Wasting and is recovering from pancreatitus

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gnjswfla

Member Since 2011
Hello everyone...I have a HUGE issue with Spanky. He had a severe bout of pancreatitus (almost lost him). Now stools are under control..BG numbers are satisfactory....only wet food given...on Lantus 1 1/2 unit 2x daily upon average. I'm unable to get him to eat the food in which I put the Pancrea Powder Plus...won't touch it no matter what I do. He's just not gaining any weight. His appetite is good and can eat a ton of wet food if I let him. At this point I'm letting him eat as much as he can and if there are any problems with BG then I adjust the dose of Lantus with the occasional use of Humalog to bring down BG levels. ANY ideas for helping him gain weight? Any feedback is much appreciated....THANKS!
 
Spanky? I would love to hear the origin of that name ;)

I do have a few suggestions based on your information.

1. what do you consider "satisfactory BG levels"? If they are too high for him he could still be wasting away - can we see some numbers? We want him under 200 most of the day.
2. what type wet food are you feeding? I am hoping its low carb as it controls the blood sugar and keeps it lower better.. and even could help into remission. How long has he been diabetic?
3. The secret with Lantus is consistent dosing with small adjustments gradually to bring them into regulation.. not sure about using lantus and Humalog.. whats your logic there?
4. You could try coconut oil to give him more calories. Cold pressed virgin organic coconut oil. Twice a day 1ml to start and assuming no diarrhea you can increase it to 2.5ml twice a day.
 
Welcome to the boards! You could also try kitten food, as it has more calories to it. However, if he's eating all he wants and isn't gaining weight, that doesn't sound right. I think we need a little more information, as Wendy has posted.
 
My kitty with pancreatitis would never eat his food if I put the pancreatic enzymes in them. I just don't use them. It is more important that they eat. How much are you feeding him or maybe I should ask how much is he eating. How are his BGs? How is his bloodwork? Does he have any other medical problems?

Sandy
 
I'm not sure how much of the powder you're giving, but what about putting it in a capsule? This is a place where you can order empty gelatine capsules. They have cat-sized capsules that are either beef or chicken flavored.
 
Thank you to all who responded. Spanky has been diabetic for 6 years...he's 15 years old soon to be 16. His BG is checked a minimum of 2x daily. As far as diet he's been off dry food for almost 2 years. We've tried everything from Wellness, Cowboy Cookout (recommended by Dr. Pierson), Evo, raw food diet and a few others. Spanky is a brittle diabetic. No matter how much I've regulated his wet food intake, his BG numbers can be as low as 30 to as high as 500.
WendyandTiggy: The reason for having Humalog on hand is when his BG numbers are so high. It's a fast acting insulin as opposed to the Lantus so with the Humalog I can get his blood sugar to drop more quickly.
Traubboo: He's eating ALOT!! He could eat up to 4 -5 cans a day. For some crazy reason his body seems to be tolerating the Fancy Feast Classic rather than any other food. Regarding his Bloodwork: Everything was fine except for the severe pancreatitus. He also has neuropathy. B12 shots given weekly. I will be getting Methyl B12 next week in hopes that will help with the Neuropathy.
I'm hoping this gives you guys a better picture as to what's currently happening.
Any other questions for me please feel free to ask.
Thanks for all the suggestions... nailbite_smile
 
I'm at a loss. He sure eats a lot. A lot of cats with pancreatitis will not eat much at all. Is he losing weight or is it stablizing? Have you had an ultrasound done?

Sandy
 
TRAUBBOO: Thank's for writing back. I'm probably going to see a specialist hopefully soon. May finances (as many otheres) have been extremely tight. Just not enough money to go around. That would give us the ultrasound that you're speaking about. It's just the darn money. I've never been in a position to where the lack of Money would be an issue to take care of my boy. So long story short, I'll make the appointment and see what the costs are and go from there.
You've all been incredably helpful and I appreciate it very much.
 
Have you tried Pill Pockets? I've found those to be very helpful.

Perchance have you collected the results of the hometesting that could be put in a spreadsheet? Its possible someone experienced might see a pattern for you that would explain the numbers. (Or maybe its just a combination of other things.) There are instructions in the here if you're so inclined.
 
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