Looking for info on Pancreatitis?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Tiger(GA) and Ruth

Tiger(GA) and Ruth

Member Since 2014
Hi all,

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 ruth

I replied in your other thread but here is the link to the 101 sheet. It should answer most of your questions.

http://www.diabeticcathelp.com/COK/Pancreatitis.htm

The vet sounds like they are on top of it. If she stays in for just make sure they are getting her to eat. The pain relief and anti nausea should help with that. When she comes home make sure you have a supply of at least these two things to carry on going with and don't stop them too early. These meds will really support her to continue eating and drinking and help her to get better more quickly. It is either cerenia or ondansetron. Cerenia is better if the cat is being sick and it can be injected but traditionally is only given for 3 or 4 days before a break is needed for a day although some vets don't follow this. Long term I have found that for general nausea ondansetron is good (and cheaper) but if remi is sick I switch back to cerenia.

I am sure tiger will bounce back soon enough

Best wishes

Sarah
 
I'm really sorry to hear that Tiger's so poorly. Keeping fingers and paws crossed that she'll feel better soon. cat_pet_icon
 
There are two tests for pancreatitis. The Spec fPLI and the Snap test. If you do get a diagnosis of pancreatitis there is a pancreatitis group on yahoo that you might consider joining.

Sending good thoughts to you both.

Anita and Squeaker
 
The Snap fPL is a basic yes-no type of test. The spec fPL is quantitative and will give a number value. This is valuable because successive spec fPL tests at key milestones in treatement can indicate progress as numbers may head back towards health range.

To check for pancreatic enzyme insufficiency, IDEXX also do the fTLI test (again a quantitative test).

Tests for B12 and folate levels are a good idea, too.
 
Hello,

My Commanche just survived acute pancreatitis. It took a specialist to help him since he went downhill in 24 hours. They used a combination of blood tests and a sonagram to determine it was pancreatitis. His abdomen, pancreas, and liver were enlarges and all blood work came back that he had pancreatitis. They used a subcutanious fluids for 3 days (using a short acting insulin for better control) and he had to have a tube inserted for food by day 4 for a few days. Then finally he ate on his own and they were able to switch him back to his prozinc. It took about 10 days of hospitalization but he is doing well. Had a little trouble for 2 weeks to regulate his insulin because he as on a mix of low protein and low fat food.

Prays and kitty hugs for you and tiger :YMHUG:
 
My goodness, thanks so much to Sarah, Rhiannon, Critter Mom and "Crazycatlady"(That's what people call me :lol: for all of this information and I am so sorry so many of you have had to deal with pancreatitis. It has been a scary 24+hours, I don't know how all of you coped,b ut I feel pretty stressed out, but the good news is, my Tiger is home as of this morning. A little shaky, but I could tell she was glad to be home. When we went to the hospital, the Vet Techs said they were just getting her ready for her carrier but then these s$!!!%& dogs started barking and it scared her-when I entered the room, her fur was all standing up on end and she hissed at me! :shock: But when I put her carrier into her pen, she got immediately inside and looked at me as if to say, Get me home!! :smile:

I felt nervous to bring her home after only 24 hours- I am to give her Carafate, Famododine, Clavamox and Metrondiazole twice a day for a week. No IV given for at home but Tiger is drinking water. The vet felt it was okay to take her off Cerenia and Bupe for the time being as Tiger is eating very well on her own. The only bad thing is, I did not have them give her Lantus while she was hospitalized, plus her shot time was delayed this morning, so even though I had her ready for the end of DST, we're still off schedule :roll:

I have absolutely no knowledge of this disease, but have some questions: What kind of food was given for pancreatitis and diabetes kitties? We were sent home with Purina GN(Gastroenteritis Nutrition?) and told to gradually mix with her regular food, which is Wellness LC and Core over a period of 3-5 days. Does this sound reasonable? Vet recommends small meals, is this okay? My Tiger is a mini meal kitty, I can't keep her to eating only twice a day which is how she was fed at the hospital. :roll:

@"Crazycatkady" - I am so sorry to hear about your experience with Commanche but glad to her he survived; this is a truly scary thing to go through! :shock:
 
So glad to hear that Tiger's home! cat_pet_icon It is scary, so here's a comforting :YMHUG: for you.

I can only comment on what I fed Saoirse. She had very bad diarrhoea and was very nauseaous and inappetent at the peak of her flare. My vets recommended something bland and suggested the Hills i/d Gastrointestinal pouches. I didn't want to feed her a higher carb food because her BG numbers were deteriorating so we agreed that I would feed her poached chicken and broth to help her stabilise. During the worst of the flare I gave her hourly micro meals of 8g finely minced poached chicken breast and 24ml chicken broth (any more and she started doing the meatloaf crouch). The broth is great for keeping fluid levels up. She was on that for several weeks. I bought some timed feeders for her and they proved to be an invaluable aid to her treatment and helped me to get some sleep.

