Cat is so sick and no definitive answer

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SoCalcoolcatt

Member Since 2010
Two of you were so very kind to respond to my question about Pancreatitis last week. I feel like I am going to fall apart from the stress of this last 3 weeks. My cat is so sick and just seems to be trending worse despite daily calls with my vet and trying all sorts meds.

I just need to know that there is some hope, some answer to what o what is wrong with my cat. He had an abdominal ultra sound and an x ray. I don't know the technical jargon but some signs of thickening of the thick layers of intestine, signs of some inflammation in the liver and signs of pancreatitis. The thing is he has been on Clavamox, 2 shots of prednisone, pepsid (1/2 of 10 mg twice a day), cerenia, mirtazipine appetitie stim, and today we got more Sub Q fluids, a new blood test, and metronidazole antibiotic. Nothing seems to help, yet on some days he responded to the appetite stim and ate a lot, then looked terribly ill or sedated or pained lying in this very strange long sort of log position and burping. I have tried to get my vet to give us bup for pain but he is totally not receptive. He says it doesn't fix the problem, just masks it. I do have some butorphanol (Torbugesic) from an arthritis flare up but I read the side effects are vomiting and nausea and we can't have any more of that. He's already doing nausea licksand burping with all the other anti nausea meds in him, and this whole nasty saga seems to have been kicked off by the treatment they gave him for an arthritis flare up with butorphanol Torbugesic and Cosequin.

Is it normal for pancreatitis to last 3 weeks?? My vet examined him and said he can't find any obvious pain response in the abdomen. I talk to him tomorrow to get the blood test results. In the last 3 days all my cat does is lie on the sofa or the bed. Barely gets up and now is not responding to the appetite stim he had 32 hours ago. Just barely eating. Vet keeps insisting its pancreatitis but I am really having serious doubts. I wonder if its the Fancy Feast he's been eating for last 2 years. I'm scared to change his food and introduce a new variable. I'm sorry to ramble on. It just I've been so worried and lost for 3 weeks. I feel like I am torturing him with all these terrible tasting meds that make him feel worse not better. I feel like I am failing my cat. Could this be something else besides pancreatits? I mean at this point the vet has exhausted all the meds he said he uses to treat pancreatitis.
 
awwwww, I'm so sorry your kitty is not feeling well .. I don't have any experience with pancreatitis, but I'm going to link this over to the lantus land forum and see if we can get more eyes on here for you and your kitty .. hang in there!!!
 
If you were to talk to a human who's suffered from pancreatitis, they would tell you it's an incredibly painful condition. Pain management is definitely needed and is recommended. Please take a look at this clinical roundtable on pancreatitis by veterinary experts. Pay special attention to page 11 where pain management is discussed. I'd suggest getting this article to your vet and if he still is reticent to give you buprenorphine, get 2nd opinion as others have suggested.

There are any number of cats here who have recovered from pancreatitis, my own included.
 
I am going to tell you that what is happening to you is exactly what happened to me with my diabetic cat Lilly. I went round and round with my vet taking her in every other day, giving her appetite stimulants, cerenia, etc, she had pancreatitis as well, they would not give me the buprenex either. It got to the point she stopped eating altogether and got so sick I had to have her put to sleep. Some times pancreatitis requires the cat to be in the hospital on IV fluids, pain meds, anti nausea. it sounds like your cat is really sick I would find another vet who knows what they are doing. Yes, pancreatitis is very painful and thats why they sit in what called a meatloaf position, with their paws tucked underneath them.

Terri
 
I would find another vet also, and as Sienne said, pancreatitis is a painful thing, and if your vet is insisting that's what it is, I would demand pain meds. My cat has chronic pancreatitis, and it has flared up several times in the past, but she's never been anywhere near as sick as your cat sounds.
 
Sorry to hear about your kitty being sick.
There is hope.
I know from personal experience, when DC was diagnosed in the spring he was quite sick for almost a month.
What seemed to help him the most was the SubQ fluids I gave him, as well as the Ondansetron.
He still receives 1mg Ondansetron 2 times a day and is doing quite well.
He was also getting a very small dose of bupe at the beginning.
He also received B12 injections weekly and he now gets them monthly.
He is now almost like his old self.
 
Thank you so much for those who responded. I have not yet heard from our vet. Still waiting for him to call back with blood test results. I'm guessing he didn't find anything because its late in the day now and if he thought we needed new medicine, he would call before his office closed. I wish I could take my cat in for another opinion but I have zero money. I've been with this vet for 10 years and he lets me put the care on account with his office.

Does anyone know why the pain medicine helps them with pancreatitis healing? I read thru that wonderful symposium and it doesn't really say. If I could put forth a case for why it could help heal my cat (ie not just mask the problem), maybe we could sell our vet on bupe. I do have a few syringes of pre-drawn bupe liquid (for mouth) left over from another bigger cat, but they say the expiration date says Sept 2010. Each syringe has .2 ml in it. This cat is about 8 1/2 pounds now and the cat it was prescribed for was about 16 pounds. The syringes have been sitting on the kitchen counter for 2 years.

Would it be a bad idea to try to give maybe .1 of this old bupe???
 
if it were my cat and I had it to do all over again I would insist on the buprenex, you are the one paying for it. It is expensive too. Pancreatitis is painful to the cat and they have upset stomach therefor do not want to eat.
If you look at various websites they will tell you pancreatitis is painful in the cat I would find that and print it out and take it in there.

Terri
 
We just got off the phone with the vet. The blood tests continue to point to intestinal and pancreatic issues, nothing in kidneys or liver. I was finally able to talk him into bupe!!!!!! We are going to try that overnight and then he said tomorrow we will talk about Vitamin B-12 injections, Reglan injections and Pepsid injections. I am so relieved that he admitted that Bupe might be part of the missing pieces of our puzzle. Thank you to everyone who suggested we really push for it. We will let you know if it helps. There are bound to be others out there who go thru something like this with their cats and maybe we can save them and their cats from our experience.
 
I hope kitty is feeling better!

I read that a study was done and, same as people, animals heal faster/better when they're not in pain. I wish I could find the link; I'll see if I can find it when I go on my laptop later. It wasn't on pancreatitis specifically but I'd assume it works similarly.
 
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