Re: My kitty is losing weight, no idea what to do. Update..

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cornad

cornad

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Spence has been eating less and less over the past month or so. Now it has gotten to a point that we are starting to notice him being very thin.

He had pancreatitis in April/May, lost A LOT of weight from that. But after he recovered and starting eating he got better. He definitely was not the same weight before the pancreatitis but he was eating about a 5.5 oz can or so a day, maybe a little bit more. Now, over the past month, it has gotten to a little less than 5.5oz can, now this week, barely half. He started begging for table scraps over the month and seemed just disinterested in his cat food.

I tried the friskies in the gravy, although it is bad for his diabetes, at least he was eating that. The whole can, he loves it. Now he is just disinterested in everything. He eats a little, maybe half a can and I don't know what could be causing this. We have an appt on Wednesday.

I tried to syringe feed him now, I think I might of done it too fast and he puked soon after. I'm at my wits end. I don't have that much faith in the vet because during his pancreatitis not much was offered to me, I did most of the supportive care at home until he got better. He is 16-17yrs old, I don't know if this the end of his path but I am devastated. I don't think it is pancreatitis again because his symptoms now are not really what they were before.

Any ideas? I don't have much money to continue bringing him to the vet for them to tell me they are not sure and that he is "old". I'm so frustrated.

Thanks guys.
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

Sounds like he's not feeling well. Maybe the pancreatitis is back or maybe there's something else like some kidney issues happening (very common in senior kitties) that could effect his appetite and is diagnosed by blood work.

As for the moment--I would feed him whatever he will eat. Cooked chicken or turkey--my cat, much to my vegetarian/germaphobe dismay, loves pork. And all her meats must be pan fried, boiling is not acceptable. It should be fine for a short period of time, a week or so, not to supplement. If you're concerned about that sort of thing you can add taurine.

At this point the most important thing is that he eats--even if you're feeding him something higher in carbohydrates, or fish if he likes that sort of thing.
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

I'm really losing hope that he'll make it through this one.. really losing hope.

I gave him an appetite stimulant on Saturday afternoon and it hasn't worked much.
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

Weeble's point about other elderly cat health issues is well taken. I would have a senior blood panel and urinalysis done on him.

One additive for food that gets my elderly cat eating is FortiFlora. Another is Tuna Dash. But if those additive stimulates your cat's appetite, there still may be an underlying medical problem that requires BW and UA.
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

cornad said:
I'm really losing hope that he'll make it through this one.. really losing hope.

I gave him an appetite stimulant on Saturday afternoon and it hasn't worked much.
Click to expand...

Don't panic. Just keep trying. It's likely he'll come around on something. I often find that once I get my kitty eating with a small amount, she'll begin to eat more. And the puking thing--try just a little bit at a time.

If you think his stomach is upset, two things you can try are Pepcid and Slippery Elm Bark. I use the Slippery Elm (2tbs boiling water added to the contents of 1 capsule then syringe about 1.5 ml) it coats and soothes the stomach, has no real side effects and contains nutrients. Others also use Pepcid a/c--I think the dose is 1/4 tablet but you'd have to do a search or post and ask because I've only ever used it on my dog.
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

You can always try dry. It is better than not eating. It takes a while to get syringe feeding down. I have three cats that I periodically syringe feed since they do not eat enough.
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

I have offered him kitten dry food but he's not interested in it.

I give him pepcid and it seems to work. He ate about a slice and half of white meat (roasted chicken for dinner for us humans).

The vet doesn't seem to believe he got better after the pancreatitis in May. She almost made me feel like I had to put him down at that point. I have a feeling they're not going to give me much options when I go on Wednesday and that is distressing to me. I'm worried Spence won't make it til Christmas and we're all scared.

Thank you all for listening, it means a lot.
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

At least that's some indication that he's got an upset tummy. I don't know that a pepcid would be much help with pancreatitis. However, if it is the pancreatitis, you may want to consider pain medication--as I sure you know it can be very painful. I've seen kitties on here with pancreatitis and they would only eat after being medicated.

Like I said, don't get too down, just keep offering and offering different things. I'm not saying everything's neccessarily going to come up roses, but kitties do always like to surprise us.

And if you're feeling that shut out, maybe you should try another vet. Sometimes fresh eyes can help.

You're doing great. There are few feelings worse than than when your cat doesn't want to eat.

Edited to add: kidney disease is often a culprit in an upset stomach. When was the last time a blood panel and urinalysis was done?
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

Yes, I want to get blood work and urinalysis done on Wednesday. It's the only day I can go to the vet. I hope he makes it.

He are 3-4 slices of chicken last night. I think it was better than nothing.

I'm just so worried they're going to pressure me to put him down when he does to the vet.. :-(
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

Does he tremble or resist when you try to syringe feed.

If so, I might suspect swallowing pain or problems.

Have the vet check this out....Xray and/or ultrasound may be needed.
 
Re: My kitty is losing so much weight, no idea what to do.

Sounds like you are already getting lots of help but I wanted to pop in and give you a big cyber hug..And remind you the vet can pressure you to do anything that they want but that this is YOUR baby, and only YOU will decide what is best for him. If it comes to that decision it will be up to you when.

