Sebastian is Back at the Vet...Suspected Pancreatitis Again :(

[goholistic]

I do think it was because of the hair. It seems after a one-time vomiting occurrence, it takes about 24 hours for him to get back to normal. He seems fine today.

Why is it, though, that cats with pancreatitis have such foul vomit? When Boo or Caesar vomit, it's just yellow bile and maybe some hair, and hardly smells. Sebastian's is dark and stinky, even on an empty stomach.

Since this is our first hairball season with his pancreatitis, I'll just have to see how things go. If the hair turns out to be a real problem, I would consider a haircut. As much as I love his beautiful coat, it wouldn't be worth the pain or discomfort. Keeping Sebastian happy and pain-free is my ultimate priority.

 

[tominhouston]

 
Talked to the doc. The blood work does not show pancreatitis at this point, but his white blood cell count is slightly elevated.

I don't know if this helps, but one of my cats died last year after being misdiagnosed, first with Pancreatitis and then with "cancer".

The poor thing was put through absolute misery for two months. An autopsy shows that all he had was a stomach ulcer (that had progressed into a bleeding ulcer by the time he died unnecessarily.)

Have your vet check Sebastian for a stomach/intestinal ulcer.

 

[goholistic]

 
I don't know if this helps, but one of my cats died last year after being misdiagnosed, first with Pancreatitis and then with "cancer".

The poor thing was put through absolute misery for two months. An autopsy shows that all he had was a stomach ulcer (that had progressed into a bleeding ulcer by the time he died unnecessarily.)

Have your vet check Sebastian for a stomach/intestinal ulcer.

Thanks @TomInHouston. I'm so sorry your kitty was misdiagnosed.  

  How would a vet find a stomach ulcer? Via x-ray? Or ultrasound? I'm not familiar with stomach ulcers. Sebastian has had multiple x-rays and ultrasounds over the past 10 months and they never mentioned it. 

  The ultrasounds did consistently show, however, inflammation on one or both of the pancreas lobes.

 

[myrnafaye]

would you consider a consult with the Cornell Feline  Health Center?  Or, are you near a school of veterinary medicine?

 

[goholistic]

 
would you consider a consult with the Cornell Feline  Health Center?  Or, are you near a school of veterinary medicine?

Thanks @myrnafaye. Yes, I would definitely consider it. Sebastian is actually pretty stable right now considering our journey since July 2013, and I have worked with four vets so far - two local (one traditional and one holistic) and two long-distance (one holistic and one TCM). The most recent vet - an integrative vet who specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine - really helped me get Sebastian stabilized when he was having problems in January and February.

I have not consulted with a veterinary school. I am turned off by the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine because of a really bad experience a good friend had in taking her beloved cat there. I was, and still am, horrified at her story. The cat died.

 

[tominhouston]

 
Thanks @TomInHouston. I'm so sorry your kitty was misdiagnosed.  

  How would a vet find a stomach ulcer? Via x-ray? Or ultrasound? I'm not familiar with stomach ulcers. Sebastian has had multiple x-rays and ultrasounds over the past 10 months and they never mentioned it. 

  The ultrasounds did consistently show, however, inflammation on one or both of the pancreas lobes.

Pancreatitis in cats is common in cats, so there is a good chance your kitty was not misdiagnosed, but if the symptoms come and go, I'd question the diagnosis.

Unfortunately, unless it is a "bleeding" ulcer, the only way to know for sure is an Endoscope down the throat to take pictures of the stomach. It won't show up in an x-ray.

 

[peaches08]

 
would you consider a consult with the Cornell Feline  Health Center?  Or, are you near a school of veterinary medicine?

I've worked with Cornell several times.  I highly recommend them.

 

[goholistic]

 
Pancreatitis in cats is common in cats, so there is a good chance your kitty was not misdiagnosed, but if the symptoms come and go, I'd question the diagnosis.

Unfortunately, unless it is a "bleeding" ulcer, the only way to know for sure is an Endoscope down the throat to take pictures of the stomach. It won't show up in an x-ray.

