I'm so glad CJ is doing better - Way to go CJ & Mom!

I forgot to mention....there is a blood test (fPLI)  for pancreatitis too:
http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/gilab/assays/cPLI.shtml
http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/gilab/research/Pancreatitis.shtml

Typically you would test for cobalamin (B12)/folate levels at the same time you test for pancreatitis - although if you are giving B12 injections it would not be necessary as the test would not be accurate.  There is also a test called TLI for another pancreas disease more associated with malabsorption. 

Hi catmom.  My two IBD boys also have pancreatitis, although for them it has not been as severe as CJ's.  I can tell you, though, that there is an awesome yahoo feline pancreatitis support group and the people there have had much more experience than I have. Here is a link to the group:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Feline_Pancreatitis_Support/
They also support triad disease - the combination of pancreatitis, IBD, and hepatic lipidosis.
I remember your posting on the IBD forum, but don't know if I've seen you on the pancreatitis support group. I think they are great at supporting the more difficult cases like yours, and always good to share with people that have similar experiences.  

For Bo & Cougar I've never been able to really tell whether their IBD or pancreatitis was the controlling disease until this past June.  Cougar was having pain and his appetite faltered - no vomiting though.  We used an appetite stimulant to help with his appetite while we figured it out...and eventually put him on ursodiol with was a magic treatment for him.  I don't think it is for every cat but thought I would mention it. Cougar also takes prednisolone which may not be a good idea with the CRF depending on how far along it is.  Plus he takes pepcid twice a day.  We just started giving him Seacure for the IBD but no idea if it will help or not - someone I know has had really good results with it so thought I would try it.  

Pancreatitis can be a very painful disease and buprenex is frequently prescribed for it.  Fluids too which you may already be doing.  For severe vomiting odansetron and dolasetron are also very helpful, but you would want to check with your vet as I'm not sure about the impact with kidney disease.  I believe they are processed by the liver though.  

I would follow up on the pain medications as it can really help them feel better. Hopefully CJ is doing better soon.

Jenny

I was wondering as I saw them in our local store the other day.  It says it is a 'complete meal', yet does not have an AAFCO stamp that I noticed nor does it have any supplements added to it. 

I just managed to find a web page....it is actually SOrganic by the way
http://www.sobrightllc.com/site.htm

On our IBD forum Forti-Flora is not very popular.  A couple reasons....the liver digest in it is from pork and chicken and some cats have allergies to these.  Also, the use of enterococcus faecium as the probiotic source makes several member uncomfortable.  And finally, it seems that a lot of the IBD cats just don't do that well with it.

Regarding enterococcus faecium one concern is that in some cases it is antibiotic resistant:
http://www.cliniciansbrief.com/pdfs/capsules/feb_06_cap06.pdf
http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2007&PID=18189&Category=2993&O=Generic

I actually knew an owner with a cat (later pts) that had an enterococcus infection...and took FortiFlora...also used a feeding tube but she told me the probiotic was not given via the feeding tube.

One of the concerns is that enterococcus faecium  is just not as well studied as the more commonly used probiotics such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria.

Jenny

I only use the EVO 95% venison...but I think of those carrots as helpful markers (they are also in Wellness).  With three cats I always know if it is Bo that threw up if there are carrots in it

Whew - that is good to know.  It's scarey enough when one of them is sick, but when more than one is - Wow.  Glad to know they are better.

LOL - I have enough Venison & Lamb to last until January, and when Only Natural sends me my cases enough til March!! 

I do think Wilson likes the venison best, but he eats both.

JustMe - just wondering if the kitties are better now?

Fomodiine (pepcid) is a common medication given to cats that suffer from problems with stomach acid related to a lot of illnesses.  My Cougar has been taking it daily since 2004 for IBD & pancreatitis. He initially took 1/4 of a 10 mg pill once a day, but now for the last 1.5 years has needed it twice a day. 

My cat Bo also takes pepcid once a day and when he was very sick we gave it to him as an injection (regular prescription to any human pharmacy). 

Here is a really good web page regarding controlling stomach acid with CRF:
http://www.felinecrf.org/treatments.htm#controlling_stomach_acid

Jenny

Did you heat it in the microwave to take off the chill?

I will say my very finicky Wilson loves the Ziwipeak venison.  It is very high in phosphorus though so I try not to feed him more than 2 oz a day of it.   

I was able to get the venison again from Only Natural.  Ordered 2 more cases although I have one case from an older sale still pending - for some reason they haven't shipped it to me yet.   Also, ordered 3 cases of lamb and received 2.

As mentioned my friend was feeding Weruva and Tiki Cat...plus a few other 'good quality seafood' meant for cats.  ALT was 330, but the mercury test was 4 times (sorry I exagerated earlier) higher than it should be.  I was only feeding Wilson 1/4 of a can Weruva a day, but decided I'm not feeding it anymore.

Well, Bo can't touch dry food since he made the switch to canned.  Makes him sick, gives him diarrhea.....Cougar has IBD and pancreatitis. I've tried to switch his food several times. The last attempt to Nature's Variety Instict Rabbit gave him a pancreatitis attack.  So he stays on his prescription kibble. 
Wilson is the healthy cat and he only eats a small amount of dry food - Iams Low Residue. 

That is life with two cats with IBD & pancreatitis, and a third cat with food allergies.

I use the 3 oz cans of Wellness Turkey and the Jan 28 cans are just fine...no goop.  In fact, I was noticing that the older cans I was using as a snack have more goop on top.  Sounds like the problem might be more with the larger cans?

Food for thought too....A friend of mine took her cat in for a regular check up.  The cat had been on a fish only diet for about a year due to allergies (seemed to be allergic to everthing except seafood).  She was using mostly Weruva and Tiki Cat but I think there were some others too....A mix.   Cat had very high ALT levels.....further testing the cat's mercury levels were about 5 times the normal levels.  Makes me think twice about using seafood.  Wilson only gets a small amount of Weruva seafood but I think I'm pulling it in the next week or so.