11/2 Tiger AMPG 126 Skipped shot-ER

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Tiger(GA) and Ruth

Tiger(GA) and Ruth

Member Since 2014
Last condo: viewtopic.php?f=9&t=127714

I'm looking for any information on Pancreatitis- what is the test that is accurate for diagnosing for example. Tiger had an episode of runny poop last evening- she had peed and pooped normally earlier in the day, but the pile of poop was what I came home to late afternoon. She looked otherwise okay, ate dinner, not a lot, maybe a little sleepier than normal. I was worried, but no other signs of anything wrong. This morning, she woke us up by puking up foamy, bloody vomit, not a huge amt but enough that I called the ER vet, not our regular clinic because they are closed. Also another episode of diarrhea and one more small vomit before I could get her into the hospital. The vet on call thinks she has pancreatitis- she definitely has a very sore abdomen and no appetite(thus the skipped shot) They took 2 xrays, did a couple coagulation tests;bloodwork, which I tried to update in Tiger's SS. She is currently staying at the ER, on IV, they are giving cerenia,clavamox,Buprenorphine;Metronidazole and Carafate until tomorrow.

(BTW,This may or may not be related but last Monday, I had taken Tiger in for what appeared to be a UTI- straining at the LB, very little output and a very small amount of mucous. Our regular vet called Thursday to say culture was negative and to watch for anything else to happen. Regular vet suggested colitis could also be the problem.)

I have so many questions running through my mind I hardly know where to start...One other question, I know there is a pancreatitis primer that Marje wrote, I can hardly type this message, but would appreciate if someone could send me the link. Also, I should have been paying more attention- is cerenia the preferred anti nausea med or was there something better, I know I read all posts but of course now my mind is absolute mush. :oops: Thanks for any information.
 
Hi. I'm so sorry that Tiger is not feeling well. The test for pancreatitis is the fPL. Treatment is to take care of the symptoms which are usually cerenia or ondansetron for nausea, flagyl fir diarrhea, fluids as needed, buprenex for pain. I'm not home niw so this is brief. If you Google IDEXX Roberson around Table it explains all in detail. I have links I can send you when I get home. It's hard to find what I need with my phone.

They have it all covered. It sounds like it could be an acute attack. When that happened with Tiffany she spent one night in the hospital and came home the next day. Prayers and vines are being sent your way. :YMHUG:
 
(((Ruth)))

I don't know if the two episodes are connected but it's very possible she has acute pancreatitis which presents with foamy vomiting, Inappetence, pain, nausea. I think their course of treatment is good. I prefer ondansetron for nausea but I would just discuss it with the vet and see what they say. The cerenia can help with nausea but it is often more of an anti-vomiting med. however, some cats respond to it better for nausea than ondansetron.

Did they run a snapfPL or twke blood to send off for a specfPL? That's really what they need to dx pancreatitis...or an u/s but the lab is less expensive. They would not be able to tell much from an X-ray regarding pancreatitis.

Sending many prayers and healing vines.
 
No advice, just hugs for you and tons of vines for Tiger. :YMHUG: I'm glad you got on this so quickly.
 
no advice here either, but Skooter and I wanted to send our biggest healing vines to sweet, sweet Tiger and extra hugs to worried momma......


from what others have said, it appears that you caught this early which hopefully means a quick recovery....
 
{{{Ruth}}}

I'm so sorry you and Tiger are going through this. I know you must be so worried.

Sending lots of healing vines, prayers and hugs. :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Hugs for a worried mamabean. And oh so many vines for Tiger. I have no experience nor knowledge, but others here do. That's good. I can just send light and prayers for you and Tiger.

Marilyn and Polly
 
Hi Ruth :-D

Healing vines for Tiger I hope all is on the mend for Tiger. P'titis, if that is what this is, is never fun. I remember going through that with Mannie. I am keeping you and Tiger in my thoughts, Be well little one. Hugs to you Ruth.
 
Elise,
fPL- thanks for that information. My brain is gone to mush. Also, thanks for the treatment guide reference.

Sarah, thank you for that link- I had not seen that one before but am glad to have more to read and I am not being facitious. In times like this, it helps me to concentrate on something like reading. It looks like you too have had a cat with pancreatitis, so I am thankful for your experiences.

Thanks Rhiannon, that is the link I was looking for!

Thanks Carla, your kind words are so much appreciated!

