Posted by:
summer
(
)
Date: June 06, 2021 01:13PM
...or even your own experience.
My sweet, 16 year-old Kitty has been on-and-off sick of late. He was diagnosed with diabetes about six years ago (for which board members here gave me great advice,) and has been doing well with that. His latest challenge is recently diagnosed pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas,) and IBD (inflammation of the small intestine.) The vet tells me that these are not unusual conditions in older, diabetic cats. Supposedly both conditions can be managed, but he's had three flareups within the past six weeks, so I'm trying to figure out if this is a battle we both can fight. He intermittently has had a host of GI issues including nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and watery bowel movements.
So far, the vet has given him two doses of injectable Cerenia, an anti-vomiting med. This seems to work well, but only for about two weeks or so at a time. He also has access to both an appetite stimulant in both topical and pill form. That also seems to do the trick. The vet has also given him fluids when needed and a dose of pain reliever during his worst bout.
I'm thinking if he can go about once a month or two to the vet for a Cerenia injection, and make do with pills the rest of the time, this might be workable. I am looking hard at quality of life issues for Kitty to make sure that I am not pushing him too far. I want him to enjoy whatever remains of his old age.
If you, yourself have either of these conditions (or know of someone who does,) how painful are they? That is one of my major worries, as I don't want Kitty to be in pain. He has previously rejected Gabapentin in the form of chewable treats, but I suppose an oral suspension might work. The trouble is (as with any pet,) it's often difficult to determine if they are in pain. I don't think he generally is, but I don't know for sure. He just seems to be frustrated when he can't eat, or can't eat as much as he would like.
Thanks in advance for any advice that you may have.