Felineandcanineliverdiseaseandfailure

Feline and Canine Liver Failure

I know that King Ramses certainly came into my life for a reason and even after he's gone

I'll still be able to take what I've learned from him the last 18 and a half years and help many more cats and dogs.

Over the course of King Ramses' life he had FUS, a corneal sequestrum on his right eye, leg joint pain and liver failure.

All of them were cured with a raw diet and or classic homeopathy.

What a wonderful legacy he left of heroic courage, laced with tons of unconditional love .

Our loving boy King Ramses has recently pulled through serious liver failure at the age of 18 and a half. When most people and vets would have put their cat or dog down, we didn't. We found a way to rejuvenate the liver and bring our boy back to good health again. The liver is the only organ in the body that can be rejuvenated in humans and animals.

Everyone who knows me, and reads my web site, knows how much our cats are loved and adored. If any of our beloved cats become ill and diet alone can't help, we do whatever it takes to make them well. If for some reason all our efforts will not give a good quality of life after a disease or illness, then we have the comfort of knowing we did everything humanly possible to try and bring good health back to our beloved cats.

We are sharing King Ramses' true story in hopes that someone will benefit from it for their cat or dog. Please keep in mind that all animals, like all people, are different. What works for one person or animal, may not work for another. I confirmed this when I asked Dr. Gardner if we could use other things that I heard of, or read about for King Ramses' liver tumor. She gave us good solid information as to why we could or shouldn't use, based on this particular cat's symptoms and chemistry. For instance, Ramses was too anemic to use Red Clover herbs that is sometimes used for cancer. Red Clover will thin the blood.

Please always contact your Classic Homeopathic vet before you try any of the treatments we used for Ramses or contact our veterinarian, Dr. Gardner (see Vets and Links page) for a phone consult the way we did. She also followed Ramses' care through e-mails once we had our phone consult. It was truly a great relief to have Dr. Gardner there for us by e-mail when we were in such need throughout Ramses illness, and until Ramses was doing well again.

It all started back in December 2007, when I took King Ramses in for an x-ray to see why he was having a problem passing his stools. Our regular vets never mentioned the mild mega colon problem he has (even back as far as his 2005 x-rays!) but they did see a tumor on his liver.

X-rays can show tumors to be much larger than an ultrasound shows; ultrasounds show size and type when possible. We were told the tumor didn't look like cancer, but it was impossible to be sure without a biopsy. Ramses is too old (18) to go through surgery of this kind, and if he did have the surgery, it would weaken his system to where homeopathy care may not do as well as it should. Also, the liver is a fragile organ and bleeds a lot when operated on. We were told only a vet school would be best for this kind of surgery in case the bile ducts were involved in the tumor. If you decide to have a biopsy for your pet, please make sure you have all the information about the biopsy first. Surgery can be worse (even fatal) than trying to treat the tumor and liver the way we did.

After the ultrasound was done in January 2008, we started treating the tumor with various Classic Homeopathic remedies from Dr. Gardner for the next five months. Classic Homeopathy takes time to see results. The liver tumor did not grow any larger than it was, but Ramses’ liver started to fail, I think the tumor was putting a strain on his liver.

On June 16, 2008, Ramses went from eating well and using the litter box one day to not being able to get up and use the litter box or eat. I had his blood work done right away and found he was in serious liver failure. His liver levels were 801, normal is 20-100. I was more than disappointed that the Milk Thistle capsules I was giving him everyday for 3 months to de-tox his liver, didn't help in the least.

I started him right away on a Liv Herb (a liquid Milk Thistle) from www.Onlynaturalpetstore.com. Milk thistle is good for de-toxing the liver but might not always help or prevent failure like this due to a tumor. While I was talking to the representative at Only Natural Pet Store about the tumor on his liver and how I needed this shipped over night, she told me about a liquid they have that was good at shrinking tumors called B.S.S.T. I read the reviews on it and bought that also.

Later that day, Dr. Gardner sent me an e-mail showing pictures of a tumor on a dog’s paw that went away in a few weeks. Each picture showed the steady healing of the paw until the tumor was completely gone; I have these pictures if anyone wants to see them. Dr. Gardner said she gave Alkyl Transfactor and Sealyte by Seabiotics to the dog along with a specific dose of Classic Homeopathy. We both thought that if it worked for this dog’s tumor, why not Ramses liver tumor; I ordered that to be delivered over night that day.

During the first few weeks of Ramses’ intensive treatments, I placed a goose neck desk lamp with a yellow light bulb over Ramses to promote healing or help him pass over. Dr. Gardner heard about the use of this light from a holistic vet speaker at a convention she attended. The vet spoke of how well a yellow light worked in all her cancer patients. Ramses must have enjoyed this light because he would turn towards it often. I even saw King Tut try to get under it a few times. The bulb was not hot or warm. We used a yellow party light bulb; pictures are below.