Thanks Marje, the vet just called and no, she did not order the specfPL. By the way, is that different from the fPL that Elise referred to??? She made the decision to treat based on symptoms but told me I could order the BW be sent to IDEXX for testing tomorrow.

Thanks Sienne,Wendy, Molly, Tricia, Liz and Marilyn. You have no idea how much we appreciate your kind words. My eyes are filled with tears!

The vet just called to report that Tiger has had no further vomit or diarrhea episodes during her stay. She will continue with IV anti-nausea, bupe and Clavamox, but more importantly, she ate eagerly on her own. They started her food trial early- they are feeding a bland,low residue food, the name of which I already forgot. :oops: Tomorrow when I pick her up, I will bring some home. Also, the vet said I could have my vet order the fPL test tomorrow when they open, she says it takes a couple of days. Does that sound reasonable?
 
I'm so sorry it looks like Tiger has p-titis. Trix had a really bad case last spring and it took her a long time to get over it. In fact, in some ways, she's still recovering.

My vetty is not a fan of the blood tests for diagnosing p-titis; over the years, she found that if there was anything else unrelated going on at the same time, it would skew the tests. She feels that there really isn't anything to truly, definitely diagnosis p-titis at this point, so she primarily goes off symptoms. She does do x-rays, too, but admits they aren't really conclusive, although sometimes they can help point in the direction of p-titis.

With Trix we did subQ fluids, pain meds (bupe), famotadine (Pepcid), and anti-nausea meds. Trix started with cerenia, then we switchd to ondansetron, but she's one of those kitties who seemed to do better with cernenia so we switched back. The p-titis really did a number on her appy - it took her about 4 months or so before she was eating what I would consider a normal amount of food on her own, and even at that, I still have to hold the plate in order for her to eat enough. I had to assist/syringe feed her about half her meals for a couple months. One thing I learned from Elise, and has been very true for Trix, is small meals every couple hours are much better than one large meal for p-titis kitties.

P-titis is a rocky road, but it definitely possible to get over it. It's another one of those "patience pants" things, and it is very stressful for the bean. Sometimes it feels like you're not making any progress, but then all of a sudden you realize that things really have been getting better, just very slowly. Just remember you are not alone...you've got your LL family behind you!

Sending tons and tons of prayers....feel better, Tiger!
 
Good news!!!

First, the roundtable discussion which Elise referenced is provided as a link in the Primer on Pancreatitis so you don't have to google it. Second, there are a couple of tests for pancreatitis and the fPL is the old one. You want the specfPL. To get the most accurate results, Tiger should be fasted a minimum of six hours. Some vets say fasting is not necessary but my vet called Texas A&M Univ which developed the test and they said 12 hours fasting for non diabetic and six hours fasting for diabetic. IDEXX told her 12 hours fasting no matter.

I think her decision to treat on symptoms was very wise. For any pancreatitis, or suspected, it is best to get started right away on treating the symptoms. Many years ago our Gussie, who was never diabetic, had an acute episode of pancreatitis. There weren't any tests yet for it so they aggressively treated the symptoms and he was 150% better within 36 hours and back to normal. Of course, many of our little diabetics will have a chronic pancreatitis which can take longer to address; either way, treating the symptoms is smart.

Sending many more prayers for your sweet girl. And big extra :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG: for you.
 
yes - make sure the test is the Spec fPL. Tiger has to be fasted for about 6 hrs prior to the blood draw.

I hope the food they're giving her is low carb, but if not, you can increase her insulin if need be.
 
Julie, they are feeding her something low residue, I don't recall the name of it. They are fully aware she is diabetic. If they send the BW they took today, she had not eaten for over 6 hours? Otherwise, I can have my regular vet do the draw tomororw?
 
If she had fasted and they have enough blood, yes, they could send it.

I'm not a big fan of the low residue diets. It's not really necessary for her to have a special diet and Dr. Lisa is not a fan of the prescription diets because there is nothing that guides how these diets are developed to address the condition. Many times the ingredients are poor quality. I wouldn't worry about what they are feeding her at the vet, though. What is the most important thing is that she eat and when she comes home, you can get her back on her regular diet. For people and dogs, fatty diets can trigger pancreatitis. Not so in cats but many members of the veterinary community, including very good specialists, haven't caught up to that yet.
 
