Pancreatitis flareup, trace ketones

[Kara & Ember]

Im also just getting home from running around, so i’ll try and get her spreadsheet updated asap

 

[Kara & Ember]

Gave the elura and oh god the face she made at the taste broke a piece of my heart off… i feel so freaking bad… and now she wont even eat the lickable treats or drink water for me (or look at me ) Its supposed to start working within 24 hours, so im hoping i dont have to give her another and hoping that in the morning she’ll be back to interested in at least some of the options… im just so worried and upset.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Is she won’t take the elura, can you ask for one that you can rub on the ear?
When my Sheba had pancreatic flares she would often only eat dry md for a few days. Normally she never got it, but that was all she was interested in at first.
You are doing a great job.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Gave the elura and oh god the face she made at the taste broke a piece of my heart off… i feel so freaking bad… and now she wont even eat the lickable treats or drink water for me (or look at me ) Its supposed to start working within 24 hours, so im hoping i dont have to give her another and hoping that in the morning she’ll be back to interested in at least some of the options… im just so worried and upset.

I would switch to trans dermal Mirataz on the ear if possible for an appetite stimulant. Just start with a half dose to try to prevent overstimulation (restlessness, meowing, possible aggression, etc.)

 

[Kara & Ember]

Is she won’t take the elura, can you ask for one that you can rub on the ear?
When my Sheba had pancreatic flares she would often only eat dry md for a few days. Normally she never got it, but that was all she was interested in at first.
You are doing a great job.

thank you :hug: i did have a small breakdown and whether that was the cause or not, she did come out and eat a couple handfuls of dry. Took everything not to keep crying lol

idk how i would manage the transdermal since both of her ears are claimed by other transdermal meds, which is why we went this route. But i have a rx waiting for me at my normal vet (would have to be picked up on monday) so i can grab that first thing monday if this dose of elura doesnt do its job and i can figure out a way for the meds to share space and not cause an issue. It was touted as “disgusting taste, but very effective” so fingers crossed.

i havent even tried offering her the fancy feast wet options i picked up, and i’ll go shopping elsewhere tomorrow because i couldnt find a tuna without veggie broth and i forgot to pick up baby food to try. I’ll be a bit less heavy handed with the fortiflora tomorrow too and spread that out better. I think i am just very tired, and when shes mad at me, it makes it all so much worse heading to bed now, hopefully i’ll get more than 2hours sleep at a time tonight, and i’ll awaken to her screaming for food.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Have you thought about putting the elura into a capsule to disguise the taste?

 

[Kara & Ember]

Ugh she had diarrhea in the last few hours, and shes been yelling at me for the last 30-40 mins, but idk what she wants (she also maybe doesnt know or just wants to not feel sick…) she’s had diarrhea in the past due to gaba, and she had 100mg yesterday in the morning and another 50mg last night after i confirmed with the hospital it was ok to do so (and i didnt notice it until after i gave her another dose this morning, thinking she was not feeling well so gave her cerenia, ondansetron, and gaba 50mg)

Shes also had food she doesnt normally have (churus, a temptations purree, liquified m/d) plus all kinds of meds so i cant even really be sure what is causing it. Its a rare side affect of the elura, and a common one of the ondansetron she’s asking for (and drinking) quite a bit of water the past 30-40 mins. The vet said hed email my discharge notes but i dont think he ever did so im not sure if this is A Huge Concern or To Be Expected

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Email again and ask for the discharge notes. The staff would do it and maybe they forgot.
Maybe ask for another pain med instead of gaba. Maybe bupe.

 

[Kara & Ember]

I gave them a call and they didnt have them on file so apparently they just never got put into the system. The person I spoke to (receptionist) said it was possibly just the pancreatitis or unusual diet, and suggested trying a bland diet of boiled chicken/rice (if she would even eat it). I can try chicken again in a little bit (waiting to give meds a chance to kick in) but should i also try rice? She had quite a lot of new things yesterday. I feel awful but also she needs calories

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I would not give rice. That is high carb and it would not add any flavour or tempting I would think.
Persist with getting the discharge summary. That is just plain lazy of them not to have it in the system. pumpkin is also good for diarrhoea so you could give that a try.

