sister's cat has pancreatitis

My sister's 15-year-old cat has been having trouble for some time now. She was having diarrhea on the basement floor every day. My sister took a sample to the vet and he said there was fat in it so either it was her pancreas or her diet. My sister tried to switch her to a senior food but she doesn't like it very much.

The cat kept getting worse and now she is really skinny and still having diarrhea. My sister took her to the vet and he ran a test and said it's her pancreas. He gave her medication that is supposed to replace the pancreatic enzymes so she can digest her food. It has been about a week now, but she still won't eat the senior food very well and isn't seeming any better. And today she peed on the floor, which she has never done before.

I asked my sister if it would be better to feed the regular food if the cat likes it better, especially with the medication. Does anyone else know anything about this and what she might try, or does this sound like the beginning of the end? :cry:

 

I would really keep up with the vet on this one, pancreatitis can be fatal regardless of age, severe cases require hospitalization, IV fluid therapy, anti-emetics, pain meds etc as well as recheck blood tests, urinalysis and possibly x-rays, sometimes with an ultrasound too for a more definite diagnosis or more accurate picture of how much damage there is. If the cat hasnt eaten for week (or only eaten very small amounts) that in itself is going to cause more problems and sometimes diabetes is a concern with it too. With all this treatment and care, the majority of pets Ive seen (and this is just based on my own experience) do make a full recovery.

 

poor thing, I think she needs to be on iv fluids, (wylie my dog) had this a few months ago and had to be treated for 3 days at the vet .

what I dont understand, is the treatment for pancreatitis is no food at all, and during this treatment should be iv fluids and then wean back on solids. And as for the test, its usually not something they can just test for at the vet. Wylies test had to be sent out of town and it took 4 days to come back so they treated her from the beginning as a pancreatitis diagnosis.

Jimiya, I would have her take the cat to another vet, for a 2nd opinion if she does have pancreatitis, I dont think she is being treated properly and need sto get medical tretment asap

honeybear

 

Thanks everyone - I will pass this along to her. I thought it was something that meant the pancreas was failing rather than an illness (more like kidney disease) but I guess I got that impression from her vet. I hope she can take her to a new vet!

 

I agree with a 2nd opinion. A lot of hospitals can do a basic blood panel now without having to send the blood away to a lab and you can get an idea if the problem is pancreatitis, but we've always done x-rays with the blood tests and even then sometimes you cant always be sure. I know a lot of vets will do this and treat symptomatically but like you said it requires hospitalization, I dont know of any 'quick fix' for it (doesnt mean there isnt one but I think more vets would be using it if it was available).

 

My sister sent me this info today:

It sounds like what Shadow has. Her coat got greasy about a week ago, when she first took her to the vet.

I think this is the beginning of the end. The cat is 15 years old and has eaten grocery store kibble her whole life. Her body is breaking down. My sister is bringing her back to the vet today. I'll let you know what happens.

 

Hi. Do you have any updates for us?

 

Would like to know the status on Shadow, when available...

Hope she is getting better...