Pancreatic Cancer

Hello,

My little guy has pancreatic cancer.  If anyone has some experience in caring for a cat under these circumstances, I could certainly use some information/advice.

He is doing well right now, eating, being himself and so on.  Doctor figures he has about 6 months.

Anything you can share is greatly appreciated.

Dusty's mom.

I have no experience caring for a cat with pancreatic cancer, or any kind of cancer. I just wanted to let you know my heart goes out to you and your kitty.

I did, however, have a dog with cancer and we really just followed her lead. We continued to feed her the best quality food possible, but started to loosen up on our quality standards when she began to lose her appetite. We spent a lot of time with her and played and took her places while she still had energy.  Towards the end, when she had much less energy, we just sat around the house with her. When it was finally time to let her go, we had no regrets. We still miss her terribly, but have good memories.

Treasure this time with your little guy and let him be your guide.

allykat270 said:

 
Hello,

My little guy has pancreatic cancer.  If anyone has some experience in caring for a cat under these circumstances, I could certainly use some information/advice.

He is doing well right now, eating, being himself and so on.  Doctor figures he has about 6 months.

Anything you can share is greatly appreciated.

Dusty's mom.

Click to expand...

I am very sorry to read that your kitty has pancreatic cancer and that the prognosis is not great.   While I don't have any personal experience with this type of cancer in cats, I do have a fair amount of personal cancer history in my family which includes pancreatic cancer. One of my previous cats developed squamous cell and we lost him to it in 2006.

Its very good that your kitty is doing well right now and that you are reaching out for information to help him going forward. Nutritional support and pain management will be crucial to maintain your kitty's quality of life. Cachexia (weight loss) figures prominently in this type of cancer as the result of a combination of things : loss of appetite due to how the cancer alters the digestive process, the result of side effects from cancer treatments, and pain that leaves the animal not interested in food.

Cats need high protein and moderate fat in their diets as a rule, but this is even more important for cats with cancer on account of potential loss of nutrients to cancer. Cancer cells use amino acids to thrive, but studies have shown that they have difficulties in using fats as source of energy, so it could be that a diet higher in fat may be beneficial to pets with cancer to provide important energy. As carbohydrates such as potatoes, peas, carrots are high in sugar which cancer can utilize as energy, these are items that you will want to avoid when choosing pet foods.

Below is a list of good quality canned wet foods that are high in protein and moderate or high in fat :

Wellness Grain-free canned

Nature's Variety Instinct

Hound & Gatos

Wellness Core

Ultimately, getting him to eat regularly and enough, will be most important. If loss of appetite becomes an issue, there are appetite stimulants such as Mirtazapine. Studies have been conducted into the use of fish oils as a means of promoting weight gain and improving muscle tone in both humans and animals with cancer. Fish oils also help to support the immune system, so I would highly recommend this.

Here are some individual links from a website called petcancercenter.org that provide some really good information about treatment, pain management and nutrition for animals with cancer. I would discuss this information with your vet so you can get his/her feedback for formulating a plan together to address nutrition and pain :

Pancreatic Cancer explained : http://www.petcancercenter.org/Cancer_Types_pancreas.html

Nutrition : http://www.petcancercenter.org/Supportive_Care_Nutrition_management.html

Pain Management : http://www.petcancercenter.org/Supportive_Care_Pain_management.html

I wish your kitty and you all the best going forward. This is not an easy journey, but you will find lots of support here along the way.

Hi Allykat270

I'm sorry to hear your sad news.  What has the Vet recommended you do?  Pancreatic cancer has a very poor prognosis in humans so its hard to imagine there are many treatment options in cats. 

Palliative care (focuses on the relief from discomfort, not curing) may be the way to go, giving Dusty support, particularly nutritional support as Oneandahalfcats stated so well above, and later, relief from pain.  There are some really good pain meds like Buprenorphine which can be given orally as a liquid (sub lingual, in the gum or under the tongue).

Here is a good link on the disease and the quote in blue is from that site. http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/pancreatic-tumors/469

If there is inflammation of the pancreas or adjacent bile ducts of the liver, antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs may be helpful. Special diets and medication to replace digestive enzymes may also help. Unless the tumor is benign they don't suggest other treatments.  How was Dusty diagnosed? Did he have an episode of extreme low blood sugar which happens sometimes with pancreatic cancer (where insulin is often overproduced with pancreatic cancer).  Was there a surgical biopsy or could the vet feel the tumor with a physical exam?

As time goes on you will want to pay close attention to the signs and signals Dusty gives that show he isn't feeling well.  Cats are good at hiding discomfort but one thing they can't hide is loss of appetite, so if that happens, in a situation like this where the cause of inappetence  is directly connected to how he feels, the issue becomes not just increasing his appetite but addressing his discomfort, ie pain relief.

Your final gift to him, when the time is right is to release him from this disease with the help of your vet.  Many vets will pay a house call in this situation.  It can be very hard to make this decision for our cats whom we love so very much, but remember that he only knows today, and if we know that tomorrow will be the same or worse, there then is no good reason to prologue his battle.

