Counterintuitive Syringe Feeding?

[furrypurry]

I am a mess, so I hope this makes sense. My 16yo Himmie (my profile pic when he was much younger) has pancreatitis. It has been awful and he flatly refuses food other than maybe 3 or 4 treats occasionally. Mirataz does not work, even using Zofran twice daily. I have been syringe feeding him about four times a day but still have my doubts that he is getting enough calories. He has lost 14 ounces that he couldn’t afford to lose. The vet decided to start him on 5mg prednisolone twice a day. i have given him the first dose this morning. i am so hopeful that it will make him eat. How long does it take to affect their appetite? And is the syringe feeding just filling his tummy so he doesn’t bother to eat on his own?

And just for info, He also has CKD, but his numbers were very good about a month ago. I am doing subq fluids every day and he initially got IV fluids, but I am thinking we may need to go back for more of the IV type. I started giving him B 12 injections that are twice weekly. The vet gave him Amlodipine and he was on it for three weeks before this happened. It made him very lethargic and it worries me that it triggered this episode of pancreatitis.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Some cats require pain meds for pancreatitis too. How that plays into being used in conjunction with Pred, I am not sure, but you could ask the vet. The results from using Pred seem to vary by cat, so not sure there is any absolute timeline for its effectiveness. It is a higher starting dose, and I don't know if that might mean it will kick in earlier than a lower dose or not. But certainly, it is going to take more than just a couple of days.

My cat started Amlodipine in January, at the lowest dose possible (0.625mg). She was already acting lethargic before that, so if it made matters worse, I can't really say. Has your cat been rechecked to see what his BP is now - usually done 2-3 weeks after starting the med? If lethargy is related to a too low BP, you'd know it by having his BP measured again.

My cat's PSL did increase after starting Amlodipine, but I think she has bouts of panc flare ups off and on anyway, due to her PSL bouncing around for a while now. When researching Amlodipine, I never ran across pancreatitis, but I did see side effects like lack of appetite and some digestive upset, although it seems they are not common. Was your cat tested for pancreatitis, as in the specific test fPLI?

You can always try to get your cat to eat first before syringe feeding him. If he won't eat, then I can't imagine you are discouraging him from doing so by syringe feeding him. But, as all these meds kick in and settle with the normal adjustments a cat's body has to make, be sure to offer him food first before using the syringe.

Another trick might be to try baby food meats (Gerber Stage 2 or Beechnut), some cats will eat that even when they won't eat their regular food and sometimes it has helped to jump start them eating again. You could also try using Hill's AD Recovery food (most vets carry it) as it is high in calories, many cats seem to like it, and it can be easily made into a slurry for syringe feeding.

 

[furrypurry]

Yes, when his bp was checked two weeks after starting the Amlodipine it was 148 at the vet’s office. He was pleased with that. I suspect that it was too low here at home. Makes me sick that I didn’t stop the med sooner, but I thought he needed it and was trying to prevent something bad, but it appears we got something bad anyway.
I am going to ask about pain meds on Monday.

What do you think a usual starting dose is for prednisolone? I kinda thought that was a tad high, too, and I did actually give him a little less than half today.

 

[FeebysOwner]

The thing is, if your cat has high BP, not getting treated for it is a bad thing and holds its own repercussions. 148 is a good reading, and while cats can have white coat syndrome (like humans), if the vet took at least 3 readings with a bit of a wait in between, the odds are the number is pretty spot on. Also, it is not all that uncustomary for another set of readings to be done again after another 2-3 weeks, just to see. I really do not believe in a vet taking only one reading, especially if it is for the purposes of checking the effectiveness of a BP med. It is not unusual for CKD to trigger high BP, so don't rule it out.

I am not all that familiar with Pred, but it seems I have read a lot about 2.5mg being the starting point. But the amount given sometimes has a lot to do with why it is being given. I've seen it prescribed mostly for IBD or lymphoma, so there is a possibility that is the difference.