Anyone have experience with a cat with pancreatitis?

Question

I tried to ask this question a few hours ago, but got nothing but stupid and irrelevant answers, so I'm trying again.  Maybe the time of the day I asked was when all the intelligent people weren't on their computers.  So, here goes one more try:

My three-year old kitty, Cookie, has been very healthy all her life and I've always fed her high-quality food. She's never been sick even once. However, she very suddenly got really sick a few days ago and I took her to a 24-hour emergency pet hospital. They kept her for a few days and while she was there, they determined that she had pancreatitis. They treated her for it and she got much better, to my relief. When I picked her up yesterday, the doctor talked to me and told me that she'll have to be on a special prescription-only diet for the rest of her life. I've done some research on the internet, though, and some of what I've read has led me to believe that with an acute case of pancreatitis, a special diet is required only for a couple of weeks. I want to do what's best for her, but I'm just not sure if that prescription diet is really necessary for the rest of her life, and since it's pretty expensive, I don't want to spend the extra money unless I have to -- of course I will if it means that she really does need it. I just wonder if anyone here has had experience with this and can offer some insight.

Elaine M · Accepted Answer

My diabetic cat had a bout of Pancreatitis, we got him in very quickly, fortunately.  He was throwing up violently six times in half an hour and it started right after his breakfast.

Basically the pancreas does not shut down, it tries to digest the stomach and it can be a cat killer if not stopped. The vets put the cat on water only, no food, and wait with just the fluids till the pancreas shuts down and can be restarted properly with small amounts of food.

It took 2 days to stabalize our cat, and they told us that a high protein, low carb, low fat diet was the best to use. The low fat, as that is easier to digest, high protein because a diabetic cat needs that, and low carb to keep his blood sugar in line.  With a normal cat recovering from pancreatitis, you may only need to watch the food to make sure it's low fat.  

EVO, Royal Canin Siamese 38, Wysong Vitality, these are several that are OK to feed.  If you like, sign up over on Yahoogroups with a group called Handicats, and ask over there, as the owners are very familiar with stuff like this.

Our guy only had the one case of this, he did not repeat it.

Colleen · Answer

Our dog has pancreatitis. We were able to find a brand that had a lower fat content than the prescription food (California Natural, not sure if they do cat food as well). The vet was fine with it. We also found some low fat treats. She's responded very well. Yes, if she is predisposed to pancreatitis attacks, you're going to have to plan on a low fat diet for the rest of her life. Each attack does more damage to the pancreas.

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rrm38 · Answer

If she's prone to pancreatitis she'll be better off on a lower fat, higher fiber diet for the long term.  It doesn't necessarily have to be a prescription food but it will be important to pay close attention to ingredients/nutritional content.  Quality foods cost more, but are well worth it in the long run.  I recommend using a high protein, grain free canned food like Wellness Core.  The fat content is low in most varieties, but the fiber content may be a tad too low.  Adding a tablespoon of plain canned pumpkin (no spices/sugar) to her food a couple of times a week can help to increase her fiber intake.  Of course, if she's overweight then working with her to help her lose weight will go a long way toward preventing future attacks.  Feeding a quality food in the daily serving amount for his desired weight (not current) on a twice daily schedule will generate weight loss.  Setting aside time for active play a couple of times a day for 10-15 minutes will also help.

Wellness Core nutritional info:
http://www.wellnesspetfood.com/cat_wellness_can_core_chicken.html

More great info on cat nutrition:
http://www.catinfo.org

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Anyone have experience with a cat with pancreatitis?

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