Pancreatitis: Avoid Fats Or Not Necessary? What To Treat My Cat To Reassure Following Sub Q Fluids

[Jojo&Tutu]

My IBD cat has pancreatitis again. I was having to give her sub q fluids while she recovers her thyroid and kidney functions following I131 treatment for thyroid adenoma. I was having a mobile vet help me give the sub q fluids for a week and she stressed out from the vet and sub q treatment and developed pancreatitis again. So now I am trying to do the sub q fluids myself. She gets stressed out so I am trying to reassure her right after with some kind of a treat. I let her lick a teeny tiny bit of butter that she loves. Hardly the size of 1/4 or 1/8 of a smallest pill. I don't think it was enough to affect her. The vet tech at my vet office said not to do this as it could affect her pancreatitis. I looked up on line but some sources say that fat doesn't affect the pancreas in a cat and others say it could. My cat is on a limited ingredient diet very low in fat and very low in carbs - just juicy venison by lotus. Any suggestions of a teeny tiny treat to use to reassure my kitty after her sub q fluids that she is ok and I still love her. It did help. She didn't feel the need to hide. She came to me and sat with me. It helped reduce her stress.

 

[duckpond]

I dont know, like you i read conflicting things online. I have kind of come to the conclusion that fat in the diet may not cause pancreatitis, but its best to keep to low fat if they do have it. Plus i would be a bit afraid to go against what my vet says.

I do know that with my mother, who has pancreatitis, eating fat, or other things that bother her can cause a LOT of pain for her. Even a small amount. so i would be afraid of additional fat for the cat. Is there a low fat treat she likes? I know if we have rotisserie chicken my cats go nuts. maybe a tiny piece of chicken breast?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Fat was a major trigger for me, as well. I'd try to find something else that she loves. With so much conflicting information, there's no sense in taking chances if you can find an alternative.

 

[Jojo&Tutu]

I dont know, like you i read conflicting things online. I have kind of come to the conclusion that fat in the diet may not cause pancreatitis, but its best to keep to low fat if they do have it. Plus i would be a bit afraid to go against what my vet says.

I do know that with my mother, who has pancreatitis, eating fat, or other things that bother her can cause a LOT of pain for her. Even a small amount. so i would be afraid of additional fat for the cat. Is there a low fat treat she likes? I know if we have rotisserie chicken my cats go nuts. maybe a tiny piece of chicken breast?

She can't have any other protein because she is eating venison and has IBD. I skipped the treat and just brushed her which she loves and put her in my lap. She is ok -content. The person who said not to was a receptionist not the vet but I will ask the internal medicine vet when I see her. I thought the pancreas only was for digesting sugars and carbs but it does release hormones for fats. As for the sub q fluids I am still having a hard time getting the needle in the right spot. I put her in the sink on a towel but she rolls onto her side so the needle for the sub q fluids tends to go in on her side of her neck instead of on top where I think I put it. I don't think I am doing a good job of it but hopefully I will figure it out with more attempts.

 

[duckpond]

I have never had to give sub q fluids, good for you for trying, i think i would have a hard time doing it. Im kind of a wimp i guess .

the pancreas does a lot of things with digestion. it does release insulin into the blood stream, it works harder for that with sugars and carbs, which is what you are thinking about. This is a problem for cats, or people with diabetes.

It also produces the enzymes to break down foods we eat, enzymes for carbs, proteins and fats. Highly refined sugars, or carbs, and High fat foods cause the pancreas to need to release more digestive enzymes at one time, thus taxing an inflamed pancreas even more. so smaller moderate meals, with more complex carbs, proteins, and moderate fat are normally easier on the pancreas. Some do better with lower fat. My mother for example cannot have much fat at all in her diet. She loves bacon, but a few pieces will cause her a lot of pain. I would guess it is the same with cats? smaller moderate meals?

 

[Tabbytastic]

My IBD cat has pancreatitis again. I was having to give her sub q fluids while she recovers her thyroid and kidney functions following I131 treatment for thyroid adenoma. I was having a mobile vet help me give the sub q fluids for a week and she stressed out from the vet and sub q treatment and developed pancreatitis again. So now I am trying to do the sub q fluids myself. She gets stressed out so I am trying to reassure her right after with some kind of a treat. I let her lick a teeny tiny bit of butter that she loves. Hardly the size of 1/4 or 1/8 of a smallest pill. I don't think it was enough to affect her. The vet tech at my vet office said not to do this as it could affect her pancreatitis. I looked up on line but some sources say that fat doesn't affect the pancreas in a cat and others say it could. My cat is on a limited ingredient diet very low in fat and very low in carbs - just juicy venison by lotus. Any suggestions of a teeny tiny treat to use to reassure my kitty after her sub q fluids that she is ok and I still love her. It did help. She didn't feel the need to hide. She came to me and sat with me. It helped reduce her stress.

My cat suffered with chronic pancreatitis a lot and I used to get contradicting answers from vets as to what to feed him. It used to drive me mad!

If the pancreas is unwell, and the fact that it is a delicate organ that does so much, it makes perfect sense to feed little and often, a low fat diet that’s also low in carbs with a high protein content.

