :( She may have some underlying genetic problem that prevents her from absorbing the nutrient. > Thank you. We definitely want to try that treatment (antibiotics, > vitamin E and possibly steroids) but I'd really like to hear from other [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > It's such a difficult decision to make... > Thanks for your reply. > Thank you. We definitely want to try that treatment (antibiotics, > vitamin E and possibly steroids) but I'd really like to hear from other > owners who have gone through it and find out if it was successful, how > long it took for their cat to get better. I've had 3 in the last 8 years- two from a stray colony behind a fish market and one from a vet whose owners wanted kill rather than treat. All three recovered in 2 to 4 months- one took almost 4 months. Prednisone is absolutely necessary for its anti-inflammatory and appetite-stimulating effects. IIRC, the drug therapy consisted of prednisone dosed at 0.5 mg/lb every 12 hours (b.i.d.) , and vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) dosed at 75 IU b.i.d. I understand your cat never ate fish but did you ever give your cat cod liver oil? Keep the faith & best of luck, Phil > I understand your cat never ate fish but did you ever give your cat cod > liver oil? WOW, based on what I know about human nutrition I was actually going to look for food with fish oils in it. Is fish oil bad for cats? Should flax oil be supplemented instead? Or do cats not need w-3 FAs? Matthew > > I understand your cat never ate fish but did you ever give your cat cod > > liver oil? > > > WOW, based on what I know about human nutrition I was actually going to look > for food with fish oils in it. Is fish oil bad for cats? Only certain types. Fish liver- especially cod liver oil is the worst. Its also way too high in vitamin A and excessively high in vitamin D and result in the combined effects of vitamin A and vitamin D toxicosis. Should flax oil be > supplemented instead? Or do cats not need w-3 FAs? Flax seed oil is a little too high in n-6 - which is pro-inflammatory. n-6 and n-3 EFAs compete for the same enzyme systems, so, increasing tissue concentrations of n-3 causes a reduction of the n-6 fatty acid- arachidonic acid, which down-regulates inflammatory responses. The best n-3 supplement for cats is mehaden fish oil. It has the ideal n-3 to n-6 ratio. I've been using mehaden fish oil in all my CRF rehabs and personal cats for the last few years because n-3 fatty acids are renoprotective. The CRF cats improved (lower BUN/Cr) and my 19 y/o has the same kidney function as my 6 y/o. The only other supplement I give them is potassium. Phil Phil, Thank you so much for your post. It's giving me hope. I will share the treatment dosage with my vet. As you already know, my kitty is already on that treatment but I'm not sure what the dosage is for each drug/vitamin. The vet spoke to a specialist last night and told us that he said the course of action she's taken is appropriate. Also, the good news from last night is that after we visited her, she started eating a little bit of food on her own. So I think today will be a good day. It is so important for me to read that other cats have recovered, even if it took them so long. How were your cats diagnosed? ultrasound? exploratory surgery? Our cat was first diagnosed with the ultrasound and then the exploratory surgery showed that the fat was everywhere, even around the kidney. So the problem is that if the fat does resorb itself/get smaller, the kidney could be affected. and to answer your question about cod liver oil: never... I hope your cats are all better now. > Phil, > > Thank you so much for your post. It's giving me hope. I will share > the treatment dosage with my vet. As you already know, my kitty is > already on that treatment but I'm not sure what the dosage is for each > drug/vitamin. Don't forget to mention prednisone- it will help reduce inflammation and stimulate her appetite. > The vet spoke to a specialist last night and told us that he said the > course of action she's taken is appropriate. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > that other cats have recovered, even if it took them so long. > How were your cats diagnosed? ultrasound? exploratory surgery? The lumpy abdominal fat made me suspicious, plus they were depressed and running fevers. Histology of biopsy fat confimed my suspicions. One of the three was fed tuna in oil for a long time. The owner wanted to kill the cat rather than treat. So the vet called me and asked if I'd want to rehab because he felt the cat could recover with proper care. The other 2 came from a small colony behind a fish market near one of my shops. > Our cat was first diagnosed with the ultrasound and then the > exploratory surgery showed that the fat was everywhere, even around the > kidney. So the problem is that if the fat does resorb itself/get > smaller, the kidney could be affected. > > and to answer your question about cod liver oil: never... I'm really baffled as to how your cat developed this. > I hope your cats are all better now. Thanks. They all resolved and were homed a few years ago. To my knowledge, they're all doing fine. It may take awhile- so keep