Topic: Problems with stomach or pancreas or thyroid? (Read 7550 times)

Newlis · « **Reply #34 on:** December 20, 2012, 16:35:39 PM »

Fortunately, my cat does like the Hills L/D and she can still have small amounts of cat food as long as it is low in protein.

The other two cats don't like the Hills L/D so much but they're not ill so that's alright. xD

Kate S · « **Reply #33 on:** December 20, 2012, 15:34:50 PM »

My cat who had pancreatitis was on hills low fat diet. Didn't like it. the vet suggested low fat meat and fish freshly cooked. He loved the fish, white cod type just poached in water wrapped in clingfilm as it ponged! A bit more expensive but he enjoyed it!

weesilvie · « **Reply #32 on:** November 10, 2012, 15:35:19 PM »

Hi Newlis

I'm just starting my cat Silvie on Hills j/d diet for her arthritis. The recommendation is to introduce it slowly, over the course of a week or two - for the first two or three days mix one quarter new food with three quarters old food. Next few days, half and half. Next few days three quarters new and one quarter old and then all new food. Or something along those lines.

Have a rummage online - I've found this from Hills website - http://www.hillspet.co.uk/en-gb/cat-sick/liver.html Looks like there are both tinned and dry versions of l/d which you can try. The usual online pet shop sites will probably stock this and deliver, or your vet might be able to get hold of it for you (although probably at a premium price!). Worth asking your vet for a couple of tins to check if your cats like it, before buying loads - mine sold me a coiple of tins of the new stuff to try.

Newlis · « **Reply #31 on:** November 08, 2012, 21:54:35 PM »

Finally got hold of a bag of the food and none of the cats seem to like it.

I wonder if they'll get used to it if i give them a few days... but for how many days should I try before contacting the vet and seeing if there are any alternatives?

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #30 on:** November 04, 2012, 15:10:16 PM »

I have never heard of that one and reckon you should but a couple from the vets to try first cos no point in buying in bulk if they wont eat

Newlis · « **Reply #29 on:** November 02, 2012, 17:15:44 PM »

So the vet recommends Lolly (and the other two cats) go on something called Hills Prescription L/D Liver Diet and gradually cut back on their usual cat food until they're all eventually only having this dry prescription diet.

I'm wondering how they will like that

Does anyone here have a cat on that diet? Do they like it? XD And does anyone have a list of places who stock it?

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #28 on:** October 30, 2012, 08:32:06 AM »

Delighted to hear such good news

It is so distressing to see an animal in discomfort and hope she is back to normal very soon.

She is a lucky girl to have such a caring slave

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #27 on:** October 29, 2012, 17:35:39 PM »

Brilliant news, hope she continues to go from strength to strength

Dawn F · « **Reply #26 on:** October 29, 2012, 16:16:42 PM »

that is great news!

Newlis · « **Reply #25 on:** October 29, 2012, 16:14:19 PM »

Haven't updated in a while... :x

Lolly is looking much better. She was in for another checkup today and it seems the inflammation has settled right down and she is no longer jaundiced. She can come off the tablets and the metacam and she is putting her weight back on.

The plan for the moment is to keep giving her whatever she wants to eat until she's put a bit more weight on and then the vet is going to advise us on a new diet for her.

Newlis · « **Reply #24 on:** October 19, 2012, 23:51:05 PM »

Quote from: Gill (sneakiefeline) on October 19, 2012, 21:40:31 PM

Cant you mix the metacam with some food on a spoon..........its sweet I think and Ducha used to go straight for the food with the metacam in!

I worry that she won't want the food I offer and the medicine will be wasted. She didn't seem to mind the syringe that much but she didn't want to take her tablet. I think I'll try shoving that in a piece of chicken or fish next time. :p

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #23 on:** October 19, 2012, 21:40:31 PM »

Cant you mix the metacam with some food on a spoon..........its sweet I think and Ducha used to go straight for the food with the metacam in!

Newlis · « **Reply #22 on:** October 19, 2012, 19:42:26 PM »

Another update.

I was allowed to bring Lolly home this morning. She looked a lot brighter and has managed to put a tiny bit of weight back on during her stay at the vets. She was very interested in her food when she got back - practically tackling her mother out of the way to get to a bowl of food. I did put three bowls down for the three cats and gave them all the same thing but, as usual, they like to squabble over the same bowl. The bowls are also all identical.

