help please--dka, pancreatitis, trouble walking

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smokeymay

Member Since 2012
Hi,

You may remember I posted about my cat Smokey's DKA. She was recovering slowly, nothing noticeable except for slightly elevated kidney levels. Had an ultrasound, vet said enlarged pancreas/pancreatitis. She had been doing better, eating more, acting more like herself. She was on an appetite stimulant. Then suddenly tonight her hind legs crossed when she walked, front paws weak too. Right now she's a bit better, ate a bit, walking better but legs still weak. Still a bit lethargic. Calling vet tomorrow AM, probably will end up bringing her in. Am concerned about her not walking properly before. But not sure I can afford to rush to ER again. Anyone know if this can be from pancreatitis? Is it also very difficult to manage chronic pancreatitis and diabetes? I'm scared for my baby's health and future.

Oh btw I should mention my cat has not started any kidney food/pancreatitis food yet. Vet said first we need to concentrate on her gaining weight for the DKA, then switch over her food.
 
For diabetics with renal disease, in addition to low carb, you want low phosphorus. And, no dry whatsoever - failing kidneys need more water to process toxins out of the body.

Methyl B-12 (aka methylcobalamin) may be helpful in diabetic neuropathy, which could be the explanation for the difficulty with the legs.

And how are glucose levels doing?
 
Thanks, she is doing better now. Her kidney levels are only slightly elevated.... vet says right now worry about plumping her up, then we will switch her foods to wet kidney food when she has recovered. Yup, vet did say no dry right now, due to pancreatitis (we had been initially using dry food both here and at her vet stay to tempt her b/c she wasn't eating whatsoever). I almost never feed her dry anyways.

Glucose levels, yesterday were at 230 4.5 hours post-shot (humulin, peak at 4 hours). Not having luck home testing her lately, but will check again at vet tomorrow.

I'm just relieved she didn't get worse, was worried she was having a stroke or something major, because the leg problem was so sudden. So now I know we'll make it through the night until we can see the vet tomorrow morning.
 
You need to be testing both BG #s and for ketones .... DKA is expensive! Only by testing can you stay on top of it .... the food for a diabetic cat and a cat with kidney problems AND ptitis is a low carb wet food like Fancy Feast pates or Friskies or? many food lists. I have a civvie who has kidney problems and the vet said he only had a short time .... I started adding more water to his FF and now he is up to one can food, one can water and he is doing GREAT!

Cats don't drink a lot of water and when we mix with their wet food it helps so much. Payne had Ptitis during her last DKA and we pushed water with her food. Because she eats with two civvies and they compete for food, I am up to 2 cans of water to one can of food :lol:

I also like to feed a lot of raw turkey meat, raw giblets, boiled chicken, etc. but stay away from the special cat foods ... I got Payne through Ptitis with FF pates and my civvie with kidney problems the same. Plus Payne's diabetic food is, yes the same. She is up to 15 pounds and rules the roost! Although when she is sick I tend to feed a lot of raw meat!
Nancy
 
Don't use fancy feast - it is too high in phosphorus.

if you use Friskies - get the special diet pate variety - no gravy --- turkey and giblets are low in phosphorus - which will help for kidneys. you want phosphorus to be less than 250. this new food chart should help:

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=79683
 
The week legs can also be due to low potassium. I assume you had a CBC done, so you might want to check the results.

DZ and Sarah
 
The leg weakness does not sound like a symptom of pancreatitis. I have a kitty with chronic pancreatitis that I have been managing for over 2 years. He is not diabetic though. If Smokey is not eating normally yet I would home test at least once a day pre shot/meal. Twice would be better. There are some good anti nausea meds too. Zofran, anzemet and cerenia. I hate reglan. Can you post any recent labs? Elevated phos would be a concern.

Sandy
 
d0zivyhoo said:
The week legs can also be due to low potassium. I assume you had a CBC done, so you might want to check the results.

DZ and Sarah
Click to expand...

A complete blood count (CBC) test measures the following:

The number of red blood cells (RBC count)
The number of white blood cells (WBC count)
The total amount of hemoglobin in the blood
The fraction of the blood composed of red blood cells (hematocrit)
The CBC test also provides information about the following measurements:

Average red blood cell size (MCV)
Hemoglobin amount per red blood cell (MCH)
The amount of hemoglobin relative to the size of the cell (hemoglobin concentration) per red blood cell (MCHC)
The platelet count is also usually included in the CBC.

For potassium and other things you need blood chemistry.
 
Sorry, I misspoke and used CBC too loosely. My vet just does the whole panel. Even if just the kidney panel, it includes potassium.

Regardless, please do check the potassium level to rule it out as a cause for the weak legs.

DZ and Sarah
 
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