My cat has ileus. Can fluid loss cause deadly alkalosis or be fixed?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I haven't seen or personally documented metabolic alkalosis in cats or dogs after suctioning NG tubes. But it makes sense that it can happen. The main reason I would place an NG tube (besides to provide nutrition) would be to remove excessive gastric fluid to prevent regurgitation. Maybe every 4 hours is needed in the beginning but I would go to every 6 hours then wean off. The ileus should start improving with suction and with motility agents (metoclopramide) and with feeding. The use of an NG tube is temporary due to it being irritating to the pet. Esophagostomy tubes are more long term solutions for prolonged anorexia. Like I stated above with medications I would want my patient to not need suctioning and the ileus to have resolved quickly, like within 5-7 days maximum. I hope this helps and I wish Bernie the best!

Yes, pancreatitis can cause ileus in cats and yes, ileus frequently happens as a sequela to pancreatitis. The best way to treat ileus is with fluids (intravenous would be best) and motility drugs like metoclopramide. If the cat is eating motility should start to get back to normal. Since I don't know the timeline of all of this it is hard for me to say much else. If you have more questions feel free to post agin. I hope this helps!

If no abnormalities were found on the x-rays but she is still lethargic despite treatment, I would recommend an abdominal ultrasound to see if there are any other abnormalities and then go from there. In older cats, I worry about intestinal lymphoma but it is possible this could be inflammatory bowel disease as well. However, there is still additional testing that needs to be done to help rule out other causes of Stella's symptoms. Changing the diet to a prescription low fat intestinal diet like Hills low fat I/D may be something to consider as well but I would discuss this with your veterinarian first. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Fluids in the abdomen can be caused by a lot of things and it usually makes the xray non diagnostical, at this age FIP can be one of the causes but it could also be a severe gastrointestinal infection or a liver problem. The next stage will be a specialist ultrasound, fluids might need to be drained first.

I'm sorry to hear your cat is having GI issues. How was your cat diagnosed with pancreatitis? If the remainder of bloodwork was normal and the fPLI was positive, I would consider X-rays and possibly an abdominal ultrasound for more information. Pancreatitis can be a chronic condition that requires diet changes, B12 supplementation and long-term medications. Pancreatitis can be concurrent with another underlying GI issue, such as IBD or lymphoma. Ultrasound can give more information, but these conditions can only be definitively diagnosed with intestinal biopsies. As the issue isn't resolving, I would recommend your cat be re-evaluated and further diagnostics potentially fine, either by your regular veterinarian or an internal medicine specialist. Good luck!

In my opinion going to the ER would be best, although you may not be able to have a full ultrasound until Monday morning. Some potential causes of fluid in the abdomen include an infection or abscess in the abdomen, diseases like FIP, or cancer. If there were an infection it would be best to start treatment sooner rather than later. An ER vet could take a sample of fluid to examine for signs of white blood cells or bacteria and might be able to perform a limited ultrasound. It's also possible that a specialist could be called in to perform a full ultrasound if needed over the weekend.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! From the X-rays, I can see that Mara's abdomen appears to be filled with fluid. It is obscuring his liver and intestines from being seen and there may even be a small amount in his lungs. Unfortunately it is impossible to tell what the fluid is from the x-ray alone. His blood work shows some abnormalities with his electrolytes, which may be if he is not eating or from fluid in the abdomen. Mara also has a high white blood cell count, these are the cells that are responsible for fighting off infections and increase if there is one present. Your vet can run some additional diagnostics, and perform a tap and remove the fluid as well as a blood test to determine if Mara is infected with FIP, a mutated form of a common virus that cats are exposed to. I hope this helps!