Renee2602
Member Since 2024
Hi all, Oscar is a very complicated case of diabetes as it is purely caused by prednisolone use as he is in palliative care for his inoperable large pituitary tumour.
He has started getting muscle spasms/twitches in his back in the last few weeks. He also has hind leg weakness, slow movement, and odd gait and posture. He doesn't quite walk on his hocks but he also doesn't seem to have much spatial awareness of his back legs at all - sometimes they'll be criss-crossed when he stands or he will have them trailing behind.
His brain tumour impacts his gait, mobility, and ability to feel and coordinate his legs. He has ataxia. This was before the diabetes. But what is new is the back spasms and muscle twitching. Sometimes also in his front right paw but mostly in his back, and I think the weakness in his legs is worse as he sits in a position where he uses his front paws for support but his back legs sort of lay behind. He also will sometimes feel the need to have his back/bottom in the air when trying to sit or re-adjust. He also has been trying to curl up when he sleeps and this sometimes triggers the muscle twitching and almost like it is a cramp?
As I said, he did have ataxia, gait issues, hind leg weakness before his diabetes. He also would stick his back in the air. However, when we increased the prednisolone for the brain tumour this did seem to get better for a while. When we kept increasing the prednisolone and he was diagnosed with diabetes the spasms started and these symptoms got worse. I guess I am wondering what the chances are that the diabetes is making neuropathic symptoms worse and causing the muscle spasms and twitching? Or is it sadly just the tumour progressing and possibly seizure activity
has anyone seen back twitches and spasms in cats with diabetic neuropathy?
Current diabetes treatment: He is on 2 units toujeo daily but still over renal threshold for glucose. We recently increased the prednisolone dosage again and his diabetes symptoms have worsened a bit and so have some of the discomfort and hind leg weakness, though his actual posture and back strength is better. The spasms seems to have returned over the last few days but were pretty reduced for the first 3 days on increased prednisolone. We are having him admitted on Tuesday for (hopefully) attachment of a second Freestyle Libre, bloods, monitoring etc. He's also just started antivirals for herpes flare up due to the steroid usage. He has had 6 weeks of b12 injections and now has them monthly.
Australia specific advice: Where can I get the B12 oral that helps neuropathy? Do cats eat it easily on food with no taste or do i need to pill him? Is there a taste at all? He won't eat anything that has a taste. He does not eat wet food due to his EPI/IBD/Pancreatitis - we have tried - he eats plain cooked chicken and hills zd biscuits - we don't have any other option, his diet cannot change and we are aware the biscuits could make diabetes worse.
And any advice on treats I can get in Australia that are affordable (not $60) and safe for diabetes? He loves temptations and he already eats plain cooked chicken twice daily so this is not a 'treat' to him. We want to be able to spoil him as much as safely possible since he is in palliative care and it has become really hard to. He loves tuna flavoured and chicken flavoured things.
Thanks all.
He has started getting muscle spasms/twitches in his back in the last few weeks. He also has hind leg weakness, slow movement, and odd gait and posture. He doesn't quite walk on his hocks but he also doesn't seem to have much spatial awareness of his back legs at all - sometimes they'll be criss-crossed when he stands or he will have them trailing behind.
His brain tumour impacts his gait, mobility, and ability to feel and coordinate his legs. He has ataxia. This was before the diabetes. But what is new is the back spasms and muscle twitching. Sometimes also in his front right paw but mostly in his back, and I think the weakness in his legs is worse as he sits in a position where he uses his front paws for support but his back legs sort of lay behind. He also will sometimes feel the need to have his back/bottom in the air when trying to sit or re-adjust. He also has been trying to curl up when he sleeps and this sometimes triggers the muscle twitching and almost like it is a cramp?
As I said, he did have ataxia, gait issues, hind leg weakness before his diabetes. He also would stick his back in the air. However, when we increased the prednisolone for the brain tumour this did seem to get better for a while. When we kept increasing the prednisolone and he was diagnosed with diabetes the spasms started and these symptoms got worse. I guess I am wondering what the chances are that the diabetes is making neuropathic symptoms worse and causing the muscle spasms and twitching? Or is it sadly just the tumour progressing and possibly seizure activity
has anyone seen back twitches and spasms in cats with diabetic neuropathy? Current diabetes treatment: He is on 2 units toujeo daily but still over renal threshold for glucose. We recently increased the prednisolone dosage again and his diabetes symptoms have worsened a bit and so have some of the discomfort and hind leg weakness, though his actual posture and back strength is better. The spasms seems to have returned over the last few days but were pretty reduced for the first 3 days on increased prednisolone. We are having him admitted on Tuesday for (hopefully) attachment of a second Freestyle Libre, bloods, monitoring etc. He's also just started antivirals for herpes flare up due to the steroid usage. He has had 6 weeks of b12 injections and now has them monthly.
Australia specific advice: Where can I get the B12 oral that helps neuropathy? Do cats eat it easily on food with no taste or do i need to pill him? Is there a taste at all? He won't eat anything that has a taste. He does not eat wet food due to his EPI/IBD/Pancreatitis - we have tried - he eats plain cooked chicken and hills zd biscuits - we don't have any other option, his diet cannot change and we are aware the biscuits could make diabetes worse.
And any advice on treats I can get in Australia that are affordable (not $60) and safe for diabetes? He loves temptations and he already eats plain cooked chicken twice daily so this is not a 'treat' to him. We want to be able to spoil him as much as safely possible since he is in palliative care and it has become really hard to. He loves tuna flavoured and chicken flavoured things.
Thanks all.
