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Obi has an appt. with internal medicine today - He has Pancreatitis
- Thread starter myrnafaye
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Yes, excellent...but what does it mean?
What do you mean "what does it mean"? LOL.
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A. I am just trying to understand what might be going on other than pancreatitis.
B. How long does it typically take for a cat to recover from a bout of pancreatitis? Obi seems to have recovered quickly, NOT COMPLAINING AT ALL ABOUT THIS!
C. Will I need to keep him on pred and reglan (1.5 TID) for the rest of his life, or will the vomiting/pancreatitis return?
I know you are not a vet.
B. How long does it typically take for a cat to recover from a bout of pancreatitis? Obi seems to have recovered quickly, NOT COMPLAINING AT ALL ABOUT THIS!
C. Will I need to keep him on pred and reglan (1.5 TID) for the rest of his life, or will the vomiting/pancreatitis return?
I know you are not a vet.
When a part of the digestive tract gets sick, you can consider any or all other parts to be sick as well. This is why vets want to continue monitoring through blood work. The liver can be affected, the immune system, etc.
Pancreatitis will scar the pancreas, which means that you will be watching for signs and symptoms of flare ups for the rest of his life. You can consider pancreatitis as a chronic condition that has acute flare ups, although I'm sure there have been the occasional cat to never have another acute flare up.
Will he need medication for the rest of his life? Probably. WHICH medications and how much is up to Obi and the vet.
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Thank you for your input. Obi ate well this morning but he stayed under the bed last night and he is there now. The internal medicine tech says as long as he is eating, he is probably doing well. i am factoring in that he is still on pain medication, which has a narcotic, that there were bad storms last night, and that in the morning esp. I have to come at him with several meds. including the syringe ones which he HATES. Still, I dont like t hat under the bed thing.
My comments are in red below.
I'm sorry that Obi is hiding under the bed. I definitely understand your concern. That is not a normal thing for any of my cats, either, so I would also be concerned. When do you give Obi his medications? Before or after he eats?
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I give him his pain med after he eats. The reglan before, and the pepcid after. I see the other cat, Mittens, is also under the bed, and she is fine, so I am hoping they just want to hang out there for now...but he was there all night too. Came out to eat.
I give all Sebastian's medications just before he eats (with the exception of his probiotic, which I pill him with just before bed). It doesn't take long for cats to pick up on routine and the schedule of things and knowing what comes next. I give Sebastian a few minutes to regroup after I pill him, but then he knows it's mealtime. He forgets all about the pilling because he's now hungry and wants to eat. I suppose it could be looked at as almost a reward. He knows that he gets to eat after he gets pilled. Obviously, you should stick to the schedule that you and your vet have worked out, but my concern with giving medications after eating is the possibility of the cat knowing that he gets them after eating and therefore may avoid his meal.
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Its my understanding that reglan and pepcid need to be given 2 hours apart; and that Pred works best overnight...I will try to get this confirmed and post.
http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/famotidine/566
"If famotidine must be given with antacids, metoclopramide, sucralfate, digoxin and/or ketoconazole, give famotidine at least 2 hours before or after the other drugs, whenever possible."
Since you're giving bupe, an opiod:
http://www.marvistavet.com/html/reglan.html
There's also a link about Pepcid, but I didn't look at it.
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Thanks, Peaches. I have been giving the metaclopramide with his food, and the pepcid, which I believe is famotadine, 2 hours after.
I think the pain medication is ending today. I hope so.
Obi has been eating well, but after breakfast, he goes under one of the beds. So maybe he needs the pepcid with the food, and the metaclopramide later. It is hard spacing those two apart, especially as the metaclopramide has to be be given three times a day.
I will be talking with the internal medicine vet today. I have 9 questions!
I think the pain medication is ending today. I hope so.
Obi has been eating well, but after breakfast, he goes under one of the beds. So maybe he needs the pepcid with the food, and the metaclopramide later. It is hard spacing those two apart, especially as the metaclopramide has to be be given three times a day.
I will be talking with the internal medicine vet today. I have 9 questions!
Ah, I see. Good call! Hope the chat with the vet goes well.
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The chat with the vet: she recommended the full GI panel, you know, the one that tests for the B12 and folate levels, and also says how effected the pancreas is. Damn test has to be shipped to Texas (overnight). She kind of hung tough with that test; she said otherwise we are guessing at what Obi needs. Sigh. These tests are not cheap.
