My cat has pancreatitis and only eats treats. Is this normal?

Hello. I am so sorry for your worries with Maggie. There are other gastrointestinal diets for cats, like those made by Hill's & Purina that you can try. She may like a wet vs a dry diet, too. But the important thing is just to keep her eating. Cats tolerate dietary fats better than dogs, so while she recovers, you might even talk to your vet about introducing her to a hydrolyzed protein diet ( also used for pets with food sensitivities ) as this is highly digestible, too. As for asking about Mirataz, definitely do ask as this it can help as an antiemetic & appetite stimulant. I hope Maggie is feeling better soon & thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your cat. I do not like to institute a diet change until a cat is healthy if at all possible. They should be eating and drinking on their own. If you offer a new food when they are still ill, it is easy for them to develop a food aversion. So I would feed him his regular diet or the tuna until he is eating drinking well. Then slowly try very small amounts of the z/d. It may need to be a very gradual transition for him. I hope this information helps!

Pancreatitis pets should eat normal amount of times and normal quantity. THe key is to feed low fat food such as Hill's I/D low fat or Royal Canin GI low fat. The formula for resting energy requirements is kcal/day= 30 (weight in kg) + 70, so for a 5.8lb (2.6kg) is 149 kcal/day, which should be split into 2 meals, so that is around 74 kcal/meal. He should be eating like normal, 2 times a day, every 12 hrs. I hope this helps, and I hope that Batman has an appetite so that he can keep his nutrition up during his time of illness. If he is not eating well, then a feeding tube should be considered to help him get his proper nutrition. Best of luck to you and take care!

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!

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!

Dogs with pancreatitis are incredibly nauseous and very painful. He is likely eating what he feels up to eating. It's ok for a few days until he starts feeling perky again, then you can get him back to his normal dog food.

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!