During the first week we kept Ramses on the bed to be close to me in case he needed anything, this was his intensive care room. The bed was covered and taped with plastic and large beach towels were taped to that. His bed mat was also in plastic and covered in a towel. I replaced and washed those towels sometimes three times a day. Often, I would carry Ramses to the litter box and hold him gently on his sides while he urinated. Ramses is a talker and I became aware of what he wanted when he spoke to me. During the night, if he cried out, I knew he wanted help going to the litter box. He was still too weak to urinate on his own. This was progress because now he didn't want to go where he was lying.

Along with Sub Q fluids every day, force feeding, the products listed below and homeopathy from Dr. Gardner, I was able to pull King Ramses through. In six days Ramses went from urinating where he lay and not eating, to using the litter box on his own and eating three times a day. It’s important to feed as much as they want so the healing process can go faster. Most important is to feed a balanced raw diet to help the immune system thrive while treating any health problem. Cats and dogs thrive on the enzymes in the meat when it’s raw. Cooking kills the enzymes. The cleaner the body the faster the healing.

One more tip, many pre-made raw diets don't have enough raw meat to balance the calcium from the raw bones they use. Make sure the raw diet you use is a proper balance. Too much calcium will lead to serious problems in your pets’ health.

We are lucky now to have a house call vet, Dr. Reeves, who comes to our home and supports natural care and homeopathy. On August 15, 2008, Dr. Reeves palpated Ramses liver and said the liver tumor is smaller. The other tumor, or granuloma, I found on Ramses' back behind his shoulder blade, went away on June 17th, Dr. Reeves could feel the remnants of it. His liver levels are now 143, normal is 20-100. Ramses' kidneys are also good, as is his white blood cell count. We are continuing all health treatments and repeating blood work, with a check-up in a few months.

Update 9/2008

At eleven o’clock on the morning of Thursday Sept 4th, 2008, our very special boy King Ramses was set free from his body while myself and King Tut sat by his side. Ramses was looking out the bay window when Dr Reeves came to help him. Ramses turned around from looking out the window to look at the doctor when he came into the room. His eyes opened wide with the look of help me in them, and then he put his front arms out. I saw in Ramses at that moment he knew everything I had been telling him all morning about helping him leave his body and how very much I loved him and just couldn't see him suffer anymore. I could see how truly ready he was to accept his departure. Even though he was now able to breathe and become whole again in his spirit, I cried with great sorrow at loosing him physically. I’ll dreadfully miss not being able to brush and hold him. I’ll miss having him at night by my legs when we sleep. I’ll miss seeing him on his favorite pillows or chair and hearing him talk to me wherever I am.

The tumor I fought on Ramses liver was stronger then I could have imagined. The tumor was hard and smaller 3 weeks ago than it was in January 2008. I thought we were making progress. Unfortunately, in just three weeks after his blood work on August 14th it became soft and spread like spores to his blood, then to his bone marrow. His red blood cell count drop 4 billion in just three weeks. That was what caused his heart to beat faster and his lungs to fill with fluids on September 3rd. He was struggling to breathe. Red Blood cells brings oxygen to your lungs from your heart. Ramses blood could no longer make red blood cells. I can't remember all the scientific words for this but that’s the best picture I can give you of why he couldn't breath once the cancer took his blood and entered his bone marrow.

For those of you that didn’t know King Ramses had a health problem, here is a brief explanation; since December of 2007 we discovered he had a tumor on his liver. On June 15th his liver started to fail. Then we started treatments to rejuvenate his liver while shrinking or hopefully, killing the tumor on the liver. I was able to bring his liver back to wellness in 6 days. We had the liver levels coming down to normal and the tumor was smaller. Then out of nowhere, Ramses became too weak to get up and use the litter box and his breathing became fast and labored. After having him checked by our At Home Vet, I thought we were dealing with a manageable heart problem from old age maybe and possible anemia. I thought the tumor was under control. I went from hopeful to shock to a down pour of crying when I heard the new blood work results that evening. With crushing sorrow I knew this time it was the end for my boy. There is no justice. Although the cancer may have won my Ramses’ body for a short while it could never take his soul and spirit away.

With grief comes anger. I had done all I could do aside from somehow going into his body with my spirit and strangling that cancer thing to death! The tumor spread fast once it decided to fight back another way when it realized it couldn’t take his liver.

I don’t have to tell you how I feel right now. Many of you know the grief that follows the loss of a loved family member. Many more of you know how far our love will go to fight for the health of our loved one. I never knew that one small tumor could be so destructive and spread so far so fast even after I was able to lessen its size. Along with my grief, I feel like a warrior that was defending several forts. (By that I mean I was keeping his organs safe from harm while I fought the enemy) when out of nowhere, the enemy attacked my life force, Ramses blood.

