Anyone experienced this - Diabetic cat w/ Pancreatic Tumor??

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Stephanie76

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My 14 year old male cat was diagnosed with Diabetes in Feb 2009. He has been on Vetsulin ever since. His original dose was 2 times higher than it is now. He has gradually gotten to go down on his dose since the beginning of this year. This past Wednesday he acted like he didn't feel good. So, Thursday I called the vet. They told me to bring him in Friday (yesterday) for a fructose test. They said it sounded like he was getting too much insulin. He was acting tired (lethargic), glossy eyed, etc. So, yesterday the vet told me that his fructose level was in the range that it needed to be so his insulin level wasn't the problem. He said something else on the test indicated that it was his kidneys (I don't remember what it was). He felt of his kidneys and said that they were enlarged 2 times what they should be. So, he did a senior profile on him and his BUN and Creatine level were about 3 times what they should be. So, he gave him fluids (he was dehydrated) and a shot called Convenia (antibiotic shot) and told me to call him this Monday to let him know how he was doing. Well, last night I was sleeping and I heard him moving around. I jumped up and he was having a seizure (first one he has ever had). He was panting, jerking, tongue sticking out and foaming at mouth a little. I felt so bad for him. After his seizure, I picked him up to love on him and he peed on me and the floor. I got a little honey and put it in his mouth. I wasn't sure what the seizure was from (because the vet had just told me that his blod sugar was fine). So, this morning I took my cat to the vet again and he said his blood sugar was in the normal range, but on the lower side, so not to give him his insulin. He also did an ultrasound on his belly area and showed me his kidneys. He wanted to see if maybe he had a tumor or cancer in his kidneys. Kidneys were enlarged, but no tumors or cancer. The vet said his liver was fine. When he saw his pancreas, he noticed he had a tumor. So, my cat has a pancreatic tumor, along with diabetes. I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced this and what can you tell me that will help me out? I did ask the vet if I needed to put him to sleep. He said not as of now, but when his quality of life was gone, then yes. Right now, all my cat has been doing is laying down. He ate a some earlier and even cleaned himself...but other than that, he doesn't do much. I am really upset and looking for anyone who has experienced this and can give me words of advice.
 
First - why did your vet give the covenia? There was no mention of an infection, and with the possible bad side effects from that shot, I really wish he hadn't of given it. Please see some of the recent threads about this long lasting antibiotic.

Second - did your vet tell you to administer fluids on a regular basis? If the BUN and creat. were that high, then I would strongly recommend giving fluids to help flush toxins out of his system and keep him hydrated. There is a CRF support group out there for kitties - maybe someone can point you to it more specifically than I can.

Third - it is very important to home test your kitty's blood glucose levels. What your vet is doing is basing everything off of an average glucose level from the past 3 weeks (fructosamine test). This does NOT tell you his glucose level right now! The Relion meters at walmart are pretty cheap, fairly accurate, and the test strips are some of the cheapest you will find. I personally use the Relion Confirm meter since it uses the smallest blood sample.

I am very sorry to hear about your poor baby not doing well. We will do everything we can to help point you in the right direction so that he can feel better soon!!!
 
is he in pain at all? did vet give any pain meds?
don't know offhand whether anyone here has a cat with a pancreatic tumor but wouldn't doubt it. first thing i'd expect is a lot of pain with pancreatitis, and a way to treat that is subQ fluids, pain meds, & pepcid AC or injectable pepcid.
if you get a chance i'd have an fPLI done to test for pancreatitis, and bloodwork done to make sure there's no anemia from the convenia shot.
 
He did say that his white blood cell count was a little high, so that would indicate an infection somewhere. I'm assuming that is why he gave the Convenia shot. I did ask him about the side effects of this shot, and he said that he hadn't seen any when giving them shot. The vet gave the fluids before I left because he said he was dehydrated. He didn't say anything about me giving them to him. He didn't say anything yesterday what his glucose level was, but today when I took him he said it was 133 (I believe I remember that correctly).

My cat doesn't act like he's in a lot of pain. He does have arthritis, so I give him joint gel (glucosamine) for that.

He's aging quickly - arthritis, developing cataracts, etc...I just want him to be comfortable. And I don't know at what point I should put him to sleep. If it was up to me, I wouldn't put him to sleep...but I don't want to keep him alive for my selfish reasons, and I don't want to see him in pain like he was when he had his seizure. His poor eyes made it look like to me that he was scared.
 
Hi Stephanie

I'm sorry to hear this. Are you in a city where you can go to see an internal medicine specialist for another ultrasound and a second opinion? Ultrasonography isn't easy, and when a tumor is diagnosed it is always good to have a second opinion. Also it doesn't sound like your vet has given you many options. I agree that you need to start testing at home so that you know if he does have a seizure, if it's related to his blood sugar.

