Pancreatitis care advice needed

[mokabean]

I took my very sick cat to the vet and he was diagnosed with pancreatitis. They gave him fluids, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory and sent him home. He is not eating or drinking and I am trying to feed him water by syringe every hour. The vet here is slammed because they just reopened a couple days ago and have not been much help. Any advice for home care would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[LMo]

I took my very sick cat to the vet and he was diagnosed with pancreatitis. They gave him fluids, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory and sent him home. He is not eating or drinking and I am trying to feed him water by syringe every hour. The vet here is slammed because they just reopened a couple days ago and have not been much help. Any advice for home care would be appreciated. Thank you.

I am surprised they didn’t send you home with an anti-nausea med to help. When our kitty had it she was so sick she had no interest in eating but the anti-nausea did help her. I’m not a vet though, just sharing what our treatment plan was at the time.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

When Hekitty had pancreatitis, she was sent home with an anti-nausea med, as well as an appetite stimulant. Call your vet, ask about it, and ask if you can pick those up. Since he's been seen, there should not be a problem.

You can syringe-feed by mixing a pate-style cat food with water until it is a loose slurry, then give it to him just like you are giving water.

KEEP US UPDATED!!! We'll fret about this.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Here is a thread (one of many) on Pancreatitis that might be helpful: Pancreatitis

Along with anti-nausea meds, how about pain meds? I thought that was part of the plan with pancreatitis, plus sub-q fluids at home when it's really bad. AND, did this discuss food with you? Low fat foods are better than higher fat foods, and wet foods are better than dry. I believe that is addressed in the above thread.

 

[daftcat75]

Syringing him water isn't going to do it. Cats don't need gut rest. You need to re-feed him through it. At a minimum, this will likely require an anti-nausea medicine, an appetite stimulant, and possibly pain meds. If he is eating dry food, discontinue that. Dry food is stressful on the pancreas because it's carb heavy and cats don't digest carbs very well. Opt for a high calorie, highly appealing pate like Fancy Feast Classic pates. He won't feel much like eating so feed him small meals often rather than expecting him to eat two big meals a day. You will almost certainly also need to administer B-12 shots. And finally, pancreatitis rarely happens in a vacuum. You'll want to know what caused it so you can eliminate that.

If this vet is too slammed to help you, can you find one that isn't? Pancreatitis can do some lasting damage if it's not adequately addressed.

 

[daftcat75]

I should also mention that one of the anti-nausea medicines, Cerernia (maripotant), can depress appetite in some cats making this even harder. It's not the only anti-nausea medicine out there. Some appetite stimulants work better than others. This is why you need to find a vet who will work with you and him because a bag of drugs and a bottle of B-12 is not likely going to be enough. You'll want to keep in contact with the vet and let him know if things aren't working so you can adjust the approach as needed.

 

[daftcat75]

Here is a thread (one of many) on Pancreatitis that might be helpful: Pancreatitis

Along with anti-nausea meds, how about pain meds? I thought that was part of the plan with pancreatitis, plus sub-q fluids at home when it's really bad. AND, did this discuss food with you? Low fat foods are better than higher fat foods, and wet foods are better than dry. I believe that is addressed in the above thread.

A low fat diet isn't necessary in cats with pancreatitis. It's more important to eliminate the carbs which is stressful on even healthy feline pancreas. So if you eliminate the carbs and reduce the fat, what's left is high protein which is not good for the kidneys. Fat restriction isn't needed for cats.

It's more important that cats keep eating even if it's not what you would consider the best food. I say, "it's better to eat at McDonalds than to starve at Whole Foods."

 

[neely]

Several months ago our cat was diagnosed with acute attack of pancreatitis and also stopped eating. Aside from the helpful advice and meds the above members have mentioned our vet gave him Urgent Care A/D canned food: Hill's® Prescription Diet® a/d® Canine/Feline as well as Mirtazapine, a transdermal gel which you rub in the cat's ear to stimulate his appetite.