The vet said Lolly gets whatever she wants for a while as we try to further stimulate her appetite, get her more interested in eating again and hopefully she can begin to regain her weight. I've given her that chicken flavoured HiLife and mixed some cooked chicken in with it.

When I looked at her an hour or two ago she was looking a bit down in the dumps. Her mood declined even more when it was time for her medicines. She's on Metacam and Famotidine. She's kind of beginning to forgive me for making her have them but I suspect she'll fall out with me again tomorrow when she has to have them again.

Lolly has to go back in for a checkup tomorrow and Monday.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #21 on:** October 18, 2012, 14:45:48 PM »

I wonder if the low fat diet suggestion comes mainly from research into human pancreatitis? A friend has been recently diagnosed and that is what Drs ~~suggest~~ demand of her until she has the operation to remove gall bladder which, I understand, is all related.

The article I read suggested that a cat with this condition is unlikely to overload on fat intake when their appetite is already so poor which made some sense to me and cats do process fat far better than we do. The point I suppose I'm getting at is, if it turns out that Lolly

will only eat a higher fat diet, it's much better she eats that than nothing at all

I am however becoming increasingly aware, the older I get, how much cats and humans have in common as regards symptoms for common illnesses so I imagine there must be quite a few common treatments. Another friend currently has a kidney infection and her symptoms are amazingly similar to our beautiful cat Fred RIP.

Newlis · « **Reply #20 on:** October 18, 2012, 12:45:54 PM »

@Gill - The vet mentioned it could be found at Tesco and I popped over to our closest supermarket which is Morrisons and they don't have a great selection there, literally just the one flavour which happened to be the one Lolly seems to have enjoyed eating at the vets. If I can pick her up today I think I'll have a look around the other supermarkets just before I go in and see what they have.

@Tiggy's Mum - That's pretty much it. There isn't really a cure for it. Just managing their diet as best you can and looking to reduce the amount of fat in their diet. We don't know how long she'll have trouble with this condition. The vet said 6-8 weeks on a different diet she may well recover from it completely but he also said that if cats get pancreatitis once then they're at risk of getting it again but certainly permanently changing their diet can reduce the chance of it recurring.

Apparently not much is known about the condition in cats. Looking it up on the internet I've seen a few reasons why a cat may get pancreatitus but I've ruled out the majority of them as causes for Lolly's sudden flare up. The vet did also say a lot of the time when a cat gets it they never find a specific cause for it.

@ Rosella moggy - Had to wonder since my vet said not much research had been done on the condition in cats how they'd know changing their diet to the one suggested would help but if they've been suggesting it to other cat owners and the cats's health has improved and there are less instances of pancreatitis recurring then I hope they're onto something. xD

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #19 on:** October 18, 2012, 12:27:52 PM »

I've just been googling effective treatment of pancreatitis and found an article from 2009 saying that there is no real evidence that the usually recommended bland, low fat diet is much help. Your vet will know more obviously. Hi Life is in any event a complete food and, if it's what she will eat, that's her choice

During my googling, I got rather upset reading about a poor 16 year old little lady called Frisky who was extremely poorly

I had to skip to the end of the article to find the hoped for words ......"One week later, Frisky was alert and responsive. She was hydrated and did not appear to have any abdominal discomfort"

Have they suggested appetite stimulants in addition to the pain relief?

Sending many positive vibes for lovely Lolly and hope she is well enough to return home soon

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #18 on:** October 18, 2012, 11:41:39 AM »

Sorry to hear she went downhill but at least you have more of an idea what you're dealing with now

What's the deal with pancreatitis? Am I right in thinking it can be helped with a special diet?

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #17 on:** October 18, 2012, 11:18:12 AM »

Its good they know what is wrong and do hope that she is able to eat some more

Hi-Life are changing their food and it maybe worth putting out a thread asking Sam to contact you as she may be able through her auction contacts to gfind out where you can buy hi-life and which ones are being discontinued.

If its the pate Gourmet do a turkey pate and also an ocean fish which maybe an alternative and available at Tescoes.

Newlis · « **Reply #16 on:** October 18, 2012, 10:43:52 AM »

Haven't updated in a while...