Regarding the pancreatitic tumor, I would want a second opinion to say if there is a tumor and if it is actually on the pancreas. Older cats can get bubble-like cysts on their livers and this can always be confusing for an ultrasonographer who has not had extensive training and experience. To be honest I'm most worried about the big kidneys. In an older cat I'd be worried about renal lymphoma, especially given the recent seizure. It would help a great deal to know if the seizure was BG-related or not. Other possibilities for enlarged kidneys include a type of kidney disease called glomerulonephritis or (less likely) pyleonephritis. Other tests will determine if these diseases are likely.

You can check out acvim.org for listings of internal medicine specialists in your area. I strongly encourage you to get a second opinion on this pronto (Monday or Tuesday, not waiting a few weeks). I would also pick up a BG meter tomorrow and practice getting a BG so you can monitor his need for insulin at home.

Please keep posting and keep us updated. I know this has to be very tough on the both of you.
 
Well, I wanted you to know that my cat died Sept 21, 2010.

Since my last post, I took him to the vet on August 21, and the vet said he had lost 4 pounds in a month. He was 17.4 to begin with, and he was down to 13.4. The vet said that wasn't a good sign, and he contributed it to his kidney failure. He wanted me to bring Leroy back in a couple of weeks later to weigh him. I took him in on Sept 11, 2010 and the vet weighed him. He was 13.6 pounds. The vet said he was doing good. He was more energetic since we lowered his insulin, just seemed to be doing better in every way.

On Sept 21, 2010, my boyfriend got off work early. He came home and said that Leroy walked by him and meowed at him (normal action) and headed to his bed. My boyfriend heard him cough 2 times and didn't think much about it. He was on the phone with his boss. He walked back in the room and saw Leroy laying on the floor like he was sleeping (sometimes he did this). He called Leroy's name and he didn't move. He went over and started messing with him and he said he was dead. He called me at work to tell me to come home immediately.

I can't help but wonder if there was something I could have done to save him. If I did something wrong. He was already dead by the time I got home, but I wonder why. The vet said he was doing so much better since his episode in July (was giving 7 units 2 times a day, had a seizure, vet lowered insulin to 3 units 2 times a day, also said he had a pancreatic tumor and was in renal failure). Ever since that diagnosis in July, the only worry was him losing weight. But the last time he went to the vet he had gained 0.2 pounds. He seemed ok. I noticed he seemed tired the Sunday before he died, but not to the point that I was worried about his health.

I really miss him, and I keep questioning myself. It's really hard not knowing what happened. Two days after my cat died, my grandfather died. His was expected and his was a gradual decline in health. I knew it was coming, so I don't find myself questioning things like I am with my cat.
 
oh, stephanie, i am so sorry. (((Stephanie)))
i know it's so normal for us to do it but please don't second guess yourself. seems as if he just had a lot of things wrong and couldn't conquer them.
very sorry for your loss.
fly free, leroy.
 
(((((((((((((((((((((STEPHANIE)))))))))))))))))))))))

I am so very sorry for your loss. Sending many cyber hugs. Tears falling for you. Leroy is flying free, whole and healthy over the Rainbow Bridge. rb_icon

wings_cat
 
Wow. It sounds like he didn't suffer at all, and he passed away at home. What a nice way to go to heaven. May God bring you comfort and peace now.
 
What a lovely way to go!

Now he is pain free, and he went, knowing he was loved and cared for. You could not have done more.

Bushey just curled himself into a ball, tucked his nose into his tail, and breathed his last.

I'm sure there was a great welcome awaiting your precious one when he got to Rainbow Bridge, and he will soon learn to send you a rainbow to comfort you.

Take care

Mary(UK)
 
I'm sorry for your loss ... we lost our boy Cheddar just shortly after he turned one. He showed absolutely no signs of illness from the time we got him (7 weeks) till the time he passed. He laid down to nap with me one afternoon and after about 20 minutes got up, walked over to his toys and passed away by the time I was able to sit up on the couch and call his name. I'm not sure why he left us so soon when he wasn't sick (as far as we knew) but all I do know is that while he was here, he was loved, he was happy. I would have to say the same for Leroy. He was safe, he was happy, he was loved and he went peacefully in the home he knew.
 
Stephanie, I am so sorry for you loss.

Our cat Buffy passed away yesterday morning. He too had a tumor/cyst on his pancreas.

We took him to the vet on Tuesday, he was severly dehydrated, and his gloguse was almost 700.
By the evening Buffys sugar was 84, vet said he wanted to keep in for the night to keep an eye on him.
Buffy passed during the night. The vet thinks that the cyst might of burst which may have released toxins
in to Buffys bllod stream, which led to his death.

I hope you find peace
 
I'm so sorry for the losses of such loved pets... There is just never enough time with them... but I know they leave us knowing that they are loved... Our pets know that for sure.
 
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