3.26.15 Zoey amps 419 // +7.5 159 ...PICS OF BIG BELLY AND PETECHIA RASH

[Rose]

Hi!

Zoey is floating along quite nicely in blue today! She started out rather high to be where she is at +7.5. The leads to the question: If she doesn't get above 200, what should I do? I know I'm not supposed to dose without guidance and if I don't have any feedback and it's below 200, I will not dose. We dose at 5:30 ET.

I was able to get Zoey's labs posted last night and a brief recap of the vet visit there. I am going to try and upload the pictures that I've taken (not very good ... she's not a cooperative subject) and the recap here on this thread within the next hour or so. Hopefully someone might see something and have some past experience to share.

Beautiful weather here. Hope the sun is shining on you as well!

Yesterday

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Nice to see Zoey spending time in the blues. Go Zoey!

The Health forum has a no shot number of 200 for new people. If you take a look at the other posts here, you see people shoot a lot lower than that. We use 150 as the test, do NOT feed, and post for advice number, for the first time. As you gather experience you can lower that number. Some people here will shoot anything above 50. I've shot as low as 53, but Neko's nadir on Levemir is often at shot time, which makes it easier.

 

[Rose]

@Wendy&Neko , I don't know that I followed that so let me clarify: If Zoey is at or above 150, I can proceed as normal with feed and dose as normal (3.25 - new dose) and then monitor, of course, closely. If it's below 150 at test time, I should not feed and I should post here for advice on what dosage I shoot.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Yes if above 150, then proceed as normal. If below 150 post here and we cam walk you through options. A temporarily reduced dose is just one of the options. Normally we only reduce the dose permanently if they go below 50. You might want to review the Sticky Note on Hooting and Handling Low Numbers before preshot time. It's important not to feed as one of the options is to delay 20 to 30 minutes to see if she comes up on her own without food.

 

[Rose]

Got it. Will review the sticky, too. Thank you!

I'm going to post some pictures of Zoey now. Just got them loaded on the computer.

 

[Rose]

I had typed everything out last night in the spreadsheet (somewhere in labs) and now I'm not seeing it or able to find it.

Recap of vet visit: Urinalysis: Nothing remarkable, all good. Fructosamine test -- indicated that even though her BG numbers don't show it to us, her diabetes is registering as well regulated. Blood work: WBC is high. 12,000 above normal. Her RBC is low. Definite infection somewhere, could be pancreatitis or something else. Potassium is good .. no need for supplements.

He is concerned with her belly. I've uploaded pictures and did a drawing to better show what she won't let me photograph. The problem with her size is that her fat is all in her belly. Her neck isn't fat, her tail bone/hip area is not fat ... just a big massive round belly. Vet believes it's a metabolic problem or perhaps a liver problem. She also has a petechia rash. That's not normal. Going to be talking with an internist today and see if they have any ideas as to what to prescribe that might help her. He wants Zoey's food to be cut back. She's gained 5 ounces since her visit two days earlier. I've cut her back to 1.5 cans total per 24 hours. He checked her foot again. Doesn't think it's broken. Prescribed pain meds and as of today, it seems to be helping her. He also prescribed Clavamox for her infection. She does not have a UTI.

If anyone has any experience with a big belly and petechia rash, please share your knowledge with us.

Thanks bunches!

 

[Rose]

I'm reading more on pancreatitis and inflammatory bowel disease. Zoey has been diagnosed with pancreatitis ... but she has NOT had the symptoms: inappetence, throwing up, diarrhea ... nothing. She has a voracious appetite. Same thing with inflammatory bowel disease ... those symptoms don't match up either.

I have been feeding her tuna as a treat for blood checks (tiny bit) and friskie's special diet white fish for her meals. I have bought special diet turkey to transition her to and am cooking chicken with added bones for bone broth so i can eliminate the tuna as her go-to treat. Could the fish be causing her the problems that would irritate something in her metabolism/pancreas to make her WBC be as high as it is and all of her weight/swelling be in her stomach like it is? I mean, I'm looking at different things and none of them seem to fit because the cat will claw through a wall to get to food and her poo is far too solid, even with Miralax being added.

