Could my cat's sudden death be related to a misdiagnosed IBD?

I'm sorry to hear your cat is having GI issues. How was your cat diagnosed with pancreatitis? If the remainder of bloodwork was normal and the fPLI was positive, I would consider X-rays and possibly an abdominal ultrasound for more information. Pancreatitis can be a chronic condition that requires diet changes, B12 supplementation and long-term medications. Pancreatitis can be concurrent with another underlying GI issue, such as IBD or lymphoma. Ultrasound can give more information, but these conditions can only be definitively diagnosed with intestinal biopsies. As the issue isn't resolving, I would recommend your cat be re-evaluated and further diagnostics potentially fine, either by your regular veterinarian or an internal medicine specialist. Good luck!

The thickening of the jejunum is not likely to be parasite related but, of course, anything is possible. It is more likely to be IBD or lymphoma. I cannot give you a prediction on life span without having more information. Did the vet recommend an intestinal biopsy? That would be needed to get an exact diagnosis. Did the vet give you any medications for her? Here is an article about lymphoma in cats. It may give you more information. ( https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951906 )

I'm sorry to hear that Mercedes is sick. If IBD or GI lymphoma is suspected the next steps may be ultrasound or even biopsy. Biopsy is needed to confirm the diagnosis of IBD. However, I will frequently treat if it is strongly suspected on ultrasound. If IBD is confirmed it's worth doing a trial of a prescription GI diet. Although a/d is a good recovery diet it is probably not the best one to use as a maintenance diet if IBD is suspected. It would also be worth giving your veterinarian a call to see if they can give a Cerenia injection. This will help to resolve the vomiting and can be continued if necessary. Vitamin B12 injections can also be helpful when a cat is experiencing GI distress and will be needed if IBD is confirmed. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes to Mercedes!

So very sorry for you loss of Indy. My condolences. I can see on the x-ray what the vet was thinking may have been an adhesion. I cannot tell you what it is though just by looking at the x-ray. The only way to know what the mass is/was is to have sent it to a laboratory for histopathology. Masses can be any number of things. I can tell you that lymphoma is quite common in cats. Unfortunately, we are not going to be able to help you with this via the internet as we were not there to see what happened. If you wanted a definitive diagnosis then a necropsy (autopsy) would have been needed with tissue samples sent to the lab for analysis.

I'm sorry you and Oscar are going through this. My honest opinion? In talking to pet parents about cancers, intestinal cancers in cats are one of the instances where I almost always urge people to go for it, and try to treat them. Why? Because they can do so well for so long. I'm assuming your vet is thinking this is either intestinal lymphoma or inflammatory bowel disease. Those two diseases cannot be distinguished from each other on ultrasound, and we often just see thickened intestines, so biopsies are needed. IBD is very treatable, and at 5 years old that is the more likely diagnosis. Some of these guys do great with just a diet change to a hypoallergenic diet. Others need immunosuppressive therapy in addition to diet, but there is an excellent drug called budesonide that has minimal systemic side effects, and works primarily in the gut. I've managed IBD cats well for 10+ years. If it's lymphoma, those cats respond well to prednisolone therapy (another, stronger immunosuppressive drug) and sometimes the addition of a well-tolerated chemotherapeutic called leukeran. I've successfully managed cats with intestinal lymphoma for 3+ years. If it's not lymphoma, and more of an issue with a focal intestinal mass, that's a whole different ballgame, but again, treatable in many cases. And I would have expected that they would have seen a mass on ultrasound, so that seems unlikely. I think the best thing about getting biopsies is having a definitive answer, and knowing what you're dealing with. Best of luck to you and Oscar in getting this figured out.

I'm so sorry you suddenly lost your cat! Without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain what caused her to pass away, but I can make some guesses. In senior cats, cancer is common, and because our animals can't tell us what is going on with them, oftentimes we find that they are suffering from cancer but we don't know it until it's too late. It could be possible that your kitty had cancer, and it ultimately took her life. She could have also been suffering from kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, or other organ failure. I hope my guesses may give you some peace of mind, and again I'm sorry for your loss :-(

It sounds as though you and Schumacher have been through a lot over the past 2 years! Given his weight loss, chronic diarrhea, normal blood work and initial response to depomedrol, chronic pancreatitis or primary intestinal issues, such as inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma would be my main concerns. In this situation, further diagnostic testing is often needed to try to get to the bottom of this issue. Some tests include vitamin absorption and pancreatic blood tests (B12, folate, TLI, fPL) and an abdominal ultrasound to look at his internal organs, intestinal thickness, lymph nodes, etc. In some cases, biopsies are needed to differentiate between different conditions so that the most appropriate treatment can be started. Cats with inflammatory bowel disease or lymphoma often benefit from long-term steroids, antibiotics and prescription diets to control their clinical signs. I hope that all goes well for Schumacher!