For now, treasure every beautiful day with him and thank you for sharing your story.

Stephen

Stephen

First, I am so sorry about this diagnosis.  I cannot imagine how you feel right now.

Second, the most important thing I can think of regardless of the outcome of the disease is pain management.  Pancreatic cancer is known to be very painful so be sure to stay on top of that.

Sending many warm vibes your way.

StephenQ said:

 
Hi Allykat270

I'm sorry to hear your sad news.  What has the Vet recommended you do?  Pancreatic cancer has a very poor prognosis in humans so its hard to imagine there are many treatment options in cats. 

Palliative care (focuses on the relief from discomfort, not curing) may be the way to go, giving Dusty support, particularly nutritional support as Oneandahalfcats stated so well above, and later, relief from pain.  There are some really good pain meds like Buprenorphine which can be given orally as a liquid (sub lingual, in the gum or under the tongue).

Here is a good link on the disease and the quote in blue is from that site. http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/pancreatic-tumors/469

If there is inflammation of the pancreas or adjacent bile ducts of the liver, antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drugs may be helpful. Special diets and medication to replace digestive enzymes may also help. Unless the tumor is benign they don't suggest other treatments.  How was Dusty diagnosed? Did he have an episode of extreme low blood sugar which happens sometimes with pancreatic cancer (where insulin is often overproduced with pancreatic cancer).  Was there a surgical biopsy or could the vet feel the tumor with a physical exam?

As time goes on you will want to pay close attention to the signs and signals Dusty gives that show he isn't feeling well.  Cats are good at hiding discomfort but one thing they can't hide is loss of appetite, so if that happens, in a situation like this where the cause of inappetence  is directly connected to how he feels, the issue becomes not just increasing his appetite but addressing his discomfort, ie pain relief.

Your final gift to him, when the time is right is to release him from this disease with the help of your vet.  Many vets will pay a house call in this situation.  It can be very hard to make this decision for our cats whom we love so very much, but remember that he only knows today, and if we know that tomorrow will be the same or worse, there then is no good reason to prologue his battle.

For now, treasure every beautiful day with him and thank you for sharing your story.

Stephen

Stephen

Click to expand...

Just to add to Stephen's good information, typically in advanced cancer, treatment is usually palliative in the form of oral chemo which in some cases can slow down progression of the cancer, help to lessen pain and improve energy levels and appetite. Hopefully, your little guy can be one of the lucky few however, that doesn't experience a lot of pain and discomfort.

The suggestions for when the time comes are very helpful, particularly about having your vet come to the house. We did this for my tuxedo with the squamous cell and it made a difficult time so much more peaceful and dignified for Gustav and all involved.

Thank you for all your responses.  I'm still adjusting to Dusty's news and can't talk about it without becoming a sobbing mess.  Dusty on the other hand is serving as a leg warmer right now, as both of us sit on the bed.

Stephen - to your question on his diagnosis - Dusty has small cell lymphoma - for at least a year.  He was losing weight and with all the testing was diagnosed with small cell lymphoma in july of last year.  Since then he has had regular visits to the vet, every 2 to 3 months.   At the visit last week, the doctor found a mass, took an x-ray.  Followed up with an ultra sound and aspirated his belly.  He is not showing the major symptoms of pancreatic cancer that I can see, other than weight loss.  Which is about .4-.5 pounds every two to 3 months.  He eats, fairly active.

He has always been a very finicky eater - will not eat wet food or tuna.  Even with treats he is finicky.  He used to eat whipped cream, which I gave him regularly since last year but he stopped eating that in February.  At this point, I just want to understand what to expect and do.

Vicki

I know with lymphoma the main symptoms will be anorexia, lethargy, and nausea.  Pancreatitis is painful so I am assuming there will be pain.  Cats are masters at hiding pain so you will need to be cognizant of that.  The main issue with lymphoma at the end is getting them to eat, it becomes a matter of letting him eat what he will eat.  Most kitty owners decide it's time when there is simply nothing else they will eat.  Many times they will become anemic and the first symptom you will see is labored breathing.

I am so sorry your kitty is going through this.

I'm so sorry about the diagnosis.

Please check out this blog: http://catwithcancer.blogspot.com/.  It's written by a woman from Canada whose cat has pancreatic cancer. I suggest starting with her very first post and reading all of them. She was told her cat would have three months to live, and it's been over a year.

I would also suggest getting more vets involved, if you can afford it. If your regular vet is traditional, then look for a holistic vet or one that specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Your vets would work together using an integrative approach to treat Dusty. They might not necessarily agree with everything, but it's important for each to know how the other is treating and what they are prescribing.

Thank you for sharing this site - I started reading it.

It's odd, Dusty has been a very finicky eater his whole life, turns his nose up at wet food, tuna, etc.  Today he ate tuna.