fluffycats said:
I had to leave my cat at the vet over the weekend. The doctors told me that she is borderline diabetic and that it may be managed with diet. (Whole story here
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?t=97190 ) They also said she seems to be in pain and that it is possible she has pancreatitis. What do I need to know? I have heard it is very painful and she may need B-12 injections (oddly I have to get injections every two weeks due to Crohn's). Any advice, suggestions would be great. Thank you all in advance.
Pancreatitis is very painful, and that's according to humans who have suffered with attacks.
You will need 3 things to treat:
1. something for upset stomach / nausea.. you can try pepcid AC, 1/4 tab of the 10mg tabs, 5mg per day. Give the 1/4 tab about 30min before the 2 main meals so it's acting before you offer food. If your cat seems to be hungry but turns away from the food, it's likely nauseous, so try pepcid. The vet could give you something stronger, but ask what you can get.
2. something for pain ... buprenex is about the best as it's good for sharp type pains. The vets often give you a dose range on weight, but try to give the lower end of the range because some cats are more sensitive to bupe. One of my cats, a really big 30+lb guy, could not handle even the smallest amount of bupe, so try less or you may end up with a drunken sailor of a cat...
3. sub Q fluids .. to flush out the toxins. When you pick up the cat at the vet, get a fluids kit and have the vet tech show you there how to give them if you don't know how. Since you are already giving insulin, you will have no issues with fluids.
It's good to keep the above 3 on hand if your cat does have pancreatitis because it means your cat's prone to them... some cats have problems, others just don't.
One of my cats who had frequent bad CP flares was much better once I started giving her weekly shots of B12 as it's great for inflammation. I gave her 25u every week and she had only 1 minor flare after that time.
I had the fPLI test done a few times for both my cats. After that, I could read the signs in the cat so I did not bother wasting money on the test because I had what I needed at home to treat.
Under 3.5 is negative, 5.0 and over is positive, and in between is iffy.
The fPLI test needs to be done when the cat is having the problem... it's like a fever.
What's the point of taking a temperature once the fever's gone? The same with pancreatitis... the test needs to be done when having the flare, not later after being treated.
If it was not done, then ask why not, but don't pay for it now as your cat's likely better now, or should be.
One question: what is borderline diabetic? either you are or you aren't?
Gayle
