My Newly Diagnosed FD Kitty - Mr Rags has the runs

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TwoDjinn

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The neighborhood stray I took in went blind while I was on vacation 3 weeks ago. A trip to the emergency clinic confirmed high blood glucose and possible diabetes. A followup trip to my vet confirmed the diagnosis

Rags is eating well, getting two shots of insulin a day. Hes on wet food and was doing okay with his stool until two days ago when he started getting the runs. Ive been feeding him Fancy Feast but the gravy kind which seems to be a no no based on a quick view of the forum. He also gets turkey or roast beef from my Italian butcher which he loves. Appetite is good. Hes moving around a lot more now then when he first went blind he does have some neuropathy on the right side walking on his hock there. I swear he has some vision as he navigates well. Vet doesnt want to do B12 yet he wants to wait till I run a fructosomine test on him on 12/5.

Hes on Humulin N two times a day.

What can i give him for the runs? I have an idea its do to diet. At first he was only doing #2 every other day . Then he was normal and now its loose and its tannish brown rather then the original deeper mahogany color.
 
It could be a number of things. It could be food allergy. One easy thing to try is to feed Fancy Feast without gravy (better for him because it will be lo carb) Some cats have a problem with gluten which is usually in the gravy types. You might also eliminate the beef and stick with one protein for awhile to see if beef is the issue.

You might also try a probiotic. Fortiflora is a popular one here. You do need to get it from a vet.

If you have read around the site, you have probably seen that Humulin is not popular here. It is hard to regulate with, as it hits fast and hard and doesn't last very long. People here like Lantus, Levemir and PZI. All are milder, last 12 hours or so and generally take 6 hours to reach a low point. (Although every cat is different.) You can read about them on the Insulin support forums: viewforum.php?f=5

Which brings me to hometesting. We test our cats just like we would test our children, to make sure it is safe to give insulin and to find out how the insulin is working. If you test at home, there will be no need for an expensive fructosamine test. You will have the numbers. Here is a good beginning site: http://www.sugarcats.net/sites/harry/bgtest.htm and a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zE12-4fVn8

Keep reading and asking questions.
 
Thank you for the quick reply. I was wondering about the insulin. he seems to want to take a nap after his shot. I usually give him a snack so he has something in his tummy right before his shot then while eating his main meal i shoot him up in the scruff. He seems to eat and then nap for a while. I havent figured if thats because his sugar has gone high again or if he insulin is hitting him hard so he gets tired. He gets his shots at 5 AM and 5PM. Fortunately i work from home and can keep an eye on my boys.

Mr Rags was a scrappy street fighter and is missing part of one ear (hence the name rags since hes a little raggamuffin) so I only have one whole ear to work with should i undertake the at home testing. He came to our cul de sac that way. Originally I thought he was a tipped feral but when I he decided to stop running from people and i got a good up close view I realized he had lost it in battle and he was a fully intact male cat to boot. He had the big fat jowls until he got neutered which I did thru a low cost spay/neuter program.

I know hes feeling better other then the trots since hes feeling his oats. He's taking swings at my Maine Coon Bailey who so wants to be friends. But Mr Rags doesnt play well with others so he has the run of the kitchen in my condo, Bailey the rest of my house. Rags was an inside outside cat before he went blind. I fed him outside for over a year redomesticating him and got him neutered a year ago. I was only able to keep him inside since last Thanksgiving and he preferred to do his business outside. He is definitely geriatric we just dont know how old since hes missing most of his teeth had some cataracts and was crosseyed before he went blind. But hes my good karma kitty so Im working with him. He actually is very affectionate with people now.

My goal is to keep him warm fed and loved for the rest of his days since the early/mid years were not so good.
 
I'm going to put in a plug here for home testing...It really is the only way to know for sure how the insulin is effecting his body, and if it is safe to shoot at all.

You already have a good way of working around the possible food issue. Now for only having one ear to test, well it only takes one ear. =) but seriously if that doesn't work you can if you must also use the non-weight bearing pad of his foot. (the big pad). Just makes sure you clean it well before poking and then keep an eye on it afterwards so he doesn't get it infected using the litter box.

Actually even though Max has two good ears, he only has one that bleeds well, so I only use that ear, I just try not to use the same spot. I either move up or down the ear.

Mel & Max
 
What a story! Regs is lucky to have found you.

Here is another thread about having a blind cat: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=30015

It could be that the insulin is taking him too low after the shot. Testing is the only way to figure it out.

The vet who often posts here compares giving insulin without testing like driving down the freeway with a bag over your head......
 