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

I can't be of any help with the big belly, but it worries me too!

A lot of times, when the skin is stretched like that, it'll have what looks like a rash on it.

Sending lots of "feel better" vines to Zoey!

 

[purrdydolly]

Very odd but soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cute. I hope someone has some ideas

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

I can see the issue, but really don't have any experience with it. Her belly looks tight.

I'm wondering if any of that is water that she's holding in that area for some reason? Any chance there is a growth of some sort in her belly? Some cats are allergic to fish - but i don't know if it would cause this kind of a reaction. Food allergies can certainly cause skin rashes, so exploring the idea of a food allergy might make sense. One option might be for you to go to a raw diet that eliminates all the things that cats wouldn't ordinarily have in their diet. Take a look at www.catnutrition.org for some good info on IBD and diet. She makes a lot of sense in her comments about how to feed a cat.

Have you cross-posted on Main Health? It's possible the people that mostly post on that forum might have suggestions. I'm going to tag @Linda and Bear Man in case she has ideas.

Zoey is so darned cute!

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Awww, what a cute pic on the bed of Miss Zoey.

I don't have any personal experience with it, but the pictures you posted remind me a bit of some I've seen of kitties with Cushing's disease. It's not very common in cats, so probably a long shot, but might be worth the vet checking. There are some pics in this article. The part on Cushings starts on page 330 of that article. The other condition the article discusses is acromegaly, which Neko has. Two symptoms (amongst others) of Cushings are pot belly and ecchymosis, which are related to petechia. There are 3 things that cause Cushings. One is prolonged steroid use, the second is a benign tumor on the pituitary, the third is a tumor on the adrenal glands. All three cause excess cortisol to be produced. Neko's acromegaly is also a benign tumor on the pituitary, but it causes excess growth hormone to be produced. Both conditions can result in diabetes.

 

[BJM]

I'm thinking an x-ray and ultrasound might be useful diagnostic tests to uncover what is going on. You've probably considered some of the possibilities already.

{{hugs}}.

 

[Rose]

@Wendy&Neko A number of the symptoms of Cushings fit Zoey so it surely can't be dismissed as a possibility. She has not thrown up and she definitely does not have diarrhea so I'm holding out that it's something else. Another member posted on a question of mine about how much food to feed and she said she's feeding her cat one 5.5 ounce can of food per 24 hours. Well, I'm feeding over two cans for 24 hour period. I've just cut it back to 1.5 cans but she says her cat has gained a few ounces over the course of the year on just the one can. So, I definitely think I'm over feeding and I'm going to give Dr. Pierson's food article another read over to see what I may have missed.

@julie & punkin (ga) I first learned of Dr. Pierson four years ago when my sweet boy Rocky (ga) had something no one could figure out. I switched him to a raw diet and used Dr. Pierson's recipe for two years. It's a wonderful recipe and I saw great results in Rocky. The only hesitation with Zoey is that we travel a lot more now than we did then. Canned cat food is much easier to be on the road with than the raw food. If Zoey doesn't turn the corner here soon on her BG showing signs of improvement and her belly issues being resolved, then I will definitely make the switch to the raw food.

I'm hoping and praying that I've just been over feeding her (seriously over feeding her it appears..) and that maybe the spots are from where she lies on a heating pad sometimes. The first picture of spots that I took in February happened after I gave her a B-Complex injection. I had stopped the injections for a while because that's what I think caused it. I am giving the injections again so maybe that's it; although the reaction is not as marked now as it was then ... so maybe not. ??

hurry up and wait. These patience pants just ain't big enough.... (just sayin')

 

[Rose]

@BJM Yes, I think that's next on the list. Vet was going to talk with the internist to see which direction would be best to pursue. Evidently he had a couple of different possibilities in mind and after reading Wendy's article, I can see where some tests for certain diseases are more decisive. He wanted to run it by the internist to get a second opinion. (Did I mention how much I like this vet?)

Thanks for the hugs and well wishes everyone. They're nice to have.