How to treat pancreatitis

Hi, I was hoping to get some advice from people who have cats with panceatitis or know info about it. I have a 14 yr old indoor housecat and she has been diagnosed with pancreatitis I was wondering what I could do and what changes I can make to help her get over it or cope with it. She was prescribed an antibiotic and the vet thinks it might be caused by dirt in the house.  I'm thinking about switching her to a real food diet (like actual chicken) and making food at home I hear it's a lot of work though to get the right vitamins and nutrients but it might be better than processed food.

I was wondering if it's okay to buy digestive enzymes for my cat (like here). I heard they work for cats with IBS but I was wondering if anyone with veterinary knowledge thinks this is a good idea. Any recommendations would be great. I'm going to have to go to a compound pharmacy to make her antibiotic since she refuses to take it (it is bubble gum flavored). I'm going to buy some calming spray for her because she is stressed and depressed.....

Thank you so much in advance for any help/insight.

My cat has a high value for the pancreatitis bloodwork test, but has lower grade symptoms. For now, I have modified things so he has a diet with as much wet food as possible, subq fluids every other day (relatively low amount at this time) and a regime of Vitamin B12 injections. There are people on here with much more complex regimes as their cats are showing more symptoms etc.

What kinds of symptoms was your cat showing?? Did it show up as a more severe acute case of pancreatitis or was it more a case of chronic pancreatitis??

There are a few of us dealing with pancreatitis at the moment.  I have a kitty who has chronic pancreatitis.  You can do a search and find a couple threads about it with lots of good information.  Here is an excellent article for the 'standard' treatment of Pancreatitis Treatment Recommendations for Feline Pancreatitis   My kitty was on anti inflammatories, pain meds, antibiotics, and Pancreatic Enzymes.  I haven't really changed DeeJay's diet other than trying various brands to try to get her to eat.  She was already on canned food.  I don't believe they actually know what causes pancreatitis, I doubt it was dirt in your house.  I have never heard that before.  With dogs they do thing that too much fat may be a cause, but with cats they really do not know what causes it.  Some cats need anti-nausea meds, some need antacids.  One thing that helps some pancreatitis cats is subcutaneous fluids several times a week.  I have just started it with my DeeJay and it is already helping her feel a little bit better.

Hi! I also have a chronic pancreatitis kitty with suspected inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Here's his LONG thread: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/264363/...suspected-pancreatitis-again/450#post_3482256

@cprcheetah already provided the link to a great Idexx document on how to treat pancreatitis. Sebastian is on conventional medicine and alternative therapies. I just recently posted his regime. It's on the most recent page of his thread - post # 457.

I do think every cat responds differently to different treatments. You may need to find a regime that works best for your cat. I opted not to use digestive enzymes due to varying opinions on whether or not they help or make things worse. Sebastian's pancreas does not currently have any issues producing enzymes. It's the inflammation that is the problem. Sub-q fluids help Sebastian tremendously, and I can tell he starts not to feel well if I veer off schedule.

He continues to eat Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Hypoallergenic Selected Protein PR (rabbit) food. I feed him in 1/8 can increments to prevent regurgitation. For whatever reason, he actually eats more when I do it this way.    Then he has a good fast in between meals to let his system rest.

Some have had great success with a raw or homecooked diet. I've dabbled in this a bit and plan to revisit soon.

Hi everyone, sorry for the late response...my cat's first signs were extreme lethargy and depression. She would just hang over her stool and not move. She was having problems not pooping so I took her to the vet before this. Now she is having problems again and is peeing a lot but no feces. So I'm going to take her back. I heard a diet high in enzymes can help. I think it might be a chronic case, I can't afford to take her to the vet that much but that is what my hunch is. I'm going to try and take her again. I honestly don't know the specifics of her illness. Thank you all for your suggestions. I think one of her problems is dehydration which the vet gave me lactulose to help her so she could go to the bathroom. I'm going to read that article. I'm just so frustrated

My kitty DeeJay has issues with constipation she has Mega Colon.  We have her on Miralax twice a day (1/4 teaspoon).  It works for her it takes a couple of days to get working but it has helped her become more regular.