pancreatitis and not eating...

[Psalcal]

Yes, it’s been just a few days on baby food, Vet said a couple weeks was fine.

At this point she’s being fed 100% syringe, so her taste doesn’t matter. She’s eating. She’s pretty compliant. She is getting some energy back, I think. I think she’s getting the calories she needs, at least over the last two days. But she has zero interest in food on her own, yet.

She did have two “outside the box” events which is unprecedented. Worrisome. She has always gone in the box before.. always.

For us it’s been make or break time for the last two weeks! It is just very hard.. she does not have a great quality of life right now.

 

[daftcat75]

Yes, it’s been just a few days on baby food, Vet said a couple weeks was fine.

At this point she’s being fed 100% syringe, so her taste doesn’t matter. She’s eating. She’s pretty compliant. She is getting some energy back, I think. I think she’s getting the calories she needs, at least over the last two days. But she has zero interest in food on her own, yet.

She did have two “outside the box” events which is unprecedented. Worrisome. She has always gone in the box before.. always.

For us it’s been make or break time for the last two weeks! It is just very hard.. she does not have a great quality of life right now.

Thats the pancreatitis. But outside of eating, how is she? It sounds like she still enjoys your company. That’s usually good enough to keep going. I had a cat before Krista with an aggressive mouth cancer. She gave up. She spent the entire weekend before her oncologist appointment under the bed. No interest in food, the warm spot in the sun, or spending time with me. Monday came and I changed her appointment. She was like a wet noodle putting her into her carrier for the final time.

That Pixie is still eating even if you have to help her with it sounds like she’s still wanting to go on. You can also try hand feeding her. Or petting her while she stares at her food. Sometimes they just need that kind of encouragement. But that alone is not going to get her from here to there.

Search the forums for “feeding tube.” Those who have done it for their cat very rarely regret it.

 

[Psalcal]

A week ago, we were able to get an ounce a day in her by coaxing, feeding off fingers, spoons, etc, but that stopped. Only the syringes. So not helping her, just feeding her by syringe.

It’s hard to tell if she wants to go on.. she doesn’t do any of the things she used to do, and doesn’t engage with us. We brought her to bed with us and though she did get off at one point, she came back, so not really hiding.

Never has she gone outside the box like she did today though..

Ya done lots of research on the feeding tube, but if syringe feeding is working we might stay the course. From what I hear it takes the same amount of time as we are taking with each syringe feeding. As long as she tolerates it... Thank you...

 

[hopscotch]

I had a senior cat diagnosed with chronic pancreatitis and was able to get it under control with short term use of oral Prednisolone and Cerenia, and switching her on to a low fat diet. I recall the Prednisolone took down the inflammation and helped with pain pretty quickly.

 

[Psalcal]

Wow that’s great hopscotch! My cat is has been on steroids for two years already (still on them) and has been on Cerenia for almost two weeks! Just hope she will start to eat on her own soon.

 

[hopscotch]

Hi Psalcal. It was quite scary and daunting to figure it out at the time. She lived the rest of her life with that condition managed and has since crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Recently I’ve been dealing with another senior cat who has miraculously survived aggressive B-cell gastric lymphoma with chemo. He’s in complete remission (by endoscopy, twice). We are at just about seven months since diagnosis now, which is amazing to me. He was given 108 days to live with chemo by the oncologist. Fingers crossed that this continues. He still has IBD, but that’s better than gastritis, which he’s battled periodically throughout his life. Sounds a bit similar to your situation. Hypo food isn’t perfect but important, I have never found Fortiflora useful but recently tried Greywolf Procare + GI probiotics and he really improved! After getting tired of his long term food, I had been trying different hypo and limited ingredient foods and just about lost hope when he really responded to the new probiotic. I hope you find some combination that works for your kitty. They all seem to need something custom to their bodies.

 

[hopscotch]

I also remembered there are pancreas enzymes you can buy through your vet if you cat's pancreas has lost its ability to produce the enzymes naturally due to pancreatitis. It might help with food digestion, etc too if you haven't looked into it already.

 

[daftcat75]

I also remembered there are pancreas enzymes you can buy through your vet if you cat's pancreas has lost its ability to produce the enzymes naturally due to pancreatitis. It might help with food digestion, etc too if you haven't looked into it already.

