Pancreatitis concurrent with diabetes

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Milhous

Milhous

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Are there many people on this forum who have had cats with both diabetes and pancreatitis? Our cat Milhous responded very well and quickly to Lantus, but it is evident that the pancreatitis is really causing him discomfort. He just won't eat. He shows interest in food and will nibble a tiny bit, but that's it. This is with an appetite stimulant. We are also giving him Pepcid, very low-dose prednisone and occassional pain meds. We're starting to get discouraged by his state and the vet can't really tell us much as each cat responds differently to any treatment.

Anyone having a cat with pancreatitis who can share his/her experience would be appreciated. Milhous has had no medical issues until now, he is currently 11.5 years old. We're going back to the vet today but I am starting to feel a bit discouraged by it all.

Thanks,

Mike
 
Gabby was a medical train wreck when she was diagnosed and quite honestly, I don't know if the FD or the p'titis came first. I tend to think it was the p'titis that may have knocked out the beta cells in her pancreas. At the time the FD was diagnosed, she had p'titis, heptic lipidosis and diabetic ketoacidosis. Two vets prepared me for the fact that some cats do not recover from DKA. After several days in the ICU, the specialist had run all of the necessary tests to establish the multiple diagnoses and her labs improved greatly. She came home on famotidine (Pepsid), an antibiotic (can't remember which one), cyproheptadine (appetite stimulant), and buprenex for pain. Aside from insuring that she was eating, what I was treating at home was the FD and p'titis.

What you're describing -- how Milhaus approaches food, nibbles, then leaves -- sounds like he's still nauseated. How much Pepsid are you giving? He may either need more or he may need a bigger gun as an anti-nausea med. I also posted in your other condo that I would really encourage you to give the pain meds consistently. There was a post on the earlier iteration of this Board where one of the members described her experience with p'titis. She said it was incredibly painful. Cats are masters at hiding pain. I would keep the pain meds coming until Milhaus is feeling better.

There are many cats here who deal with chronic p'titis. Their beans keep a toolkit stocked and are wonderful at recognizing the early signs so that it never goes into an all-out flare.
 
I posted in your other thread about Shadoe and her attack which was around Jan15/10. She was dx with FD months before that time. Also, since she is an acro cat, I believe her pancreas is functioning normally compared to other FD kitties.
I am not sure how they are related or if one may cause the other, but I now know what signs to suggest she may be having an attack, and it seems that once there has been an attack, there is a fair chance of others.
 
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