EPI * Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency

Hi Everyone-

I'm Traci and my EPI cat is Boomer who will be 4 in July.  He's a flame point siamese mix -orange and white.  He was diagnosed this week.  He also has IBD and is a diet-controlled diabetic.  I am sad because tonight he isn't very interested in eating the food with the enzymes in it.  This makes me worry that he'll never want to eat it.  I had to order the Pancrezyme powder from the internet because the vet and the referral hospital I've been working with didn't have it.  He ate some food with it earlier but not now.  He's also on a few other meds, so there's no telling which thing is making him not want to eat.

•Did the cat have a cTLI blood test done… was the cat fasted for 12 hours first? Yes to both

•Was a B12 Deficiency blood test done … was the cat fasted for 12 hours first? Yes

•What were the cTLI score and B12 / Folate scores? TLI=.5 (low), B-12=>2000 (high-off the charts), folate 12.8 (normal) 

•Was the test sent to Texas A&M Univ (TAMU) ? Yes

•Does you vet suspect your cat has SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) No

•Was your dog given any antibiotics if so, what brand and for how long? No antibiotics given

•Are you giving your cat pancreatic replacement enzymes… if so, brand name, how much, and what is your preparation with the enzymes?  He's getting pancrezyne, script was for 1/2 teaspoon twice a day.  I put it in the food, let it sit for 20 minutes and give it to him.

•What brand name of food are you feeding your cat, amount and how often? Many kinds - all grain free except for tonight because I felt desperate to get him to eat.  Only wet food.

•How are you preparing the food (warm, cold, with or without water, enzymes mixed in, letting it sit for 20 minutes or not)? Room temperature, no water, letting it sit.

•Has your vet given your cat a B12 shot…are they being continued? He gets b-12 once a month by me.

•Are you giving your cat  treats in-between meals... What kind? Boiled chicken or freeze dried chicken

•What does the cat's elimination look like? Firm

•How often does the cateliminate daily? often - not sure how much

•Does the dog have a lot of gas or tummy gurgling? Yes!

•Does the dog seem hungry all the time and/or eats things it should not?  Sometimes he seems crazy-hungry, sometimes he doesn't want to eat like tonight.  He's on a strong drug for his IBD (leukeran), so this could be causing the inappetence.

•Does the cat not want to eat?  At the moment he doesn't, however, he just ate a pouch of food with no enzymes

•Has the dog’s mood changed… cranky or fearful?  He seems lethargic for most of today, though yesterday he was a mad man

•Has the dog’s energy level changed?  It seems to change daily

•Has the dog lost weight… if so how much and in what period of time? He weighs 7.6 pounds from 9 and a high of ten. 

Are there any other cat members?  I'm so worried that he's not going to eat his food with the powder in it!

Hi Traci and Boomer.  Welcome, although sorry you need to be here...

You are between a rock and a hard place as it's pretty rare for a cat to be dx'd with EPI... I would first try to give enzymes in a really stinky, smelly food to disquise it, such as Tuna (in water), sardines or mashed mackrel to try to get Boomer to eat it.  I also have a cat with IBD (and a current dog with this as well as a Bridge dog) and I know that the stools are generaly the complete opposite of dogs with IBD in that they actually have trouble eliminating...

Hi Tracy,

Just finished re-reading your intro and got that he's diabetic too, so the EPI makes sense...We do have one other cat member, but she hasn't posted in a while...I'll look for her profile.

Hi Donna- Thanks for responding. What med is your cat on for IBD?  Mine was on busdesonide until it "stopped working" a few weeks ago. Then the hell began. He went in for biopsies and it came back as inflamation as opposed to cancer. He's on leukeran which can cause vomiting and inappetence.  Boomer's main issue with IBD was vomiting as oppsosed to poop issues.  I think his poop is fine, LOL.  He was originally put on pred for his undiagnosed IBD and it worked fine.  Then he became diabetic.  CRAZY stuff.  And now this.  It doesn't seem so bad, but they have to eat and Boomer's picky!  Gotta love it.  I wouldn't be such a wrech if he wasn't already skinny.

Hi Traci & Boomer,

Just wanted to say a very warm welcome to our forum.   Wish I could help you more but I'm sure you'll have many others popping in here with suggestions & advice.  I know this is all so scarey at first but it is manageable & things will begin to come together for Boomer. 

Again welcome.

Lynn & girls.

Hi Traci,

My cat was put on pred, but that was years ago and she hasn't had an issue, other than she hasn't hit the litter box in 10 years (she's 23 now)...  It sounds like Boomers IBD is upper colon, rather than lower colon which is where my cat's IBD stems from..

If he can tolerate fish and his diabetic diet allows it,  I'd use that as a tempter.  These days I'm having issues getting my cat to eat anything as she has two teeth in her mouth and is senile beyond belief.   She's actually my daughter's cat and I've been telling her for years it's time to say goodgye, but every time I do, the cat rallies and I look like a fool... I swear she's going to outlive everyone here... 

I am so glad to have found this site ..After many yars, five different vets, every conceivable test, medicine, steroid, herb, enzyme, food, holistic treatment, thousands of dollars and tears to fill an ocean (and more diarrhea and vomit than can be imagined)  ..I think all points lead to EPI. I had no idea what it was until I recently rescued a dog that was diagnosed with EPI and I began to research, my Goose has every single symptom. This is Goose in better days, he is now very thin and frequently in pain. I have scheduled bloodwork to be done next week and am already giving weekly B injections and he is on a grain free venison diet.  Good to know there are others to speak with about this

Hi Traci and Boomer! Welcome to the forum! Oh my! Poor Boomer. He has been through so much. There is a tab at the top of the page about EPI in cats. Whether it's a cat or a dog, many of us have had problems getting our critters to eat. Until their tummies are feeling better, they sometimes don't want to eat. But it's kind of a catch-22. They don't feel good and don't want to eat, but they need to eat to keep their strength and feel better. UGH! Like Donna mentioned, there is a member who has a EPI and diabetic cat. There are also a few people that have EPI and diabetic dogs. Hopefully, they will chime in soon to give you some advice. Keep us posted on how things are going!

Hi Traci and Boomer - welcome to the forum.   I can't offer much about cats with EPI - I have no experience there but if you go to the above "Forum" tab and under "Advanced Search" put in "cat with EPI" - several posts will come up that you can read through that may help.   My best coming your way!