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Sunshine and BA
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Re: Cat is off Insulin, very skinny
Has your kitty's BG been checked recently to make sure BG continues to be normal? Any other labs, vet exam to make sure there are not other health concerns that can make your kitty lose weight such as IBS, pancreatitis, kidney disease, HyperThyroid or other concerns. Is your kitty eating. If your kitty is not eating/drinking enough, BM's will not be normal. Sorry you and your buddy are having problems.
Sunshine and BA
Has your kitty's BG been checked recently to make sure BG continues to be normal? Any other labs, vet exam to make sure there are not other health concerns that can make your kitty lose weight such as IBS, pancreatitis, kidney disease, HyperThyroid or other concerns. Is your kitty eating. If your kitty is not eating/drinking enough, BM's will not be normal. Sorry you and your buddy are having problems.
Sunshine and BA
Steve & Jock
Active Member
Re: Cat is off Insulin, very skinny
Sounds to me (and Larry) like he should not be off insulin yet!
You can purchase (or get free from someone on this board) an inexpensive blood sugar meter and learn to test your cat. This is much more reliable than taking him to the vet, since blood sugar at the vet's can easily be altered by the stress of being there.
If as I suspect your cat still needs insulin, that will explain the skinniness and the poop problems.
If blood sugar is fine but still losing weight and having trouble pooping, something else is wrong. Most common possibilities are:
a) hyperthyroid
b) intestinal absorption problems
c) pancreatic insufficiency
d) lymphoma or other cancer
Sounds to me (and Larry) like he should not be off insulin yet!
You can purchase (or get free from someone on this board) an inexpensive blood sugar meter and learn to test your cat. This is much more reliable than taking him to the vet, since blood sugar at the vet's can easily be altered by the stress of being there.
If as I suspect your cat still needs insulin, that will explain the skinniness and the poop problems.
If blood sugar is fine but still losing weight and having trouble pooping, something else is wrong. Most common possibilities are:
a) hyperthyroid
b) intestinal absorption problems
c) pancreatic insufficiency
d) lymphoma or other cancer
Re: Cat is off Insulin, very skinny
I brought my cat to the Vet for blood work, they say the bg is normal but the white blood cell are a little high. The Vet says it could be infection or cancer. My choices are $300-$400 for ultrasound or $10 for some steroids to see if he gets better. Any advise? Thanks for the Replies!
I brought my cat to the Vet for blood work, they say the bg is normal but the white blood cell are a little high. The Vet says it could be infection or cancer. My choices are $300-$400 for ultrasound or $10 for some steroids to see if he gets better. Any advise? Thanks for the Replies!
Marvie and Tugger
Very Active Member
Re: Cat is off Insulin, very skinny
just thought I'd bump this in case someone has an answer for your question. I'm too new to be able to answer but I've read enough to be concerned about giving a steroid to a diabetic cat. I'm just not sure I remember enough to say why so I'm hoping someone else will come by.
just thought I'd bump this in case someone has an answer for your question. I'm too new to be able to answer but I've read enough to be concerned about giving a steroid to a diabetic cat. I'm just not sure I remember enough to say why so I'm hoping someone else will come by.
Steve & Jock
Active Member
Re: Cat is off Insulin, very skinny
My guy Minivan died of lymphoma last year. He started with a prognosis vaguely like that one, and then, because his case presented atypically, proceeded to baffle the vets for over two years.
Each test I paid for cost twice as much as the previous one, and either eliminated something we already knew it wasn't, pointed to something which turned out to be false, or was completely inconclusive. When the £1000 test came back inconclusive (though by then there were few alternatives to cancer, they still couldn't confirm it), and they wanted to start the £2000 test, I stopped the testing.
I insisted they treat as if he had lymphoma (though they couldn't confirm it, there were no other possibilities left), and they did. The chemo didn't help and he died anyway. It cost practically nothing, though. The real cost was all the useless diagnostics.
Point of all this is, you can get sucked into a series of increasingly expensive and still inconclusive tests for cancer. The answers may not be forthcoming, and the costs, like those of a Nigerian letter, will just keep rising geometrically. Don't think the choice is between $10 for steroids and $300 for an ultrasound. $300 may be just the start.
Good luck!
Steve
Buddy101 said:
My guy Minivan died of lymphoma last year. He started with a prognosis vaguely like that one, and then, because his case presented atypically, proceeded to baffle the vets for over two years.
Each test I paid for cost twice as much as the previous one, and either eliminated something we already knew it wasn't, pointed to something which turned out to be false, or was completely inconclusive. When the £1000 test came back inconclusive (though by then there were few alternatives to cancer, they still couldn't confirm it), and they wanted to start the £2000 test, I stopped the testing.
I insisted they treat as if he had lymphoma (though they couldn't confirm it, there were no other possibilities left), and they did. The chemo didn't help and he died anyway. It cost practically nothing, though. The real cost was all the useless diagnostics.
Point of all this is, you can get sucked into a series of increasingly expensive and still inconclusive tests for cancer. The answers may not be forthcoming, and the costs, like those of a Nigerian letter, will just keep rising geometrically. Don't think the choice is between $10 for steroids and $300 for an ultrasound. $300 may be just the start.
Good luck!
Steve
Hillary & Maui (GA)
Very Active Member
Re: Cat is off Insulin, very skinny
Something else to consider - since your cat is diabetic, steroids can push the cat into needing insulin again. Many cats become diabetic due to steroid use and since you have an already diabetic cat, personally I would be leery of steroids.
Have you tested your cat's BG's to see what is going on and if the cat may need insulin?
Has the vet done a complete blood work up? Including T4 and free T4 tests?
