Severe acute pancreatitis - any advice/experience/knowledge sharing is highly appreciated

bianbian2010

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Hi all,

My 11-year-old cat has been diagnosed with severe acute pancreatitis. The symptoms onset from Nov 23. He has been hospitalized at his family vet from Nov 25 - 27, and was sent home today because the vet closes over the weekend. At the vet, he was given IV fluids and medications for pain management, anti-nausea, appetite stimulant and antibiotics. He started eating voluntarily but just for very small amount. The vet instructed to bring him back next Monday, but also suggested to send him to a emergency 24-hour facility if the condition gets worse.

I am devasted, seeing my cat (he's my first cat and my best friend) went from his happy self to very ill within few hours, and for the past few days seeing him suffering. I would really appreciate if any of you could share your personal experience, advice, or anything related. I also really need suggestions on the following:
  • Do I bring him to a 24-hour emergency vet right now? Since we got home this afternoon, he hasn't improved significantly, but he's stable and I can tell he's finally feeling safe and relaxed. Right now he's just sleeping quietly in his favorite pillow, and I really don't want to turn this into another nightmare vet visit for him. However, he will also benefit from the monitoring and treatment from the vet... I really don't know what to do..
  • Do I feed him whatever he's willing to eat right now, and leave the long-term/prescribed diet for later when he's recovered? The vet prescribed him food for pancreas/diabetes but he doesn't like it a lot (he's usually quite picky when it comes to food). I gave him a tiny little bid of his regular food and favorite treats (freeze dried chicken, Greenie's) and he finished them right away and seemed to be wanting more. I know it's critical to get him to start eating again but I am also very scared the high protein in the food (also the food is not labeled as highly-digestive) is gonna give more pressure to his pancreas.
  • Lastly, I really just wanted to hear your personal stories if your fur baby has also experienced the same thing. How are they now? How long did it take for he/she to recover? Did you find any other supportive treatment helpful?
Really, really thankful for all your responses.

More details:
His blood test show very high Spec fPL (32.2, suggested level is <3.5), and ultra sound showed severely mottled and thickened (28mm) pancreas. He also had high blood sugar and ketones in urine as well (suggesting Diabetic Ketoacidosis), which was improved after the hospitalization at the vet.
 

Furballsmom

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Hi, and welcome to the site!
I'm not a vet but as long as he's stable, follow what your vet said about only taking him "if he gets worse".

Keep working to feed him the prescribed food. If your vet clinic has a 24-hour number, you could call that and see if they provide another number so you could talk to a live person about your concerns regarding the protein, and whether you could maybe alternate with his regular food. You're saying his regular food is lower in protein? You might consider Weruva Truluxe steak Frites or Glam N Punk, or Wellness Core pate - both manufacturers (bless them!) provide detailed nutritional summaries on their website.

Anyway, you can try handfeeding him (some people use a syringe but I found that a tongue depressor/popsicle stick with pate' style food is easier). I'd avoid the greenies.

My boy had the infamous trio of liver/gallbladder/pancreas trouble, so not the same thing. We did meds and daily fluids at home and decreased the frequency after a while, and eventually he got strong enough that we couldn't manage him for his IV :) A somewhat lighter story from this was finding a whole pill of Denamarin that had passed clean through his system in his poo, --I can't imagine the look on my face at determining what "that white thing" was lol. The vet contacted the manufacturer right away and let them know that batch was bad and we moved on, but my goodness!

Anyway, you and your vet sound like quite a good team for your furbaby. I'm sending all my good thoughts and prayers to all of you!
 
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bianbian2010

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Hi, and welcome to the site!
I'm not a vet but as long as he's stable, follow what your vet said about only taking him "if he gets worse".

Keep working to feed him the prescribed food. If your vet clinic has a 24-hour number, you could call that and see if they provide another number so you could talk to a live person about your concerns regarding the protein, and whether you could maybe alternate with his regular food. You're saying his regular food is lower in protein? You might consider Weruva Truluxe steak Frites or Glam N Punk, or Wellness Core pate - both manufacturers (bless them!) provide detailed nutritional summaries on their website.

Anyway, you can try handfeeding him (some people use a syringe but I found that a tongue depressor/popsicle stick with pate' style food is easier). I'd avoid the greenies.