the faith! Best of luck, Phil > > and to answer your question about cod liver oil: never... > > I'm really baffled as to how your cat developed this. Could it be from fortified cow's milk? Matthew No milk either... it's just bizarre... The biopsy results came back today and our poor kitty also has pancreatitis on top of steatitis. Not sure which one is causing the other. But the best treatment for pancreatitis is apparently eating and since she's being fed with a tube, she is eating. She's coming home tonight! > The biopsy results came back today and our poor kitty also has > pancreatitis on top of steatitis. Not sure which one is causing the > other. But the best treatment for pancreatitis is apparently eating > and since she's being fed with a tube, she is eating. > She's coming home tonight! I'm so glad she is coming home, poor baby. Here is to a quick recovery. > The biopsy results came back today and our poor kitty also has > pancreatitis on top of steatitis. Not sure which one is causing the > other. But the best treatment for pancreatitis is apparently eating > and since she's being fed with a tube, she is eating. > She's coming home tonight! Poor thing, I hope she pulls through. Keep us posted!  Signature-Kelly Our cat has been home for a few days now and she seems to be responding to her treatment pretty well. I don't want to get too excited too early... And I'm nervous about what may happen when we stop the treatment in a few weeks. Phil, how was it with your cats? Did they have high and lows? Did it take them a while to respond to the treatment? Did they feel better right away and then felt sick again? Let me know. Thanks V > Our cat has been home for a few days now and she seems to be responding > to her treatment pretty well. I don't want to get too excited too [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Thanks > V It was a slow process with a few ups and downs- one cat took >3 months to recover- but they all recovered so keep the faith! ;-) The pancreatitis might complicate treatment a bit. Speak to your vet about r/d or w/d instead of i/d. Best of luck, Phil Thanks for the advice. She's eating a bit of dry food right now and we're feeding her canned a/d through the tube. We're still trying to make her gain weight. I'll talk to her vet next week since we have an appointment, and I'll ask to rethink the dry food diet. So far so good... she looks better. Thanks V We went to the vet yesterday and we're now cutting down to 1 tube feeding per day (down from 4) since she's eating on her own. We'll monitor her to see how much she's eating on her own now. Also cutting down on the medicine. We should be all done in 2-3 days but we still have to continue the vitamin E for 6 weeks. They'll remove the feeding tube as soon as we see that she's eating enough on her own to gain weight. The kitty's belly feels better and apparently the amount of fat has decreased sharply, so it's good news. They did another blood test and we should get the results today or tomorrow. And they removed the stitches on her belly (from the exploratory surgery) So now I'm going to watch her closely to make sure she keeps getting better after we stop the treatment... She's already come a long way in 2 weeks :0) > We went to the vet yesterday and we're now cutting down to 1 tube > feeding per day (down from 4) since she's eating on her own. Hey, that is really great!! We'll > monitor her to see how much she's eating on her own now. Also cutting > down on the medicine. We should be all done in 2-3 days but we still > have to continue the vitamin E for 6 weeks. They'll remove the feeding > tube as soon as we see that she's eating enough on her own to gain > weight. You're clearly taking very good care of your kitty, I know you have to feel great to see solid improvement! > The kitty's belly feels better and apparently the amount of fat has > decreased sharply, so it's good news. They did another blood test and [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > better after we stop the treatment... She's already come a long way in > 2 weeks :0) Yippee!! I am so glad Phil was here to tell you that he has seen cats with this rare disorder receive treatment and prosper. I know you must be so glad that you did not give up on her! Do please keep us posted! ...> So now I'm going to watch her closely to make sure she keeps getting > better after we stop the treatment... She's already come a long way in > 2 weeks :0) Vrolette, Thanks for the update. It's good to read that your cat is doing better. Best wishes that she have a continued and complete recovery. Annie We saw the vet on Saturday. Our kitty has gained 1.6lbs so the feeding tube came out. They had to sedate her and she was very sensitive to the drug so instead of being out for 10 minutes, she was out for 2 hours. She was completely lethargic at home and she was crying, which she's never done before. The hole where the feeding tube was is looking a bit better. We did another blood test to check that the liver is ok and we'll get the results on Tuesday. The good news is that the fatty stuff from the steatitis has dramatically dimished. So we're still giving her the vitamin E for a few weeks to make it disappear! > We saw