Diabetic Cat Can't Have Steroids for Itching - How Can I Tr

[Janine&Romeo]

This message boards wonderful people saved my sweet cats life when he was diagnosed with diabetes several years ago so thank you so very much!!!! He has been doing so well and I know that without your help he would have certainly died.....
Now we have a new issue. After being at the vet a month ago to have his teeth cleaned and a round of antibiotics he started pulling out the hair on his back in large chunks. Luckily tihs has since stopped. Now he has been licking his feet, belly, legs and scratching his neck. The vet wants to give him a steroid based medication. Steroids is how he became diabetic in the first place!!
Does anyone have any suggestions.
The vet gave him a benadryl injection two weeks ago and sent us home with pills but we haven't had much success. He keeps waking up at 2am licking his fur and then I can't fall back to sleep...neither can he!! I have to get some rest. He needs some relief. HELP!!!! Janine & Romeo

 

[LynnLee + Mousie]

Re: Diabetic Cat Can't Have Steroids for Itching - How Can I

welllllllllllllll, if the steroid medication is what will stop the itching that is driving both him and you crazy, i'd give the steroid medication and work the diabetes around it. you can always adjust the insulin dosage if need be if the diabetes gets wacky with the steroid. in a situation like this you have to decide which illness is the most critical and it sounds like right now the itching is. and for that matter, if that doesn't get better, it's likely to throw the diabetes out of whack anyway, without the steroid medication, simply because the stress and pain and being uncomfortable could get to be too much for kitty

i assume that the cause of the itching has been investigated? like, he didn't pick up fleas while at the vet's? allergic reaction to something he was given the day of the dental? anything change at home he could be allergic to? that kind of thing?

 

[Janine&Romeo]

Re: Diabetic Cat Can't Have Steroids for Itching - How Can I

Actually I do think he picked up fleas at the vet. He never had them before and then he had them after the dental!! I treated him for that with Comfortis so I think the licking may be flea allergy dermatitis or psychogenic allopecia due to the stress of being at the vet all day. he is a homebody and a momma's boy so I know he must have been very frightened at the vet.
I'm very fearful of the steroids as I know what they've done to him in the past. Any other nonsteroid suggestions?
There's a dermatologist in town but he's very expensive...anyone have luck with a dermatologist???

 

[Deb & Wink]

Re: Diabetic Cat Can't Have Steroids for Itching - How Can I

Which antibiotic was he given? I'm thinking allergic reaction to the antibiotic.

Has anything changed in the food you are feeding him? maybe a change in the formulation? I'm thinking food allergy.

If you do think he picked up fleas at the vet, you need to treat your whole house for fleas, not just your cat.

See this other recent post for flea treatments: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=96310

 

[TheBowHuntress]

Re: Diabetic Cat Can't Have Steroids for Itching - How Can I

Actually I do think he picked up fleas at the vet. He never had them before and then he had them after the dental!! I treated him for that with Comfortis...

My cat is allergic to fleas. The only flea medicine that works on him is Advantage. The comfortis may or may not work on your kitty. He received a steroid shot this past fall for the itching, and 2 months later was dx'd with diabetes. I hope you get to the root of the problem