Have you spoken to the ER recently and how is Tiger doing? If you have any questions, send me a pm as I do know a lot about pancreatitis unfortunately. :YMHUG: :YMHUG:
 
Amy, thanks so much for your input with Trixie. I knew she had pancreatitis, but could not recall what your course of treatment had been. I always think I read all posts, but when at the vet and trying to tell the vet what I thought should happen, my mind went blank of course. :roll: When you mention hand feeding and holding the plate, yes, last night I did hold Tiger's bowl for dinner. She was not meatloafing, but I could tell she wasn't 100% and she didn't eat a lot. I am freaking out about the subQ fluids, I admire those of you who administer them regularly. I am such a weanie about needles, it's a wonder I could learn to poke Tiger's ear and give shots. :oops:

Marje, thanks again and I bet if I want the spec fPl done, Tiger will have to be fasting again. Do you think it makes sense to have the test run at this point? I think it is, but I know DH will say if she's improving, who do it. RE:the diet? The vet said Tiger should continue on Wellness, and not the DM! I have her almost weaned completely to Wellness low carb and Core. I only gave her DM yesterday because I knew she would eat it, but I bet that's what made her sicker now that I think about it. :oops:
 
You'll have no problem with fluids! It's like giving a 5 minute insulin shot...it's really not that bad. Those of us with FD kitties already have the advantage of knowing our way around a needle.

I'm so glad Tiger is already feeling better - sending prayers that her bout with p-titis is super-duper brief!!
 
I don't think anyone runs the old test any more. I wasn't aware of it being called fPL. Max's p'itis is always sent to IDEXX. I wouldn't bother running it now as it won't change treatment in any way. I'm glad she is showing improvement. It could very well be an acute attack and she might not ever gave another one. I sure hope not. It's scary when it happens that way because everything goes south so quickly. The good news is she got treatment right away. You are a really great mama. Your quick actions helped get her vs k on track so fast.
 
Thanks Amy!

Elise, you are not kidding- it was astounding how quickly things went south!! Yesterday, everything was fine until I came home around 5:30 and saw the LB. This has been too scary, I don't know which is worse the acute or chronic. The vet says it could turn into something chronic too, but I'm praying it won't. Thanks again!
 
Thank you so much Liz, I am with you, I have no stomach for blood and guts :oops: :oops: But I know it is going to come down to giving those fluids between this and CKD so thanks for that video link, I knew Marje had that video but forgot all about it!

And thanks also for Michelle and Julie, You all have no idea how much your support means to us!!! And your kind thoughts are helping too! When i got the call from the vet, she blurted out right away how much better Tiger was doing, it makes this old heart feel so much more hopeful!
 
(((Ruth and Tiger)))

I'm so sorry to hear that Tiger has pancreatitis...I'm sending so many vines her way and your way!!! :YMHUG: :YMHUG: :YMHUG: I don't know much about it at all, but it sounds like she is on the right meds, and of course you are in the right place for advice. I'll be thinking of both of you. I hope she starts to feel even better soon.
 
I think it's ok to not worry about the test now. See how she does.....you can always get it later if necessary.

The big thing about the fluids is it will really help if your DH or a friend helps you the first couple of times. It's just better I think to have help until you get into the rhythm. Let me know if you have any questions about it. It is also linked in the Primer post.

Try to get some rest because you'll be on 24/7 nursing care when she comes home.
 
((((Ruth)))),
We are sending the most beautiful healing vines to Tiger and hope that when she gets home tomorrow she will be much better. Rusty has had mild pancreatitis several times. There is a "snap fPL" blood test that the vet can do in her office if she has the IDEXX equipment. This will only tell you whether or not Tiger has pancreatitis. The "spec fPL" is the definitive test and will give you a number that will tell you how severe it is (rather than just a yes or a no). I am glad we had the spec fPL done, because the number is a baseline and can be compared with any future pancreatitis flares.

The most important thing is that Tiger eats, even if you have to feed her higher carb food because she likes it and will eat it. You can always raise her insulin dose if necessary.

Hugs and scritches,

Ella & Rusty
 
The number on the p'itis test doesn't show severity. A higher number is just definitive that they have it. Max has acted much sicker with worse symptoms with 7 or 8 than a 50 and the same has been seen in many cats. The problem with the SNAP test is that a borderline test might just show up as positive. Unless an immediate result is needed I would never go with the SNAP. We rarely test now but just treat the symptoms.

How is Tiger this morning? Is she coming home soon? Oh, as for fluids she might not even need them but if she does you will do it without trouble.
 
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