My boy had the infamous trio of liver/gallbladder/pancreas trouble, so not the same thing. We did meds and daily fluids at home and decreased the frequency after a while, and eventually he got strong enough that we couldn't manage him for his IV :) A somewhat lighter story from this was finding a whole pill of Denamarin that had passed clean through his system in his poo, --I can't imagine the look on my face at determining what "that white thing" was lol. The vet contacted the manufacturer right away and let them know that batch was bad and we moved on, but my goodness!

Anyway, you and your vet sound like quite a good team for your furbaby. I'm sending all my good thoughts and prayers to all of you!
Thank you so much for your reply and the heart lightening story! Really appreciated your feedback and guess what, Solo is a black cat! He got the name Solo from his previous owner cause he was the only black kitty out of the entire family of tabby cats.

His regular food is higher in protein. He's usually on Wellness Complete Health canned food and Dr. Elsey's CleanProtein kibbles. I always try to give him wet food mostly but he clearly prefers kibbles. I was worried cause I read online that when it comes to irritation to the pancreas, fat > protein > carbs (from most to least irritating, despite carbs are not really good for cats).

I feel really horrible that I gave him 2 greenies treats earlier and a pill pocket (for his painkiller).. I also tried handfeeding but he just smells it and turns his head away (unless it's treat)... will try again in a few hours!

Thanks again for your reply. It was really great hearing your boy recovered from the infamous trio and I am super happy for you! I hope Solo becomes strong again too...

Picture of Solo:
 

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Furballsmom

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He's probably ok with that small amount of treats, not to worry.
For kibble take a look at blue wilderness true solution perfect skin and coat, its lower in protein, so are some varieties of Halo :heartshape:

I lift Poppy on a kitchen counter, this way I can use both hands to keep him from turning his head and can also gently get his mouth open with my thumbs so I can then scrape the food off of the stick onto his tongue.
 
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neely

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Thanks for posting a pic of your cat, Solo. He's a very handsome black beauty. :dancingblackcat: I thought this recent post regarding Pancreatitis might have some helpful information for you: Help Pancreatitis

Do I bring him to a 24-hour emergency vet right now?
Since he just came home from the vet this afternoon and is stable I would recommend monitoring him but not going to the ER yet. Keep in mind that stress contributes to Pancreatitis and bringing him to the ER after he just came home would be more stressful at this time. However, should you notice any change in his symptoms by all means contact the emergency vet. I know our 24-hour ER has been overwhelmed since the pandemic and requests clients to call before bringing their pet in.

Do I feed him whatever he's willing to eat right now, and leave the long-term/prescribed diet for later when he's recovered?
It is important for him to eat so, yes, feed him whatever he's willing to eat right now. You could offer him both food in two separate bowls, i.e. one of his regular food and one with the prescription food. But check with your vet for clarification.

Our cat had two flare-ups with Pancreatitis in the past and fortunately recovered nicely. The first flare-up was worse but he had an ultrasound which was helpful with his diagnosis. He was on Mirtazapine to stimulate his appetite and Prednisolone. The vet also gave us Urgent Care A/D cat food which he loved: Hill's Prescription Diet a/d Wet Dog/Cat Food.

Best of luck, sending special thoughts and healing vibes for Solo. :vibes::vibes::vibes:Please keep us posted on his progress.
 
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bianbian2010

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He's probably ok with that small amount of treats, not to worry.
For kibble take a look at blue wilderness true solution perfect skin and coat, its lower in protein, so are some varieties of Halo :heartshape:

I lift Poppy on a kitchen counter, this way I can use both hands to keep him from turning his head and can also gently get his mouth open with my thumbs so I can then scrape the food off of the stick onto his tongue.
Thank you! I just successfully handfed him a little bit of his prescribed wet food! (Maybe cause the painkiller has kicked in.. but I am still really happy!) He licked it all over my hands lol!

I will try to give him a bit of food every few hours and hopefully he keeps them down. Thank you so much for the great advices!!
 
