Sebastian is Back at the Vet...Suspected Pancreatitis Again :(

goholistic · Sep 24, 2013

Raintyger said:
Have not have time to go through this entire thread, but coconut oil has anti-inflammatory properties. It also has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.

Thanks Raintyger! I actually do have organic coconut oil at home that I use for cooking for myself. I had also read somewhere that coconut oil can be good for hairballs.

Stewball said:
Have you been to a homeopathic doc? They don't tell you that you must stop the meds he's taking. It would be in addition to. It's always worth checking it out. You have such problems with your cats. I don't know if I could handle all what you're doing. My hat's off to all of you.

I have one that I could contact, but she is farther away, so I haven't taken that step yet. I had actually made an appointment for a specialist in October so that I could pick someone else's brain about Sebastian, but I got summoned for jury duty on the same day and will have to reschedule. (I swear there is a black cloud following me.) This specialist is the one who did the ultrasound. She's a radiologist, specializes in internal medicine and endocrinology, and has her degree from Cornell...she sounds too good to be true.

LDG said:
Well, if you're using the Renew Life, you don't need the Nexabiotic!

...and why would you think you're annoying us? Anyone has the option of not reading or responding to the thread.

I just did a VERY quick search, and found there is one study on coconut oil and Crohn's Disease (summary article at Livestrong, but they have the report in references). http://www.livestrong.com/article/83218-coconut-oil-crohns-disease/

Yes, for the S. Boulardii, you are correct. I still would like to find something better to replace the "regular" probiotic that I give him. It's 10 strains, 13 billion and Vitamin Shoppe brand. It is cheaper to buy the "store brand," but I worry about quality. This the one: The Vitamin Shoppe Ultimate 10 Probiotic (13 Billion)

And thanks for the hint. LOL. If I notice people stop responding, I'll get the message!

carolina · Sep 24, 2013

My take on the coconut oil - wait a little for him to settle down - one step at a time :nod:
You really need to take slow with these guys...... You are regulating the pred, probiotics, the fish/krill oil..... IMHO I would wait a little before introducing anything else to the plan at this time.
The key is to change something, give time to settle, change something else, settle, change something else...... settle.....
Doing it all at the same time in an IBD cat is asking for trouble - that is my experience :nod:

Coconut oil is good for many, it wasn't for my Bugsy - but his problem was diarrhea, and he is very very sensitive - again, no matter what you add/subtract, do it slowly. If you add coconut oil, I would wait, and would start with a TINY, tiny itty bitty amount - a lick. And build it from there.
Just be patient a go one step at a time - this way you will also know what works and what doesn't :nod:

ldg · Sep 24, 2013

Carolina said:
My take on the coconut oil - wait a little for him to settle down - one step at a time :nod:
You really need to take slow with these guys...... You are regulating the pred, probiotics, the fish/krill oil..... IMHO I would wait a little before introducing anything else to the plan at this time.
The key is to change something, give time to settle, change something else, settle, change something else...... settle.....
Doing it all at the same time in an IBD cat is asking for trouble - that is my experience :nod:

Coconut oil is good for many, it wasn't for my Bugsy - but his problem was diarrhea, and he is very very sensitive - again, no matter what you add/subtract, do it slowly. If you add coconut oil, I would wait, and would start with a TINY, tiny itty bitty amount - a lick. And build it from there.
Just be patient a go one step at a time - this way you will also know what works and what doesn't :nod:

I think you know that, and are just looking for ideas, as you're careful to do your research first. :nod: But the reminder is always a good one, and I'm so glad to see Carolina here - being the voice of reason! :clap:

carolina · Sep 24, 2013

LDG said:
I think you know that, and are just looking for ideas, as you're careful to do your research first. :nod: But the reminder is always a good one, and I'm so glad to see Carolina here - being the voice of reason!

You are funny - "voice of reason" :lol3:
Glad to be here :hugs:

to all

goholistic · Sep 24, 2013

You are both right and I absolutely agree.

