almost 2 months in remission and furr still looks awful!

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kittycat88

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I had made a post before asking about my cats furr and why it would look so stringy if his BG was better. I had some suggestions on different brushes to use etc... but its been almost 2 months that he has been in remission (BG is usually around 3 or 4) and his furr isnt looking any better. I tried something called diatomaceous earth (DE) which I rubbed into his furr and after using that for a week or so his furr looked much better. But as soon as I stopped using it his furr went back to looking stringy. Does anyone have any ideas on what could be causing this? Before diabetes he always had a very nice coat. I'm afraid there might be some other issue that is causing his furr to look like this and I don't want to use the DE to just mask the problem incase there is something else going on with him. Any ideas?
 
I dont have any ideas about what it could be. Some cats just have dry skin. You could try using coconut oil on him. I know, I know you are saying coconut oil? Its good for dry skin and if its anything fungal it will kill it. Get on the internet and read about it. You could also give him a spoonful to eat. My cats both loved it! It works on the inside as well as the outside. A good website to read about it is tropicaltraditions.com. You can order it from them as well however if you dont want to wait for it to come in the mail you can also get if from the health food store. It made my black kittys fur look fantastic and I also use in on my own hair.
T
 
His furr is stringy and looks kind of oily. So I'm not sure dry skin is the issue. I would take him to the vet but I know they would probably just run a million expensive tests and I'm not even sure there is a serious issue! lol He just doesn't look as nice or healthy as he used to. Athough he is acting okay. He used to have such a nice healthy and fluffy looking coat until he came diabetic!
 
Stringy like dreadlocks or when you have been on a camping trip with no chance to wash your hair and it gets too much oil in it?

Or shiny and glowing like my Wink's fur looks now that he is regulated.

Is he grooming himself?
 
I do see him grooming himself but his fur just doesn't look healthy. I tried taking a picture of what it looks like but the picture doesn't seem to make it look as bad as it is. It looks the worst under his chin / neck. But the rest of his fur just doesn't look as nice and shiny/healthy as it used to. Could food possibly cause a poor coat? He eats EVO canned 95% Chicken and Turkey.
 

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Does his mouth look at all painful - reddened gums, plaque, broken tooth? If your mouth hurts, you wouldn't groom.

Any evidence or arthritis? If you curl into position to groom your back and it causes pain, you won't.

The diatomaceous earth soaks up excess oil ... and then the cat consumes it by grooming, unless you brush it out.

The time I tried a dry shampoo on a cat, it took forever to brush it out and left clumps in the coat.

Are you helping - bathing, brushing, removing mats?

Is the cat obese and unable to reach areas to groom them?
 
Maybe it's an allergy to something in the Evo? I would try switching the food for a few weeks to see if it clears up.
 
I think you may have reached a point where he can't groom himself properly and you will need to help more with that.

Time to give him a wet bath with a mild soap and water. Be sure to brush and groom out any knots before you give him a bath.

That diatomaceous earth dry bath can't be good for him to lick out of his fur and swallow.
 
actually, food grade diatomaceous earth is a mild treatment for intestinal parasites. Farmers routinely give it to livestock and feral cat colony caretakers may add it to the food.

But a bath is your best bet to let him start over on the grooming. You could use Dawn dish soap, the favorite of wildlife rescuers handling oil-soaked birds.
 
He has been chewing at his back foot lately and I noticed a few days ago it has some black "gunk" in his paw. Not quite sure what it is but he has had some sort of an infection in his paw before and soaking it in epsom salts has cleared it up. So I have been soaking his paw the last few nights. I also tried looking at his teeth and his gums do look a little bit red. I am going to try and take him to the vet this weekend if they can get him in. Maybe those two issues are what is causing the problem with his fur. I've been keeping a closer eye on his BG since I am afraid of him going out of remission. He is usally between 3.2 and 3.8 lately but tonight he was 4.6. How much does an infection usually raise BG?

Thanks for the help and suggestions!
 
Infection can raise BG quite a bit, ECID. Sooner you get him to the vet the better as you don't want him falling out of remission..
 
Maybe a silly question ... but what is ECID? lol
I tried getting an appointment for him this week but they were all booked up. They told me to call on Saturday to see if they have a vet in and if they do I can bring him in. So hopefully Saturday I can get him some antibiotics!

Are there any antibiotics that diabetic cats cannot have? The last thing I want is to give him something that will raise his BG.
Thanks!
 
kittycat88 said:
...Are there any antibiotics that diabetic cats cannot have? The last thing I want is to give him something that will raise his BG...
Click to expand...

First, remind them he is diabetic and should not have added sugars. Then ask what form of medicine the vet wants to prescribe.
- If they want to give you a liquid, ask for one that doesn't have glucose or other sugar in it.
- Tablets and capsules tend not to have added sugars, if you're OK with pilling him; though you should always follow with an oral syringe full of 1-2 mL of water.
- Many tablets and pills may be dissolved in some water in an oral syringe, a bit of super tasty mushy food added, the syringe shaken up, and given that way, if pilling is a problem.
 
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