I am so very thankful for having my other kitties and my husband to hold onto and help me in my time of grief. King Tut, Caesar and Lady N are all very aware of the loss of our King Ramses. We are being given a flower remedy named Bleeding Heart. For the past nine months our cats have spent time being with and grooming Ramses. King Tut especially, would stay by his side and groom him day after day. While I was holding Ramses during his last breathes, Tut was beside us. In Ramses final weeks he loved the bay window in our bedroom. This is where his spirit gently lifted from his body.

Tut and Ramses together a few days before Ramses left us.

Ramses was a gentle soul who loved lounging, looking out windows and eating. He had a strong will to live and he trusted me completely in his care; except for going outside the house and to the vet’s office. He never liked the outdoors. Once he slipped right by me when I was talking to someone at the front door. A short time later I saw him trying to get in through the window screen in a frantic way. He actually bent the frame on the screen trying to get in. At first I thought it was some wild animal but on closer inspection I saw it was Ramses. He was more than delighted to get back in the house.

Ramses never fought me when I gave him supplements or fluids during his liver treatments. Ramses loved life and wanted to live a very long time, just as I wanted this for him. He was always loving and talkative. We had many conversations together. Many times I knew what he wanted but sometimes I had no idea what he was trying to tell me; like when he would go into the dry bath tub and call out to me constantly. I would speak back to him and he would keep chatting away. No, it wasn’t the water he wanted to have dripping because I tried that. To this day I still do not know what he wanted in the bathtub.

He LOVED cream cheese. Jerry couldn’t have his bagel and cream cheese without giving him some. One day Jerry was in his office concentrating on work and eating his bagel with cream cheese when in marched Ramses and yelled out loud. So loud that he startled Jerry and made him jump. Ramses knew he was eating his favorite cheese and wanted his fair share.

Ramses walked like the male lions in Africa. He would walk casually into a room as if he owned it and he did. He was always fearless and sure of himself. Once he challenged my Mother’s Poodle that was chasing King Tut through our home. Ramses got in front of the Poodle, sat down and just stared him down. The dog wined and ran to Mother with his tail between her legs. I still get a good laugh just thinking about that.

Ramses was like every cat I’ve known and like cats all over the world; he had a special soul and gave his love and companionship fully. There is now a large void in our home and family. King Ramses will forever be deeply missed by us all.

A special note:

Ramses’ blood work from three weeks ago on August 14th 2008 proved I was able to bring down his liver levels into the normal range 98 (normal is 20-100). On June 15th 2008 those levels where 801. Ramses’ kidneys were also in the normal range. This was outstanding results for an eighteen and a half year kitty and proves a proper raw diet with additional organ supplementation does work to keep our cats healthy longer than the “normal” life span of a cat. If not for his liver tumor, or any other complications, I feel strongly his life could have easily gone well into his twenties while experiencing a good quality of life from diet and the additional organ support we gave him. Read Feline Instincts' Twelve Year Study on Additional Feline Organ Support and list of supplements are on our web site. You can find the link on our home page.

I have learned through this journey with King Ramses that the liver can be turned around. However, if you have a tumor on it there will possibly be complications to deal with. I have learned that we can support the kidneys, heart and liver before and while they age naturally. Surely, King Ramses was proof of that. Some people ask, “Where did the cancer come from?” I to have asked myself this question many times. Genetics is the answer I get most of the time. Ramses was only 3 weeks old when his mother was hit by a car so he had almost no nutrition from her. Other reasons are, the air we breathe, past vaccines, stress from the anesthesia from dental work and getting blood work - or maybe the cat dental chew treats I gave him from 2006 to 2007 that he loved so much. Ramses was always stressed in the extreme when he left the house. I have vowed to never give my cats anything again that I have not personally made for them. This includes commercial treats of any kind. We will never know if the ingredients come from China or what kind of fish or chicken they use in their treats.

Dr Anna Gardner’s on Ramses leaving and possible causes:

“I think with Ramses there are many factors, don't forget it takes 7 generations to see the full effects of the (raw) diet, and genetics and the mother's nutrition before and while pregnant plays a huge part in health of animals. I think stress is a big factor in cancer as well, and some animals internalize things like he did. I know you did the best you could, and we want them to live forever, but sometimes you can only do what you can do. And you certainly did that. Sometimes too they come to teach us things and choose to leave a certain way so we can learn from them and I know you learned a lot from King Ramses”.

I want to thank each and every one of you who called, sent emails and cards with your love, prayers and good wishes for King Ramses over the last 7 months. You have all touched King Ramses and my heart deeply with your love.

My ever lasting wish it that all my experiences and research can help many more cats and dogs across the world.

Sincerely,

Felice

Founder Feline Instincts LLC