cat pancreatitis

golfergirl28

My 14 year old cat has just been diagnosed with pancreatitis. She was losing weight and is always very constipated but otherwise she's bright and looks well. We go back to the vet tomorrow to discuss what happens next. In the meantime I'd like to gather as much info as poss.
Feeding? treatment? prognosis?
thanks in advance

paddypaws101

My cat Paddy also has chronic pancreatitis and it comes and goes. When it flares up they feel nauseous and lose their appetite, I use an antacid ( I import pepsid AC from USA but your vet can advise you on a uk version ) and Cyproheptadine as an appetite stimulant...again I buy it overseas. Most sufferers tend towards diarrhoea so it is a little surprising that your cat is constipated....you could try Miralax which is a tasteless human laxative ( you guessed it, from USA!! )
Treatment is supportive rather than curative and some vets are more open to the ideas I suggest above than others. It is important to keep an eye on her weight and to step in to syringe feed if necessary ( Gourmet Gold pate cat food is ideal for this, no need to buy the expensive Hills A/D )
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline_Pancreatitis_Support/
This Yahoo group is very useful, also do join up at
http://www.diabeticcatcare.com/forum/index.php?sid=d9c3191dead57c4c1e67924fe1bb5a05 which has a very useful Pancreatitis 101 in the College of Knowledge section. Although it is primarily a diabetic forum a lot of our cats have pancreatic issues so we are pretty used to dealing with it and you would be welcomed.

golfergirl28

Thanks, Paddypaws, most helpful and informative. a little surprided that Gourmet Gold pate is suitable. Why is this?

paddypaws101

The benefits of a low fat diet are arguable for cats with pancreatitis, ie it is not proven to be a major factor. The Gourmet gold is not the greatest food in the world, but not the worst either! Most cats find it pretty palatable and more to the point is is exactly the right consistency to be used as syringe feed.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HAND-FEEDING-SYRINGES-WEAK-NEW-BORN-PUPPIES-KITTENS-NEW-/360377296653?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Dogs&hash=item53e829270d#ht_500wt_1156
The vet will of course want to sell you Hills A/D at around £2 for a small tin, Gourmet is a fraction of this.
A cat that does not eat for 24 hours or more is at risk of developing Hepatic Lipidosis, a very dangerous liver problem which is timely and costly to treat. So....syringe feeding is often a necessity.
The vet may offer steroids as a treatment, but you should be aware that use of these will add an increased risk of your cat developing diabetes.

golfergirl28

Just back from the vet. Despite a feline serum TLI result of 806 when the norm is between 35 and 130 the vet didn't seem overly concerned........probably because Lupin seems to be coping well and is beginning to eat a bit better. Pancreatitis is present with a result over 400. All other test results are pretty much in the normal range.
She was prescibed an antacid called Famotidine on only an eighth twice a day. She didn't suggest steroids for which I was glad!
She said chronic grumbling pancreatitis can rumble on for years.
Feeling more positive tonight.

paddypaws101

Famotidine is the generic form of the Pepsid I mentioned. Glad to hear she is eating better.

missblonde

Sorry to up an old thread but I thought it was better than creating a new one. Golfergirl, I hope your cat is feeling better

My 5 year old pusscat Milo is currently recovering from acute pancreatitis after a scary few weeks including 5 days at the vets on a drip and an even scarier bill, thank goodness for insurance!:eek:

He's now home and back to his old (rather grumpy) self which is fantastic - I'm even happy he's sulking and back to biting my feet ever morning! He's not on any long term medicines (although he is finishing a course of pancreatic enzymes mixed with his food twice a day) as we're not sure if it is or will become chronic. The vet has advised trying a low fat diet to help prevent a re-occurrence as he's always had a sensitive tummy and is quite fussy with his food.

After lurking on the forum for a while prior to him being ill, I had been feeding him high quality grain free, high meat content dry foods like Acana, Applaws etc. I did try him on a few wet foods like Borzita but he just seems to prefers dry food as he just licks the gravy or jelly off anything wet! He also turned up his nose at raw diet, although will quite happily eat crisps or buttery toast if he can!

He has happily eaten all of the prescription food he's been given (Royal Canin Gastro-Intestinal Moderate Calorie) both wet and dry. He drinks lots of water and the vets are happy with his hydration levels and I'm happy to feed him both wet and dry or at least to try!

They've said it should be less than 15% fat content (the lower the better) and are happy for me to move him off the prescription diet as long as it's done slowly. I've found a few (wet and dry) on zooplus etc which look suitable (Dry: Happy Cat fit and well, Bozita Sensitive, Royal canin light, Simila Light, Sanabelle light Wet: Almo Nature Light, Schmusy Fish)

The problem is that I have no idea how to compare them for other nutrients etc. and most of them seem to be for overweight cats. He's a fairly large cat, usually around 6kg so whilst not massively overweight , so it wouldn't hurt to lose a few pounds but I'm worried he'll miss out on other nutrients if he's on "diet" food.

The price of the prescription diet isn't really the issue, I'm just happy to have him home and feeling better, but I want to make sure I can give him the best quality food for his needs to make sure he stays happy!

I just wondered if anyone had any suggestions or experience really? I'll try and sign up to the sites paddypaws mentioned above to see if there are any ideas there too, most of the information I've found seems to be American.