I have read that pancreatic enzymes can be dangerous to animals who don't need them and they can exacerbate a pancreatic flare-up. The condition that requires supplementation of pancreatic enzymes is called EPI and there is a test for this called fTLI. The symptoms are voracious appetite and smelly diarrhea. EPI might be an eventual result of untreated pancreatitis. But supplementing enzymes before they are needed might make matters worse. Treat the pancreatitis first and foremost. That treatment is identifying and eliminating the inflammatory factors as well as supportive medicines like anti-nausea/anti-vomiting, appetite stimulants, and analgesics.

I would contact SAGE and see if you can plot a recovery course with a specialist. Have the records from the other hospital transferred over to save you repeat diagnostic costs. You'll likely want to get a high calorie food that's also appropriate for sensitive stomachs and make sure she is taking enough syringes by day to avoid dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and most importantly hepatic lipidosis. Either by mouth or by tube, she needs nutrition.

If you haven't read this one, give it a read over. Twice. At least.
Pancreatitis – IBDKitties

You can beat pancreatitis. But you have to have a good game plan and act decisively and quickly.

 

[Psalcal]

She was diagnosed with EPI several years ago and was on enzymes for a year or two. She lost a lot of weight and was constantly hungry/eating before we figured it out. The enzymes were a life saver back then, literally.

That link to pancreatitis was super helpful, thanks.

I don't know if she has it in her to beat it, but we're doing everything in the book right now. She has taken us for a ride over the years with her health.. as I think I mentioned elsewhere, when she was first diagnosed with IBD/cancer a couple years ago they said we could probably expect two years or so.. so we're on house money right now. She obviously still feels bad, to the point where she has displayed zero interest in food. She's no longer laying with the lowered head posture which indicates nausea, but she's a far cry from her interactive self. She's definitely getting enough calories right now, so we'll see.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And you can, if necessary, syringe canned pate-style food. I like to water it down to syringable consistency with unflavored Pedialyte, just for the electrolytes.

I'm relieved that you're getting advice from some folks with hands-on long-term experience! It is a very different animal than an acute attack, which is what Hekitty had.

Once you are with a vet whom you trust, do discuss the possibility of your baby developing diabetes secondary to the pancreatitis. It doesn't always happen, but neither is it rare, and the sooner you spot it, the better off she will be! BTW, this is common in humans, as well.

 

[Psalcal]

So a quick update...

- Still syringe feeding and she’s still taking it OK, getting enough calories in. Feeding her pate mixed with a little bit of water so it goes through the opening in the syringe.
- No apparent change in her pancreatitis, though she is a bit more aware and a bit more present.. she is not herself either. Not active... she gets around, uses the box, but that’s about it. She had diarrhea which we think was due to the pain meds? Today she had some more solid stool. Her eyes track a little better when we pass by, previously she just stared off into space. But she doesn’t give us her patented silent meow, and doesn’t put out her paw for more attention
- No interest in eating food herself.. zero.
- Maybe a bit less apparent attachment to her humans. I heard that Mirtazapine has that as a side effect, that it increased while they were on it? She is not on any appetite stimulant anymore. She still sleeps nearby but is less apt to sleep in bed with us over the last couple of days.

The idea was to see if she would start to beat the pancreatitis and feel better, and then try the appetite stimulant. It’s been 5 days of solid calorie content.

I guess I’m just trying to figure this out.. if the pancreatitis doesn’t clear up, it just causes more pain and discomfort. I hear it usually clears up in a few days, up to a couple weeks. It’s been over two weeks now, but only 5 days into enough nutrition.

I’d appreciate any wisdom you have to offer. We will have a convo with the vet tomorrow.

I did hear there was a blood test, but I also heard it was not that reliable for whether pancreatitis is active or not.

This is no fun. Sorry for others who have gone through similar.

 

[daftcat75]

So a quick update...