I was worried because Saoirse wasn't getting a nutritionally complete diet but at least she was eating with the help of her meds. Her Rx's included cyproheptadine for appetite, occasional doses of famotidine for stomach acid, and Stomorgyl 2 for any GI infection (contains metronidazole). Initially she was prescribed metoclopramide for nausea but she did better when our vet switched her to ondansetron. She also had a course of B12 injections (cyanocobalamin) which really gave her a boost.

It took several weeks and several attempts to find a complete food with low carbs that did not make Saoirse's symptoms worse. My first success was with Liquivite recovery food (main ingredients chicken meat, chicken liver, minerals and vitamins) and then a product called Kattovit (a limited ingredient paté containing chicken, minerals and vitamins). Following that, I introduced Smilla Kitten Food containing chicken and poultry (meat, meat by-products, vitamins and minerals plus a goodly amount of taurine (1500mg/kg) which, according to the research I've done, has anti-inflammatory properties). Since the switch to Smilla, Saoirse has improved greatly. She hasn't had an appy stimulant for weeks and her need for ondansetron is steadily reducing too. I still feed her about 10 meals a day, sizes varying from 12-24g with water added.

When trying to find a low carb food that would agree with Saoirse, I learned that less pungent foods were easier on her tum.

I'm sure other members will be along to share what helped with their kitties.

----

ETA: Raising food and water bowls helps with nausea/stomach acid discomfort, too.
 
Hi Aine, thanks so much for your valuable input and hugs! You went through quite a lot with Saroise, how very scary!! Was her initial diagnosis acute then? Was she hospitalized and did you give sub Q fluids?

I had posted this on Tight Regulation as well. One member brought up a very good point. The ER Vet prescribed both Clavamox and Metroindiazole. I gather the Metrondiazole was for diarrhea(which Tiger did have but it is gone now so far ) but the Clavamox sounds more for UTI, which she tested negative for last week. I am going to call that vet and see if this is necessary. I am having a terrible time pilling Tiger anyway. nailbite_smile So if she doesn't need this pill, it won't break my heart.

You had quite a time finding food for Saroise I see? So far, Tiger is eating Purina EN mixed with Wellness LC. I am praying for no eating problems. Do you use Forta Flora at all?

I just purchased a Petsafe feeder, but Tiger is scared of the noise it makes. At this point, she eats out of it if the lid is up :roll:
 
I'd definitely check with your vet about the antibiotic, Ruth. Normally you have to finish the course otherwise they may be rendered ineffective should they be needed again in the future.

I did try Saoirse with Fortiflora. I used it initially to help with the change from dry to wet food, but since she had the pancreatitis flare the slightest pinch makes her nauseated. She was treated with Pro-Kolin for the diarrhoea a couple of times. It's a kaolin paste with a probiotic added and that seemed to help a bit.

When Saoirse was initially diagnosed the pancreatitis was only discovered via ultrasound and a subsequent Spec fPL test. She only started showing symptoms when the vet that first treated her put her on a twice-a-day feeding schedule to accommodate the insulin she was first prescribed (Caninsulin and Hills w/d Dry). As a result, she started vomiting foam if she fasted for more than about 3-3½ hours. I moved Saoirse to our current practice - it's nearer to where we live - and they supported the feeding of wet low carb food for diabetic cats. A few weeks after start of treatment with Caninsulin Saoirse became inappetent and I think one of the foods I gave her was too rich and that triggered the flare-up. (The same food also upset my civvie Lúnasa's tum.)

Our vets are great in the support they provide to clients when it's possible to nurse pets at home, especially in the case of cats because the stress of the hospital environment can impede recovery. Our vets can access Saoirse's spreadsheet and with that information they now do the majority of our consults over the phone (less stress for Saoirse and much easier for me, since I'm agoraphobic). With that set-up and because I can't go out I was able to home nurse Saoirse. Because Saoirse willingly drank lots of chicken broth she didn't need sub-q fluids. I used BJ's secondary monitoring techniques to monitor Saoirse's calorie intake and hydration. Our vets were fantastic. They have their own out-of-hours service so it meant that at any time of day I could get help from them.

WRT the pet feeder, perhaps try gradually getting Tiger used to it in stages using freeze-dried treats? Maybe place a treat on top of the feeder when it's off, then give her a treat when the motor operates, then set the timer to short intervals with a treat instead of a meal in each feeder compartment? I don't have a Petsafe 5. I have Petpod feeders. The motor noise when the lids go up is helpful because it prompts Saoirse to eat (her liver and pancreas haven't quite fathomed out how to be hungry properly yet! :roll: )

It's great that Tiger's eating OK for you. Long may that continue! :YMHUG:
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top