Influence of fixing other issues on cat's BG #'s

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Sue Maus and Marky, Sep 14, 2020.

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  1. Sue Maus and Marky

    Sue Maus and Marky Member

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2020
    Hi, everyone. My cat Marky, who is 5 1/2 years old and 18.6 pounds, just got diagnosed last Tuesday with feline diabetes. He always drank a lot of water, but about 3 weeks or so before his scheduled annual on July 1st, we noticed several changes. He started having BM's outside of his box and also wet outside of it twice. We were both scooping a lot more, even getting into "discussions" about each other not doing it often enough. Those discussions were also about not giving him enough to eat or drink, as his bowls always seemed to need filling. He was supposed to be on a diet, but he was failing at that. We got magnetic whiteboards for both his room and the kitchen to bring his feeding under control but were still giving him a LOT of water. He was also scratching, licking, and biting to the point he was making himself bald in several spots.

    Although we never saw a flea or tick on him, we do live in an apartment building that's one of 12 on 43 acres of land. There's a LOT of trees, grass, shrubs, etc. around us. The vet put him on Revolution Plus. The first dose seemed to help until about 3 days before the next. The hair started coming back. The second dose seemed to quit after a little less than 3 weeks, and he was biting, licking, and scratching more than ever. I made him another appointment. The 3rd dose did nothing at all.

    During the annual, the vet mentioned a steroid shot to make him more comfortable. Since we mentioned all the water consumption and the accidents, she wanted to do a BG reading on him first, and it was around 350. That's what lead to trying the Revolution Plus. When we took him back on the 4th of this month,it was still around that number, and we moved ahead with additional blood work. I know several have mentioned their cats became diabetic following a course of steroids, but he was never administered any because his numbers were too high when being checked beforehand.

    At this visit, the vet prescribed cyclosporine liquid. It took a week to arrive. I had a time getting the first 2 doses into him, and am not sure how much of it actually did go into him. Yesterday,for whatever reason, it went smooth as silk! And the change I saw within hours was amazing! This boy who had been moping for over a week, wanting to be alone and not even enjoying one of his favorite activities of looking out the sliding glass door, and using the vast majority of his energy to scratch, bite, and lick, seemed like his old self again. He became more social again, stopped the scratching, biting, and licking behavior almost 100%, and played for the first time in over a week. He also did his cardio workout...running from room to room.

    I know this is long, but it brings me to this question. How many of you saw a significant positive impact on your cat's BG #'s when getting another health issue under control? I know as a diabetic myself, stress or having a flareup of my fibromyalgia or neuralgia will influence my numbers a LOT more than my eating habits. I just wonder if that's true for cats, too. Also, there's been a TON of stress in this household lately, and I have to wonder how much of that is having an affect, too.

    That brings me to another question while I think of it. What can I do to reduce his stress? He's very affectionate, and it seems he "worries" about me on my bad days. If I cry, HE cries. If I lie down or sleep a lot, he will also come to me crying often, as if he's checking up on me. I feel my own health issues are contributing to his, and I just don't know what to do there.

    Thanks.
     
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  2. jt and trouble (GA)

    jt and trouble (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Welcome to FDMB Sue and Marky We are glad you found us.
    I have to ask...was a frutosamine test done on Marky? Thats the only way to determine if he is diabetic. A cats blood glucose levels can sky rocket from a vet visit. I know Troubles did.
    Theres a ton of information here at your finger tips with good folks to help you navigate it all.
    I know that stress will can a kitties levels (especially from a sensitive kitty such as Marky sounds to be)

    I'm not familiar with cyclosporin but I'm sure others here are. If Marky is diabetic you may want to start here:
    New? How You Can Help Us Help You!


    WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY:bighug:
    jeanne
     
  3. Sienne and Gabby (GA)

    Sienne and Gabby (GA) Senior Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Dec 28, 2009
    Any sort of infection or inflammation can have an effect of BG numbers. Stress, whether it's related to illness or something in the environment, causes a release of corticosteroids (aka "stress hormones") which cause BG numbers to rise. You may want to test your cat's BG to see if those numbers are coming down in response to the cyclosporine.
     
