My buddy probably has Pancreatitis - Can anyone let me know what to expect?

I just got my Vet reports on the cats with mixed news. Jack is in perfect health. Winston (the kitty who had been acting a little off) may not be. He had a high white blood cell count (which could have just been caused by being stressed at the vet office) but it was combined with high lipase levels which can indicate feline pancreatitis. (I was told that short of doing a biopsy, there is no way to positively diagnose this in cats, this test only gives them a strong suspicion that he most likely does have it) 
 

SO - I WOULD LOVE to hear from anyone who has had a cat with Pancreatitis.  Your input on what to expect, any special things I might want to try with him, how this will affect his life expectancy.....

Right now, the vet has said as long as he stays stable, we go back in a month to check his weight again (weight loss is a symptom and she thought he was too skinny). She told me there are no specific treatments for pancreatitis, mostly just to relieve symptoms. 

Hopefully he just has a mild case, or it will go into remission. One of the major complications is the development of feline diabetes. But I've dealt with that before (with both my father, and my cat Quincy. I used to give Quinn insulin shots twice daily)

Additional note - I am SOOOOO impressed with this Vet. She sends the entire test results on each cat and has written her thoughts, tried to answer my concerns in an attached note. (along with please call her if I have any other questions or concerns) I have never gotten either of these from a vet - just quick verbal explanations which I was never sure I understood, or nothing at all if all was okay - HEY, we fuzzy critter parents like to see when everything is okay even better than when they aren't.

Some positive energy would be appreciated too.  THANK YOU - SA
 

Was an fPLI test or an ultrasound done? While it is very difficult to diagnose pancreatitis, there is now a specific blood test for it. Here's the info on it. http://www.idexx.com//view/xhtml/en...menu/innovative-tests/spec-fpl.jsf?SSOTOKEN=0

Pancreatitis does usually show up with elevated numbers in this test although sometimes it is also apparent on an ultrasound. The lipase numbers from a regular blood panel are NOT enough to diagnose pancreatitis.

Here are two recent threads about pancreatitis. They have a lot of info on the latest testing and treatment options.

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/260244/ming-loy-has-pancreatitis

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264363/sebastian-is-back-at-the-vet-suspected-pancreatitis-again

Thank You for responding Vball.  Yes, he had the TH PLUS w/ SPEC fPL : CBC STANDARD panel specifically for Pancreatitis.   So according to the Vet he most likely has it. 

I will check out the links you have provided for other threads on this topic.  THANK YOU - SA

What "treatment" is being given?

I know you've done a lot of reading up on it by now. My take on pancreatitis is that it reflects other problems; not that it is the problem itself. For our Ming Loy, we just need to give her an anti-emetic so she could keep food down, and feed her many small, easily digestible meals. Pancreatitis is a problem of inflammation, so pred is often given, and I think the use of an omega 3, like 500mg of krill or salmon oil would be beneficial.

We put her on digestive enzymes, though they haven't been shown to help or not help.

Is he keeping food down?

With our Ming Loy, we're pretty sure that what precipitated the pancreatitis was a virus that had to run its course. We just had to give her supporting therapy to resolve the inflammation in her pancreas that (somehow) occurred because of it. In addition to the other things, we gave her 50ml of fluid daily, to keep her hydrated and flushed.

How are things going with Winston?

What food does he eat normally? If feeding dry, you might want to think about switching to canned, as it is less stressful on their organs. :rub:

Hello LDG - I am so glad you have figured out the best routine for Ming Loy, and have her under control.  

No decisions have been made yet on what treatment we are going to pursue Winston.  We have an appointment a month from now, to see if he is losing weight (my prior vet's office seems to have lost his records - not surprising - so glad I found a new vet).   Since he is keeping his food down most of the time, (although he has vomited about once a day), the vet wants to see how he is at our next appointment.  She has said that as long as he is stable (which he is right now) there is no reason to see her earlier.   He has no problem with drinking and is not dehydrated.  He is acting more like his normal self now - I hope it stays that way.

I do feed him dry food, she didn't seem concerned about that as he drinks plenty of water.   I have read about the enzymes, and plan to discuss that with her during our next appointment.

His attack was a pretty mild one.  Hopefully it was an acute episode and not a chronic issues.  But we can only wait and see at this point.  Note that prior to the day he got sick, Winston rarely threw up (maybe once or twice a month) and that was usually a hairball.  So there was no indication that he has had this for very long.  Although reading about it, I know it can be present and silent for quite awhile.  My vet told me she was impressed I caught his subtle symptoms.  Hey, I know my fuzzy kids

I'm so glad he's doing so well! And kudos for catching it early!

