Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Weight loss and treatment response in 150 cats with pancreatic
By Xenoulis, P G et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2016·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Feline Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency: A Retrospective Study of 150 Cases.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 7-year-old cat was diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) after showing symptoms like weight loss, poor appetite, and unformed feces. The cat's treatment included cobalamin (a type of vitamin B12) supplementation, which significantly improved its condition. Overall, about 60% of cats with EPI responded well to treatment, while others had partial or poor responses. This suggests that with the right care, many cats can manage EPI effectively.
People also search for: cat weight loss symptoms · exocrine pancreatic insufficiency treatment for cats · cobalamin for cat health
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Little information is available about the clinical presentation and response to treatment of cats with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). OBJECTIVES: To describe the signalment, clinical signs, concurrent diseases, and response to treatment of cats with EPI. ANIMALS: One hundred and fifty cats with EPI. METHODS: Retrospective case series. RESULTS: Questionnaires were sent to 261 veterinarians, and 150 (57%) were returned with data suitable for statistical analysis. The median age of the cats with EPI was 7.7 years. The median body condition score was 3 of 9. Ninety-two of 119 cats (77%) had hypocobalaminemia, and 56 of 119 cats (47%) had increased and 6 of 119 cats (5%) had decreased serum folate concentrations. Clinical signs included weight loss (91%), unformed feces (62%), poor hair coat (50%), anorexia (45%), increased appetite (42%), lethargy (40%), watery diarrhea (28%), and vomiting (19%). Eighty-seven cats (58%) had concurrent diseases. Treatment response was reported to be good in 60%, partial in 27%, and poor in 13% of 121 cats. Trypsin-like immunoreactivity <4 μg/L was associated with a positive response to treatment (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.5-7.0; P = .004). Also, cobalamin supplementation improved the response to treatment (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.4-6.6; P = .006). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency in cats often has a different clinical presentation than in dogs. The age range for EPI in cats is wide, and many cats can be ≤5 years of age. Most cats respond well to appropriate treatment for EPI, and cobalamin supplementation appears to be necessary for a good response.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27641602/