 

[Kara & Ember]

She ate some chicken (pretty small amount), about a teaspoon of wet m/d, a palmful of dry, and about 1/3 of a can of fancy feast (ETA: ok we got it up to MOST of a can! Put the rest out for her in case she gets interested again in a little bit). Im trying to strike a balance of getting calories in and not upsetting her stomach. She keeps running away to hide in the bathroom (i have to close the bedroom door during med time or she’ll hide under the bed). She got her meds, 1.5u insulin. Gunna try to get another couple hours of sleep (i’m running on fumes and starting to get physically sick myself because of how poor my sleep has been), put food near the bed so she can hide while eating, and then do some syringe feeding if needed.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

She ate some chicken (pretty small amount), about a teaspoon of wet m/d, a palmful of dry, and about 1/3 of a can of fancy feast (ETA: ok we got it up to MOST of a can! Put the rest out for her in case she gets interested again in a little bit). Im trying to strike a balance of getting calories in and not upsetting her stomach. She keeps running away to hide in the bathroom (i have to close the bedroom door during med time or she’ll hide under the bed). She got her meds, 1.5u insulin. Gunna try to get another couple hours of sleep (i’m running on fumes and starting to get physically sick myself because of how poor my sleep has been), put food near the bed so she can hide while eating, and then do some syringe feeding if needed.

Well done Kara and Ember. That’s a definite improvement on the food intake. I hope you can get some sleep. It hard running on empty.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Ugh she had diarrhea in the last few hours, and shes been yelling at me for the last 30-40 mins, but idk what she wants (she also maybe doesnt know or just wants to not feel sick…) she’s had diarrhea in the past due to gaba, and she had 100mg yesterday in the morning and another 50mg last night after i confirmed with the hospital it was ok to do so (and i didnt notice it until after i gave her another dose this morning, thinking she was not feeling well so gave her cerenia, ondansetron, and gaba 50mg)

Shes also had food she doesnt normally have (churus, a temptations purree, liquified m/d) plus all kinds of meds so i cant even really be sure what is causing it. Its a rare side affect of the elura, and a common one of the ondansetron she’s asking for (and drinking) quite a bit of water the past 30-40 mins. The vet said hed email my discharge notes but i dont think he ever did so im not sure if this is A Huge Concern or To Be Expected

Actually Ondansetron is known to cause constipation. My bet is all the new foods. But you say gabapentin has also done that to her before so that may be contributing to it.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

She ate some chicken (pretty small amount), about a teaspoon of wet m/d, a palmful of dry, and about 1/3 of a can of fancy feast (ETA: ok we got it up to MOST of a can! Put the rest out for her in case she gets interested again in a little bit). Im trying to strike a balance of getting calories in and not upsetting her stomach. She keeps running away to hide in the bathroom (i have to close the bedroom door during med time or she’ll hide under the bed). She got her meds, 1.5u insulin. Gunna try to get another couple hours of sleep (i’m running on fumes and starting to get physically sick myself because of how poor my sleep has been), put food near the bed so she can hide while eating, and then do some syringe feeding if needed.

That’s more food than she’s eaten in a while it sounds like! I hope you slept!

 

[Kara & Ember]

She ate a couple more bites of chicken, but not interested in much else. Also tested her urine and shes at trace ketones again. I’m going to run to the store again and try to find some more food options and then I’ll get her spreadsheet updated; I think I can up her back to her 2u? Or maybe 1.75 at least?
Here’s her last 24 hours on the libre, both shots were 1.5u

 

[Kara & Ember]

Actually Ondansetron is known to cause constipation. My bet is all the new foods. But you say gabapentin has also done that to her before so that may be contributing to it.

yeah, or I guess just a symptom of the pancreatitis itself. But she did have quite a bit of variety yesterday (and also lickable treats which shes never had before). I’m trying to limit it a bit more today, i have one more can of the ff variety she ate this morning (salmon and tuna) so I’ll prob pick up one more of those and see if theres any other options (pickings were slim at walmart, im going to brave the saturday crowd to go to the grocery store and the pet store and maybe target, theyre all in the same area). Also going to try to find a suitable tuna and baby food.
Will mix up a new batch of the wet m/d with some pumpkin mixed in to syringe feed if needed (ive thrown out so much food the past couple days lol)

That’s more food than she’s eaten in a while it sounds like! I hope you slept!

yes i was very excited! I just hope it continues. She seems so sad
I did get some sleep, but yeah im definitely not getting the best lol i was also able to take a much needed shower, and trying to make sure i eat too (last thing i need is myself getting sick as well, as im on my own in this).