For a teeny tiny treat I used to give my boy the smallest amount of low fat lactose free milk. My vet didn’t see a problem with this.

You are being such a great cat parent, I have much respect.

 

[Jojo&Tutu]

My cat suffered with chronic pancreatitis a lot and I used to get contradicting answers from vets as to what to feed him. It used to drive me mad!

If the pancreas is unwell, and the fact that it is a delicate organ that does so much, it makes perfect sense to feed little and often, a low fat diet that’s also low in carbs with a high protein content.

For a teeny tiny treat I used to give my boy the smallest amount of low fat lactose free milk. My vet didn’t see a problem with this.

You are being such a great cat parent, I have much respect.

I decided to brush her afterwards and lie down with her. Food is not helping her so I decided against it. She loves being brushed.

 

[Tabbytastic]

I decided to brush her afterwards and lie down with her. Food is not helping her so I decided against it. She loves being brushed.

It sounds like you are doing a grand job; do whatever she loves and is comfortable with.

I hope you are both doing well. Please keep us posted x

 

[Jojo&Tutu]

Tutu's food is mostly protein. It is venison. One of her vets recommended I add one tablespoon or less of pumpkin to help her constipation. The vet that took over when my vet went out on medical leave suggested adding sweet potatoe to her food to help lower her BUN and help her kidney values. I think the pumpkin and sweet potatoe I was adding to her food was causing her flare up of IBD and pancreatitis. Her mouth was swelling and she was in pain and couldn't grab her food off of her bowl. The new vet mentioned that some cats are allergic to pumpkin so I left off the pumpkin and sweet potatoe and she is doing much better. She is eating on her own. I found a company that does blood allergy food testing that includes more carbohydrates, a lot more than the common blood allergy testing companies. I also found another company, a controversial company that tests saliva for another type of food allergy. I will be doing these tests to help figure out what is best for her but I have a feeling she does not do well with carbohydrates as she was sensitive to chickpea and peas in the past. Her BUN will remain elevated on a high protein diet but her creatinine was normal last time indicating kidney function is good. I am continuing sub q fluids every other day but at a lesser amount not to overwhelm her. Her zofran anti-vomiting meds relax her muscles a little and helps her constipation maybe enough to eliminate the need for pumpkin. I will see. It is a challenge to figure her out but well worth the effort. She is such a cutie loving kitty.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Let us know what the tests show. I'm kinda hoping that it is allergies...then the only issue is finding a decent food without the allergen!

 

[Jojo&Tutu]

Let us know what the tests show. I'm kinda hoping that it is allergies...then the only issue is finding a decent food without the allergen!

Found there are three companies that do blood food allergy pet testing but I chose one that had more carbs along with the proteins. It is out of state but I found a vet who does use them. The other two were missing pumpkin, peas and sweet potatoe that I think she has problems with. The company I like is ACTT by ALK. There is also Nutriscan locally a homeopathic pet vet who developed saliva testing for food allergies and am considering that too. Tutu is a triad disease cat and with IBD she very likely has now new food allergies. I eliminated pumpkin and sweet potatoe that we were adding to her food to help her aging kidneys because her BUN was elevated and by leaving out those carbs she was better but I think she still might be sensitive to the agar agar or venison in her present food now. I had to add pumpkin for her constipation but so am only doing it once a day and she has improved. One thing that is aggravating is the guar gum and pea in most cat food. She started with pancreatitis when she was on ziwipeak venison and they added chickpea to it. I think I might have found one food without it and I'll keep you all informed. I worry about her needing more carbs to protect her kidneys so I will try to find some carbs ok to add in and a protein cat food she can tolerate. She just climbed under my blanket and is curled up against my legs now -such a sweety!! So I hope we figure it out soon.

 

[Tabbytastic]

Found there are three companies that do blood food allergy pet testing but I chose one that had more carbs along with the proteins. It is out of state but I found a vet who does use them. The other two were missing pumpkin, peas and sweet potatoe that I think she has problems with. The company I like is ACTT by ALK. There is also Nutriscan locally a homeopathic pet vet who developed saliva testing for food allergies and am considering that too. Tutu is a triad disease cat and with IBD she very likely has now new food allergies. I eliminated pumpkin and sweet potatoe that we were adding to her food to help her aging kidneys because her BUN was elevated and by leaving out those carbs she was better but I think she still might be sensitive to the agar agar or venison in her present food now. I had to add pumpkin for her constipation but so am only doing it once a day and she has improved. One thing that is aggravating is the guar gum and pea in most cat food. She started with pancreatitis when she was on ziwipeak venison and they added chickpea to it. I think I might have found one food without it and I'll keep you all informed. I worry about her needing more carbs to protect her kidneys so I will try to find some carbs ok to add in and a protein cat food she can tolerate. She just climbed under my blanket and is curled up against my legs now -such a sweety!! So I hope we figure it out soon.

Keep up all of your good work and keep us posted with everything x

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If it comes down to it, and she has multiple food allergies, our Cat Nutrition forum has lots of information about cooking at home, additives, etc.