Lolly went back downhill over the weekend as I thought she might. She was back at the vets Monday morning and when the vet examined her again it was becoming more obvious what was wrong with her; her eye lids and gums were pale yellow, indicating jaundice. A highly positive result on the lipase test she had done and an ultrasound which showed a lot of inflammation around the area of her pancreas (and bile ducts) suggest she has pancreatitis and Lolly has been staying at the vets since.

Lolly has been on a drip constantly and has been given pain relief and medicine to stop her feeling nauseous. She's still not been eating properly for days, only picked at her food, probably because the inflammation is still causing her discomfort and she's a bit anxious about being at the vets.

There was better news yesterday because she finally ate a whole bowl of food, albeit a small bowl but a whole bowl none the less and looked keen to try more. However, this morning they said she'd not eaten anything overnight again. Again this could be because her pancreas has become a little inflamed after eating during the day. She has managed to put a bit of weight back on during her stay at the vets and is otherwise looking a bit brighter anyway.

The vets said she may be able to come home again today if she's alright in herself and eats something, if not they'd like to keep her in for at least another 24 hours.

Her diet will have to change and the vet said the only thing she would eat while she was there was chicken flavour HiLife so I'll assume that's what they're going to recommend I feed her at home. A problem would be how to prevents the other cats from scoffing all of Lolly's food which could be especially important if I have to add medicine to hers...

And I hope one of my local supermarkets actually sells HiLife. xD

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #15 on:** October 14, 2012, 01:24:59 AM »

Sending more good vibes for Lolly and hope that she continues eating and improving

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #14 on:** October 13, 2012, 22:16:26 PM »

Pleased to hear that she is well enough to come home, a sensible decision I think in light of the fact how stressed she is at the vets

Hope she continues to do well over the weekend and

for the blood results.

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #13 on:** October 13, 2012, 19:04:46 PM »

Delighted to hear she has eaten something.

You do well to be wary about thinking this is signs of all OK but obviously I hope that's exactly what it means

I'm a great believer in cats being cared for at home, whenever it is possible, not least because you are in a far better position to notice signs of things not being quite right or alternatively noticing signs of recovery

If at all possible, try very hard to chill out; now that she has eaten and drank something and see what tomorrow brings .............. says she she who would be more likely to hover and stress the poor lamb out

Have a good kip Lolly

Newlis · « **Reply #12 on:** October 13, 2012, 16:53:17 PM »

Just a small update.

The vet said they'd phone and let me know how Lolly was getting on but I think they forgot to or were extremely busy so I phoned them instead. They said Lolly wasn't particularly interested in the food on offer but after being on a drip all night she was no longer dehydrated and was looking a lot brighter. They wanted to know if I'd like to have her at home for the weekend because she might be more interested in the stuff we give her back home and because she's quite an anxious cat she was finding being at the vets a bit stressful.

She's been back for a couple of hours now and looks painfully thin but she's been eating and drinking at least. I put out everything; the two kinds of dry food she likes, two kinds of wet food, tuna and cat treats and she's been going around, having a nibble at everything and having lots of little drinks. She's found her voice again and has found the energy to jump and purr and rub against my face - she hasn't nuzzled against me for days so she definitely seems happier in herself.

I know it could just be a temporary adrenaline rush or something from being allowed home and by no means is she out of the woods yet. Last time I brought her home from the vets she seemed happier initially and then went downhill again quite quickly but she is a lot better this time round so fingers crossed...

Blood results won't be back until Monday or Tuesday and I'm going to request a copy if I can get them. While I was there I asked if they had any reason to think there might be a problem with her kidneys and they said they didn't think so. The first blood test hadn't picked up on anything and she's not been having problems urinating and doesn't appear to be in any pain when she does go and there doesn't appear to be anything off with her urine. That's all I have for now. :3

Liz · « **Reply #11 on:** October 12, 2012, 22:29:17 PM »

If you can do visit, we always visit our llot and take in the extra special treats, wet food, cat milk and I take in a catnip or valarian toy for comfort

Rosella moggy · « **Reply #10 on:** October 12, 2012, 22:12:35 PM »

to Purrs. Am very sorry you found us under such worrying circumstances and send many

to you and Lolly

Quote from: Newlis on October 12, 2012, 20:30:48 PM

... the vet phoned me and said the test showed her protein levels and the levels of one of her liver enzymes were unusually high so she suspected my cat might have hyperthyroidism

I don't really understand that link to be honest but I'm no vet. I understand the link between kidneys and protein levels though and being on a drip if kidney results are worrying.

