Ilnesses That Wax and Wane

[foxxycat]

a good site to look for home nursing care for cats is Tanya's CRF site. There are pages and pages of info about meds/foods etc etc. I often direct people to her section about inappetite and vomiting sections. She does cover a little about pancreatitis.

http://www.felinecrf.org/nausea_vomiting_stomach_acid.htm

Try poking around this page=this explains more about Pepcid. Yes in general human meds are bad for cats.

Humans and dogs seem to share cell structure similarities but cats are unique. So far there are a few meds that can be used in cats..in lymphoma most of those meds are used on humans. They have done many studies on different meds and 10 years ago we never would have heard of treating cats for these various illnesses. Vet med has come a LONG way. Especially now that the environment is changing with vets where they are allowing home nursing care to be more utilized.

tylonel and advil are still dangerous for both animals. that hasn't changed. Cats are limited to pain meds.

I also find that not all vets are familiar with Tanya's site. It is a wealth of knowledge.

Anytime you have questions ask me anything.

if you wanted to pursue fluids-youtube has tons of videos showing you how to. the hardest part is getting the needle into the skin but after that its simply a rolling of a ball to open the line and waiting for the amount of fluids to go into the pocket. And it helps if your kitty isn't wiggly. I have one who doesn't stay still so its always fun trying to see the level on the bag and hold her so she doesn't take off.

 

[cc0000]

Thanks for all of your help. I've heard of Tanya's site before. 

I have one more question. Does the Pepcid help cats with gas or just stomach acid? I think that it would help Brillo a lot if it does as he has had problems with excess gas since being diagnosed with pancreatitis.

 

[foxxycat]

I don't know about the gas but it won't hurt him. It could help the gas as Pepcid stops the formation of acid so maybe if there is no acid then no gas? I was perturbed at first because I know that acid is needed to break down foods but obviously we have seen people use Pepcid for many years and doesn't seem to have long term effects..you can always just try it for 48 hours to give it a chance to work. The hardest part is getting it down their throats. very very bitter. Flo used to foam at the mouth all the time. of course we couldn't use a pll popper because that small crumb wouldn't fit inside..we tried pill pockets and cheese-we couldn't get her head tilted back as she would claw..we did the burrito method but it stressed her out so much so I just switched to injections. we gave the injection in the same area as sub fluids-so much less stressful all around.

I wasn't sure how easy your cat is to handle. I have given injections to myself with allergy meds and later adequan with my girls so I was pretty comfortable with needles. I just hated that initial pinch that would make them flinch.

 

[cc0000]

Thanks. I don't know if gas is just part of pancreatitis or if he has IBD/a food intolerance as well. He never had gas issues before or stomach rumbling and it seems to make him feel lousy.

The vet said there was very mild stomach inflammation and to repeat the ultrasound in 6-8 months time as there were no clear IBD signs.

Brillo isn't too hard to handle, but, illness can make him freak out a bit.

 

[SparrowLyn]

Before reading on this site, I never knew you could give fluids at home so I didn't think to ask. The Pepcid is new to me too because I've always heard that cats can't have anything like that (used for people) because everything is so dangerous for them.

Fluids don't seem like they would be too difficult to give. As long as they are not outrageously expensive, I have no problem giving them everyday if needed.

This pancreatitis flareup is Brillo's 2nd but was so different from the first. The first cleared up after one vet visit and fluids, pain meds, and anti-nausea meds. This time it has flared up off and on.

Brillo did start eating new food (Rachael Ray Nutrish and wet food) recently so I wonder if either food has something in it causing the pancreatitis to flare.

Hello, just wanted to say....Im so aware of what your cat and yourself is going through and its quite confusing. My boy Oliver (11y.o) is going through the SAME thing. It started about 1 month ago. Lethargic, hiding, decreased weight, was not eating or drinking, licking rocks, sitting strangely with muted eyes and fever. He would not leave the closet and was just miserable. He went to the emergency vet for 24 hours. They did blood work, an X-ray and administered medication. He came home and did not improve. Brought him to the vet about a week later and she put him on prednisone, omeprezole, sulfacte, administered IV fluids and antibiotics and gave me a powdered probiotic. He came home and in about 2 days he seemed better but not at baseline. She was not concerned about bloodwork except for one marker and felt he had pancreatitis. After the 2 days of relief, he took another nose dive and ALL the symptoms came back. Ugh, poor guy! I took him back to the vet and she then prescribed an oral antibiotic and said he should have an ultrasound done. So 2 days went by and he was even more sick. I called yesterday asking euthanasia as I thought for sure this was the end and I couldn't bear to watch him suffer anymore. THEN today, he turned a corner, like he just woke up with this light! This thread has been so helpful in advocating for my Oliver. We had another appointment this weekend and I will be asking about IV fluids at home. I sure hope that Brillo turns a corner like Oliver. They sure fight like crazy to stay with us. Keep on loving! All the best!

 

[fionasmom]

This is an older thread and most of the members who participated have not returned for quite a while, so you may not get a reply or acknowledgement.

My last GSD had chronic pancreatitis to the point where the vet allowed me to keep all medications and supplements at home and make my own first diagnosis before calling her. It was manageable and it is absolutely true that they begin to pull through it and recover. Glad that you are fighting for Oliver.