Skinny cat not hyperthyroid...?Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency?

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Schroedinger's Cat - 14 Mar 2005 06:56 GMT

Hi All!

Updating on my "elderly" (well, he's 9.5 years) Balinese boy.
Fructosamine came back in the "stressed" rather than diabetic range.
T4 came back at plum in the middle of the normal range. The vet said
next we should take a stool sample and send it off to see if he's
breaking down his food properly. Would that mean he is thinking of
exocrine pancreatic insufficiency? This cat certainly puts it away,
yet doesn't put the weight on. It was also suggested that I give him
food he doesn't have to work too hard to digest, like adding cottage
cheese to his food (if he is not lactose intolerant), or full-fat milk
if he can tolerate it. I was thinking of mixing kitten milk replacer
with his meat, perhaps? (But gave him cottage cheese over the w/end
and he seemed to tolerate it OK.) Once we get the stool sample looked
at, if that's normal we're looking at Xrays (well, chest Xray to start
with)...

It's never simple!

Cheers,
Catherine

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Phil P. - 14 Mar 2005 15:13 GMT

> Hi All!

Hi Catherine,

> Updating on my "elderly" (well, he's 9.5 years) Balinese boy.
> Fructosamine came back in the "stressed" rather than diabetic range.
> T4 came back at plum in the middle of the normal range. The vet said
> next we should take a stool sample and send it off to see if he's
> breaking down his food properly. Would that mean he is thinking of
> exocrine pancreatic insufficiency?

...or malabsorption = when nutrients are not properly absorbed from the
intestine; or maldigestion = anything that alters the actual digestive
process. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency can cause maldigestion - but its
not very common in cats.

Increased stomach acidity can produce the same signs and symptoms as EPI
because a very low stomach pH can destroy pancreatic enzymes. Speak to your
vet about an antacid - might help.

This cat certainly puts it away,

> yet doesn't put the weight on. It was also suggested that I give him
> food he doesn't have to work too hard to digest, like adding cottage
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> at, if that's normal we're looking at Xrays (well, chest Xray to start
> with)...

EPI and malabsorption/maldigestion usually produce voluminous and rancid
stools or diarrhea. How are his?

> It's never simple!

Cats are an enigma wrapped in a mystery!

Phil

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Schroedinger's Cat - 16 Mar 2005 05:13 GMT

> > Hi All!
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> process. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency can cause maldigestion - but its
> not very common in cats.

After doing a bit of reading I realized that too! OTOH I did have a
cat with inflammatory bowel disease and he was very hard to get weight
on to as well, so malabsorption/maldigestion makes sense too...

> Increased stomach acidity can produce the same signs and symptoms as EPI
> because a very low stomach pH can destroy pancreatic enzymes. Speak to your
> vet about an antacid - might help.

Will do that, especially as he does have small fluid-y vomits at
times, so acidity could be a factor in his problem.

<snippage>

> EPI and malabsorption/maldigestion usually produce voluminous and rancid
> stools or diarrhea. How are his?

VERY good point - while he has had loose smelly stools, he doesn't
have them all the time and they don't look "steatorrhoeic" as I
imagine they would. So I don't know. I am, however, putting
probiotics in his food now too, in case he has some weird intestinal
bacterial overgrowth problem that needs correcting...

> Cats are an enigma wrapped in a mystery!

Wouldn't have it any other way!

BTW: information from his previous owner: he came to her looking like
a "starved cat" so I think he had poor nutrition as a youngster too.
I don't know how that might affect his feed-conversion ratio, to use
an agricultural term! I think he may never have been a "good doer",
but I still think his boniness now is way too much. Oh well, off to
get a poo sample!!

Cheers!
Cath

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-L. - 16 Mar 2005 09:06 GMT

<snip>

> After doing a bit of reading I realized that too! OTOH I did have a
> cat with inflammatory bowel disease and he was very hard to get weight
> on to as well, so malabsorption/maldigestion makes sense too...

<snip>

> VERY good point - while he has had loose smelly stools, he doesn't
> have them all the time and they don't look "steatorrhoeic" as I
> imagine they would. So I don't know. I am, however, putting
> probiotics in his food now too, in case he has some weird intestinal
> bacterial overgrowth problem that needs correcting...

I would be cautious about lymphoma of the bowel or sm. intestine, from
what you have posted WRT malabsorption, lack of weight gain and loose
stool. Keep us informed on how he does!

-L.

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Schroedinger's Cat - 17 Mar 2005 05:56 GMT

> <snip>
>
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>
> -L.

Hi,

Yes, cancer is at the back of my mind, especially because of his age
and the fact that he is a purebred! The vet said his intestines did
not feel thickened on palpation, but of course that's not going to be
the most accurate assessment, more a guide. If he shows
malabsorption/maldigestion on a stool sample I'm going to have to be
careful about what to do next. I'd be reluctant for any
investigations under anaesthetic because he had a respiratory arrest
after some dental work (luckily it was as they were waking him up; he
was intubated immediately), and he was in better condition then. I'd
be extremely cautious about any GA in this cat for that reason (I was
worried at the time before that procedure - I had this fear he would
die under anaesthetic, and then he nearly did!) Anyway, one step at a
time!

Cheers!
Cath

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-L. - 17 Mar 2005 07:55 GMT

> Hi,
>
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> Cheers!
> Cath

I will be hoping for the best. Please keep us updated, ok?

-L.

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