 

[Kara & Ember]

Back with a haul; baby food, tuna in water, chicken pouch, FF options, and i also got this chicken stock - can someone confirm my thoughts that this is ok (no onion/garlic)? All the other types of this brand (including the not unsalted version of this) listed onion, so i bought it on the assumption that there wouldnt be any since its not listed?

 

[Kara & Ember]

brand

 

[Kara & Ember]

spreadsheet updated - she's been hanging out steady this cycle at the 1.5u; with the ketones, I want to try and do her normal 2u. If she won't eat on her own, I'll syringe feed her as much as I can so that I can safely do it. Going to try to coax her out from under the bed now to give ondansetron and gaba.

I think I'm going to call the hospital and see if they are willing to do the esophageal feeding tube without hospitalizing her for a couple days first. idk what I ultimately want to do, but want to be aware of all my options. I just so consistently feel like I'm making the wrong choices for her and like I'm failing her idk if with the ketones now i should just bring her in to be hospitalized to get everything flushed out and stable. I loathe the idea of her being in the cat condo alone and scared and constantly poked and prodded by strangers. I'm terrified with all her meds that she won't be monitored properly or be given her normal meds. And I hate that she is in pain and all I have are bad* options. (bad meaning I don't like any of them because they all have their downsides).

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

Back with a haul; baby food, tuna in water, chicken pouch, FF options, and i also got this chicken stock - can someone confirm my thoughts that this is ok (no onion/garlic)? All the other types of this brand (including the not unsalted version of this) listed onion, so i bought it on the assumption that there wouldnt be any since its not listed?
View attachment 70694

Looking at the ingredients, I don’t see how that broth can harm her.

 

[Kara & Ember]

She ate another almost full can (same type of FF) with the help of tuna/tuna water/fortiflora/hand feeding. But now she seems extremely tired, possibly lethargic but idk what actually qualifies, possibly also a bit of the sedation from the gaba. She barely even reacted when I gave her her shot (on her flank because she was hiding behind the toilet, and I could reach her there) and normally she fights me on it.
I called the hospital to ask some questions about bringing her in to be hospitalized, but they are completely full (and theres a general 6-8 hour wait for people).
Theres another one she’s been to before for the same issue, but they never tried to do a feeding tube with her, they just gave her meds (pain, anti-nausea, and steroids) and hoped she’d start eating on her own so idk if I really trust them to deal with her now that she’s diabetic with a bunch of daily meds, and DKA is also a concern.

 

[Suzanne & Darcy]

She ate another almost full can (same type of FF) with the help of tuna/tuna water/fortiflora/hand feeding. But now she seems extremely tired, possibly lethargic but idk what actually qualifies, possibly also a bit of the sedation from the gaba. She barely even reacted when I gave her her shot (on her flank because she was hiding behind the toilet, and I could reach her there) and normally she fights me on it.
I called the hospital to ask some questions about bringing her in to be hospitalized, but they are completely full (and theres a general 6-8 hour wait for people).
Theres another one she’s been to before for the same issue, but they never tried to do a feeding tube with her, they just gave her meds (pain, anti-nausea, and steroids) and hoped she’d start eating on her own so idk if I really trust them to deal with her now that she’s diabetic with a bunch of daily meds, and DKA is also a concern.

I was just writing to ask you how much she’s eaten today total — and your message came in. That pretty good. Hopefully more to come. It sounds like you have a good plan to feed her and give (gave) her regular dose of insulin. Hang in there!

 

[Kara & Ember]

I was just writing to ask you how much she’s eaten today total — and your message came in. That pretty good. Hopefully more to come. It sounds like you have a good plan to feed her and give (gave) her regular dose of insulin. Hang in there!

yeah, still a bit shy in the insulin (her normal dose is 2, had been upping it to 2.25). Im worried about dka, but i dont want to add hypo to the mix too…

So yeah she’s had a few bites of this and that, plus I’d estimate about 1.5-1.75 cans of the FF. So not where i want her to be, but better than she has been.

 

[Kara & Ember]

she was solicited into taking another couple bites of the FF after I added some more "stinky juice" (tuna water) to it. Going to try and nap for a couple hours and see if she's got any interest later on. Gunna also look at doing her meds every 8 hours instead of 12 so that maybe she'll eat a bit more overall.

