Diarrhea and high BG

So Quincy has had diarrhea for a couple days now, in and outside of the litter box. Today it seems to be getting thicker and only one time outside of the litter box so that's good. I wouldn't be too concerned but all of a sudden what were great BG numbers (I finally was getting him regulated!!!) have skyrocketed. If you check out my spreadsheet, you'll see he was consistently in the 100s and all of a sudden in the last two days he is in the 300s!!!!! I am concerned and wondering if this is a symptom of something bigger.

I did take him in for excessive ear wax and yeast in his ear last week which he is now getting an "ear wash" for every other day per the vet. This could have something to do with it?

Everything else with him is fine - huge appetite, drinking normally, not lethargic, etc. Just this diarrhea and high BG all of a sudden. I can't afford to take him in again since I just took him for his ear but if this is a sign of a serious problem I guess I'll have to figure it out. Any ideas?

 

Awww poor Quincy All I can think of is were there any food changes? I know there will be more replies

 

I thought of the same thing. Nope, no food changes.

 

Is the 'ear wash' a medication? Could Quincy have ingested some of it when he was grooming?



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whoa never thought of that!

 

I have problems giving Lúnasa spot-on treatments because of this type of issue. I have to break out the Giant Blue Polo Mint of Shame to stop her licking at the stuff.


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Hmmm. Let me run and look at the bottle. The label says "TrizUltra + Keto Flush" for "cleansing, antifungal". So I guess that's possibility! I try to get it pretty deep in his ear but he could totally be grooming himself and then licking his paw, definitely. It just felt like too much of a coincidence for the ear thing and then the diarrhea and high BG numbers to all happen at the same time. What do you think?

 

What are some solutions then? I still have to clean his ear. Right now I am using a cotton ball but I guess I could use a q-tip. I liked using the cotton ball because it guaranteed I'm not going too far into his ear but that some was still dripping down into it. Now I'm worried about the BG numbers too...did this ruin how great he was doing and how regulated he was? Am I going to have to up the dose?

 

Just had a look at some drug info:

TrizUltra+Keto Flush at drugs.com

According to the above site, one of the active ingredients is ketoconazole.

marvistavet.com Pharmacy Library - ketoconazole

The second site lists nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea as common side effects of this med and suggests administration with food may help with the side effects, so maybe try applying the ear wash shortly after Quincy has been fed.

I have no idea whether this is feeding into the higher BG levels. I suggest giving your vet a quick call for further advice, particularly if symptoms persist for even a short time.


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Thank you for that! I guess I could have done that myself but I spent a ton of time searching diarrhea and diabetes and didn't think to research the ingredients. Duh.

I was going to give it a day or two more and then give her a call but she is only there two mornings a week and she's not even the one who checked him out at his last appointment since she wasn't there. I am going to assume this is all related but I am still worried about his numbers...do I increase his dose or wait for this ear thing to go down? You know what I mean? I'm upset this has messed with his really great BG streak there and now has ruined it. I don't know.

 

I dont think its ruined maybe a few steps back but not ruined. I cant give dosing advice. Mogs can tackle that one

 

Haha, well, it's only been in the 300s for a few cycles but I really hate it! I was so proud of how far we'd come and I'd hate to start this dance all over! I guess it is what it is when there's extenuating circumstances.

 

Yep LIFE happens. We adjust.

 

Quincy's AM+6 reading today was very close to his recent tests at that point in the cycle (prior to the GI upset).

If you're considering a dose increase I recommend that you post and ask for dosing advice on the Lantus/Basaglar/Levemir board. (I only tend to make noises about dosing if a reduction is needed. )

Fingers 'n' paws crossed that Quincy's numbers will be back to normal soon. Bearing in mind that you don't know for certain whether it's the ear wash causing the diarrhoea, if Quincy's symptoms persist, I recommend contacting your vet sooner rather than later for advice.


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Thank you for your advice. If the diarrhea doesn't clear up soon, I will definitely be calling!

 

I hope Quincy feels better soon, April.


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Thank you, me too!

 

So I spoke to a vet tech today and while she said she has never heard of diarrhea happening from this ear flush, it's a possibility. So she advised me to stop the flush and then come back in so they can look at this ear again and maybe have some other remedies for it - which is exactly what I didn't want to happen (another vet visit) but I guess I have to do what I have to do. I did mention his rising BG levels as well so I think that sealed the deal for her regarding stopping the ear flush. We'll see if the diarrhea clears up in the next few days now that he won't this ear wash stuff, and we'll see if his BG numbers start going back down. Otherwise I don't know what is going on. Only one accident today so far so I'm hoping that's a good sign...?? But as I said in earlier posts, I'm more worried about his rising BG levels, ugh.

 

Be sure to let us know how you get on with the vets, April. BTW, kaolin probiotic pastes can help firm up loose stools relatively quickly. Perhaps ask your vet about whether that might help Quincy? Another thought: just to rule it out, it might be an idea to ask your vet to run an 'on-the-spot' Snap fPL test to check for pancreatic inflammation. (If Quincy's eating OK it is highly unlikely that pancreatitis would be an issue!) More info at the following link:

IDEXX Pancreatitis Guidelines


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The tech did mention a probiotic so that might be the route we go. Thanks for the advice! I am wondering ho wmuch that snap fPL costs...running thin with all these vets visits these days (other cat was recently diagnosed with cardiomyopathy). ugh exhausting

 

I hope your vet wouldn't charge you for merely enquiring!

My civvie, Lúnasa, has HCM (developed it secondary to hyperT a few years ago). She's also IRIS stage 3. We've got some juggling heading our way ...


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Yikes! Good luck to you!

 

I know I'm late in getting back to you all but we went back last week for the vet to look in Quincy's ears and see if things were cleared up. I don't think they are since black wax is still coming out but she claimed she could see his ear drum and down his canal and all looked good so we stopped the ear wash (though it's been since Friday and I'm still wiping away wax). She also put Quince on a probiotic for the diarrhea and guess what?! All is well! I don't know how long he has to be on it but since Saturday there have been no accidents outside of the litter box and no diarrhea! HOWEVER, still relatively high BG (imo) and I upped his insulin dose to .5. We're getting back in the blues in the afternoons and one at night but mostly still high so I'm not sure what happened or what's up. I really hope it goes back down soon.

 

Sending prayers and healing vines Ears are so ....