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

I know you must be anxious about trying something different since he's been stable. I hope whatever it is works. Happy Rabbit Day Sebastian!

GoHolistic said:

 
So, next week, Sebastian will be having real, fresh rabbit meat for Thanksgiving.  

  I ordered ground rabbit meat and ground rabbit organs from Hare Today and it'll ship on Monday! I'd like a little pat on the back, please.   

   Of course, there's also that possibility that he'll sniff it and walk away.  I'll post my success (or failure) in the Cooked Rabbit thread (http://www.thecatsite.com/t/267724/cooked-rabbit-recipe).

Click to expand...

I really hate to be a party pooper, but is the vet open on Fri., Sat., or Sun. after Thanksgiving? If he's doing well, you might want to celebrate his Thanksgiving on a different day, just in case...

I think the home cooked rabbit will be safe to try. He's already eating a rabbit diet. And he may need to be introduced to the new flavor/texture of homemade cooked, it will taste different, so he may not eat much anyway; it may have to be mixed in small amounts into his canned rabbit.

Interesting you found the consult "refreshing." Are the homeopathics being sent meant to be used in conjunction with what he's already taking, or... ???

My cat Mummer has inflammatory issues. First with bladder stones and bloody urine that disappeared after I switched to an all wet/ canned food diet  and then IBS symptoms and had problems with clostridum overgrowth (not sure of origin). I found that the canned food (Weruva paw lickin and cat in kitchen and other quality food)  didn't have enough fiber/waste and she developed constipation/ diarrhea bouts but when I supplemented her diet with a couple tablespoons of Natures Variety Instinct limited ingredient Rabbit dry food ,she became regular no loose stools and I am hoping (4 weeks now) she will be OK. At the same time  I started giving her half dosage of "I and Love and You" super Powder that has great ingredients probiotics and more, along with Vermont Pet Naturals UT support. Both products have glucosamine and other anti inflammatory  ingredients as well as krill ,condroitin,S. Boulardi,ect . She had accupuncture and I now give her Vermont calming chews for her anxiety which they say can cause the IBS ect. She doesn't like pate style canned food and  it took a while for me to find shredded chopped  kind. Natures Varirty Has a good canned rabbit that she likes as well and I am trying to give more unusual proteins as well. Don't know if any of this is helpful but thought since you mentioned the inflammatory issues I'd chime in here. I am no expert for sure and have been feeling my way along with this problem kitty. You just never know.I noticed that before a bout of loose stool (very loose! and pain) she would throw up a small amount and since it always had hairball in it just thought it was nothing. But Now think it is not from hair but symptom of digestive problem cause now since the cannned food with small dry food, Super Powder, she doesn't do that.Keep looking for canned food he will eat. It made ahuge improvement for Mummer's health!

My two cats (brothers) have pancreatitis. They get a flare up every July that lasts a few days. I hand feed raw cat food. (Radcat-turkey) to my boys morning and evening. Everyday in the morning they get Pan X5, a raw pancreatic enzyme in capsule form and 1/4 of a Famotidine that I put in an empty gel cap. I then hand feed 3-4 oz of Rad Cat. Every evening, my cats get in a gel capsule 1/4 of a Cerenia, 1/4 of a famotidine, panX5, proviable DC which is a probiotic, and milk thistle and 4 oz of RadCat raw food, which I hand feed them. My cats eat very little on their own, so I hand feed them so they get enough daily calories which prevents attacks from occurring. Pan X5 is a homeopathic raw pancreatic enzyme that you order from Progressive Labs. My cats are doing great and are now close to 11 1/2 lbs. each. It is a lot of work, no vacations for us and all of our plans revolve around their feedings so I can be home to feed them and give them their meds. My boys do not eat canned or dry food. RadCats is all that I give them. They will be 3 years old in May and are Birman cats.
I would like to hear back from you. My vet is fantastic!!

I am so sorry that you boys have this and suffer  from it each year. You are a very good Mom to them and they are so blessed that  they have you. Just continue to do the best as you seem to be doing for them.   it is wonderful that you have a good Vet for them. That is very important. 

They are beautiful boys. 

Kibmufxy: it looks like you have a Birman too!! Aren't they great?? So mild mannered. They are known for their gastrointestinal issues however. I am very lucky with my boys, one flair up a year is not bad at all. Many cats with this condition have several fair ups every few months. Do you have any gastrointestinal issues with your cat? Every Birman that I know has an issue with this. Just curious!

Oh no my Avatar is not  a picture of my new kitten. I put that because i thought that cat was gorgeous. I have pictures posted her of my new kitten ( 1 week today ) and my Main Coon i had until she was 18.

This is my new baby girl, Roxy Muffin. 6 months old. 

opps sorry. Roxy is a Blue Lynx Point Siamese Mix. I was told she was Purebred then by another  that she was not. Either way she is a keeper and i love her. 

I know what you mean. With my cat Sophie i said  well the Vet said she would last maybe  a year after her first stroke and it was over a year so i said he was wrong and i thought i would  have her  for  a long time still then 2 days later she had a massive stroke and i lost her. I was devastated to lose my baby girl. You did not jinx it .  it just happened.

I am so glad that your Sebastian  is doing better. 