I am taking things slow and introducing one thing at a time and giving him 1-2 weeks to adjust. You're correct that I am just researching for later down the road, and would only want to bother with those that would benefit him the most. I do not have, nor do I want, a smorgasbord of supplements lined up!

My goal is to get him stable on the current regime. I wasn't planning on doing anything with the coconut oil at this point, and I haven't even pursued the fish oil any further either. I know that a too-quick introduction of any oils can cause gastric upset. His stools are solid again, so I didn't want to do anything to mess that up!

I am keeping steady with the daily Pred, Pepcid, and Probiotics, weekly B12, and every other day fluids. He's been on l-lysine for years, so I don't even count that. I introduced SEB/MR the other night and may just do that twice a week for now. I'll let him adjust to this for a couple weeks. My next slow introduction will be digestive enzymes, because I think they are the next important thing. He's pooping a lot and eating well, but doesn't seem to be gaining weight. I'm concerned about his nutrient absorption.

carolina · Sep 24, 2013

GoHolistic said:
You are both right and I absolutely agree. :nod: I am taking things slow and introducing one thing at a time and giving him 1-2 weeks to adjust. You're correct that I am just researching for later down the road, and would only want to bother with those that would benefit him the most. I do not have, nor do I want, a smorgasbord of supplements lined up! My goal is to get him stable on the current regime. I wasn't planning on doing anything with the coconut oil at this point, and I haven't even pursued the fish oil any further either. I know that a too-quick introduction of any oils can cause gastric upset. His stools are solid again, so I didn't want to do anything to mess that up!

I am keeping steady with the daily Pred, Pepcid, and Probiotics, weekly B12, and every other day fluids. He's been on l-lysine for years, so I don't even count that. I introduced SEB/MR the other night and may just do that twice a week for now. I'll let him adjust to this for a couple weeks. My next slow introduction will be digestive enzymes, because I think they are the next important thing. He's pooping a lot and eating well, but doesn't seem to be gaining weight. I'm concerned about his nutrient absorption.

The enzymes will be a great one to add at this time IMHO. I have not seen a cat so far having issues with Prozyme. IMHO it can help with nutrient absorption as it breaks down the food helping with digestion - he will gain weight on it.
No need to start slowly on this one - it takes a tiny amount per meal to work.
If this is your next step and concern, I would say go for it, I don't see how you can go wrong :nod:
EDIT - because of the pancreatitis, make SURE to ask your vet. It is commonly used on kitties with pancreatitis, but pass it by your vet first

goholistic · Sep 24, 2013

By the way, here's a recent picture of my love that I took a couple days ago.

IMAG0433.jpg

goholistic
Sep 24, 2013
1

goholistic · Sep 24, 2013

Carolina said:
The enzymes will be a great one to add at this time IMHO. I have not seen a cat so far having issues with Prozyme. IMHO it can help with nutrient absorption as it breaks down the food helping with digestion - he will gain weight on it.
No need to start slowly on this one - it takes a tiny amount per meal to work.
If this is your next step and concern, I would say go for it, I don't see how you can go wrong

EDIT - because of the pancreatitis, make SURE to ask your vet. It is commonly used on kitties with pancreatitis, but pass it by your vet first

Okay...thanks. I did already discuss digestive enzymes with the regular vet. She kind of "shrugged" at it. She thinks it can be good or it can be bad, and she feels this way about a lot of supplements, so I never really got a clear direction from her. That's why I had hoped to pick the brain of the radiologist/internal medicine/endocrinologist mentioned above. I think she may have a more solid opinion on these types of questions.

stewball · Sep 30, 2013

What's happening with Sebastian?

ldg · Sep 30, 2013

You're not bothering us enough with updates. :lol3:

WHAT A BEAUTY! Does he spend a lot of time in the sun? That can also do it. Very common. In the summer, Little Dot (black feral) has that same color.

goholistic · Sep 30, 2013

Hey guys. Thanks for asking. We're holding steady with the same regime (5 mg prednisolone, 1/4 Pepcid, probiotics, B12, fluids). Nothing new added, although I am always researching.

