My cat has pancreatitis and won't eat. What food options are there?

Usually I recommend a low fat gastrointestinal food for pancreatitis as it is easily digested with minimum fat content. Royal canin does a feline wet GI food. Hills and specific do a similar option. You can get these from your vet. If your cat also has deficiency in pancreatic enzymes these may need supplemented.

I am assuming your vet suspects Henry has a chicken intolerance that may be contributing to the pancreatitis bouts. Hill's z/d and Royal Canin HP are what are called "hydrolyzed protein diets." These diets are designed such that the proteins have been processed to be broken down to such small pieces that the body won't recognize them as something that could mount an allergic or intolerance response. If your cat won't eat these foods THAT'S OK! There are other appropriate foods available, because another possible approach to concerns for allergies and intolerances is to use a different protein altogether; these are called "novel protein diets." There are some high quality foods available that may be very helpful; including this diet-- Royal Canin PR (protein source is peas and rabbit): https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-veterinary-diet-feline-selected-protein-adult-pr-dry-cat-food-8.8-lb-bag/762188 Or Hills d/d (rather than z/d): protein source is peas and venison) https://www.hillspet.com/cat-food/pd-dd-feline-venison-and-green-pea-formula-dry If you do decide to cook for him, check out the site balanceit.com which will help you with a recipe. While diet can be a factor with pancreatitis, and we definitely worry about a high fat diet predisposing to the condition, no one knows exactly why some cats develop pancreatitis. Here is some good information on pancreatitis is cats. https://www2.vet.cornell.edu/departments-centers-and-institutes/cornell-feline-health-center/health-information/feline-health-topics/feline-pancreatitis-serious I hope that helps you!! Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I am sorry he was diagnosed with this tumor. This is unfortunately a very aggressive cancer. If he is going to just be on palliative care at this point then the focus would be more on making sure that he is comfortable and eating and feeling well. Prednisolone is a good idea. Another medication that just came out in the market is Entyce which is an appetite stimulant that I have been using in cancer patients which may improve his appetite. At this point you can feed him whatever he prefers though something that is tasty and they tend to like is canned tuna so you can try that. The Entyce has worked great for my cancer patients so far and he may have a better appetite afterwards. Also, an anti-nausea medication like ondansetron. Your veterinarian could prescribe these if that would be ok with his medical history. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Pancreatitis in cats is often a chronic problem with occasional flare-ups. Treatment usually consist of pain relief and low fat diet. In more severe cases iv fluids, intravenous pain relief and appetite stimulants are necessary. In that respect the treatment Mahji received sounds appropriate. Antibiotics are not necessary in most of cases of pancreatitis but it is a common practice to use them. It is hard to make comments on the problem with oedema. I assume that the oedema was caused by overzealous intravenous fluids therapy and Mahji has fully recovered after a course of diuretic. The key in long-term management of pancreatitis is low fat diet. There are prescription diets for cats with pancreatitis but this type of food can be easily prepared at home (cooked lean meat with some vegetables). Using appetite stimulants should be only short term, however some cats require longer therapy with anti-sickness medications to treat nausea (metoclopramide or maropintant are the most commonly used). I hope that will help and I wish all the best for Mahji

I'm so glad that Mr B is feeling better. A prescription diet would be ideal, if he will eat it. However, it is more important that he be consistently eating something. Regular food intake and meals keeps the pancreas working at a steady pace to help digest food, rather than going from 0 to 60 so to speak; meaning not needing to work, then working really hard. Since he is an older guy, he is just more likely to start to have health problems. If he does have a recurrence of pancreatitis, it would be a good idea to talk to your vet about an abdominal ultrasound (sonogram of the abdomen) if that was not preformed yet, to see if there are any other issues going on, such as an obvious tumor, etc. I hope that information is helpful. Thank you for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sage. I'm sorry to hear about his ongoing issues with pancreatitis. Continue giving the fluids as you do not want him to become dehydrated. I typically include pain medication as well as an anti-nausea medication in my treatment plan. Pancreatitis can cause abdominal pain and he may not be eating due to nausea. It is also a good idea to have his cobalamin (vitamin B12) level measured in his blood. If this is cost prohibitive, most veterinarians will give an injection of this vitamin. It can help a lot. I hope these options help Sage. Good luck!

Ha Ha! Temptations are cat crack!!! I'm always saying this! It is probably partly both. Did your vet give you a special bland diet to feed Shadow? If not, I would try one. I'd pick Purina EN or Royal Canin GI. Either dry or canned - whichever he prefers. https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=113553 https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=113551 https://worldtails.securevetsource.com/itemView/view/198944_HomeDelivery.pml?productId=114751 Don't force feed him. Typically that just causes a food aversion. I suggest that if he doesn't start eating on his own that you ask your vet about putting in a feeding tube. It sounds drastic but it really isn't. It is an easy way for you to "force feed" him without forcing him..... They can keep the tube in for months.