White spot on pancreas or spleen. Pancreatitis in cats?

Hello there. I've just had a close call with my kitty. She's 10, weight just dropped from 8 to 7 pounds. She's had chronic and acute pancreatic attacksmostly little ones but the last one has been downright heartbreaking. I was sure she was going to leave us yesterday. This morning she was up and about for a bit. She's laying down but awake nowhas been for a few hours. Our veta cat specialistran xrays and blood panels on Saturday. The blood panel showed the kidneys in high gear

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    By: Kara McCarty El Segundo, CA

    Replied on 04/19/2011

    Cats with chronic pancreatitis commonly have liver and intestinal disease as well. This is called Triad Disease. These cats can be very sensitive to any diet change, especially anything high in fat. Did she have anything different to eat before this episode? If so you want to avoid that food in the future. You mention that her blood panel showed her kidneys were in "high gear". Do you mean her kidney values were elevated? This can happen secondarily to dehydration from a bout of pancreatitis. Make sure she stays well hydrated so that kidney disease doesn't become a permanent problem for her. You certainly want to monitor these values closely and make dietary change accordingly. You also mention a white spot on her pancreas or spleen. Was this seen on her radiographs? It may be scar tissue on her pancreas that has become calcified. You may want to have an abdominal ultrasound done to explore this further as it may also be a walled off abscess. Chronic Pancreatitis is a frustrating problem as it is something that is controlled, not cured, and it can be very difficult to do so. Kara, DVM

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