Buddie did not have HL, she had liver cancer and we weren't sure if she had HL or cholangituos (I know that isn't spelled right), but her billirubin was not normal and she was a very slight tinge of yellow, I didn't see any reason to wait until she was in worse shape to do the tube, with cancer and just getting over a sepsis infection, surgery was already going to be hard on her, so I decided to get the tube while she was still in decent shape. When she got an infection the second time and wasn't responding or eating again, the tube was urgent, she hadn't eaten for a week and she wasn't responding to the fluids or antibiotics (on the pump again), as weak as she was the vet said without gettig some nutrition into her she would die, she was a very slight yellow again then, and I didn't see any reason to do any tests, I knew she was not getting enough nutrition, so as weak as she was I had to try doing the tube again, the vet made it very clear she may not survive the surgery, but without it she would die. She made it through the surgery but in recovery went into cardiac arrest and they couldn't save her. The autopsy showed her cancer had completely plugged her bile ducts and spread, that is why she didn't respond to the pump and antibiotics the second time around. My vet was very upset. I would do exactly the same thing again, without the tube she had no chance, turns out after the fact even with the tube she wouldn't have lived more than a day or two more.
If your worried about the tube being hard on the cat it isn't, Buddie loved her tube and when she heard me getting her syringes ready she would run to the couch and wait, she purred through her meals and then promply laided down afterwards and took a nap. I have pictures if you'd like to see them, they are not gross or scary looking. -- Belinda Happiness is being owned by cats ... Be-Mi-Kitties ... http://www.bemikitties.com Post Adoptable FeLV/FIV/FIP Cats/Kittens http://adopt.bemikitties.com FeLV Candle Light Service http://www.bemikitties.com/cls Vote For Us http://www.bemikitties.com/toplist/cgi-bin/topsites.cgi?id=1 ----------- Web Design Porfolio http://www.bemikitties.com/bmksamples.htm#portfolio
