New Member - Iooking for information on Stomatitis

[Charlie's Mum]

Hi and welcome to you and Steve,
How bad are the dental issues?
If it is stomatitis, that is painful and inflammatory and could easily be raising the BGs.
Has the vet had a good look in his mouth?
I would consider getting him looked at by a vet who specialises in dental issues.
Plenty of cats have dentals done under anaesthetic when they are a diabetic and their BGs improve afterwards.

Do you have more information about stomatitis? My cat Charlie is on Lantus insulin 5units twice day and his blood glucose remains very high. He has had dental issues and got his teeth cleaned yearly but I stopped the cleaning after the last time (several years ago) when he came home with stomach/intestinal issues (diarrhea and constant throwing up). He was put on antibiotics which did nothing to help. Finally, a cat group suggested a UK probiotic which helped after 3 days. Later, I read that anesthesia may cause older cats intestinal issues (so I thought maybe that was the issue and decided against getting his teeth cleaned again). Since Charlie's diabetes diagnosis, he has had two ultrasounds (trying to figure out if there is a secondary illness that is causing the insulin to not work). I was told that the ultrasound showed a thickening of the intestinal walls. I don't know what this means. I will ask the doctor. Charlie's adrenal glands were enlarged but a blood test showed a high score but still in the normal range. I don't know what to do. It is very stressful trying to get help and dealing with this pandemic. Thank you for any information you can share.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Thickening of intestinal walls usually means some GI condition. IBD or small cell lymphoma are two common issues. Both are treatable conditions, but different treatment so you have to get a diagnosis first.

If Charlie's teeth are bad with inflammation or infection, it can make it very difficult to control his diabetes. You might want to see if you can find a vet that will do dental x-rays as part of a dental, to see if there issues below the gum line.

 

[Charlie's Mum]

Thickening of intestinal walls usually means some GI condition. IBD or small cell lymphoma are two common issues. Both are treatable conditions, but different treatment so you have to get a diagnosis first.

If Charlie's teeth are bad with inflammation or infection, it can make it very difficult to control his diabetes. You might want to see if you can find a vet that will do dental x-rays as part of a dental, to see if there issues below the gum line.

Thank you! Do you know how they diagnosis for IBD or small cell lymphoma? Is it a blood test or something more invasive? Also, do you know if there are vets that specialize in diabetes? I think I need to get a new vet. My current one is just not responsive in a timely way. thank you for your help.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Do you know how they diagnosis for IBD or small cell lymphoma?

Diagnosis is done with a biopsy under surgery. Of depending where the inflammation is, they can do an endoscopy.

It's really hard to find a vet that specializes in diabetes, and the knowledge of diabetes varies a lot in general practice vets. You might get better luck at a feline only practice. Or start a new post with your city/town in the title looking for vet recommendations. My vet didn't have any experience in Lantus, or some of Neko's secondary conditions, but she was willing to learn together, so I stuck with her, along with the help I got here.