Losing hair and black staining

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Mjh516

Mjh516

Member Since 2014
Linus looks like he was in a mud fight and lost. In the past few months, he has lost hair in large areas and it does not grow back. Now he looks very dirty. It is not dirt, tho. It is staining. It started on his feet. Now it is on his face. There seems to be dark tears from his eyes. I can clean some of the discoloration up, but he is stained. Now, I have noticed that where I took blood on his ear, there is bruising, or the staining.
His numbers are good, according to the vet and our home testing....usually between 150 and 300.
His also has very weak hind legs. Vet says it is arthritis, and his pancreatitis .
And if that is not enough going on with my poor boy, he is always ravenous. He eats 3 cans of FF a day and still begs for food.
Is all this part of his diabetes...or is that the least of his problems?
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Hi,
Your poor kitty.
Is the stained area itchy at all?
Has the vet seen it and what does he think it is?
To me, it looks a bit like cat acne which cats usually get on their chins. My cat Sheba has recently got it and she has it on her chin and above lip/below nose.....so she looks like she has a small goalie and a moustache.
Does it have little black flecks in it?
I try and keep the area clean and always wash and dry after her eating. It has not got worse but has not got better yet.

Re the weak back legs....it could be peripheral neuropathy. That is caused by the high Blood sugar levels and
will improve when the blood sugar levels go back to normal. Sheba had it badly but is back to normal now.
You could try vitamin B12 tablets .....they help. Here is the link to two places that sell it. It is called Methyl B 12. It is a specific one and is not the normal vitamin B tablets.

http://www.ilifelink.com/zobaline-for_diabetic_cats-3_mg_x_60_tablets.html
http://www.vitacost.com/vitacost-vitamin-b-12-methylcobalamin-5000-mcg-100-capsules-6
ETA.....I see you already use this:)

These are the tablets you need. Two to choose from. With the vitacost one, you would probably give HALF A TABLET A DAY. if you get them.....post here and ask for directions of dose. They are very good and I think they would help your kitty's back legs.
Can you set up a spread sheet for us to have a look at his numbers please? I think he might have too high numbers and his insulin might need adjusting. Here is the link with instructions. If you run into trouble, post and someone will help you set it up.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/

ETA.......I think he is ravenous because his blood sugars are still too high and his body is not utilising the food properly. Give him more food. He will stop being so hungry when his blood sugars come down to normal
 
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That was my first thought when I saw his picture.....
it worries me that your vet wouldn't recognize mange.

How long has Linus been on methyl b12 and which one is he getting? It can take 3 months to see an improvement on some cats.

If we could help you set up a ss, we can help you get him on a better path.
 
Linus has been taking B-12 for almost a year. I buy it at GNC....methyl B-12, 2500 MCG. I give him one pill a day. He also gets medicam and buponex for pain.
The vet has seen the staining. When I read about the mange, it does not seem Linus has it. There is no itching or scrabbling and my other two cats have nothing. It looks more like he is secreting tears that are causing the stain. He was on eye ointment for a while..no effect. I wash his face and some of it does wash off. It looks to me more like the dark eyes that white dogs get..except it is all over his face and paws. Then, of course, there is the hair loss.
I am going on vacation, but will get a SS up and running ASAP. I have been keeping his at home numbers since diagnosis last July. How far back should I go?
Thanx for all your info and suggestions.
Are there vets who specialize in diabetes or dermatology?
 
cats can have tears that look like they are blood stained and they can form black crusts. And they do stain a bit.
Have you tried washing him to see if the stain will come off?
Will he let you give him a bath? If not you could have a couple of bowls of warm water, one with cat friendly soap and the other for rinsing and use a washer to wash his body, then another to wipe off the soap. If he was not actually in the water he might allow you to do it.

Maybe he has a form of dermatitis or an allergy.
Yes there are vets who specialise in diabetes and I would imagine dermatology.

Has the vet ever taken a scraping of the skin to see if he can identify anything.
You could try calamine lotion on one of the area to see if it helps. Sheba had an area on her neck and she was loosing the hair .... It was itchy too though.......... I put calamine lotion on it for a couple of weeks and it went away......none of the creams from the vet worked.
 
Others can correct me if I am wrong, but I think it's okay to give him more B12. We've been giving 6000 MCG (1 Zobaline in the morning and 1 at night), plus B12 shots every two weeks, and over the course of the last month, it helped the hind limb weakness a lot (well, up until he had bad rxns to an anxiety med recently). They just pee out any extra B12 that they don't use.
 
yes ... the correct dose is between 3000 and 6000 mcg.... or 3 mg - 6mg....
and if it's too much, they just pee it out....

kitties do get allergies....
it could be contact with something or a food....
 
I will increase his B-12 and make an appt. with the vet. He was concerned about too many meds that might screw up
Linus' numbers. The vet has not seen Linus in about six weeks, tho I have taked to him about Linus' condition.
I do wash his face and the new stain does come off..not the old coloring, tho. He does not do baths, so I take him the groomer for one...after a visit to the vet for some knock out drops. He had the staining on his feet at his last bath. She used an oatmeal soap. It did not take away the color on his feet. He did not have a face like this back then. I must say, his coat has stayed cleaner feeling this time. Softer, cleaner, less wirey.
Thanx.
 
Poor little pumpkin.......he looks a dear little cat, and you obviously love him.
If he has the stain on his paws, face, ears and around that area, could he be transferring it from his eye discharge when he grooms?
Hope the vet visit helps find the cause
 
We are going to the vet tomorrow.....paws crossed.
Do these symptoms.....hunger, weight loss, hair loss, leg dysfunction, pancreatitis , bruising, discharge.... Come as side effects of diabetes, or his system so messed up anything seems more intense?
 
Hunger, weight loss and leg problems could be from diabetes.
The others things he has could be from several things.

Getting a full blood profile.......not sure what you call it where you live......will give a lot of information.
And try and get the skin scraping.

Pancreatitis symptoms include loss of appetite, pain, higher BSLs, dehydration, and maybe vomiting or diarrhoea so it doesn't sound like that.

He might just have an allergy to something.

The eye discharge could be from a previous dose of herpes / cat flu ( you can't catch it from cats) or an allergy.
I think it is a process of elimination.
Hang in there. Hopefully you will get answers soon and be able to get him on the road to recovery :bighug:
 
Vet visit over. Blood taken and skin samples sent to lab. Not the mange or ringworm. Now we wait for the lab tests to come back.
Vet very pleased with Linus' BG numbers.
 
Am glad you were able to get into the vet so quickly.
Good to eliminate things. Hopefully the tests will give you a clue as to what is the matter and hopefully the treatment as well.
That is good the vet is pleased with the BSLs.
You are obviously doing a good job looking after him. I know how frustrating it is when you are doing your best but the problem is not being solved.
 
Blood test results back. All numbers fairly good. Even glucose! Red count a little low this time.
After a vet counseltation, will have an ultrasound to begin checking for Cushings disease. Very rare in cats. Poor Linus. He is being a trooper, as a cat will do!
Upped his B-12 dose, seems to be making a difference.
Thanx for concern and suggestions. They helped!
 
Glad most of the blood tests have come back OK. That is good.
Any news yet on the skin scrapings?
Thanks for keeping us posted with the results.
You are being an awesome mamabean.
 
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