I always ask for a copy of blood results as numbers begin to make a little more sense after a while esp as a comparison if bloods end up being taken more than once. You've paid for them after all. Generally they will indicate the "normal" levels next to the results so you can gauge for yourself how mild/serious results might be.

If she still isn't eating at vets, am wondering if it might be an idea for you to pop in and try and feed her? She needs to eat

I'm assuming vets think she must stay on the drip?

Sadly I don't think you are likely to receive any reliable answers to your queries until the results of the latest blood tests come back and very much hope that Lolly rallies enough to be allowed to come home

It's a good thing that the vets are putting their heads together to try and figure out her problem.

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #9 on:** October 12, 2012, 21:59:55 PM »

Will the vets allow you to visit her whilst she is hospitalised? It might raise her spirits a little and encourage her to eat as regardless of what is wrong with her it's important that she eats

If they'll let you visit you could take in an item of worn clothing to help comfort her too.

Protein in the urine could indicate a few different issues so, hard as it is, I would resist googling until you get the more comprehensive results and hopefully at that stage your vets will be able to diagnose exactly what is wrong with her and then you can go forwards in finding out the best treatments etc

I only mentioned the possibility of it being a stomach bug as my (admittedly much younger cat) suddenly became withdrawn and stopped eating and ended up at the vets on a drip - his eventual diagnosis was gastritis (stomach bug) of unknown origin.

There was a thread on here a few weeks back about a cat that had gone missing and when found was very poorly with high liver enzymes, by the end of the thread his liver enzyme results had gone back to normal so in that case the vets thought the enzymes were raised due to trauma to the liver.

I agree with Kay about asking for a copy of the test results as it's a lot to take in for a lay person and the numbers won't mean anything to you initially.

Kay and Penny · « **Reply #8 on:** October 12, 2012, 21:48:25 PM »

I can't understand why when doing blood tests for a 13 year old cat T4 is not included - especially in a cat who is losing weight

not checking all options from the start so often prolongs a diagnosis, involves the cat in unnecessary vet trips and blood drawing, and costs the owner a lot of extra dosh

please insist in being given a copy of all the results, as it will enable you to check them out on the internet, and perhaps get advice from others whose cats had similar problems

having a HyperT cat has converted me into seeking advice from specialistic forums, as indirectly that way you are getting the advice on best treatment from other people's vets, some of whom will probably have more expertise than your own

Liz · « **Reply #7 on:** October 12, 2012, 21:45:41 PM »

Hope they get to the bottom of it

Miss Millie is a tad rugby ball shaped we have got her here on foster from CP but she is staying as she is 15 and needs to be monitored and she seems to have found her place in my motley band of waifs and strays we are just worried her insulin does is to high hence the Fructose curve, all our bloods are sent away for the tests even though our vets do them in house ours go to Glasgow Vet School for analysis costs about £40 for the full monty as they saying goes but worth it for our peace of mind

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #6 on:** October 12, 2012, 21:39:53 PM »

Loads of good vibes to Lolly

Newlis · « **Reply #5 on:** October 12, 2012, 21:37:37 PM »

@ Gill

Her name is Lolly.

I don't have a copy of her results, no. :c I was only told over the phone that her protein and liver enzyme levels were high and I couldn't see the same vet today as the vets at the practice I visit tend to travel around and work at different practices. I've had several vets already say now that she is a bit of a mystery and that my cat isn't going by the book when it comes to symptoms so I think they might all be a bit confused.

@ Tiggy's Mum

I'd really like her to have a simple problem that can easily be fixed! I'm not sure about the stomach bug though... Could that cause her enzymes and protein levels to be high?

The earliest I can expect the broader tests results back would be Monday or Tuesday.

They say they're going to phone me tomorrow morning and see how she's doing. If she's responding well to being on the drip and if she eats anything. They said if she looks brighter tomorrow she can home then although I'm torn about whether that's a good idea or not. Cats get nervous at the vets anyway but mine is a nervous cat in general so she might be feeling extra stressed in there. On the other hand, I don't want to bring her home, she her go downhill and then have to rush her back in as an emergency case so it might be better for her to be there until Monday.

