pancreatitis - what can I expect?

My 10 year old cat has been diagnosed with pancreatitis. He wouldn't
eat the bland food prescribed by the vet so she suggested I give him
any low fat food. I give him Science Diet Light, which he likes a lot
(when he's feeling well). She told me to give him 1/4 of a Pepcid
twice a day. She also gave him four days of Medacam. Yesterday was
the last dose. He really responded well to it and seemed to be
feeling almost normal until last night when he vomited. He actually
had not been vomiting, even before the Medacam. The Medacam should
still be at full strength in his system so I'm surprised that he's
sick again.

This morning he looks like he did last week (before the diagnosis).
After he eats, he just sits on a pillow. He looks like he's
uncomfortable. This is exactly what was happening. He only felt well
when his stomach was empty.

As I'm writing this I see that he's starting to feel better. Now he
wants to eat the rest of his breakfast and he's running around.

I am really upset and confused. Can someone tell me what I can expect
him to be like with this disease. Will he go through periods of pain
and then feeling fine again? He's been fine for days and now sick for
an hour and now fine again.

Any idea how long he can live with pancreatitis? It sounded from the
vet like there isn't much I can do to prevent the attacks since they
don't know what causes it in the first place. No meds to cure it.

My husband died last year and this cat has been of great comfort to
me. He's the sweetest and most gentle animal I've ever know and I
want to do what's right for him.

"YvonneD" wrote in message
...
My 10 year old cat has been diagnosed with pancreatitis. He wouldn't
eat the bland food prescribed by the vet so she suggested I give him
any low fat food. I give him Science Diet Light, which he likes a lot
(when he's feeling well). She told me to give him 1/4 of a Pepcid
twice a day. She also gave him four days of Medacam. Yesterday was
the last dose. He really responded well to it and seemed to be
feeling almost normal until last night when he vomited. He actually
had not been vomiting, even before the Medacam. The Medacam should
still be at full strength in his system so I'm surprised that he's
sick again.

This morning he looks like he did last week (before the diagnosis).
After he eats, he just sits on a pillow. He looks like he's
uncomfortable. This is exactly what was happening. He only felt well
when his stomach was empty.

As I'm writing this I see that he's starting to feel better. Now he
wants to eat the rest of his breakfast and he's running around.

I am really upset and confused. Can someone tell me what I can expect
him to be like with this disease. Will he go through periods of pain
and then feeling fine again? He's been fine for days and now sick for
an hour and now fine again.

Any idea how long he can live with pancreatitis? It sounded from the
vet like there isn't much I can do to prevent the attacks since they
don't know what causes it in the first place. No meds to cure it.

My husband died last year and this cat has been of great comfort to
me. He's the sweetest and most gentle animal I've ever know and I
want to do what's right for him.



Well in humans 1 in 10 is the fatality rate. There are degrees of
pancreatitis, an acute and a chronic form. It really is hard to say how
long he will live, odds are with him though. Humans respond very well to
milk thistle as a therapy. It supports the liver and aids digestion as well
as it benefits the pancreas. You can mix it in with his food as the powder
dorm has no taste or you can try products like this:

http://www.petwellbeing.com/cat-liver-disease-p64.cfm

I have bouts of inflamed pancreas caused by bad diet and diabetes. Milk
thistle really works wonders. Trust me, it is very effective.

Paul

Yvonne,

My Tucker had a six-week bout (give or take a week) of pancreatitis.
It's _important_ for his treatment that he have ample fluids and pain
medication. Yes, he will have some food days and not-so-good days, and
he will possibly vomit.

Please call your vet and get more pain medication (at least another
1-2 weeks' worth) and a bag of sub-cutaneous fluids and some 18-gauge
needles. Have your vet show you how to administer the fluids. It's not
hard and you can easily do it at home. Your vet might balk at this,
but insist. I have been there and it wasn't until I started this
treatment that my cat started getting better.

PLEASE also feed your cat a high-quality, wet diet (grain free), NO
dry. It's best for his overall, long term health. He needs more
moisture in his diet, especially now. Try a brand like Nature's
Variety, Wellness, or Innova Evo.

Email me for more information or for support.

On Mar 9, 2:09*pm, "Rene S." wrote:
Yvonne,

My Tucker had a six-week bout (give or take a week) of pancreatitis.
It's _important_ for his treatment that he have ample fluids and pain
medication. Yes, he will have some food days and not-so-good days, and
he will possibly vomit.

