Frank Has Pancreatitis

Status
Not open for further replies.
P

Pace and Frank

Member Since 2011
Hello My Friends ,
I now know why Frank was not eating any FF food. Just dx with Pancreatitis , not good. He has been on a honeymoon for years but now i am keeping a daily bg watch. So far his bg is in the double digits. Question for any that have dealt or are dealing with pancreatitis .....what medical test did your vet use and what foods are you feeding. Are you adding any extras. A few months ago he had one of his thyroids removed because of a tumor and medicine could not help (dx then with hyperthyroidism ). He has been through so much and now this. Every other day i am giving him sub-q fluids..........In 3 weeks he has lost almost a pound.
With our Love
Pace and Frank
 
Pace and Frank said:
Hello My Friends ,
I now know why Frank was not eating any FF food. Just dx with Pancreatitis , not good. He has been on a honeymoon for years but now i am keeping a daily bg watch. So far his bg is in the double digits. Question for any that have dealt or are dealing with pancreatitis .....what medical test did your vet use and what foods are you feeding. Are you adding any extras. A few months ago he had one of his thyroids removed because of a tumor and medicine could not help (dx then with hyperthyroidism ). He has been through so much and now this. Every other day i am giving him sub-q fluids..........In 3 weeks he has lost almost a pound.
With our Love
Pace and Frank
Click to expand...

Did your vet have the fPLI test done and what was the resulting number? Under 3.5 is negative, 3.5 - 5.0 is a grey area and above 5.0 is a positive.

Treatment is usually daily subQ fluids you can give at home, and buprenex for the pain. To help with the nausea, you can give Pepcid AC, 1/4 tab BID of the regular strength 10mg. Daily max for cats is 5mg.
How much fluids are you giving - it would be better to give daily, and just reduce the amount. If you are giving 150cc every other day, you would be better to give 75cc each day.... you want to be flushing regularly.
My vet had me start with B12 injections at home weekly and it helped with Shadoe's pancreas inflammation a great deal. I did not change her diet; stuck with the usual LC friskies pates.
 
I second everything Gayle said above. My cat gets the 1/4 Pepcid twice a day, 50 ml of sub q fluids every other day (low dose due to heart issues), .20-.25 of Buprenorphin injection twice daily as needed, B12 injection once every 3 weeks, and 2-3 capsules of pancreatic enzymes (Biokase) added to every meal. The enzymes are a new addition as he had started to lose weight in spite of an increased appetite. The food (FF Classic Chicken) was just passing right through him. He was diagnosed by fPli and by an ultrasound. His fPli never really goes down so we've stopped doing repeat testing with each flare up. Of all the treatments, I see the most immediate improvement from the enzymes and the fluids, but I think each of the treatments combined is what keeps the flare ups to a minimum.
 
Hello to Gayle and Ellen

I sent both of you a PM , did you get it ? Maybe I sent it incorrectly or you both have been really busy. Frank is now just eating a few bites of food . For the first time ever he has turned down his beloved raw chicken and even his favorite treat. Tonight I gave him half of his regular schedule amount of sub=q fluids like you had suggested , will give the remaining amount tomorrow. Hope to hear back from you.

Am so grateful for your help
Pace and Frank
 
Hello Pace & Frank,
just want to add that couple of months ago, there was a post here on this Health forum from someone who's used plain unflavored Aloe Vera juice (not gel) for pancreatitis in her cats with good results over many years - with her vet's approval, starting with 1/4 tsp, I think. Perhaps, you might wish to search her out & PM her. If I remember correctly, her name is CherylA'Purrson. Would love updates on how Frank does. So sorry about Frank and best wishes, Sophie
 
I'm so sorry Frank! I didn't see a PM.

Not eating and losing weight is really concerning. Redd had a really bad pancreatitis attack last fall and stopped eating. He lost weight, was not moving much and was walking funny when he did get up. He ended up with an overnight stay at the ER vet. He needed major fluids, liquid nutrients, antibiotics & pain meds to pull out of it. I thought I was going to lose him when I left him that night but the next morning he was back to "normal" again. I'd suggest getting him to your vet first thing in the morning tomorrow. They can get some liquid nutrients in him and flush out the panc enzymes with fluids to try to get him from acute pancreatitis back to just regular chronic pancreatits. I hope that helps. Good luck!!!!

