My cat has pancreatitis and now has a feeding tube-please help

finnlacey said:

I'm so happy to hear this about Portia!!! I was worried because we weren't hearing anything. Keep up the good work little Portia! 

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yay!!!! Is it too soon to celebrate?? Im just soo happy!!

Celebrate every little victory and every precious moment that she's feeling good! Keep your eye out for any relapses because yes, they can happen. But they may not and she may well be on the road to recovery. Even so, celebrate her eating and give her kisses for all of us! 

finnlacey said:

Celebrate every little victory and every precious moment that she's feeling good! Keep your eye out for any relapses because yes, they can happen. But they may not and she may well be on the road to recovery. Even so, celebrate her eating and give her kisses for all of us! 

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  Is she still on pain meds?  You will definitely need to monitor ear food intake very closely at all times.  You know how finicky cats are, so maybe have some yummy stuff around to use as "toppers" for those times when she doesn't seem to want to eat, or to finish her meals.  I keep bags of 100% pure freeze dried meats (chicken, turkey, beef, salmon, cod, even liver and tripe) which I can crumble on top of my furkids food when they get picky.  Usually works like a charm 

Keep us posted on how she's doing

mrsgreenjeens said:

  Is she still on pain meds?  You will definitely need to monitor ear food intake very closely at all times.  You know how finicky cats are, so maybe have some yummy stuff around to use as "toppers" for those times when she doesn't seem to want to eat, or to finish her meals.  I keep bags of 100% pure freeze dried meats (chicken, turkey, beef, salmon, cod, even liver and tripe) which I can crumble on top of my furkids food when they get picky.  Usually works like a charm 

Keep us posted on how she's doing

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where can i get freeze dried meats? Shes been sleeping all day. shes been lying down for 12 hours straight and hasnt moved at all. Is this normal? She ate well last night (between 12am and 6am) but she hasnt anything since. Should I be concerned or is this normal? If the freeze dried meats can be got at a regular grocery store, Ill pick some up tonight

Portia said:

where can i get freeze dried meats? Shes been sleeping all day. shes been lying down for 12 hours straight and hasnt moved at all. Is this normal? She ate well last night (between 12am and 6am) but she hasnt anything since. Should I be concerned or is this normal? If the freeze dried meats can be got at a regular grocery store, Ill pick some up tonight

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And yes.. shes still on pain med. buprinex 2 times a day

I have a question that Ive been contemplating the last few nights. Portia hasnt eaten very well since sunday morning night and is now hiding under the bed. If she keeps this up till tomorrow, Ill have to obviously get the feeding tube re-inserted. Its the most painful thing for me to think about, but is it worth putting her through this trauma again? Is it better to let her go? I just dont know anymore. I dont know why she isnt eating or hiding and I dont want to prolong this horrible life for her. I cant stop crying and my heads all foggy so I cant really think clearly. I dont know what else to do. Does anyone have any suggestions

The decision as to when enough is enough is a personal one.  I do know that the problems with inflammation in the digestive system take time to resolve especially when the liver is involved.  Patches was on a feeding tube for a little over a month and it took two to three weeks for him to consistantly eat enough on his own.  I personally had decided that I would continue until it became obvious that we were probably dealing with lymphoma then I was going to let go.  There are people on this site that went the chemo route for lymphoma and some have succeeded in getting long term remission but my decision was that I wouldn't go that route.  I do know that he needs to eat to recover whether that be with assisted feeding or a feeding tube.  I see that this thread was started a week ago and if that's how long he has been treated I would keep going a while longer but that would be my personal decision.

If it were me I'd take her in for an ultrasound to see what exactly is going on before I made any kind of decisions. Then you can see if the feeding tube should go back in. I know this is discouraging, hang in there! As Denice said, it's a personal decision but I would want all the facts first if it were me. 

I wish I could advise you on what to do .  Of course you don't want her to suffer , but it was just yesterday that she seemed to be doing so well.  Could she just be having a little set-back? 

As to where to buy freeze dried meats, natural pet food stores usually sell them.   Look for Whole Life or Pure Bites brands...those are the ones I have found in the stores.  Check in the dog section.  Sometimes even Petco or Petsmart carry them.  The chicken seems to be the favorite flavor, even in my household, and my cats won't eat canned chicken or raw chicken, but they love the freeze dried stuff.

Sending vibes that Portia was just having an "off" evening last night and is doing a little better now. 

