in remission, but fur tugging and back legs...

[stan_disuko]

eddie is basically in remission and diet-controlled. he was diagnosed only 3 weeks ago. his diet change has completely turned him around, and he hasn't needed any insulin for a week.

he is no longer drinking/peeing like crazy. in fact, he used to be absolutely obsessed with the bathtub faucet. he ignores it now.

all is not roses tho, he has developed a habit of biting and tugging the fur on his back. there is one particular area that he concentrates on and it's almost bald.

also, his back legs don't seem to be working so well. he doesn't have the same confidence to jump up on furniture or the bed anymore. every so often he makes it, but not without some trouble.

he scored a 3.6 tonight. is that too low? is this turnaround happening too quickly?

 

[Kelly & Oscar]

It isn't unheard of for remission to happen this quickly. I have seen one cat on here go off insulin after only 1 shot!

Since the good numbers have been around for only a week, the neuropathy you are describing will take several weeks of good numbers to get back to normal. You can help things a little bit by giving him methyl b-12 each day, which will aid in nerve regeneration. One brand that has no sugars is zobaline (made by lifelink).

Chewing on a hot spot like that is often indicative of allergies. Have you changed his food recently? What flavors are you feeding? Do they have any grains or wheat gluten in it? Anything recently change in his environment?

 

[Sweetgrass & the Furries]

This can also be a sign of hyper T I believe. Have you ever had his T4 levels checked? it is good to have the test done and would aslo explain some of the muscle wasting, causing the back legs to be weaker.

Maybe ask vet about this?

 

[stan_disuko]

thanks Kelly!

yes, his diet has changed dramatically. However, i do remember him starting with his hot spot even before he was diagnosed, and before i chanaged his food. his environment has very recently undergone some major changes (i have recently moved, and will be moving again within a couple months). eddie has moved around with me several times over the years, he's pretty good at adapting to environment changes.

i'll definitely look into the methyl b-12. thanks for the suggestion.