Please call your vet and get more pain medication (at least another
1-2 weeks' worth) and a bag of sub-cutaneous fluids and some 18-gauge
needles. Have your vet show you how to administer the fluids. It's not
hard and you can easily do it at home. Your vet might balk at this,
but insist. I have been there and it wasn't until I started this
treatment that my cat started getting better.

PLEASE also feed your cat a high-quality, wet diet (grain free), NO
dry. It's best for his overall, long term health. He needs more
moisture in his diet, especially now. Try a brand like Nature's
Variety, Wellness, or Innova Evo.

Email me for more information or for support.

What kind of pain medication would he be able to take for 2 weeks? I
know that he can't take the Medacam for very long, or so she said.

He's really very well hydrated. He drinks a lot and I also give him
low sodium, low fat chicken broth which he loves. I would have no
trouble giving him sub-q shots. I've done it many times on my
husband.

Thank you for the advice.

On Mar 9, 2:48*pm, YvonneD wrote:
On Mar 9, 2:09*pm, "Rene S." wrote:





Yvonne,

My Tucker had a six-week bout (give or take a week) of pancreatitis.
It's _important_ for his treatment that he have ample fluids and pain
medication. Yes, he will have some food days and not-so-good days, and
he will possibly vomit.

Please call your vet and get more pain medication (at least another
1-2 weeks' worth) and a bag of sub-cutaneous fluids and some 18-gauge
needles. Have your vet show you how to administer the fluids. It's not
hard and you can easily do it at home. Your vet might balk at this,
but insist. I have been there and it wasn't until I started this
treatment that my cat started getting better.

PLEASE also feed your cat a high-quality, wet diet (grain free), NO
dry. It's best for his overall, long term health. He needs more
moisture in his diet, especially now. Try a brand like Nature's
Variety, Wellness, or Innova Evo.

Email me for more information or for support.

What kind of pain medication would he be able to take for 2 weeks? *I
know that he can't take the Medacam for very long, or so she said.

Buprenex is the best pain medication currently available for cats. I
would not give the Metacam as it is very problematic with cats.
http://www.metacamkills.com/

He's really very well hydrated. *He drinks a lot and I also give him
low sodium, low fat chicken broth which he loves. *I would have no
trouble giving him sub-q shots. *I've done it many times on my
husband.

IMO, you should still insist on fluids. We're talking about 100 ml/
day. No amount of food or water drinking can make that up. Giving this
amount really makes a huge difference. The first few days of starting
sub-qs really made a world of difference to my Tucker.

"Rene S." wrote in message
...

He's really very well hydrated. He drinks a lot and I also give him
low sodium, low fat chicken broth which he loves. I would have no
trouble giving him sub-q shots. I've done it many times on my
husband.

IMO, you should still insist on fluids. We're talking about 100 ml/
day. No amount of food or water drinking can make that up. Giving this
amount really makes a huge difference. The first few days of starting
sub-qs really made a world of difference to my Tucker.



Rule number one in all medicine is support the kidneys lest they shut down.
In cats this is especially important as they have small kidneys relative to
their body size to begin with.

Paul

"Paul M. Cook" wrote in message
...

"Rene S." wrote in message
...

He's really very well hydrated. He drinks a lot and I also give him
low sodium, low fat chicken broth which he loves. I would have no
trouble giving him sub-q shots. I've done it many times on my
husband.

IMO, you should still insist on fluids. We're talking about 100 ml/
day. No amount of food or water drinking can make that up. Giving this
amount really makes a huge difference. The first few days of starting
sub-qs really made a world of difference to my Tucker.



Rule number one in all medicine is support the kidneys lest they shut
down. In cats this is especially important as they have small kidneys
relative to their body size to begin with.

Paul

Not only that, but animals don't get kidney transplants and/or dialysis when
their kidneys fail as do we humans. Kidney failure is pretty much a death
sentence for them.

Any updates?

On Mar 10, 3:15*pm, "Paul M. Cook" wrote:
"Rene S." wrote in message

...

He's really very well hydrated. He drinks a lot and I also give him
low sodium, low fat chicken broth which he loves. I would have no
trouble giving him sub-q shots. I've done it many times on my
husband.

IMO, you should still insist on fluids. We're talking about 100 ml/
day. No amount of food or water drinking can make that up. Giving this
amount really makes a huge difference. The first few days of starting
sub-qs really made a world of difference to my Tucker.

Rule number one in all medicine is support the kidneys lest they shut down.