6/26 Elvis AMPS 72 no shot in 24 hours barely eating

Can someone help me make sense of this?
She seems nauseous - and has barely eaten since last afternoon - just a few tablespoons of wet food and a few pieces of LC dry. She's been given some Pepcid AC, which hasn't helped much.
I'm waiting to hear from her vet

 

I am not on much but saw your posting and wanted to offer some thoughts.

First to address the glucose numbers. I am assuming Elvis had a shot of depro-medrol The effects of this steroid can take about 4 weeks to 'wear off' It is possible the diabetes was steroid induced and may be correcting itself as it wears off.

As far as the nausea. Leukeran can cause nausea. As well it is possible that she could be having pancreatitis. The quickest way to tell if pancreatitis is present is to have a snap fPL test done at the vet's office. This will only give a yes or no result and won't give an actual value. The specific fPLI test will give a numerical reading but must be sent out to an outside lab such as IDEXX. In either case anti-nausea meds may be helpful. If it is pancreatitis then pain meds and fluids are also used. It is important to get your girl eating even if you have to syringe feed food. The longer a kitty goes without eating the more chances of liver issues such as hepatic lipodosis become.


ETA One of my kitties had chronic pancreatitis and I found the pepcid AC did not help much. I used SEB (slippery elm bark) which I bought at a health food store with no additives. I would make a 'slurry' out of it and syringe it. It does have a funky taste so most kitties will not eat it on their own.

 

Thank you! I'll ask the vet about pancreatitis.
How much of the SEB slurry would you give her? I have some capsules of it
Yes, she had a steroid shot about 7 weeks ago.
She's eating a tiny tiny amount - crunching a few pieces of dry food now.

 

My Tuxie was close to 14 pounds and I would give 1/2 of a 200 mg capsule mixed with water and syringed fed. When he had pancreatic attacks he would need anti-nausea (we used cerenia) , sub Q fluids and pain relief ( we used injectable buprenorphine)

How long has Elvis been on leukeran. This is a powerful medication and needs to be monitored on a regular basis. Some info:

https://www.vetinfo.com/chlorambucil-for-cats.html

"
The other most common side effects of chlorambucil (leukeran)include the following:

• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Imbalance of kidney and liver enzymes
• Tremors and seizures
• Loss of hair or delayed regrowth process for shaved hair

Because of the serious nature of many of the side effects that routinely occur when your cat is taking chlorambucil, you must watch him carefully. At the first sign of any of these or other side effects, take your pet in to the vet for a thorough examination."

Was she actually diagnosed with lymphoma? That would have required a biopsy.

 

72 on an AT ???? So glad you didn't shoot!

Glad Tuxedo Mom is here to give you some expert advice. Hope the vet is helpful, and that Elvis gets a jump-start from those little nibbles (happens that way sometimes).

 

She was not biopsied. Because of her age and general fragility, the vet and I decided to treat her symptoms rather than risk anesthesia. She had a sister who died from lymphoma 2 years ago (that was biopsied & treated & made me not want to put Elvis through the same protocols.) So she may have IBD, but it may be lymphoma.

 

Thank you for the information. Since Elvis is on leukeran then regular blood work needs to be done. According to your signature she receives it 3 times a week. Have you noticed any correlation between her dosing and appetite? You may need to have a CBC done and speak with your vet about dosing of the leukeran...dose amounts and frequency to find the right balance for your girl. In the meantime give her anything she will eat to get food into her. Personally I would advise a vet visit to check any bloodwork changes with the leukeran and possibly check for pancreatitis. If she is continuing to refuse food or only eating small amounts then the vet visit is the best plan.

 

Just an added post about bloodwork and leukeran if you are not already familiar with this from your other kitty. So sorry for her loss

"14) I’ve heard that it’s necessary to regularly do blood tests when cats are on Leukeran. Why? As mentioned, one of the possible side-effects of the chemotherapy is bone marrow suppression. This can lead to anemia, and that can be fatal if not monitored and managed. Thus, it is necessary to do regular CBC (Complete Blood Count) testing to measure any change to Red Blood Cells, White Blood Cells and Hematocrit (RBC, WBC, HCT). A sudden, lasting drop in the HCT will mean that Leukeran will be stopped, at least temporarily. Your vet should advise a regular schedule to do the CBC. It may range from weekly or bi-weekly in the beginning, to monthly, or some similar schedule. If your vet does not tell you, be sure to discuss the need for regular and on-going monitoring."

http://www.ibdkitties.net/leukeranchlorambucil/

 

oh boy. She didn't mention bloodwork for leukeran.

I just got a little SEB into her with a syringe - fingers crossed. Mixed it with a little bone broth.

and thank you. Elvis' sister Cady was a wonderful cat.

 

Feel better Elvis.

 

If your vet has not suggested BW then you need to question her about it and have it done. Since leukeran is a powerful medication BW does need to be monitored as mentioned in the link I posted above.

If the SEB is going to help you should see an increase in appetite within a few hours from my own experiences. I have used it with both my FD kitties. I kost my Tuxie just over a year ago but still have his sister who is also diabetic. Both Maxie and I miss Tuxie very much!!

It would be prudent to get Elvis in and have BW done just to be safe. Hopefully the SEB will help with the eating, but best to have her checked anyway to make sure there are no other side-effects at play. Since leukeran can also be hard on the kidneys you want to monitor that as well if Elvis already has kidney disease.

 

Vines for Elvis. Hope he feels better soon with the SEB - does wonders for Jones.

Jones was on Leukran for a bit, like you we didn't do the biopsy due to the state of his health at the that time. I found after 2 months he had to come off of it. He was sick every second day, didn't want to eat and his HCT count was dropping. So I figured he was better off feeling better as long as possible if it was lymphoma then to feel like dirt every second day.

These are for you.

 

Thank you everyone for good wishes, and thanks for the SEB suggestion. It definitely helped! She slept a little then ate a little, including a bite of chicken breast that she wasn't interested in yesterday!

The vet is going to give me Cerenia for her

 

I hope Elvis continues to feel better and eats more for you. These are for you as I know how hard it is when the kitty doesn't want to eat.

My little guy also has difficulty eating. For him the SEB slurry is a much better solution to help him eat than the Pepcid. He is currently on a daily dose of Cerenia and Ondansetron which helps him not feel nauseated. The Ondansetron is a human drug for cancer patients who have difficulty with nausea. It is a bit expensive but we are willing to buy it because it really helps Radar eat better. You might ask your vet if you can have a script for the Ondansetron. We have also found that Radar eats better if his dishes are raised about 6 inches off the floor.

 

She's feeling better! Elvis got a shot of Cerenia today, & pills for tomorrow. Tonight she finally ate with enthusiasm! It wasn't a lot of food, but she was ready for more half an hour later. Now she 's napping comfortably