 

[tiffmaxee]

I just read through your condo. It sounds like a bad pancreatitis flare. I’ve never used Euria but I’ve read it tastes awful and cats drool. If you don’t want to go back and get Mirataz ointment, I’ve used Zyrtec, regular strength, 1/2 every 24 hours and it increases the appetite. I’ve also used cyproheptadine but that requires an RX. Try giving ondansetron every 8 hours. It needs to be given that often and you might get the bonus side effect of helping the diarrhea. Max got constipated on it if given for several days so I would give him canned pumpkin. Another thing that helps diarrhea is psyllium husk powder.

Hopefully with all these meds a feeding tube won’t be needed. If you get get at least 1/2 the normal amount of food in until everything kicks in it might not be needed.

 

[Kara & Ember]

Thanks Tiff!

She woke me up asking for water, also managed to get her to eat a few good bites of FF (maybe 1/6th of a can). She’s running right up to (or just over) the 8 hour mark right now on meds, but im waiting until 3am (another 3 hours or so) to give them again so the timings will make sense for food (3am, 11am, 7pm, “meals” and other meds including insulin at 4/4)

No diarrhea since that one bout yesterday morning (err, 8/3 morning), but also no other poops to judge whether there wont be at some point.
I did decide not to give another dose of the elura, because she wouldnt drink water after, let alone eat, because of how awful it tasted. Thanks for the advice on the Zyrtec, I’ll call the vet and make sure theres no contraindications with her giant cocktail medley of other drugs.

 

[tiffmaxee]

Not all vets know about Zyrtec. It’s a really good drug for cats. I learned about it as an appetite stimulant on one of the cat lists. I’m currently using it fur my cat with skin allergies. I ran it by my vet when I read it might help and he was on board. As long as there’s no interaction authorities the other meds I’d give it a try. You could also try Mirataz which is a pet med that’s a transdermal. I never had success with mirtazapine and dud t like the side effects but miratz is milder. With my cats once the nausea is under control an appetite stimulant has not been needed.
It’s good she’s drinking and eating some on her own.
I think Max only had diarrhea once or twice with pancreatitis and it went away without needing medication. Hopefully that’s what’s happening here for you.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I give one of my cats 1/2 Zyrtec (5mg) every day and it has no bad side effects.

 

[Kara & Ember]

She ate some more FF and i mixed in a little pumpkin. She also drank some tuna water and ate a flake or 2. Today i’ll go check out the international market in town and see if theres any bonito flakes and also grab some churus that she enjoyed from petco (the local pet store didnt have them, and neither did walmart, target, or the grocery store)
She’s still not as gung-ho about food as normal but she is acting like shes feeling a bit better (though that could be the gaba’s sedative effects wearing off)

Pancreatitis Meds at 3, then normal meds ~4, hopefully with some more food in between.

She also peed while i was sleeping, so hopefully i can catch her next time and get a sample to check color and ketones.

will also update her spreadsheet - wondering if i should stick with 1.75u or bump to 2u?

libre of the last 24 hours, am shot was 1.5u, pm shot was 1.75u.

 

[Kara & Ember]

spreadsheet updated.

also haven't seen any poops yet. hoping to get a status update from her on those soon lol

 

[Kara & Ember]

I’m also wondering what I should be aiming for her to eat? I assume whatever I want her to be eating post transition (which the recommendation was the m/d from vets) but if she isnt eating that and is eating the FF during this, should I just have her keep eating that? I know fish isn’t ideal, and i dont know if she should have “variety” (ie, have the various different flavors of FF or just stick with one flavor)

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

I would stay with 1.75 U for the moment and try and get another ketone test done. It’s possible she is bouncing from the greens 6 cycles ago. If she is she should start coming back down.
I would offer a variety of FF.

 

[Kara & Ember]

I would stay with 1.75 U for the moment and try and get another ketone test done. It’s possible she is bouncing from the greens 6 cycles ago. If she is she should start coming back down.
I would offer a variety of FF.

Perfect, thanks!

she ate a full can for breakfast, plus some tuna (tuna has honestly been the primary thing that is working, which isnt ideal but hey, mercury is a long-term concern, her eating is more urgent lol). She almost cleaned her plate of the beef, but she also had roughly this amount of another type mixed with a teaspoon of pumpkin, so calling it a full can! Very proud of her.

Time for nap #2, and will try some more in a bit. She’s been waking me up still, asking for tub water mostly. Hopefully she wont develop this new sleeping pattern for me into a habit lol

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

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