pancreatitis and longevity

On Nov 8, 6:23*am, Jane wrote:
My 10 year old male has had two attacks of pancreatitis in the past 7
months, cause unknown. *Per my vet, I keep him on a low fat diet and
don't let him eat anything but his normal light cat food.

Is this a "just a matter of time" condition or can he live a normal
life span with attacks now and then? *I have pain meds and Pepcid on
hand. *This last attack wasn't nearly as bad as the first.

He is a very sweet animal and I want him to live as long as possible
but not if he's in pain.

My cat had a horrible pancreatic attack over a year ago and almost
died from it. The one thing that saved him was talking to 'catlady'
here. Subcutaneous fluids is a must until the cat is stabilized.
Even then, I give my cat sub-q fluids intermittently to ensure good
hydration. Also, I've switched my cat to Wellness WET canned food.
Either the all-turkey or all-chicken and nothing else. You wouldn't
BELIEVE the difference!!

Those dry foods aren't normal for a cat to eat. My cat developed
megacolon from all that dry food. Trying to metabolize that food and
to pass it through was becoming increasingly difficult as he grew
older. The result was megacolon. I'm sure that these two things,
pancreatic attack and megacolon, are related somehow. My vet is not
schooled in nutrition. He's a caring man but he doesn't know about
nutrition. Even my primary care physician rarely mentions what *I*
eat! Think about that. What we put in our bodies is soo important
and it is for our cats too!

My cat was on death's door and now he's infinitely better! He still
has his issues with megacolon and I do give him a bit of Miralax in
his food every day to ensure "smooth" sailing.. LOL!

Good luck wiht your cat, and I would highly suggest reading catlady's
info. :-)