the vet on Saturday. Our kitty has gained 1.6lbs so the feeding > tube came out. They had to sedate her and she was very sensitive to > the drug so instead of being out for 10 minutes, she was out for 2 > hours. She was completely lethargic at home and she was crying, which > she's never done before. Poor sweet baby, she has been through so much. But you have really done the right thing! The hole where the feeding tube was is > looking a bit better. We did another blood test to check that the > liver is ok and we'll get the results on Tuesday. The good news is > that the fatty stuff from the steatitis has dramatically dimished. So > we're still giving her the vitamin E for a few weeks to make it > disappear! You've been a guardian angel to this kitty. Here's hoping she heals well and quickly, and has to have no more painful therapies. From what Phil P. said about steatitis it sounds like she can have a total recovery!! You'll both be in my prayers. > > Thank you. We definitely want to try that treatment (antibiotics, > > vitamin E and possibly steroids) but I'd really like to hear from other [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > and one from a vet whose owners wanted kill rather than treat. All three > recovered in 2 to 4 months- one took almost 4 months. This is great to hear!! Especially since this topic has not come up here that I can recall, and steatitis sounds so grim. > Prednisone is absolutely necessary for its anti-inflammatory and > appetite-stimulating effects. IIRC, the drug therapy consisted of [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Phil > Hi, > My cat was just diagnosed with steatitis (yellow fat disease) [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > Thank you > V Hi. I have no experience with this disease, but looked around and found these links that talk about treating steatitis with diet and vitamin e: http://tinyurl.com/bc6bs I assume you chose not to euthanize her. I think you are wise to be concerned that she may be in pain, but also think you are right to see if you can treat this. Since she has been through the surgery, it seems a shame not to try. I wish I could help you more. I don't have experience with steatitis, but I've been doing some reading on Vitamin E and if you are giving a basic synthetic version it would help to switch to a natural version. Apparently synthetic E only supplies part of the entire Vitamin E complex. From DVM News Magazine: "For pets, natural vitamin E is better than synthetic. It functions better to provide their enhanced antioxidant needs. From mice to elephants it has been shown that natural vitamin E has more punch, more 'bounce per ounce' than synthetic. It has recently been shown (Stone et al , 2003) that human infants similarly discriminate between natural and synthetic vitamin E. There are physiological differences in its absorption, transport, utilization and tissue retention. Though past research has shown that natural vitamin E is 36 percent better than synthetic, current research in several species, including humans, shows a 200-300 percent potency of natural versus synthetic vitamin E. " Natural E should say "mixed tocopherols" on the label, although some manufacturers use this term to mean the synthetic D-alpha-tocopherol, so make sure to look closely at the label. Natural tocopherols come as D-alpha, D-gamma, D-delta, and D-beta-tocopherols. Administration of vegetable and mineral oil can interfere with Vitamin E absorption, as can constant administration of some hairball remedies. If you are giving any kind of gel hairball remedy or oil I would stop that immediately and give Papaya enzyme instead. It comes in pill form and is available at any health food store. One pill every other day or twice a week should be sufficient. Feeding a strictly canned food diet is also helpful in decreasing hairballs. It would also be worthwhile to have your vet refer you to an internal medicine specialist. They are more likely to have experience in this area. I hope you can can find an effective treatment plan that will get your kitty feeling better soon. Megan Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray One more question: What had you been feeding your cat for the last month before diagnosis? What are you feeding her now? Also, Steatitis can take several weeks and sometimes months to resolve completey, so hang in there. Megan Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray We've been feeding her Hills' Prescription Diet i/d - dry food - (she was put on that diet by her vet a couple of years ago) She never eats any other food, and never any fish. Do you have a pet who suffered from steatitis? That's a little scary. It could be something with your specific cat, but I would also check the food. Have you contacted the company to find out the vitamin e content/source in that particular food? Any way to see if any other cats have had problems? Good luck with your kitty. Rhonda > We've been feeding her Hills' Prescription Diet i/d - dry food - (she > was put on that diet by her vet a couple of years ago) > She never eats any other food, and never any fish. > Do you have a pet who suffered from steatitis? |
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