feline liver transplants

[bcox]

My 8 year old cat has a liver shunt and we had a protostemic shunt (ring) surgically inserted to block the shunt.  His subsequent bile acids assay resulted in levels that were higher than before his surgery.  We then had the same surgeon do a follow up exploratory surgery and the surgeon found the presence now of multiple hepatic shunts that probably resulted from the larger shunt being blocked off.  Since these shunts cannot be corrected surgically we are now just medicating him (lactulose, metronidazole, phenobarbital) daily and trying to keep him as healthy as we can as long as we can.

Are there any suggestions you could give for what step(s) we could take next that we may not know about yet to help his situation?  If liver disease, or a non-functioning liver altogether, is the problem we were wondering about a liver transplant and what kind of clinical history there is related to liver transplants in cats.

[MOLLY2121]

I know this is ten years later, but what was the outcome with your 8 yr old cat? My 6 yr old cat now has a liver disease that has caused his liver to grow to about the size of a mini watermelon. From what I’ve heard, liver transplants for cats don’t exist, but I was wondering if you discovered anything new?

[NewLeaf]

I think you are doing your best and about all you can do. From my perspective, cats, despite OUR best intentions, don't have the understandiong as to why we even take them to the vets let alone put them through surgery, except for broken legs and open wound type of thing where they can see and feel the immediate relief.  I always ask myself when one of my pets has a serious disease that is complicated and would require large surgery and the continual medication that may have serious adverse side effects to that could make them worse or cause more problems, would I be doing this for the animal or for me?