Well, good luck with the rabbit.  As I've said before, it's my least favorite seller around here.  It is probably the most expensive protein you can feed and I will probably phase it out once we finish off our supplies of it.   How did you come upon deciding on rabbit being "the thing" to serve?  Wasn't a limited ingredient diet the goal in general?

Now that Bastie's illness has settled down, I am curious why you are continuing to give sub-Q?  I am forgetting - did he have CKD in the first place or is sub-Q always given indefinitely for pancreatitis?   I think the vets see it as an emergency substitute for food when they aren't eating.  Gosh, if it were me - I would be relieved to get it off the schedule.  As far as retaining fluids in the lungs, the look I remember is one of being barrel chested over the rib cage area.  Something to use as a gauge would be visible coughing, although by that point they are probably already having trouble.

I was watching one of PBS's self-help shows (Dr. Mark Hyman?) where he was talking about the rise in the overuse of corn syrup, and GMO grains in general being a cause of rising pancreatitis (and leaky gut) in people, something pre-diabetes.  I couldn't help but think of the pancreatitis kitties on this board - although I suppose the correlation would be in kibble..

Anyway, just rambling here.  I have been following this thread from the beginning and congratulate you on getting this far with him.  It is a tightrope walking act, eh?

Your kitty is adorable and due to the thicker fur, he looks like a blue lynx Birman, rather than a Siamese. He looks a lot like my boys. Enjoy!!!

Thanks @peaches08 and @Roxie!

Good point, @Raintyger! I will definitely check their holiday hours. You just never know. I plan to only give Sebastian like a quarter-sized amount, anyway, to start. I've been taking things slow, and this will be no exception. Since he's been getting the same food for over two months, he may just love the idea of having something different! If he wants to scarf it down, I'll have to control his intake until we're sure his tummy agrees that it's okay.

@LDG, yes, the homeopathics are being sent to use in conjunction with his current regime with the thought that Sebastian may be able to be weened off all meds. I'll be cautiously optimistic. 

@catmum and @tryingtorelax, thank you for sharing your experiences with pancreatitis and IBD.

Also, @tryingtorelax and @Kibmufxy, I would suggest starting a new thread about your Birman kitties either in "Describing Cats - What Does My Cat Look Like?" or "Fur Pictures & Videos Only". I think more people would chime in on one of these appropriate forums.

@Dan32, you feed rabbit raw, correct? I'm going to try cooking it. If turns out to be successful in that Sebastian will eat it and it doesn't bother him, I may expand into another protein to introduce...something else "novel." The reason Sebastian was put on a limited ingredient rabbit diet was to eliminate the possibility of allergies causing all of this chaos in his GI system. I do suspect that he has some allergies. Whether or not they were a cause or contributing factor in all of this, I don't know. He has issues with grains and even when I got him on a grain-free diet, he would have this red rash on his ear flap that would come and go. It wasn't until we switched to the rabbit diet that the rash went away.  My vet thinks that a continuous flow (pun intended) of moisture in his system (within reason) will help keep the pancreatitis at bay, so that is why the sub-q fluids continue. Although, I am more cautious about giving them too much. If he seems hydrated enough, I'll skip a scheduled session. Thanks so much for the kind words. It really is like tightrope walking to keep all my kitties happy and healthy. 

Glad to see Sebastian is still hanging in there. Let us know how he takes to his Thanksgiving feast of wabbit!

I'm very sorry to hear this. You have all my support. Just remember that it's not your fault. I'm sure he will be better in no time! The vets know what they are doing. He is getting the best care possible.

To get a cat to eat, you can rub just a bit of margarine on their food. Sometimes just putting a few pieces of margarine-rubbed kibble on the counter for your cat to eat can help. If you must; force feed. You may have to open the cat's mouth yourself.

Cats often vomit when they eat too fast. Hairballs will also cause vomiting. A change in diet can do it, too. Anytime a cat vomits, you should remove their food bowl. Instead of water, give a few ice cubes for the cat to lick. Instead of regular cat food, feed chicken and white rice. You can also give Pepto Bismol. As far as cleaning up the vomit, you can do this easily with a paper towel. Afterwards, run a baby wipe over the area. Then, use a wet paper towel to remove any liquid traces of the vomit. You will want to blot the area dry with a clean paper towel to prevent odor. Then, sprinkle a little bit of baking soda on the area. After the baking soda dries, vacuum the spot.

Make sure to comb Sebastian every day to prevent hairballs. You can also give petroleum jelly.

If your cat has IBD, your vet is your best friend. You will also need to change his diet.

A cat with pancreatitis will have an increased heart rate. You will need to keep an eye on his behavior, too. A blood panel is needed to detect pancreatitis. Your cat needs to be on an easily digestible diet. He will need small amounts of water frequently. Administer any medication prescribed by the vet. I recommend returning to the vet for repeat blood work every 6-weeks. Keep an eye on Sebastian. But, once again; your vet is your best friend. Stick with one vet, as a cat with chronic pancreatitis will see him/her often.

Bless you & Sebastian! x

Oh i do enjoy her. So cute and nice  to have a kitty in the house though she is in to everything. Ok so i will call her a blue lynx Birman from now on. 

Happy Thanksgiving !  

Glad he is hanging in there too. I am sure he wil enjoy hsi rabbit. I have never had rabbit but i bet it tastes like  chicken as most foods do.  

Happy Thanksgiving !   

for Sebastian today! :rub:

For Sebastian.