Unfortunately, the nature of pancreatitis is also very up and down. There a good days/weeks and bad days/weeks. Sebastian could be great for a month and a little off for a week. Lately, it seems the off times are usually caused by stress and thus aggravating his condition. Although this is rare, as I keep things very routine and the home quiet with minimal stress triggers. It's the things I can't control - the neighbors doing renovation work, the loud helicopter hovering over my development to survey an intersection, etc.

Hmm...okay. When I did a quick search, some sites say that ultrasounds and/or x-rays may be used to diagnose. 

http://www.vetinfo.com/cat-stomach-ulcers.html

http://www.merckmanuals.com/petheal...rs_of_the_stomach_and_intestines_in_cats.html

 

[tominhouston]

Originally Posted by GoHolistic  

Hmm...okay. When I did a quick search, some sites say that ultrasounds and/or x-rays may be used to diagnose. 

http://www.vetinfo.com/cat-stomach-ulcers.html

http://www.merckmanuals.com/petheal...rs_of_the_stomach_and_intestines_in_cats.html

If the vet knows to look for it, a Sonogram is the way to go. I have no idea what they are talking about when they say they can detect an ulcer... which is simply a tear in the soft tissue... on a standard x-ray that doesn't show soft tissue.

Sadly, too many doctors just don't recognize they symptoms of particular illnesses when we bring them our pets. The vet I just brought my poor kitty too never did diagnose "Salmonella poisoning". *I* had to figure that one out on my own, which I did the moment she suggested it might be "cancer". (Trust me, if you vet uses the C-word.... RUN!)

 

[myrnafaye]

I had a consult with them yesterday, and I posted about it.  The Veterinarian was Dr. Cortwright, I may not be spelling her name right, but it was $55 which I think was reasonable.  I found her to be very warm and compassionate, and also medically helpful.  I dont know where you live, GoHolistic, but if you are are close to NYC, the Animal Medical Center is one of the best in the country.  I believe they will do a paper consult with you, but you would need to call and ask; in other words, you dont have to shlep Sebastian with you, you can bring his records and they can review them.   They did this years ago for me for a cat I had with severe asthma.  I was in NYC and scheduled a consult.

 

[denice]

An ulcer that is to the point of bleeding should show up on an ultrasound.  So much with ultrasounds depends on the ability and experience of the person that is reading the ultrasound.  I remember that LDG's kitty developed a bleeding ulcer when he had cancer,  I don't know how they knew that he had it though.

 

[beenaners]

Hello, there is an amazing homeopathic vet/store in Australia called HAMPL.  You can consult with their vets before you purchase anything and I have always found them to be very kind and knowledgable.  Shipping isn't cheap but it is VERY fast.  They have the most extensive range of homeopathic medicine and most are given as drops on the back of their neck or tiny pellets you can hide in their food.  I love the drops as it is so much less stressful for both of us than trying to put drops in their mouth!  I looked on their website to see if they had something for pancreatitis and found this.  I'm not sure if it would be helpful but thought I would pass it along.  

http://www.holisticanimalmedicines.com/store/pancreatitis_relief_set_of_2.html

 

[goholistic]

If the vet knows to look for it, a Sonogram is the way to go. I have no idea what they are talking about when they say they can detect an ulcer... which is simply a tear in the soft tissue... on a standard x-ray that doesn't show soft tissue.

I do appreciate you bringing up ulcers. In reading more about them, I can see how vets might misdiagnose them as pancreatitis. I'll definitely keep this on my radar.

 
I had a consult with them yesterday, and I posted about it.  The Veterinarian was Dr. Cortwright, I may not be spelling her name right, but it was $55 which I think was reasonable.  I found her to be very warm and compassionate, and also medically helpful.  I dont know where you live, GoHolistic, but if you are are close to NYC, the Animal Medical Center is one of the best in the country.  I believe they will do a paper consult with you, but you would need to call and ask; in other words, you dont have to shlep Sebastian with you, you can bring his records and they can review them.   They did this years ago for me for a cat I had with severe asthma.  I was in NYC and scheduled a consult.

Thanks for info. I'm not too far from NYC, relatively speaking. About 2 hours (no traffic) heading straight up I-95. I'll file this away in case I need it later.

