My senior cat has elevated liver enzymes. Is an ultrasound needed?

Question

My cat is 14-16 yrs old. She has elevated liver enzymes. My vet recommended an ultrasound with possible biopsies to look at her liver.I'm wondering if there is much to be gained from putting her through a blood draw to check her clotting factors and a general anesthesia for the procedure. Elevated liver enzymes will likely show an enlarged liver or a liver tumor and I'm under the assumption that there isn't much that can be done about either of those conditions so why bother with an ultrasound? Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | spayed | 5.5 lbs

Daniel Fonza, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. The further testing may help with determining what the primary cause is so that treatment can be administered that will help with the condition. However, if you do not want to put Kai through a major surgery or chemotherapy, the further diagnostics that have been recommended would then be more for your own knowledge so you know what the cause is. You could also keep Kai comfortable and start her on liver supplements without doing the further diagnostics and hope for the best. If you are determined to find out what the problem is, then I would proceed with the recommended testing that the veterinarian discussed with you. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

My senior cat has elevated liver enzymes. Is an ultrasound needed?

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