Pancreatitis

[Finnegan]

Hi
Long time since I have posted.

My beloved Finn .... his diabetes remains in check, but he suffers recurrent bouts of pancreatitis. I have come to 'accept' and deal with these as I have his diabetes, but it takes a huge toll on us both.

Just gone (are still going?) through this last bout. After 3 weeks of being ill, he is feeling ok. But we've done this before. And this follows exactly the same pattern as have they all before, so I am not at all certain we are on the far side yet.

My problem isn't with that, but with what the vets have forced us to go through. Do NOT get me wrong. I am not criticizing the vet directly. Just what we are now made to suffer - and I mean that literally ...

This is a recurrent problem. There is no trigger nor cure. Only supportive treatment. But that support comes at such a cost......

Even though this is a recurrent problem and we all know what the problem is, and how to alleviate the pain, we were made to travel 80 km to the vet, and pay $450, just to be told what we already knew and to be sold the cerenia that would give him relief.

And be told that in future when it happens she doesn't need to see him. Just call and the stuff will be made available. Well ....... Grand, but ....

He has been so sick. WHY did he have to go through that?

I get that they need to know that nothing else is going on, but when this is chronic, happens 2x a year, and we all know exactly what is wrong and what is required to help it......

Sorry, just had to vent.

 

[squeem3]

Lots of people keep the meds they need on hand for pancreatitis: Cerenia, odansetron, pain med, appetite stimulant, etc. Ask your vet if you can get these meds to have on hand and just refill as needed. That would avoid a costly trip to the vet every time your cat has a flare up.

 

[Finnegan]

Lots of people keep the meds they need on hand for pancreatitis: Cerenia, odansetron, pain med, appetite stimulant, etc. Ask your vet if you can get these meds to have on hand and just refill as needed. That would avoid a costly trip to the vet every time your cat has a flare up.

Have done that. It's what saved us this last time
Finn ... and me. I have severe arthritis. Between Finn being Finn and my hands, pilling is not an option. Can get injections, but only there.
I still have 1/2 pill and hope not to need that. I can get more, and will do whatever needs doing to help my boy.
The point, though, is that, knowing this, they refused him treatment until we came in and paid for all the needless tests.....
Again - I am not criticizing. But even to have the stuff 'on hand' you have to .....

 

[squeem3]

Have you tried Pill Pockets or other method to get pills in? Or have medicine compounded into a liquid or other form?

Personally I don't take my cat to the vet every time he has a pancreatitis flare up. I have the meds at home so I can treat. I just let my vet know about the flare up so it can go into his records.

 

[Finnegan]

Normally that's what I have done (i.e. just give him the meds), but this time they said they wanted to see him. Run tests to make sure nothing else was going on. Nothing else is - so now I can get the meds. They gave me some liquid to try. Tried that this morning because, sure enough he threw up overnight and again this morning. I can't say we did well, but at least I got something in to him!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Most vets want to see your cat once a year (same for humans) in order to write a prescription.

I suspect you've looked into this but is there any chance there's a local vet tech, nurse, friend, or family member who can help out with those tasks your arthritis is making difficult? If there's anyone you know who's a medical professional, your vet may be more willing to give you a medication that is injected. FWIW, my vet has given me injection type meds for my cats. I suspect once she knew I could handle insulin, she was OK with my giving other shots. Unfortunately, your vet may want to see Finn before giving a shot the OK to do at home.

Have you ever had Finn seen by an internal medicine vet? I do wonder if there may be some value in having him seen by a specialist to make sure nothing related to the pancreatitis has been missed. Another route for consultation is the feline clinic at Cornell vet school. They do phone consults.

 

[Finnegan]

Thanks for your reply.
Finn has been seen once yearly. His next check wasn't due until August. The vet did give me 4 injectable doses the first of April but has refused since. I gave him another dose of the oral suspension this morning and that went well - except that's all they issued for us. They say they will order more for me but until then it's back to pills.....

Sadly, Finnegan won't tolerate another person around, let alone touching him, so I am on my own for his meds.

As for an internal medicine vet - not possible. I live in rural Manitoba. No such vets around. As it is, his vet is 70 kilometers away.

This is just his latest bout with pancreatitis. Seems to happen twice yearly - and the bouts have become progressively longer. The last one (in July) lasted a month, and we are well on the way to matching that this time.

At least at the moment he is eating (and keeping the food down!) and the diarrhea has more or less stopped. Thanks to the cerenia. Trick is to get more, and in a form I can get into him!

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

There is a particular probiotic that is wonderful at controlling diarrhea. It's called S. boulardii. If you look on Amazon, there are a couple of different brands -- Jarrow's is one I'm familiar with but there are others. You start with about 1/4 of a capsule mixed into food. You can gradually increase to about 1/2 a capsule.

There is information on its use on this website -- Raw Feeding for IBD Cats. It has great information on managing GI issues in the meds and supplements section. .