Ellen and Redd
 
Hi Ellen :

Already posted about Frank and You and Gayle responded. Have been giving Frank fluids since he was dx on 6/28 . Giving 150cc of lactated solution 3 times a week. That day he was given an antibiotic 2 week lasting shot Convenia , Cerenia for nausea , and a B complex shot. Took him back on 7/3 blood work perfect and to continue with sub-q fluids and also I could give a B12 shot once a week.....this I learned from you and Gayle. Also from the both of you I , last night did 1/2 of fluids and will do the other half today......Gayle said needed regular flushing. In my PM that obviously I incorrectly sent , I asked about the Biokase to add to his food and where did you get it. Also , how do I know if he is in PAIN to give the Buprenex , and where do i get that. And YES < YES , YES his back legs are turning inward and somewhat unsteady on his feet. Hope you and Gayle see this soon and respond. Have a call into my Dr.

Am scared and worried.;
Pace and Frank
 
I only know what my vet said when Redd was sick but for him the walking funny was from serious dehydration and possibly also some muscle loss in his back legs due to not eating. I've never had to deal with hepatic lipidosis myself but I know that is also of great concern when they're not eating. Can you syringe feed him liquidy food or maybe pop little balls of food in like pills until you can get him to the vet? As for pain, it's hard to know for sure but my vet said it's better to err on the side of giving it rather than witholding it. It's not going to hurt him to get a small dose of pain meds even if he's not actually in pain that moment. Redd's signs are groaning, not moving, curling up in a ball or loaf position, growling when I touch his belly, and a grumpy/sad look in his eyes. About an hour after he gets his meds, he's usually sitting up and moving around more. My doc prescribes the Buprenorphin and they order it from a veterinary pharmacy for me so it's cheaper. (Diamondback Pharmacy). The pancreatic enzymes first came from my vet as Viokase but there seems to be some kind of shortage or backorder issue, so I have to order the non-prescription brand called Bio Case V online (from Healthypets.com). It's the same but a little less strong than prescription. We did not test first as it required fasting which is hard for a diabetic. It was pretty clear something was causing him to not absorb nutrients in digestion as he ate & pooped constantly but lost weight so we just tried it to see if it would help and it did. Maybe you could try that after you get frank stable again. He may not need it though. Reds had pancreatitis for a year before this started to happen.

First things first is to get him fully hydrated and get some nutrients in him with your vets assistance. Good luck!!!
 
I forgot to add some encouragement. Hang in there and just focus on getting Frank through this episode and back on track again. Once he's there, you can adjust your daily care routine. My motto is do whatever works day to day. Pancreatitis is so frustrating because it changes his confition so often. Just when I've got his insulin dose set, he flares and his numbers skyrocket. Just when I've adjusted for that, his pancreas kicks into gear again and he bounces because his insulin dose is too high for a working pancreas. Then I think he's looking good so I give him the bupe and fluids less frequently and he's totally fine UNTIL some random day when he takes a turn for the worse again. In my guy's case, it also affects his intestines as he has IBD which can both cause and be caused by pancreatitis. It's really hard so you just have to do the best you can to treat the symptoms as they come up and give them the daily maintenance they need to try to keep flare ups away. I know it's a lot to keep track of. Just roll with it each day as best you can.

Ellen
 
Talked with my vet and this is the game plan for the next few days. I will give Frank for the next four days a shot of Cerenia for nausea , Even though he is not throwing up Frank could still be nauseas on his stomach and that is causing him to not eat. If I do not see an increase in his appetite by Sunday I will give him Mirtazapine to help stimulate his appetite , this is in a pill form. Continue 150cc of fluids 3 days a week. Thank you for the encouraging words and to take each day as a new one. I know my nerves are on edge right now , Tuesday I go back to Duke Hospital in North Carolina for my 6 month cancer check for lung cancer. I have been in remission for about a year ,I go with a positive attitude but still a little scared until the Dr. gives me my test results.

Many blessing I send your and Redd's way
Always grateful
Pace and Frank
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top