4/14 Tessie Lou AMPS 313 +1.5 316 - CP & Diet??

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tessielou

tessielou

Member Since 2010
Good Morning!
Yesterday Tessie had an ultrasound by a radiologist, followed by a preliminary diagnosis of Chronic Pancreatitis. Vet used term "hyperechoic pancreas." I was told the single most critical thing that must happen is, she MUST lose weight. (she is 17 1/2 lbs) I must reduce her calories by 15% and monitor closely. I'm working on a new diet/feeding schedule today. I have already reduced her from 11 oz of Merrick's a day to 9 oz, over the course of two months. She has lost a whopping 2 oz. :roll:

This morning, was the second visit to get a fasting blood work done to send to Texas A&M. Everything went perfectly, except poor Tessie Lou ran to the LB when we got home. Poor girl had been holding it. We'll get results in a week, although vet said she would call me tomorrow with liver enzymes?

Picking up from last night's thread...

Cheryl, thanks so much for stopping by. I know you are still grieving the loss of Miss Witty, so your post means a lot to me. You wrote that Whiskers had pancreatitis, and that you used Bupenophine when she had a Ptitis flair. My vet suggested either Metcam, Tramadol, or Bupe for pain. Did you think the Bupe worked well? Did it have any side effects?

Karrie, good to hear from you! I miss you and hope you are doing ok, as difficult as it is to lose a dear kitty like Maverick. I remember from your profile that Maverick had a slow recovery from Feline Hepatic Lipidosis. I have printed out your advice and will post it on the fridge as I start this diet process with Tessie. Thank you so much for that information, and please take care of yourself. I almost feel like there should be a Sticky about FHL on the Board, since so many sugarcats are overweight and have the potential to get this. Maybe there is one...?

My question is, is anyone out there dealing with these two issues (CP and dieting) right now? And if so, what is working for 1) pain medication, and 2) feeding schedule. This is going to be a delicate balancing act, I think.

Time to do some more research on calories. Have a great day, everyone!
 
tessielou said:
My vet suggested either Metcam, Tramadol, or Bupe for pain.

My question is, is anyone out there dealing with these two issues (CP and dieting) right now? And if so, what is working for 1) pain medication, and 2) feeding schedule. This is going to be a delicate balancing act, I think.
Click to expand...

Here is the link to Dr. Lisa's page on weight loss:
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity

Metacam must never be given to a cat. There is now a warning label on the package. It is associated with acute renal failure and death. Buprenorphine gives very good results. At higher doses it can be very sedating. Tramadol is also acceptable, but I have found that is carries some side effects such as agitation. With either drug, it is good to start at a low dose and monitor for side effects.

There used to be a school of thought that high dietary fat worsened symptoms of pancreatitis. Although that theory has generally been dismissed, some owners still report anecdotally that higher fat foods aggravate CP.

I give my CP kitty Ursodiol (Actigall), which might also be helpful with the "sludge" that your vet mentioned.
 
Linda, thanks so much for this great info! And, I'm so sorry for your loss of Bear. I watched your tribute video and really enjoyed it. He was so noble looking. I know how much you must still miss him. I have to marvel at someone who has lost their dear kitty and who still shows up here to help others. Thank you.
 
I have used both bupe and tramadol and it seems that bupe is used more commonly. The tramadol must be horribly bitter - Oliver literally foamed at the mouth when it was slow going down - and tramadol also has a tendency of lowering BG in some cats, so you want to be sure you test to know how your cat is affected.

I wish I could help on the diet part of things, but I am in the same boat in trying to get Oliver to drops a few lbs!
 
Julie, she really doesn't show any interest in the laser light. She does like Da Bird, and we play with that every day. She won't chase it though. Just lays on her back and swats at it. :roll: Probably burns 25 calories doing that. Woohoo! I've been thinking now that the weather is getting nicer, to find a harness and take her on short walks outside. She loves to be outside on the screen porch, so I know she'd love it. Exercise would definitely help!

Sienne, thanks for the great links. I'm still reading them--a lot to digest and understand. Yes, it bothers me that she even put Metacam out there as a possibility, even though she said she "wasn't a fan because of serious side effects." ohmygod_smile

Gayle, thanks for the info on tramadol and bupe.I already tried Tramadol a few days ago and she had a severe reaction to it, so that's out. Do you know what the difference is between Bupe and Butorphanol? Is it that one is in pill form and one is sublingual? And, good luck with Oliver's weight. ;-) It's a challenge alright!
 
Hi Sandy,

We had good luck with Bupenophine. We were prescribed it as an oral liquid. I have definatly heard very bad things about Metacam, so I would want to stear clear of it.

It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with tessie Lou, asking question and becoming informed is important.

I hope Tessie is feeling a little better with the pain med.
 
Hi Cheryl, thanks for stopping by and for the kind words. I'm trying my best! That's all any one us can do, right?

I"m glad the Bupe is an oral liquid. I'm really not wanting to deal with more needles. I had read on this forum that Metacam was bad, but I wasn't sure what it was for before, so I didn't pay attention. Now I know, and I'm going to discuss it with my vet, too! Sheesh! Well, I don't mind educating a vet if they're the kind who are more interested in learning than maintaining their "lofty position" with us. Mine is absolutely great--a keeper. :-D

Thanks, too, Cheryl, for staying active on the forum. I really appreciate your thoughts, and hope you are doing ok. I know you must miss Whiskers so much. (((Cheryl)))
 
Butorphanol (Torbutrol) is the same -- it's an opiate. It's in pill, injectible, and nasal spray form. There are other forms of bupe that are oral liquids that you syringe into the cat's cheek pocket. This type of bupe isn't in that form.
 
Like the others have already said never used metcam my vets think nothing of using it and think its safe but after reading about it I would never use it for my cats. Moses is on bupe for his UTI injectable and has done well with it. Hope Tessie Lou is able to lose weight I weighed Do Lou this week and he is up to 16.15 which is way..... too much he has always been to heavy but he just keeps on gaining I mean he cannot see so you know its hard to get him to be active really I am trying to cut bk on his food now as well best to you on Tessie Lou(((((HUGS))) and healing vines being sent
 
Acros have a tendency of gaining weight, and laugh at you if you suggest any sort of activity.
 
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