Question:
While I have the utmost respect for my vet, I find myself frustrated with the treatment of my 14-year-old female American shorthair feline.
I noticed in June that she was losing weight. I blamed it on the actions of my 15-pound male shorthair, who would eat his food and then go after hers. She would not fight for it. I tried feeding them apart, but that didn't work. In September she started acting strangely, climbing into cabinets looking for food and she once tried to take a cookie out of my hand as I was eating it.
I took her to the vet and she was tested for worms. It was positive and she was treated. She was only 4 pounds at the time of treatment. I thought that was the end of it, but she developed chronic diarrhea and kept throwing up. She refused to use her litter pan and had accidents all over the house. I took her back in October and she was tested for FELV and FIV, as well as diabetes. All tests were negative.
The diagnosis was that she had pancreatitis and was prescribed Paakare and Delta Albaplex for the inflammation in her bowel. To date, this treatment has not worked. She still has accidents and is throwing up, but not as much. I have put other litter pans in the house that she uses, but I still find her surprises. I do not understand why she is not better.
I know the medication works, because I ran out while I was out of town for three days and she was a lot worse. The vet tells me she'll have to be on the Panakare for the rest of her life. Do you agree with this diagnosis?
C.M., Cumberland, Md Jun 19, 2011
Answer:
Without checking your cat out myself and evaluating blood and other test results, I cannot rule out possible thyroid and kidney disease, especially in an older cat like yours.
Prolonged malnutrition could also have harmed her liver. You need to coax her appetite back, even hand- or spoon-feeding her crunchy dry cat foods like Evo
or Wellness and Gerber baby food such as turkey or chicken in gravy. Keep the other cat in another room while you are encouraging this ailing feline, offering food briefly every two to three hours. For some cats, a spoonful of canned fish like mackerel gets them going. The Panakare helps your cat digest her food. It is a pancreatic enzyme concentrate (from pigs), fortified with fat-soluble vitamins A, D and E.
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