Betsey & Whitey
Member Since 2014
Hey all, this is my 2nd big post. My cat Whitey was diagnosed in June with diabetes after he lost a fair amount of weight in a short period of time, and was less active. A couple of weeks before this, I brought a stool spec to the vet, b/c he had been having diarrhea. That was negative, and the vet suggested probiotics. When brought to the vet in June, lab work was all negative other than the blood sugar. Started on Prozinc at 1 unit, 2x/day. I was not checking sugars at this point, before I found the forum. About a month later, he dropped more weight, was more lethargic.. Back to the vet, and BS higher. Fructosamine level was done, and I was told it was ok, so not to increase the insulin. So we didn't. At this time, his appetite was Poor and he was given an appetite stimulant, and fluid. We used the stimulant for a few doses, and then he started eating fine on his own, and in fact, was ravenous.(another sign of high BS's or is it something else)? This was all during the summer when we were away on and off, and it was difficult to get him on a schedule. Plus I was really new at this! In July, I started testing his BS's and found that he was running pretty high and all over the place. Got him off hard kibble to canned only diet. He continued to lose weight during all this , has been very gassy, with liquid, light colored, foul smelling stools in large amounts, like 5-6 per day that are indoors, and who knows how many outdoors! Another trip to the vet in early September, showed hookworms in his stool and he was treated. I thought this was the miracle that I needed! At this point he was now down to 6 lbs from 12lbs in March, (about 2 more lbs from when the diabetes was diagnosed). But he was acting more himself, not perfect, but better than the lethargy all summer! Sugars still out of control, but the Vet was not not too concerned with his high preshot numbers. He WAS impressed with my spreadsheet, thx to the Forum for this!! 
Tummy felt boggy, but still no appreciable masses felt, and believe me, you can feel every bone in his body, so if it were something obviously a mass, it would be felt. Around Labor day, I really thought I would be putting him to sleep since he just continued to lose weight and he had the light stools. I thought he had some kind of obstruction in the bile system, like a tumor. Although not totally ruled out at this point, there is no jaundice or other symptoms of that. Lab work also showed elevated BS of course, high BUN cause he was dehydrated and very slightly elevated ALT, but not a worrisome elevation according to the vet. Along with the dewormer, he was treated with flagyl for a week and SC fluids.
So I continued to do some more reading, and found out about EPI from some of the others on the Forum. Went to that forum and found out about enzymes. Decided to try treating empirically, since my financial situation is not good at this time. I did call the Vet, to see if I would be harming him if I tried these enzymes and he didn't think it would be a problem. Although he hadn't really heard about EPI in cats! I told him to check out the internet! So he has been on the enzymes for about 2 weeks or a little longer, and he DOES now seem to have improvement in the consistency of his stools. They are more formed, but still soft, and I think the color has improved. His repeat stool sample on October 5th, was negative for any parasites. So this gets me to the present. He is behaving a little more like himself, continues to look ghastly b/c of his tremendous weight loss (or maybe that's ghostly since it's almost Halloween, LOL)! It is making it difficult to give insulin, since he really has very little subcutaneous tissue left, and I have had a fe episodes of going thru the skin and probably not really getting the insulin. I have to be super careful now to make sure the needle is actually in the skin! He has had an enormous amount of muscle wasting. He is still ravenous, his belly is round and "firmish" and still has periods of foul smelling gas, but it has lessened. I constantly hear his belly churning/rumbling. It is very loud. It IS as if the food just goes right thru him. So the last few days, his sugars have been better on 3 units of prozinc. What I am wondering now, is thoughts on IBD or EPI. Anyone else experience the symptoms of Whitey? Weight loss, ravenous eating, foul gas and stools, and large amount of stools, round belly, sugars unregulated, rumbling tummy...... What is the treatment for IBD other than steroids which I know will send his sugars thru the roof? Thoughts on 1 disease vs the other? My funds are limited, and to get biopsies and other tests is really not feasible for me right now. (1 week ago, had to bring another cat to the vet for heavy breathing and found out that she, like her sister, who had to be put down in June, a week before Whitey was diagnosed, has the same heart problem. Her sister was 2 when she was diagnosed, and now this one is 4. We are hoping to get 2 more years of life, like her sister had, on medicine :sad: ) I just cannot afford anything else at this time! Now I have 2 cats to medicate at 4:45 each morning before work and after! Yikes, My husband says I am running a Hospice for pets right now!! :YMSIGH: Can anyone tell me about their cats symptoms of IBD or EPI and what they do for it along with the Diabetes?? BTW, he does NOT vomit. Only the stool issue! I know there is a lot of info in this post, sorry for rambling! It's been a very long and difficult summer! I would love to get Whitey back to his old self! As far as 5 P's... he is still preening, purring, peeing, not too much playing, and is def. pooping, but it isn't normal. Looking for any advice, for my skeletal cat! Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy post! (interestingly enough, when I brought my heart problem girl to see the vet, he then asked about Whitey, said that he just went to a conference about EPI, and said that is it under-diagnosed! Funny, thats what I told him! Sometimes we DO know more than the Vets do)!
