Nausea\Pancreatitis

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MiloMistyMax

Member Since 2012
I was reading in another thread about a cat who was nauseous and not eating. I've been struggling to get Milo to eat for weeks and I just now realized he gets nauseous sometimes. When I offer him a bowl he sometimes pulls his head away and backs up. I feel like he is giving a 'I'm about to hurl' face. Can they be nauseous without any underlying cause? I just brought him to the vet a week ago because of this and he didn't find anything wrong.

The nausea isn't a recent thing, it's been going on for months. I found this on a site "the most common causes are chronic renal failure, liver disease, pancreatitis, irritable bowel disease and cancer"

While at the vet we talked about his kidneys and his liver and both were fine. He doesn't have any bathroom issues. Can bloodwork indicate pancreatitis or would it not show up there?

Also I read about the two kinds of appetite stimulants. I gave him remeron this week and for the first few hours he acts kind of strange. Kind of agitated and restless. He looks tired but can't seem to shut his eyes. It does help him eat though. Is the one that starts with a C better usually? I read some really bad things about the Remeron/Mirtazapine. I tried giving him an eighth instead of a fourth but he still reacted the same way. I haaate making him feel that way so I am curious about the other kind.

I get nauseous everyday for no apparent reason so I am hoping maybe he is the same way :smile:
 
Re: Nausea causes

I would get him tested for pancreatitis. The best test is the Spec fPL, a test that is sent away and the results come back in a couple days. It should give you a number result which will let you know if he has pancreatitis. It is a fasting test. I found that a vet appointment first thing in the morning, works well when you don't feed him after midnight, and can get an appointment say at 8:00am and feed him right after the test. Do you home test? I would make sure and test him in those early hours of the appointment to keep him safe if you normally give his shot before 8:00am or whenever your appointment is.
I used to use mirtazapine, but now prefer cyproheptadine. Mirtz can be given every 3 days, and cypro can be given every day. I prefer the freedom to give cypro when I need it. I find that both begin to work in about a half hour.
However, if your cat is nauseas, you don't want to give an appetitant stimulant until the nausea has been addressed first. My cat gets 1/4 tablet Ondansetron for nausea, and if needed 1/4 cypro.
Here is a good link to read on Pancreatitis: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=79693
 
Re: Nausea causes

If nausea is a problem, it is possible that 1/4 tablet of Pepcid AC 10 mg given 15-30 minutes before the meal may enable eating.
 
Re: Nausea causes

I am going to pick up some Pepcid today and call tomorrow morning about the test. I am thinking that is definitely what it is.

He has been in remission since January but yesterday and today I tested him at 112 and 113. Not bad but normally he is around 80.


He doesn't seem to have a problem with baby food. They won't affect his blood sugar at all will they? I had a Gerber turkey leftover from another cat and he likes it. He will eat his freeze dried chicken too. All flavors of cat foods are bugging him today. He is not lethargic, not vomiting and doesn't seem to be in pain. And he is doing all the 5 P's :smile:
 
Thanks Dyana for your help. My vet did the snap and spec so he could compare. The snap said it is pancreatitis. He gave me some Cerenia but he didn't feel pain meds or fluids are necessary yet.

His BG was 180 but my vet is optimistic that he won't require insulin. I really hope so since I am supposed to go out of town next week for a whole week.
 
For the baby food, make sure there is no garlic and no onion; they can cause a fatal blood condition called methemoglobinemia.
 
My cat had pancreatitis twice, and yes it is painful. I would insist on pain meds, buprenex is usually what is given. Cerenia in shot version only lasts a day. I would also insist that they give you something else to take home for nausea. I think a lot of people here use Ondansetron to prevent the nausea and vomiting. They gave my cat Reglan.
I sure do hope Milo gets to feeling better.

Terri
 
I am surprised since the vets that I have used always recommended pain meds and subQ fluids for pancreatitis

Angela and Milo said:
Thanks Dyana for your help. My vet did the snap and spec so he could compare. The snap said it is pancreatitis. He gave me some Cerenia but he didn't feel pain meds or fluids are necessary yet.

His BG was 180 but my vet is optimistic that he won't require insulin. I really hope so since I am supposed to go out of town next week for a whole week.
Click to expand...
 
I have enough Cerenia to last 16 days. He might be waiting for the Spec test for anything else but Milo isn't dehydrated and he doesn't seem to be in pain. What kind of things do they do when they are in pain? He hasn't been hiding or meowing or hunching over. He seems perfectly normal except for the nausea. I would gladly get him the meds but I don't want to give him any if it's unnecessary.

I just tested his BG which I thought would be terrible since I gave him half a can of A/D an hour ago but it's at 96.
 
They will what they call "meatloaf". Sit like they are uncomfortable with paws underneath, move around alot. Sometimes meow more than usual. My cat used to hide too when she did not feel good.
He might just have a very mild case of pancreatitis. Hopefully thats it and he gets over very fast. Just watch for meatloafing, and any abnormal behaviour. Also if he starts throwing up or stops eating that is great cause for concern.

Terri
 
You can give 1/4 of that Cerenia tab s.i.d for 5 days, then stop for 2 days, and then you can go 5 days again. I had my IM vet double check it for me for Mishka.
 
No meatloafing either. That's what I am hoping for, a mild case. I know cats can hide things really well but I am really thinking he isn't in pain. After I saw his BG's from last night I cried for hours thinking he was in pain and I stayed up all night just waiting for 8am to come around but I can be really paranoid sometimes obviously.

There is no way he is dehydrated. He hasn't had diarrhea, he hasn't thrown up in weeks and he is drinking water a few times a day plus the water I put in his food.


I don't follow vets advice blindly but I have a really good vet. I read the vet horror stories on here and I am really thankful for him. He kept saying he wanted to wait and see what the Spec test said. The Snap one has colors I guess and the Spec is numbers. He said the Snap one is not the best. Which is what I read online as well.
 
Hope + (((Baby)))GA said:
You can give 1/4 of that Cerenia tab s.i.d for 5 days, then stop for 2 days, and then you can go 5 days again. I had my IM vet double check it for me for Mishka.
Click to expand...

I asked him about that as well because I read that post about pancreatitis and he said the same thing. I went in with a few pages saved on my tablet and some notes I took while I stayed up all night.
 
If you ask any human who has pancreatitis, they will say that it's very painful.
Buprenex is needed for your cat; tell your vet that you want to have some on hand because some cats often have flares, so you need to give pain meds when the flare occurs.
Also, subQ fluids help a great deal; you can talk to your vet about getting a kit to give the fluids at home.
 
Remember I said that he isn't even positive he has pancreatitis yet. I am not going to just immediately shove drugs into him before he has been diagnosed. If I need the meds I can just go pick them up any time. I appreciate all the advice but this is what I am doing. My cat isn't in pain so I am not going to drug him. And honestly I don't think the fluids are necessary. Not every cat is the same. You can think what you want of me but I am doing what is best for MY cat.


ETA: Just to be clear, I am not saying I will never give him the pain meds. But generally you should be sure the cat or human even HAS the disease before you start aggressively treating it. Tomorrow I will know. Then I will treat accordingly.
 
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