- Still syringe feeding and she’s still taking it OK, getting enough calories in. Feeding her pate mixed with a little bit of water so it goes through the opening in the syringe.
- No apparent change in her pancreatitis, though she is a bit more aware and a bit more present.. she is not herself either. Not active... she gets around, uses the box, but that’s about it. She had diarrhea which we think was due to the pain meds? Today she had some more solid stool. Her eyes track a little better when we pass by, previously she just stared off into space. But she doesn’t give us her patented silent meow, and doesn’t put out her paw for more attention
- No interest in eating food herself.. zero.
- Maybe a bit less apparent attachment to her humans. I heard that Mirtazapine has that as a side effect, that it increased while they were on it? She is not on any appetite stimulant anymore. She still sleeps nearby but is less apt to sleep in bed with us over the last couple of days.

The idea was to see if she would start to beat the pancreatitis and feel better, and then try the appetite stimulant. It’s been 5 days of solid calorie content.

I guess I’m just trying to figure this out.. if the pancreatitis doesn’t clear up, it just causes more pain and discomfort. I hear it usually clears up in a few days, up to a couple weeks. It’s been over two weeks now, but only 5 days into enough nutrition.

I’d appreciate any wisdom you have to offer. We will have a convo with the vet tomorrow.

I did hear there was a blood test, but I also heard it was not that reliable for whether pancreatitis is active or not.

This is no fun. Sorry for others who have gone through similar.

Pancreatitis can actually take awhile to clear up. Acute pancreatitis, if she’s hospitalized in time and given IV fluids and supporting medicine, that acute phase can clear up in a week or two. But chronic pancreatitis, what she’s going through, can be a difficult process. You’re on the right track. It sounds like slowly she’s coming around even if it’s slower than you’d prefer.

It took Krista at least a month to get back to eating without bribing and begging her.

Cerenia is particularly helpful with pancreatitis.

There is a blood test for pancreatitis and it is rather specific. Very few false results. It’s called Spec fPLI. fPLI is feline pancreatic-specific lipase immunoassay. It means they test her blood for the presence of a lipase that only comes from the pancreas. If it’s found above the reference interval, it points to an inflamed pancreas. There is another test called the SNAP fPL. That one is a little less sensitive but it can be performed in-house rather than sent off to a lab if the vet has that test kit. And then there’s also another older test that just measures lipase levels in the blood. That one is not reliable for diagnosis pancreatitis.

Get the fPLI test done so you know where she stands. That way you can also ask questions about timeline and strategy.

 

[Psalcal]

Yes on the fPLI, thanks.. and yes she is on Cerenia already. Buprenorphine as well, which has seemed to help as well, but could be masking things for her. Thanks!

 

[daftcat75]

Yes on the fPLI, thanks.. and yes she is on Cerenia already. Buprenorphine as well, which has seemed to help as well, but could be masking things for her. Thanks!

Bupe could be why she is acting detached. It’s an opioid. It could also be affecting her appetite. But as long as you’re getting calories in her, it’s better that she’s comfortable. That is a painful disease.

 

[Psalcal]

Not eating on her own. Not very responsive. No progress past couple days. No interest at all in food.

Still seems to need pain meds for sure.

 

[Psalcal]

Sad news friends. Pix took her last breath today. Just so sad. I’m glad we were able to be with her when she died. She had gotten worse over the last day or two. Her Pancreatitis never healed. We did everything we could to give her a chance. After consulting with the vet we made an appt with a service to come to our house on Friday but she had other plans. She died next to my wife and on the couch today. She was heavily sedated and I’m hoping she didn’t suffer. It’s heartbreaking.

Thank you for all your advice and kinds words. These little guys have a big way of connecting with us. Yes his is a great community it really helped having all your words and advice. Thank you.

We have a male cat, Kiko, still with us. Thanks again.

 

[hopscotch]

I’m so sorry for your loss. You certainly tried everything and had her comfort in mind.

 

[daftcat75]

I'm so sorry for your loss. At least she passed at home with those she loved and those who loved her very much.

 

[Oysterbay]

You can locate a medical specialist at a University Veterinary Medical School, e.g. Cornell, U Penn, etc. There are also veterinary specialty centers affiliated with medical schools in different states. Here is a list of veterinary medical schools:
Members
And you can locate a feline practitioner here: AAFP | American Association of Feline Practitioners

I'm so sorry your cat is going through this and sincerely hope you can find the help you need.

Lighting a candle for her.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I am so, so sorry.