You are the one that employs the vet, if you don't like the way they are handling your baby's care, then look for another vet.


Mel
 
Update:

We went to the vet on Wednesday and it was fairly grim.

Spence lost 3lbs since May, currently 6.9oz. Very skinny.

The vet says that she felt a small mass or bump in his abdomen. She wanted to do an ultrasound for $400. I didn't have. I asked her if it was possibly a mass, what would be the treatment, she said steroids. I asked if it was pancreatitis like before, what then? She said that steroids would be very dangerous if Spence has pancreatitis. So I asked to do a test to confirm and treat it as pancreatitis until blood work is in because I didn't want to take the chance of doing damage. I don't know if I made the right choice..... last time I did the ultrasound and it didn't even confirm much and I still had to pay for the ipl blood work.

I am currently syringe feeding him. He has been eating a few ounces of chicken breast or ham or turkey breast a day, some cat treats. He will not eat his friskies or any cat food. I am giving him 100cc of fluids every other day because of his heart murmur, they didn't want to do it everyday. I give him pepcid twice a day but today I finally got a hold of the slippery bark elm and made it into a syrup. I also have bux pain meds for the pancreatitis pain he might have.

Any tips? He doesn't seem to be getting significantly better but I remember from the pancreatitis from before, it took time before he bounced back. He is weak and just so.. weak. I don't know what to do. I'm scared.

I didn't bring up the slippery bark elm to the vet because she doesn't seem knowledgeable with herbal remedies. Do you think it's worth a shot giving to him anyway?

Thanks guys.
 
I just want to send you Angels and tons of healing green light for your Spence I pray that he will bounce back. I too have a 16 year old that has pancretitis I have him on the pepic 1/4 every other day .If he is not eating or throwing up then its every day. Good luck Prayers & Angels coming your way Kath
 
This was just posted on 11/22 by Anne & French Fry (GA) and perhaps it can help you.

Anne says: I've had this recipe archived at FD Library for years. I've always heard that it was great and that even the worst case of inappetence could be overcome with it. Never tried it before.

A couple of weeks ago Harley (my 1 year old civie) had a stroke. Saddle thrombus. She is slowly recovering, but in addition to the heard disease that caused her to throw a clot, she also has an inflamed pancreas and has been unable to keep any food down. We tried everything to get her to eat.

I finally dug up this recipe and went out and bought all the stuff. mixed up a batch. Looking at it, it was nasty. dark green frothy muck.

Put a tablespoon on a plate and offered it. Harley, who has not eaten more than 2-3 bites of food a day for days, licked the plate clean! gave her 2 more tablespoons. she cleaned her plate again. And again. I am now a true believer in something i've always recommended but had no personal experience with!

Here's the recipe. You may not need it today, but please save it and remember it for the day you do need it.

THE '~LIVER SHAKE~' FOR SICK CATS

This liquid food is appropriate for cats suffering from conditions where they are eating very little or not at all such as anemias, leukemias, deficiency states with symptoms of lethargy, listlessness, and weakness.

1 cup RAW LIVER (BEEF, or CHICKEN)
1 cup FRESH CARROT JUICE or V-8, or Tomatoe Juice
1/4 cup *FRESH FILTERED WATER
1 RAW EGG YOLK
1 tsp.KELP POWDER OR SPIRULINA


COMBINE AND MIX IN A BLENDER UNTIL LIQUEFIED. (Note: it will be frothy)

Dosage:

Administer 10cc daily 3-6 times a day. (6Occ per day max)

Some cats will need to be force-fed with a syringe, while others will drink it out of a bowl.

This food has a sweet and salty taste, and the energetic properties of tonifying (energy boosting), warming and stimulating and supports the kidneys, spleen, liver and stomach.

This drink is a complete dinner for a sick cat until they feel good enough to eat by themselves again.

*Substitute rice water if the cat has diarrhea. Rice water
is made by boiling white rice (2 Tbsp) with water (1cup) for 30 minutes.
This liquid aids digestion and assimilation and inhibits the symptoms of diarrhea.

Deborah C. Mallu,DVM
Holistic Veterinary Care
215 Disney lane
Sedona, AZ 86336
Tel 520-282-5651
Fax 520-282-3586
Email canyonct@sedona.net


FYI -Dr. Mallu was asked about forwarding the Liver Shake recipe on to allo vets, and she said to credit it to Dr. Ihor Basko in Kauai, Hawaii
 
cornad said:
Spence lost 3lbs since May, currently 6.9oz. Very skinny.

The vet says that she felt a small mass or bump in his abdomen. She wanted to do an ultrasound for $400. I didn't have. I asked her if it was possibly a mass, what would be the treatment, she said steroids. I asked if it was pancreatitis like before, what then? She said that steroids would be very dangerous if Spence has pancreatitis.
Click to expand...


Weight loss + mass generally implies cancer, probably lymphoma. You really need more diagnostics to find out what is really going on.

Your vet is wrong on a couple of things--the treatment for a mass is not just steroids and steroids are not dangerous for pancreatitis. Steroids are what I used to control Boo's chronic pancreatits and preserve his quality of life.
 
Does anyone know any resources on steroids and cancer treatments? I've searched online but became overwhelmed? I really think it's cancer instead of pancreatitis :cry:
 
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