There are so many possibilities that it's not good to jump to conclusions, especially if you haven't done preliminary blood, urine tests.
Something else to consider - since your cat is diabetic, steroids can push the cat into needing insulin again. Many cats become diabetic due to steroid use and since you have an already diabetic cat, personally I would be leery of steroids.
Have you tested your cat's BG's to see what is going on and if the cat may need insulin?
Has the vet done a complete blood work up? Including T4 and free T4 tests?
There are so many possibilities that it's not good to jump to conclusions, especially if you haven't done preliminary blood, urine tests.
Sweetgrass & the Furries
Active Member
Re: Cat is off Insulin, very skinny
My experience with testing is different.
Abby had bouts of diahrea and it had become worse, other than that she seemed fine.
We did go for the ultra sound ( I love and trust my vet ) and it showed that intestinal lymphoma was spreading through her whole body. She must have been hiding some real distress. We were than able to make knowlegeable decisions for her, without her ever needing to be sick or in pain further from this diagnosis.
Not every tummy issue is cancerous, but the ultra sound is one of the best ways to really know what is going on inside and without further testing, you may run the risk of having something that is treatable if caught early, becomng untreatable by not being discovered.
Have you tried changing her diet a bit and seeing if that helps?
My experience with testing is different.
Abby had bouts of diahrea and it had become worse, other than that she seemed fine.
We did go for the ultra sound ( I love and trust my vet ) and it showed that intestinal lymphoma was spreading through her whole body. She must have been hiding some real distress. We were than able to make knowlegeable decisions for her, without her ever needing to be sick or in pain further from this diagnosis.
Not every tummy issue is cancerous, but the ultra sound is one of the best ways to really know what is going on inside and without further testing, you may run the risk of having something that is treatable if caught early, becomng untreatable by not being discovered.
Have you tried changing her diet a bit and seeing if that helps?
Re: Cat is off Insulin, very skinny
Thanks to everyone for the replies, I really appreciate it. I'm going to try to give him some gastriplex and change his diet and see if he gets better. The symptoms he has are similar to IBD Irritable Bowel Disease. Anyone know some good catfood for IBD? Thanks!
Thanks to everyone for the replies, I really appreciate it. I'm going to try to give him some gastriplex and change his diet and see if he gets better. The symptoms he has are similar to IBD Irritable Bowel Disease. Anyone know some good catfood for IBD? Thanks!
Nancy and Cody
Very Active Member
Re: Cat is off Insulin, very skinny
The weight loss is one concern and I would ask the vet if the last blood work included thyroid tests, which can explain weight loss.
Of course uncontrolled diabetes (and cancer) is also a common cause of weight loss.
How are his teeth? - when my civies teeth/mouth are bad, he doesn't eat well. Also could be a source of infection=elevated WBC possibly?
Not pooping can become megacolon. When you palpate his stomach/belly, does it feel soft and squishy, or do you feel large firm intestines, almost like banana inside his belly? My cat has megacolon with difficulty pooping and after trying a large number of things, I finally have control of it using Miralax and increased fluids.
Miralax is sold over the counter, in grocery or drug stores for human use (with constipation). It is a white powder which you sprinkle on every meal you feed. It is tasteless and acts by drawing water into the colon, thus softening the poop. You must increase kitties water intake when you give miralax, so I add a lot of water to his food and sometimes syringe extra water into his mouth.
It will take 3-4 days to work its way through his system before you see its results. If kitty is really blocked up he may need 1 or more enemas to get moving first, because miralax only softens the poo from the food its in. Most kitties that use it here seem to need somewhere between 1/8 teaspoon-- 1/4+teaspoon added to 5.5 ounces of food. Unfortunately, getting the right dose takes a couple weeks, and you will probably need to give too much (messy), then back off gradually. Miralax is ok to use with diabetic kitties, so long as you increase water, so they don't become dehydrated.
If the constipation is severe and /or dehyration is an issue, I have had a lot of luck giving lactated ringers solution subcutaneously everyday. Depending on your cat, and you, home enemas are a life saver.
Good luck
The weight loss is one concern and I would ask the vet if the last blood work included thyroid tests, which can explain weight loss.
Of course uncontrolled diabetes (and cancer) is also a common cause of weight loss.
How are his teeth? - when my civies teeth/mouth are bad, he doesn't eat well. Also could be a source of infection=elevated WBC possibly?
Not pooping can become megacolon. When you palpate his stomach/belly, does it feel soft and squishy, or do you feel large firm intestines, almost like banana inside his belly? My cat has megacolon with difficulty pooping and after trying a large number of things, I finally have control of it using Miralax and increased fluids.
Miralax is sold over the counter, in grocery or drug stores for human use (with constipation). It is a white powder which you sprinkle on every meal you feed. It is tasteless and acts by drawing water into the colon, thus softening the poop. You must increase kitties water intake when you give miralax, so I add a lot of water to his food and sometimes syringe extra water into his mouth.
It will take 3-4 days to work its way through his system before you see its results. If kitty is really blocked up he may need 1 or more enemas to get moving first, because miralax only softens the poo from the food its in. Most kitties that use it here seem to need somewhere between 1/8 teaspoon-- 1/4+teaspoon added to 5.5 ounces of food. Unfortunately, getting the right dose takes a couple weeks, and you will probably need to give too much (messy), then back off gradually. Miralax is ok to use with diabetic kitties, so long as you increase water, so they don't become dehydrated.
If the constipation is severe and /or dehyration is an issue, I have had a lot of luck giving lactated ringers solution subcutaneously everyday. Depending on your cat, and you, home enemas are a life saver.
Good luck
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