Thanks everyone!
Tummy felt boggy, but still no appreciable masses felt, and believe me, you can feel every bone in his body, so if it were something obviously a mass, it would be felt. Around Labor day, I really thought I would be putting him to sleep since he just continued to lose weight and he had the light stools. I thought he had some kind of obstruction in the bile system, like a tumor. Although not totally ruled out at this point, there is no jaundice or other symptoms of that. Lab work also showed elevated BS of course, high BUN cause he was dehydrated and very slightly elevated ALT, but not a worrisome elevation according to the vet. Along with the dewormer, he was treated with flagyl for a week and SC fluids. So I continued to do some more reading, and found out about EPI from some of the others on the Forum. Went to that forum and found out about enzymes. Decided to try treating empirically, since my financial situation is not good at this time. I did call the Vet, to see if I would be harming him if I tried these enzymes and he didn't think it would be a problem. Although he hadn't really heard about EPI in cats! I told him to check out the internet! So he has been on the enzymes for about 2 weeks or a little longer, and he DOES now seem to have improvement in the consistency of his stools. They are more formed, but still soft, and I think the color has improved. His repeat stool sample on October 5th, was negative for any parasites. So this gets me to the present. He is behaving a little more like himself, continues to look ghastly b/c of his tremendous weight loss (or maybe that's ghostly since it's almost Halloween, LOL)! It is making it difficult to give insulin, since he really has very little subcutaneous tissue left, and I have had a fe episodes of going thru the skin and probably not really getting the insulin. I have to be super careful now to make sure the needle is actually in the skin! He has had an enormous amount of muscle wasting. He is still ravenous, his belly is round and "firmish" and still has periods of foul smelling gas, but it has lessened. I constantly hear his belly churning/rumbling. It is very loud. It IS as if the food just goes right thru him. So the last few days, his sugars have been better on 3 units of prozinc. What I am wondering now, is thoughts on IBD or EPI. Anyone else experience the symptoms of Whitey? Weight loss, ravenous eating, foul gas and stools, and large amount of stools, round belly, sugars unregulated, rumbling tummy...... What is the treatment for IBD other than steroids which I know will send his sugars thru the roof? Thoughts on 1 disease vs the other? My funds are limited, and to get biopsies and other tests is really not feasible for me right now. (1 week ago, had to bring another cat to the vet for heavy breathing and found out that she, like her sister, who had to be put down in June, a week before Whitey was diagnosed, has the same heart problem. Her sister was 2 when she was diagnosed, and now this one is 4. We are hoping to get 2 more years of life, like her sister had, on medicine :sad: ) I just cannot afford anything else at this time! Now I have 2 cats to medicate at 4:45 each morning before work and after! Yikes, My husband says I am running a Hospice for pets right now!! :YMSIGH: Can anyone tell me about their cats symptoms of IBD or EPI and what they do for it along with the Diabetes?? BTW, he does NOT vomit. Only the stool issue! I know there is a lot of info in this post, sorry for rambling! It's been a very long and difficult summer! I would love to get Whitey back to his old self! As far as 5 P's... he is still preening, purring, peeing, not too much playing, and is def. pooping, but it isn't normal. Looking for any advice, for my skeletal cat! Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy post! (interestingly enough, when I brought my heart problem girl to see the vet, he then asked about Whitey, said that he just went to a conference about EPI, and said that is it under-diagnosed! Funny, thats what I told him! Sometimes we DO know more than the Vets do)!
Thanks everyone!
