Question Details
Pancreatitis With Vomiting And Diarrhea In A Cat
by CorinneC - March 17, 2023    View Case Report
Henry is an 11yr MN DMH cat that my boss recently sent to me for a second opinion due to chronic vomiting and diarrhea. The cat was diagnosed with tritrichomonas early on and had been treated but the owner chose to stop the full treatment because he did not react well to the medication. He had been doing well up until Jan 2023 but V and D again increasing and reduced appetite overall. He was given SQF and Cerenia, the Cerenia holds him to a point, but he still has breakthrough V. My boss and I discussed case and I rec'd a Wei Ling Tang trial as its gentle and seemed to fit the clinical picture without actually seeing the cat. An ultrasound was done in Fall 2022 but NAF found.

Two weeks later cat came in to see me. D+ seems to be better, sl firmer, but still soft/not as liquidy, get a few almost formed in the day, very smelly, no mucous or blood. V+ has really changed - a lot of liquid, very little food. Projectile liquid, large volume, generally food brown in colour, rare kibbles. Appetite is always good. Generally does not eat wet food, has just started to eat a/d canned with herbs. Fed primarily z/d kibble. Stopped WLT Wed night after massive V+. Still taking Cerenia 8mg SID or prn. No change in personality. Had stopped Cerenia 4 days while adding herbs, so by 4th day V+ large amt. Henry is quite a lovely boy, tongue bright pink, swollen, crimped edges, moist; pulses toned. I recommend a more biologically appropriate diet (ideally raw, but at least getting him off Z/d to canned), Cerenia, + San Ren Tang trial.

O emailed 2 weeks later, cat V still on SRT + Cerenia, feeding Weruva and Hounds and Gatos canned, but still insists on Z/d. O stopped SRT. I rec'd stop Z/d and retry SRT once settled. Did well for 2 weeks, then V restarted so again stopped SRT. Then tried XCHT but cat refused to eat and then V with just a pinch added/

Wondering if you have any other ideas??
Corinne (thank you in advance as always!)
Replies
by naturevet
March 18, 2023
Hi Corinne,

The canned food may still be too processed a diet to be of benefit in a Damp animal. It would be nice if just for a week or two, she just used meat like from the grocery store, if the cat would eat it. If symptoms improved dramatically, you could then just create a balanced real food diet. And you'd know that Dampness was confirmed as the problem from a Chinese medical perspective, although with the diet change, herbs might not be required after that, but SRT sounds like it was the best tolerated and most comprehensively beneficial of the treatments, if something was still needed

One other idea, since this seems to be a Dampness case, is to look at Huo Xiang Zheng Qi San (Protect the Middle, if you're using Kan). It's the first choice for refractory GI signs in a young animal. It's still appropriate now If the Tritrichomonas is still present somehow because of truncated treatment. It also fits the worsening in January, when Wei Qi is at its weakest, allowing deeper pathogen penetration. It's quite aromatic, so the pill version from Kan may be the easiest to administer. It's a pretty strong anti-emetic and is used in China to combat morning sickness.

For the cat to have done well for two weeks on canned plus SRT, you have to be close to the solution. A resurgence of symptoms could suggest you're dealing with a leaky gut and secondary IBD to some degree, such that a sensitivity to the new foods was eventually acquired. Leaky guts imply probiotics and immune modulating formulas might help. You made an effort with XCHT, but one other consideration is Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang. It bolsters Spleen Qi and slows peristalsis (to reduce soft stinky stools). It also fits mid-winter aggravation since it counters tendencies to Jue Yin excess and Wei Qi deficiency, both of which occur at that time of year. Since there is the remote chance it could aggravate vomiting, and since it is not that anti-Damp, I'd consider it a Plan D.

Plan C would be to explore Yi Guan Jian. If WLT and XCHT were truly aggravating, and the vomiting on WLT was not just worse because Cerenia had been stopped, then the tie that binds both of them is that they are drying. If a cat had Stomach Yin deficiency, they could be aggravated by those herbs. Stomach Yin deficiency can also worsen in January, and is accompanied by Heat that can produce inappetance, vomiting, and colitis. Since the formula is potentially Dampening, I would hold it in reserve in case those other ideas don't work.

In terms of dovetailing with what you've done and learned so far, the HXZQS is the place to start. Since it is also warming and drying, if the cat worsens on it, then YGJ might be the next consideration. If it doesn't help but doesn't make things worse, then given the wiry pulse, a moving formula like BZYQT might be the next best choice.

First and foremost, though, ask the owner to just feed meat for a week. If the symptoms don't improve, the cat isn't that Damp and you can zero in on YGJ and BZYQT. If the cat is much better, then continued SRT or a switch to HXZQS is more advisable.

Hope this helps!

Steve
by CorinneC
March 22, 2023
Thank you so much YET AGAIN Steve for the great explanation and help in this challenging case! I will start with cooked food and move on from there is baby steps!
Corinne
by CorinneC
March 22, 2023
Thank you so much YET AGAIN Steve for the great explanation and help in this challenging case! I will start with cooked food and move on from there is baby steps!
Corinne
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