@ Liz

With the initial blood test they did, they said it didn't look like she has diabetes.... I hope the test was accurate.

Liz · « **Reply #4 on:** October 12, 2012, 21:33:28 PM »

Welcome

We have a Hyper T boy who is 12 and he lost weight but has put in half a kilo and had fullbloods done today he is on 20mg of Vitalda a day

We also have a foster Diabetic cat (our third) and thyroid and diabetes can produce weight loss

I would ask for a full blood panel and send away for a T4 panel to be done for the Hyper T and when doing the bloods ask for a Fructose curve to be done - it doesn't need to much blood and ask them for everything to be tested will give you a baseline for Liver, Kidneys, Thyroid and diabetes

Tiggy's Mum · « **Reply #3 on:** October 12, 2012, 20:58:45 PM »

Sorry to have to wlecome you to Purrs at such a worrying time

I think it's very early days for your cat, as her symptoms/initial blood results seem to have even the vets stumped I would try not to worry too much about the possible illnesses this could indicate at this stage as it seems that there could be several explanations. It could even be something as simple as a stomach bug that has caused her inappetance and lethargy (here's hoping)

Have they taken the second lot of bloods for the broader test yet, if so did they say when you would be likely to expect the results in?

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #2 on:** October 12, 2012, 20:56:46 PM »

I am so sorry to welcome you to Purrs at such a worrying time for your cat.......what is her name?

It may just be me but your vets sound a bit inexperienced!

Do you have a copy of her results cos there are bight sparks on here who know a lot about the numbers.

Certainly loss of weight often points to Hyper T but can also be a pointer to kidneys.

As you say it could also point to liver etc.

I hope your vets get a angle on this quickly so she can have the best treatment cos liver particularily goes down hill fast without food.

I am pleased she is on a drip and hope they look after very well

Pleasae keep us advised of how she is.

Newlis · « **Reply #1 on:** October 12, 2012, 20:30:48 PM »

Greetings all.

My 13 year old cat has suddenly become ill. For the past three days she has eaten and drank next to nothing and has laid out in the corner being mostly unresponsive. She wasn't exactly chubby to begin with but since she's barely been eating she's quickly resembling a bag of bones.

I took her to the vets yesterday morning and after a brief examination they decided she wasn't too bad, not dehydrated at least and she didn't seem to be in any pain. Her temperature, tummy and teeth all seemed okay as well so they gave her some antibiotic and took a blood sample and I brought her back home with me. That afternoon the vet phoned me and said the test showed her protein levels and the levels of one of her liver enzymes were unusually high so she suspected my cat might have hyperthyroidism although she admits my cat lacks many of the symptoms. She said she'd ring back the next day (today) to see how she was getting on.

That night my cat seemed to pick up a little and did some wandering around, purring and padding. She tried some food and water but not much, only a few mouthfuls, but I was hopeful that her appetite might increase through the night. When I woke up this morning I could see the food at least had not been touched and she was back to laying down, looking miserable and unresponsive again. I was expecting the vet to phone me back so I waited for her to call but she took too long so I arranged another appointment with someone else at the same veterinary practice.

They decided to keep her in overnight, possibly all weekend, on a drip and they said they'd phone later this evening to tell me how she was. They phoned a couple of hours ago and said after they'd closed up, a group of them got together to examine her and discuss what might be wrong with her. They said she seemed to be in pain when they pressed on her stomach and now because of that and her liver enzyme levels they're wondering if perhaps there might be something wrong with her liver or her pancreas, although they still haven't ruled out the hyperthyroidism. They plan to do a broad range of blood tests testing enzyme and lipase levels this time to try and figure out what the actual problem is.

And that's where we're up to.

I was wondering what could be wrong with her liver or her pancreas, if either of those are the problem? I also wonder if they could do anything to help her if there is a problem with her organs or what kind of treatment we could expect and how much she might be suffering. Has anyone here had a cat with similar problems? What was done for them? Were they healthy and happy afterward?

Author Topic: Problems with stomach or pancreas or thyroid? (Read 7550 times)