  4. AliceMeowliss (GA)

    AliceMeowliss (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2019
    It sounds like he may have some kind of allergy. I have an allergy cat, and he over grooms and leaves bald spots. Sometimes he looks like he has forgotten to wear pants because he locked away so much fur :p
    I had my cat further north for a few months and his allergy symptoms just disappeared. Then I come back down south and they have intermittently returned.

    Have you ever tried a kitty pheromone diffuser or spray, such as Feliway? Sometimes these can be used to manage stress.

    I wonder sometimes if my cats have increased stress when I have flares, too. Maybe because I’m less available to them and in bed more.

    Sorry not a lot of advice, but I hope to hear an update on how Marky is doing! Come back and see us. FDMB has been a literal lifesaver for my diabetic/IBD/kidney cat.


    Edited to add, did a little bit of quick research and can’t find anything indicating a major kidney risk to cats on cyclosporine.
    It does work by immunosuppression, so there are a lot of recommendations that kitty be checked for viruses first. I found this one mention of some effects on glucose etc, on the drug info for Atopica.
    “Cholesterol, glucose, total protein, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine values were elevated in cyclosporine treated cats with values just above the normal reference range. Glucosuria was noted in three treated animals that also had hyperglycemia.”
    This could indicate a bit of stress on the kidneys or liver or pancreas. I also saw mention of one cat in a study who developed tumor on kidneys.
    Ideally I would recommend using the lowest dose possible. But you need your cat to feel well and have a good quality of life and for him to be hungry! You could look into switching his food, feeding only wet food will be lower carb and will ensure more fluid intake which can help protect kidneys and other bodily systems.
    Source: https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=47f70173-a1d9-4156-9a7f-0f296e5dd64b
     
    Last edited: Sep 15, 2020
    Reason for edit: Edit to add cyclosporine info
    jt and trouble (GA) likes this.
  5. Sue Maus and Marky

    Sue Maus and Marky Member

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2020
    I'm sorry I did not get back to any of you sooner. I have been really, really dragging with the fibromyalgia lately. Marky being diagnosed as a diabetic is just 1 thing in a long list. He was diagnosed through 2 high readings at the vet and then the presence of high glucose levels in his urine. They did routine blood work and a urine test but didn't do a curve or any other tests. I haven't gotten out to get him a meter, and even though I want to use the very same human type we use for ourselves as our budget is very tight, my husband hasn't picked it up because he's afraid he's going to come home with the wrong thing. I'm hoping to get out this evening after he comes home from work to pick one up. What you said, Sienne, is what I've been thinking. I know my own numbers are influenced by flares, and I remember how much it jumped when I fractured my knee. He always drank a lot of water and had a habit of scratching, but the 2 increased at the same time. That's what lead me to believe the allergies or whatever is causing the skin condition has also spiked his BG numbers. I did try Feliway when all of this started and saw some benefit though I thought it was fairly minimal. I've gotten this dry food addict almost completely switched to wet food. That, along with the cyclosporine, have seemed to already make improvements. I'm optimistic the food switch and getting the skin condition under control are going to have a very positive effect on his numbers. He'll be starting insulin Friday, and I'm optimistic it will eventually move him into remission. He's also young...just 5 and a half, and we're working on getting weight off of this hefty boy, so I'm thinking that'll all work in his favor, too. Thanks for the responses and help. I've already learned a lot through here.
     
  6. AliceMeowliss (GA)

    AliceMeowliss (GA) Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2019
    Sounds like you ha e a pretty god plan in order now! :D

    once you have insulin and testing and all, come back and post, someone can get you set up with a spreadsheet so we can see the test numbers too. :) That way we can help you more easily as you go.

    I agree I’ve only ever seen minimal improvement with feliway, but some people swear by it.


    I feel you on the fibro dragging.... my cat has been having a kidney problem while I’ve been having a fibro flare. The brain fog makes it hard to read and research, at times. Hope you both are feeling better soon. :bighug:
     
    jt and trouble (GA) likes this.
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