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bianbian2010

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Thanks for posting a pic of your cat, Solo. He's a very handsome black beauty. :dancingblackcat: I thought this recent post regarding Pancreatitis might have some helpful information for you: Help Pancreatitis


Since he just came home from the vet this afternoon and is stable I would recommend monitoring him but not going to the ER yet. Keep in mind that stress contributes to Pancreatitis and bringing him to the ER after he just came home would be more stressful at this time. However, should you notice any change in his symptoms by all means contact the emergency vet. I know our 24-hour ER has been overwhelmed since the pandemic and requests clients to call before bringing their pet in.



It is important for him to eat so, yes, feed him whatever he's willing to eat right now. You could offer him both food in two separate bowls, i.e. one of his regular food and one with the prescription food. But check with your vet for clarification.

Our cat had two flare-ups with Pancreatitis in the past and fortunately recovered nicely. The first flare-up was worse but he had an ultrasound which was helpful with his diagnosis. He was on Mirtazapine to stimulate his appetite and Prednisolone. The vet also gave us Urgent Care A/D cat food which he loved: Hill's Prescription Diet a/d Wet Dog/Cat Food.

Best of luck, sending special thoughts and healing vibes for Solo. :vibes::vibes::vibes:Please keep us posted on his progress.
Thank you! Really appreciated your response! I am so happy your cat recovered nicely!

Yes, I have separate bowls out for his regular food (just a tiny amount) and the prescription food, though for now he's mostly been eating off my hand.. 😂

My cat was actually on Prednisolone before the condition arise due to some skin issues he had. He's been eating and drinking alot while on Prednisolone due to the side effect, and I still have some doubts (and many many guilts) if it was the Prednisolone + overeating that caused him trouble..
 

neely

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I still have some doubts (and many many guilts) if it was the Prednisolone + overeating that caused him trouble.
Just out of curiosity, was he weaned off the Prednisolone? The reason I asked is because it's supposed to be a gradual process of reducing the amount over a specific period of time. Please don't feel guilty, you were following the vet's instructions and if you have any questions or concerns discuss this with them.
 
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bianbian2010

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No we just started on the Prednisolone for about 10 days (started on Nov 12, and stopped on Nov 23 when he suddenly became very ill). The vet said it could be that but hard to say for sure.

Solo actually has been doing much better since last night and I am thrilled! I hope this is not a "false" good sign because of the painkillers.. but he's been eating on his own, walking around. He even jumped on my bed and asked for cuddles!

The only thing that worries me is he peed a lot more often, with smaller amounts (he peed 5-6 times today, usually he only pees 1-2 times but 2-3x the amount). I'm not sure if it's side effect from the IV fluids/medications. I will talk to the vet tomorrow, have you seen that with your cat?

Also picture of Solo few days ago vs. today:
 

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bianbian2010

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Just out of curiosity, was he weaned off the Prednisolone? The reason I asked is because it's supposed to be a gradual process of reducing the amount over a specific period of time. Please don't feel guilty, you were following the vet's instructions and if you have any questions or concerns discuss this with them.
No we just started on the Prednisolone for about 10 days (started on Nov 12, and stopped on Nov 23 when he suddenly became very ill). The vet said it could be that but hard to say for sure.

Solo actually has been doing much better since last night and I am thrilled! I hope this is not a "false" good sign because of the painkillers.. but he's been eating on his own, walking around. He even jumped on my bed and asked for cuddles!

The only thing that worries me is he peed a lot more often, with smaller amounts (he peed 5-6 times today, usually he only pees 1-2 times but 2-3x the amount). I'm not sure if it's side effect from the IV fluids/medications. I will talk to the vet tomorrow, have you seen that with your cat?

Also picture of Solo few days ago vs. today:
unnamed.jpg IMG_9518.jpeg
 

neely

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This article may help explain why Prednisolone should not be stopped abruptly but rather the dose should be tapered:
Can You Just Stop Using Prednisone in Cats? However, I assume your vet gave you instructions to stop it.

To answer your question - it's been several years since our cat had his 2nd flare-up with Pancreatitis but what I remember most was his increased thirst and urination, vomiting and lack of appetite. I'm very happy to hear Solo has been feeling much better since last night, that's definitely a positive sign. :thumbsup: Aww, thanks so much for the pictures. Solo looks like a very well loved cat. :hearthrob:
 
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