Feline Pancreatitis

A gastrointestinal disease found in cats, feline pancreatitis results in swelling of the pancreas. Pancreas produce digestive enzymes and insulin. In infected cats, these enzymes spread inside the pancreas and also in other abdominal organs; which in turn causes inflammation of the pancreas i.e. feline pancreatitis. The pancreatic juices spreading in the body may have many more disastrous effects. Toxins released from the pancreas can disrupt the insulin production. A syndrome known as, 'Weber Christian syndrome' leads to the destruction of fats in the body. The 'surfactants' present in lungs do the task of keeping the alveoli intact after every exhalation. The pancreatic juices can damage even the surfactants. Thus, pancreatitis in cats can prove to be a dangerous and fatal disease.

Symptoms of Feline Pancreatitis
Vomiting though, is considered to be the primary symptom in feline pancreatitis, it may not be found as commonly as it is found in dogs; moreover, not all, but one-third of the cats will exhibit this symptom. Fever, diarrhea, lethargy, low appetite, dehydration, weight loss and distress are some other symptoms of feline pancreatitis; however, these are not the peculiar symptoms of feline pancreatitis, because of their occurrence in other diseases too. If the cat is suffering with hepatic lipidosis, chances are that it may be suffering with pancreatitis too; because 40% cats infected by hepatic lipidosis have suffered from pancreatitis.

Causes
Infection, idiosyncratic reactions and intestinal parasites are considered to be the important causes of feline pancreatitis. The infection which leads to 'feline distemper' may also be responsible for pancreatitis in cats. Exposure to the insecticide, organophosphate, may be one of the many causes of this disease. Inheritance of certain genes might be another cause of this disease. The fact that Siamese cats are more prone to this disease reinforces the role of genetics.

Diagnosis
For diagnosing this disease, the levels of two enzymes, lipase and amylase are checked. High levels of these enzymes confirms the disease. However, the secretion of these enzymes is not consistent enough, in order to provide concrete evidence of the disease. Radiographs though, have been used in visualizing the pancreas for detecting the disease, but haven't proved to be of much use. The ultrasound imaging is sometimes useful in providing the correct picture of a swollen i.e. affected pancreas. Biopsy is however, the best way to diagnose feline pancreatitis as of now. But veterinarians avoid biopsy, as it might increase the inflammation.

An effective diagnostic method used to detect pancreatitis in cats is to conduct the ' Pancreatic Lipase Immunoreactivity' (PLI) test. Pancreatitis leads to sudden increase in the level of lipase. Thus, it can be detected by means of the PLI test.

'Specific Feline Pancreatic Lipase' (SPEC-FPL), a test which gives faster results than the PLI is used for the diagnosis of feline pancreatitis nowadays.

Treatment
The important part of treatment of feline pancreatitis is dealing with the swollen pancreas. But before treating the pancreas, the vet has to check for any other complications. Veterinarians recommend fluid therapy to counter the problem of diarrhea. Medication is provided for treating pain and nausea. To control vomiting, the daily diet may be reduced for some days. Supplements in the form of digestive enzymes prove to be useful sometimes.

Chronic feline pancreatitis is hard to cure completely. It demands a lot of care. Proper medication and diet are some things that need to be taken care of. However, if the cat has survived acute pancreatitis once, there are very minute chances of it getting infected by the disease in future.