Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with pancreatoliths and infection treated with new surgery
By Loh, J R et al.·Published in Australian veterinary journal·2024·Surgery Department, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Successful treatment of feline pancreatolithiasis associated with an ascending Providencia rettgeri infection using a novel surgical technique.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old female Domestic Shorthair cat was brought in after showing signs of lethargy, not eating, and vomiting for four days. The vet found abdominal pain and some heart issues, and tests showed problems with her liver and pancreas. During surgery, the vet used a special technique to remove stones from her pancreas and bile duct, and they discovered a bacterial infection caused by Providencia rettgeri. After a two-week course of antibiotics, the cat fully recovered and was doing well six months later.
People also search for: cat vomiting and lethargy · pancreatitis treatment in cats · cat surgery for pancreatoliths · Providencia rettgeri infection in cats
Abstract
A 12-year-old female spayed Domestic Shorthair cat presented with a 4-day history of lethargy, inappetence and vomiting. Physical findings included a grade 2/6 heart murmur and cranial abdominal pain on palpation. Serum biochemistry revealed elevated total bilirubin and liver enzymes activities. Abdominal ultrasound revealed multiple pancreatoliths, cholelithiasis and dilation of the pancreatic duct. During exploratory laparotomy, catheterisation of the pancreatic duct with retrograde and orthograde flushing to remove the pancreatoliths was performed via a distal enterotomy and proximal left apical partial pancreatectomy respectively. Catheterisation and flushing of the common bile duct were performed to confirm patency prior to cholecystectomy. Bacterial culture of pancreatoliths, pancreatic tissue and bile grew a heavy, pure growth of Providencia rettgeri. Fluorescent immunostaining histopathology revealed clusters of rod-shaped bacteria within the pancreatic parenchyma and gall bladder mucosa. The cat received pradofloxacin for two weeks. She made a complete recovery and remained well at a six-month follow-up.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39009477/