Obi's behavior continues to puzzle/disturb me. When i come home, or if its meal time, he is out and about, vocalizing. He eats really well. He stays out and about for a bit; then he goes under the bed. I dont know how to interpret this; typically a cat hides when he is not feeling well, but as near as I can tell, he is not uncomfortable. Maybe he thinks I am going to come after him with a syringe full of medication?
In the meantime, my other cat is off her food today - and its the NV rabbit. I just caved and gave her something else. She ate some, not much. I think she is used to two meals a day, not three, and is having trouble adjusting.
Obi's behavior continues to puzzle/disturb me. When i come home, or if its meal time, he is out and about, vocalizing. He eats really well. He stays out and about for a bit; then he goes under the bed. I dont know how to interpret this; typically a cat hides when he is not feeling well, but as near as I can tell, he is not uncomfortable. Maybe he thinks I am going to come after him with a syringe full of medication?
In the meantime, my other cat is off her food today - and its the NV rabbit. I just caved and gave her something else. She ate some, not much. I think she is used to two meals a day, not three, and is having trouble adjusting.
I know exactly what test that is because Sebastian had it, and they aren't cheap.
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Did Sebastian retreat after eating? Obi WANTS to eat, he is totally interested in his food...
I know exactly what test that is because Sebastian had it, and they aren't cheap.Maybe Obi doesn't know what he wants, maybe he's avoiding his medication, maybe he's not feeling 100% after he eats and retreats there. It's difficult to decipher. I hope the test gives you some more information.
Yes, its a test that has to be overnighted to Texas. The vet was pretty firm about Obi having it, or she felt we would just be guessing as to his needs. I am hoping that his test comes back with low numbers, but we already know he has pancreatitis.
She is a fill-in internal med vet. The regular vet comes back from maternity leave in 2 weeks. It will be interesting to see if she has another opinion, or additional thoughts.
Sebastian had trouble eating when he was flaring because he was nauseous. He would be up and about, but once he heard me start to prepare their meal, he'd run upstairs and sit in the corner of the room. Eating made him nauseous, and so therefore he started avoiding mealtimes. Or, if he felt a little better, he would try. He'd take a sniff or a couple licks and walk away, which is also nausea. So the fact that Obi IS eating is a good sign that he's probably not feeling too bad.
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Yes, he has a really good appetite. And, knock on wood, I hope I dont jinx him by saying this, but there have been no hairballs or vomiting. I t hink I am going to be a mean mommy and close the door to that room that has the bed he is hiding under. I dont want to take away his "safe place", but I think it may have become kind of a habit because he is anticipating a syringe with nasty tasting rx.
I forgot to say that the vet today told me to stop the pepcid, as well as the pain medication. She said there is not much evidence that pepcid helps, and that pain meds are not necessary unless he seems like he is in pain, which he does not. If he does, I will call for another rx, but NOT one that has to by syringed. He just jumped up behind me and is on top of the back of the office chair as I type.
I forgot to say that the vet today told me to stop the pepcid, as well as the pain medication. She said there is not much evidence that pepcid helps, and that pain meds are not necessary unless he seems like he is in pain, which he does not. If he does, I will call for another rx, but NOT one that has to by syringed. He just jumped up behind me and is on top of the back of the office chair as I type.
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I have had Obi on metaclopramide for his hairball vomiting/ motility issues. He has been on 1.5 mg three times a day. Has not tossed a hairball all week - till this morning. I am wondering about whether cerenia would be a better choice; does anyone have experiences with both drugs in relation to hairball vomiting?
I have no personal experience but given how the two medications work I think the reglan would be a better choice for motility issues. The reglan increases the muscle contractions in the upper gi tract and helps with stomach emptying. Of course long term use of any medication carries the potential for side effects. With reglan it's a condition called tardive dyskinesia which is abnormal movements or tics usually in the face.
The cerenia works on the part of the brain that perceives nausea. It actually does nothing for the cause of the nausea just the perception of the nausea. It can't be taken continuously long term. Usually it is so many days in a row then a day or two off of it. It depletes the level of a chemical in the brain, the breaks gives that chemical a chance to replenish itself. The way it is used would mediate the potential for side effects from long term use.
The cerenia works on the part of the brain that perceives nausea. It actually does nothing for the cause of the nausea just the perception of the nausea. It can't be taken continuously long term. Usually it is so many days in a row then a day or two off of it. It depletes the level of a chemical in the brain, the breaks gives that chemical a chance to replenish itself. The way it is used would mediate the potential for side effects from long term use.