Thank you all. She was put on the feeding tube a little over 2 weeks back but since she pulled the tube out this weekend, Im trying to see if I can avoid having to repeat  the procedure .Portia doesnt seem to like the tube very much. As Denice say, I think I will keep going for a little while longer. If she continues her refusal to eat till tomorrow then Ill have no choice but to re-insert the tube :-( Maybe shes just having a bad day. I certainly hope thats all it is. Im going to also buy some ham slices as well as the freeze dried meats and see if that helps her appetite. I will also talk to the vet about perhaps repeating the ultrasound. I suppose we'll have a better idea once her blood work comes back tomorrow. Thank you all for your support and advice. I will let you know her results. 

Sending positive vibes for Portia! 

I juts got off the phone with the vet. Her bilirubin is down to 1.7 (it was at 10) so thats really good but her other liver enzymes seem to be a little more elevated. The vet doesnt seem too concerned about that though. She said sometimes the steroids can cause that. I think Im going to give Portia one more day to eat on her own. She ate a little this morning and is sleeping now. I hope she eats a lot today that way, I wont have to take her back in to get the tube placed! Ill keep you posted on how things go. This is a really really frustrating disease!!

It is a very frustrating disease and I'm so sorry you and Portia are going through this. Is she on an appetite stimulant? I can't remember if you told us that already. 

finnlacey said:

It is a very frustrating disease and I'm so sorry you and Portia are going through this. Is she on an appetite stimulant? I can't remember if you told us that already. 

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yup. shes taking mirtazapine. Its the strangest thing but she is actually so active at night. I woke up at 3 this morning to see if she would eat and she was ready play (only for a bit but still). During the days shes like an inanimate object.  Shes eaten a little more today. She ate about 1/2 a can of friskies. Im hoping she'll continue to eat through the day but I dont want to get my hopes up too much!!

A half a can of Friskies so far already today is great! 

Portia actually cuddled up with me today  . She's still eating a little but everytime I put food in front of her, she eats so I guess thats a good sign! She played around a little yesterday. I just hope she keeps it up and wont need the tube to re-placed after all. The specialist feels there''s no choice and it has to go back in whereas my regular vet feels that as long as she's eating a little, she might be ok. Im taking her in to see her regular vet on friday and depending on her weight and vitals, etc. her regular vet will make a call.  Her jaundice seems to be completely gone.. atleast for my inexperienced eyes. Anyone has any advice or insight from your own experiences about the need for tube re-insertion? Just so you have all the details: as of last saturday, her bilirubin was down to 1.7 from 10 but her liver enzyme levels were more elevated than before. everything else looked somewhat ok. She also pulled out her feeding tube on saturday (so its been about 4 days back!)

I think it's really going to depend on the next couple of days. Eating only a little is not good enough, if she doesn't get the proper amount of protein and calories she's risking fatty liver so she may indeed need the tube re-inserted if she doesn't start eating more. Glad she cuddled with you today, that's so sweet. 

finnlacey said:

I think it's really going to depend on the next couple of days. Eating only a little is not good enough, if she doesn't get the proper amount of protein and calories she's risking fatty liver so she may indeed need the tube re-inserted if she doesn't start eating more. Glad she cuddled with you today, that's so sweet. 

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Thats what Im afraid of. She ate a bit more than usual today, but as her condition is so variable everyday. Sometimes she eats well (1/2-3/4 of a can) but other days she struggles to even eat 1/2 a can. On top of that, Im feeding her friskies which is probably not the best in terms of protein content. I will upload a picture of princess portia tomorrow so you guys can all see her 

Right now it's just important that she eats. Have you tried Fancy Feast? A lot of kitties will eat that one, she may be more responsive to it. Keep trying. I know these aren't the best foods but you can worry about that later. She just needs to eat right now. 

I started fancy feast last night. Since 12:00am this morning, shes eaten about 4oz of fancy feast. This is the best shes eaten so far!!! She seems much better now. She actually gets up to meow at me when I come home and shes generally more mobile. However, Ive noticed that she doesnt climb things very easily. She wa always weary of heights and I;ve never seen her leap across things but now, even to climb on top of a low set chair, she'll first put her front paws up on the seat and then lift her back paws. She wont jump onto things. Is that somewhat normal?When I look at her from behind, her hind limbs look very weak and thin, but I may be imagining that. I suppose Ill check with the vet as well. But so far so good!!! She sees the vet tomorrow morning to determine if she needs the tube or not. Will let you know how things go. In the menatime, if there is anything specific that you think I should ask the vet please let me know.

I will ask her about denamarin and other supplements as well as possibly reducing the steroid dose if she looks ok. I might also ask them to repeat the ultrasound and blood work  to make sure things are looking normal.