 
Hello, there is an amazing homeopathic vet/store in Australia called HAMPL.  You can consult with their vets before you purchase anything and I have always found them to be very kind and knowledgable.  Shipping isn't cheap but it is VERY fast.  They have the most extensive range of homeopathic medicine and most are given as drops on the back of their neck or tiny pellets you can hide in their food.  I love the drops as it is so much less stressful for both of us than trying to put drops in their mouth!  I looked on their website to see if they had something for pancreatitis and found this.  I'm not sure if it would be helpful but thought I would pass it along.  

http://www.holisticanimalmedicines.com/store/pancreatitis_relief_set_of_2.html

I remember coming across this awhile ago. I don't remember why I didn't follow up with it. Thanks for reminding me!

 

[goholistic]

Okay....this is weird. Sebastian now has soft stools....formed, but soft, and lighter in color. Absolutely nothing has changed in his regime. We're at the tail end of his three-week beef rotation and did not have any problems. However, Sebastian did snag some of Caesar's dry food a day or two ago (it might have been yesterday). I turned my back for 10 seconds and he inhaled probably a teaspoon or more. Since I no longer feed Sebastian dry food, could this have given him soft stools? I'm inclined to say yes. 

 

[beenaners]

A study I read about dry vs raw food did say that cats on dry food diets had stools with higher moisture content (despite raw food having a higher moisture content) due to the fact that dry food is less digestable.
I tried for 4 months to switch my cats to a raw food diet but they refused to eat. And I mean refused. My little girl is so tiny and she turned her nose up at everything. You can only hope hunger will win for so long before you start really worrying. I had to accept that they eat grain free high quality canned food and let my expectations go

 

[myrnafaye]

Ulcers:   give pepcid!

 

[goholistic]

A study I read about dry vs raw food did say that cats on dry food diets had stools with higher moisture content (despite raw food having a higher moisture content) due to the fact that dry food is less digestable.
I tried for 4 months to switch my cats to a raw food diet but they refused to eat. And I mean refused. My little girl is so tiny and she turned her nose up at everything. You can only hope hunger will win for so long before you start really worrying. I had to accept that they eat grain free high quality canned food and let my expectations go

That makes sense. And I totally understand. I tried raw with Sebastian, too, and it didn't work out. He gets high quality canned and home-cooked, and is doing well on it. I do think the dry food made his stools soft.

 

[myrnafaye]

I mentioned a raw diet to my vet and he replied with "DO NOT FEED A RAW DIET!" 

I did not question him because I was not considering it anyhow.  My vet has been in the business since the early 80's, and while he does not know everything, and I do realize and respect that a raw diet works for many cats and dogs, I figured he had his reasons for being so emphatic; he rarely is that way.  At some point I will ask him his opinion in more detail, for informational purposes.

GoHolistic, I am so sorry to hear about your Sweet Sebastian.  Poor baby; it is so hard when they don't feel well.  I dont mind admitting that I get really scared when my cats are sick.  I know  I am not, but I feel so helpless!  Keep us posted about Sebastian.

 

[beenaners]

I mentioned a raw diet to my vet and he replied with "DO NOT FEED A RAW DIET!" 

I did not question him because I was not considering it anyhow.  My vet has been in the business since the early 80's, and while he does not know everything, and I do realize and respect that a raw diet works for many cats and dogs, I figured he had his reasons for being so emphatic; he rarely is that way.  At some point I will ask him his opinion in more detail, for informational purposes.

My vet wasvery hesitant about a raw diet too but he went into more detail with me. The problem with a raw diet is that they dont get all supplements they need if you dont do it properly. He told me he would give me a recipe but I had already done a ton of research so I knew how it was supposed to be done. Not that it helped lol, no matter what I tried they turned their noses up at it.

 

[raintyger]

My vet wasvery hesitant about a raw diet too but he went into more detail with me. The problem with a raw diet is that they dont get all supplements they need if you dont do it properly. He told me he would give me a recipe but I had already done a ton of research so I knew how it was supposed to be done. Not that it helped lol, no matter what I tried they turned their noses up at it.

I have a feeling that a lot of vets don't recommend raw for that reason--it's hard to get right, and they don't want to see pets who are raw fed by owners throwing random pieces of only muscle meat into the dish.

You might tell your vet about the existence of premixes the next time you see him. It would be interesting to get his reaction.