I still hesitate on the digestive enzymes until I can talk to an endocrinologist. I can't explain it, but my intuition is telling me to wait. He continues to eat well. No vomiting!

Stools have been consistently solid, but they were softer this morning...not sure what that's about. I did notice him starting to urinate more often, so he should probably get his glucose checked soon.

We had a new problem come up this week, which I've also had to address on top of everything else. See: Bleeding Nipple in Male Cat (warning: photos).

Hmm...good thought. He sits by the sliding glass door when the sun is beaming in, but not all the time.

ldg · Oct 1, 2013

Well, the main dietary cause of rusting is a lack of taurine. But I very much doubt that's a risk for Sebastian. :rub:

goholistic · Oct 3, 2013

Sebastian threw up his entire dinner tonight.

peaches08 · Oct 3, 2013

Dang.

goholistic · Oct 3, 2013

Hoping it's random. Maybe he ate too fast, or has a hairball forming. It's possible he may have snuck a nibble of Boo's duck food when I wasn't looking (I walked away for literally like 30 seconds).

I talked to the doc yesterday and she wants to lower his dose in a few days to 5 mg every other day. She wants to get at the lowest effective dose.

peaches08 · Oct 3, 2013

I'd wait until he can solidly keep food down before decreasing dosage. But that's me.

Can he have hairball meds? I understand many people not wanting to routinely dose with petrolatum, but this case may warrant it.

dan32 · Oct 3, 2013

I just read this entire thread and have to say I don't envy you at all. Well, maybe a little - you still have a cat to worry about.

I can see where a lot of these GI illnesses start to run together. Kinney's thickening and ulcerated mass were in his duodenum, right where the pancreas dumps in. Who knows at what stage irritants get out of control and turn into something more.

As someone who has had my own GI issues over a lifetime, I would say go light on the biotics.

I am not sure I am familiar enough with Sebastian's history to know why he gets fluids so often?

goholistic · Oct 3, 2013

peaches08 said:
I'd wait until he can solidly keep food down before decreasing dosage. But that's me.

Can he have hairball meds? I understand many people not wanting to routinely dose with petrolatum, but this case may warrant it.

I agree. I don't want to lower the dose if he's on the verge of a flare-up (of inflammation or whatever). I think I'll continue with the 5 mg daily through the weekend and see where we are. Then I can call the doc Monday and let her know if I'm still concerned.

I really don't know. I've been really strict about not giving him anything to aggravate his system. Actually, now that I think about it...it's probably not a hairball because he's had a collar on for the past week (different issue) and hasn't been able to groom much.

Life would be so much easier if I wasn't so over-analytical and observational (is that a word?).

peaches08 · Oct 3, 2013

Could it be acid? He's stressed, he's not feeling well, you put a freaking lampshade on him for your own amusement....OK that last bit I was mostly kidding! Seriously though, in his world that may be a lot. Or he just wolfed his food?

goholistic · Oct 3, 2013

peaches08 said:
Could it be acid? He's stressed, he's not feeling well, you put a freaking lampshade on him for your own amusement....OK that last bit I was mostly kidding! Seriously though, in his world that may be a lot. Or he just wolfed his food?

LOL...hey, the collar is NOT for my own amusement. He had a bloody frickin' half-ripped-off nipple, for pete's sake!

I do give him Pepcid every morning with his Pred (in the same gel cap). He has been through a lot these past several months. He's been doing really great, though. I think he threw up an actual hairball like two weeks ago, and then he was good until tonight. I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill. He's bugging me right now for food, so I'll give him a snack.

Sebastian is Back at the Vet...Suspected Pancreatitis Again :(

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