Yes, I hope it was an acute problem and will pass without any issues! :cross:

Just for your consideration on the food and water, given that an issue has cropped up.... this site is written by a vet. http://www.catinfo.org

...and this guest post about hairballs on The Conscious Cat blog was also written by a vet: http://consciouscat.net/2010/04/28/some-startling-new-thoughts-on-cats-and-hairballs/

I share, only because I wish I'd known/thought about these things before the issues my kitties have had cropped up.

You have all the wonderful articles LDG.  I will make sure and read those.  I was helped a lot by the articles you had in your thread on Ming Loy.    A BIG THANKS to Vball91 for pointing it out to me.

And as I type this - Winston has himself trying to block me from my keyboard LOL.  That is one of the signs I noticed, he wasn't in here constantly pestering me like usual.  But - I shall no longer call it pestering, it is now being interested in what I am doing.  I can't tell you how happy I was when he started up again  Funny the way you change how you look at something when you have been frightened that you might lose it.

I'm so sorry to hear about Winston not feeling well. 

My Sebastian has been on a rocky road since his pancreatitis back in July. His episode was pretty severe. His symptoms were frequent vomiting (like every 30 minutes), lethargy, and anorexia. Sebastian was in a great deal of pain, and needed to have a Fentanyl pain patch. He was hospitalized for three days, on IV fluids, etc. and wouldn't eat enough on his own for about a week, so I had to assist feed. His white blood cell count was extremely high (specifically his neutrophils). He had multiple labs done, the snap fPL, x-rays, and an ultrasound. He had another episode earlier this month; it didn't seem to be pancreatitis according to snap fFL test, but his WBC was elevated again.

Here's my first thread started in July: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/262314/sebastian-hospitalized-has-pancreatitis-seeking-input

Here's the most recent one started this month: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264363/sebastian-is-back-at-the-vet-suspected-pancreatitis-again

I have done SO much research up to this point. If you take the time to read through my threads, you'll see that I'm all over the place with my theories and links to various resources.  The vet suspects some kind of IBD, or even lymphosarcoma, but I declined a biopsy due to the further stress on his body that is would cause. We decided to start him on prednisolone to bring down the inflammation, coupled with a novel protein rabbit diet to eliminate a possible food allergy. I strongly believe he has some kind of bacterial imbalance, so I have him on probiotics. He hasn't been right since he had his dental (six extractions) in early July and it was three weeks later that he got the pancreatitis.

I'm really summarizing here, and have left out a lot of the little details, but feel free to ask me any questions!

I'm sorry about Sebastian.  But he is lucky to have you to love him and take care of him.  Thank You for providing the links - I will definitely go read through them.  I am sure you understand my need at this point to try to find as much information as I can.  I tend to be a worrier to begin with, and now, I am paranoid every time Winston throws up (which he has done 4 times this weekend) , or is spending too much time sleeping....  He has vomited several times today, so of course I am paranoid.  Although he is still acting normal.  

It helps so much to be in contact with other pet parents who know what I am going thru.  Again my sincere Thanks to all 

Hi Sanandreas,

I would definitely keep track of how much Winston is throwing up. My kitty, Buddy, who we have now diagnosed with pancreatitis, was throwing up quit a bit, but he was acting like his normal self, so I wasn't really too concerned. Unfortunately I wasn't paying attention to his decreased appetite, and certainly wasn't associating the two (I don't know how I wasn't, but I missed it). Please just make sure that Winston is eating enough. This is the most important thing! Unfortunately my Buddy developed liver disease, definitely on his way to hepatic lipidosis, and that increased complication makes it more difficult to turn the train around so to speak. I think I would consider talking to your vet sooner rather than later about an anti-nausea medication (throwing up 4 times in one day is a lot!). Daily injections of cerenia were very effective for Buddy (it also comes in a pill form you can administer at home), and I know that others on here have recommended various other medications to treat the nausea. Pepcid works for some, but didn't seem to make a difference in my kitty. But I think that stopping the vomitting and nausea will help keep Winston eating at his normal pace!

Thank You for your advice Marian.  I am so sorry about your sweet Buddy.  I don't know much about liver disease, but I hope it is something that can be reversed or at least managed.

Winston has been fine today.  Ate his morning nums with gusto, and hasn't vomited at all since early yesterday evening.  His liver panel was fine, and since we just had that done on Thursday, it is thankfully not something I am worried about at this time.  We will be visiting the vet in a month as long as he stays stable (sooner if he doesn't) to reassess and see what treatment we are going to pursue.  I am also waiting for her to get back to me on a few questions I had.

Thank You for your support, HUGS and sending positive energy to Buddy and You.