First post, hello

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Scylla

Member Since 2012
Hi all

I don't want to jump the gun but I fear my 16 year old female cat has developed diabetes. In the last week or so she has started displaying the signs; drinking like a fish, ravenous, peeing on the floor near her litter tray, and I noticed yesterday she had to scrabble slightly with her rear legs to jump onto the sofa.

She has an appointment at the vet tomorrow.

Can anyone give me a couple of top tips to take to the vet with me please? I have read the FAQ as much as I can but I'm very busy at work this weekend. If anyone could tell me a few things just so the vet can see I'm not a dimwit and am not to be talked into anything unnecessary, I would be very grateful.

Many thanks

Damian (UK)
 
Hello from Surrey, Damian!

Well, the vet who diagnosed my cat's diabetes suggested I have him put to sleep, so if they suggest that you need to find another vet! (Which I did..... :smile: )

OK, my list would be something like this....(some of these things I did ask at the time, and some of these I wish I had asked... :roll: )

How many diabetic cats are you treating, and how are they doing?

Which insulin are you going to prescribe, and why?
If this insulin doesn't suit my cat are you willing to prescribe something else?

Will you show me how to give insulin injections?

What diet do you recommend? (This is a way of ascertaining how 'up to speed' your vet is with current trends. Many vets want to sell us prescription food. Don't buy it. You don't need it)
Or you might try something along the lines of: I've heard that a low carbohydrate wet/canned food diet is best for diabetic cats, what's your view on that? (A low carb wet food diet is THE best diet for diabetic cats).

How do you feel about me testing my cat's blood glucose at home? (Your vet may or not be familar with this, but again, it's a good indicator of how au fait your vet is with current trend, and how willing they are to accommodate your wishes to be actively involved in your cat's care).

How do you feel about me doing my cat's 'glucose curves' at home? (A glucose curve is a series of blood tests done over the course of a day. Doing it at home is more accurate, less stressful for your cat, and less stressful on your wallet.)

How many cats that you've treated have gone into remission? (ie, come off insulin and become diet-controlled)

Well, that's for starters, I'll probably think of some more later....

Damian, here's a couple of questions for you...
Is your cat eating any dry food? If the answer to that is 'yes' then this is the optimal time to change her diet to wet food. Once a cat is on insulin that transition gets a little more complicated.

Does your cat have any other health issues that you know of?

If it transpires that your cat does have diabetes then the back leg weakness is probably diabetic neuropathy. That will improve once insulin therapy is started, but supplementing the diet with methyl B12 helps enormously too.

If your vet is generally a good vet, and you have a good relationship with them, then any differences in opinon/method about your cat's care may well be ironed out over time. Most vets can be trained quite well! ;-) :lol:
 
Hi Damien, and welcome to the FDMB!

The symptoms you describe seem to be the "classic" signs of diabetes. I saw the same things with Bob last year.

It might help to know that there are other UK members here, and if you follow this link to a thread from another brand new member, you'll see at least 3 of them. Perhaps one lives fairly close by and can offer assistance?
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=85854

A couple of things you can mention during the vet visit:

Find out if your vet supports home testing of blood glucose levels using a human glucometer. We highly recommend that.

Find out if he believes that a low carb, all canned food diet is the appropriate diet for diabetic cats. With no dry food in the mix.

Ask about which type of insulins are available. It seems most UK cats are prescribed caninsulin at the start. There are better choices, such as Lantus (glargine), Levemir (detemir) and PZI, but they may not be easy to get there. Caninsulin works best for dogs, but cats metabolize insulin about twice as fast as dogs, so shorter duration insulin tends to not work as well.

Please let us know what the vet has to say,
Carl
 
If it transpires that your cat does have diabetes then the back leg weakness is almost certainly diabetic neuropathy. That will improve once insulin therapy is started, but supplementing the diet with methyl B12 helps enormously too.
Click to expand...

Elizabeth is right, the most likely cause would be neuropathy. The other thing to look for is what her potassium levels look like. That should be a part of the blood panel they run at the vet. My cat, Bob, had back leg weakness that turned out to be due to low levels of potassium rather than neuropathy, and all it took was several weeks of potassium supplements to get him back to normal. The blood tests will reveal if that's a problem or not.

Carl
 
Carl & Bob said:
..My cat, Bob, had back leg weakness that turned out to be due to low levels of potassium rather than neuropathy, and all it took was several weeks of potassium supplements to get him back to normal. The blood tests will reveal if that's a problem or not. Carl
Click to expand...

Carl - thanks very much for that info. I felt sure there was another cause of back leg weakness but couldn't think what it was...
 
Elizabeth,
The way my vet explained it to me is that potassium impacts muscle function. The weakness in Bob showed up in his back legs, but it can affect every muscle. The most important thing I got from her was that there's a pretty small range of what is "normal" as far as potassium levels. And that "too high" was just as bad as "too low". And that the heart is basically one big hunk of muscle. She cautioned me that potassium "too high" can have a negative impact on heart function.

So it required that Bob go to the vet every two weeks and have another blood test to check his levels to make sure he stayed in the normal range. Using supplements is "easy", but it's also something that needs to be monitored so you know when enough is enough.

Carl
 
Hyperthyroidism may show some of the same symptoms and it should be ruled out with bloodwork. The excessive urination may alter the electrolytes (potassium, etc) causing the hind leg weakness.

See my signature link on Secondary Monitoring Tools for info on urine ketone testing, plus other ways to get a sense of how your cat is doing.

There is also a link for Vet Interview Topics, too.
 
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