Idon't know where you live and what your financial situation is,but you might want to consider taking Mr.Rags to a vet.eye surgeon. Sometimes the vision can be improved. They can even do cataract surgery and reattach retinas in cats and dogs. Like many newly diagnosed diabetic people, his vision might even improve once he hasa been regulated for a while.I give my kitties immodium for the "runs".About a quarter tablet will usually control it for about tweleve hours.However, this would only be a short-term solution and you should try to identify what is causing the loose stools in the first place.older cats can get dehydrated very easily especially if they are vomiting and have loose stools at the same time. It sounds like Mr.Rags wandered into the right home. Hopefully this is a rags to riches story!! :-)
 
Rags has some of his vision back he is now responding to the dazzle reflex. He can see light and shapes. Got the runs under control it was too much protein too soon. backed it off a bit and his stool came right around.

He is responding well to his insulin and is on the high side of excellent range for his fructosamine per his test yesterday. He is one month into his insulin regimen. However, his neuropathy has gotten worse and he cant even make it to the litter box and he tumbles over when he tries to walk. He did have his first B12 shot Friday.

He had been walking on one of his back hocks (the right side) but was getting around pretty good. . Thursday he started exhibiting trouble in his left front. I rushed him to the vet Friday and the vet noticed he had lost muscle tone on his left shoulder area and it appeared to be a brachial plexus injury. I did step on his paw when he got underfoot a week ago or so and he had a habit of getting his claws stuck in his bedding etc. esp the duclaw so I may have injured in leg when he tried to pull away. Friday into saturday he could still make it to the litter box (which is a boot tray I picked up for $7.99 at Bed Bath Beyond and works like a charm for older geriatric cats who may not be able to get into a higher sided litter box). This morning he drags himself out of his bed and then flops like a flounder on the floor. he just wet on the floor and then got to the box. Hes trying.

Its heartbreaking to see this. Ive tried supporting his belly with a towel to get him to walk. but he just cant support himself and i think it hurts him so he doesnt want to. Ive massaged the front shoulder but when I hit his scapula he winces/growls...His back paws are very sensitive to touch now and he will growl groan if I touch them. Not sure if thats because hes getting worse or hes getting feeling back now and its hurting him. My Vet just loves him btw and was pleased with all the progress hed made with his vision and his response to the insulin. Hes eating great with assist so hes not a dying animal I cant even say hes paralyzed I think its just hurts him to walk.

I have a call into a vet who does acupuncture but they probably wont open till tomorrow. Another one does rehabilitation services like ultrasound/electronic stim . Any one with success with acupuncture for neuropathy? Im going to run to the health store to get the methyl b12 pills. I figure that cant hurt.

all his other bloodwork is fine btw. kidneys etc. I didnt have him tested for lyme disease which is common in this area. Could lyme disease cause the neuropathy too?
 
Have you tested at home? That will give you information that you can't get with vet tests. It will be more current and more accurate; you will be able to see what is really happening.

I don't think people here use the B12 shots. They use the pills: Neuropathy

Did the vet take an Xray?
 
Sorry to hear Mr Rags is struggling with so many issue right now, and I can tell how much you love him.

My kitty Lulu was on Humulin N... and it is a really fast acting insulin that can cause amazing drops which can be very scary. It is super important to home test with any insulin... had we not been testing at home I know we would have had serious issues.

Fructosamine tests are great, but they only show an average... so you don't really have a clear idea how low your kitty is going if there are a lot of high numbers. Doing tests thru the day at home will give you a clearer view of what is going on. If Rags is getting too much insulin and his blood glucose (bg) is dropping dangerously (this tends to happen on N) the body will release its own glucose to save itself from hypoglycemia, and then you will see a huge spike in the bg level. You won't see this in a fructosamine test, but you will by doing a curve at home (testing thru the day).

High bg's can cause neuropathy, blindness, lethargy, ketones in the urine and so on. When we first starting giving Lulu insulin, we also noticed he would seem to get tired right after... and then with hometesting we learned he was getting too much insulin. He was also very sensitive to being touched around the hind legs, and this has just about dissappeared.

I know there are links here about hometesting, and just like giving insulin, it becomes easier to do, and many cats are not bothered by it at all.

Hope this helps, hang in there and pats to Rags.
 
He can feel his paws, wag his tail but when i touch him in the rear end where his legs join his body he is tender there similar to what lulu's2moms said. this appears to just have happened with the increased sensitivity in the rear. Coupled with the front leg issue. Hes a hot mess. I just propped him up and he can sit and hold himself up. He just doesnt want to because hes sore all over.

Im heading to the store to get the methylb12 pills. Ill pick up some lancets and meter at walmart and start doing the home testing too.

vet didnt do an xray. But he couldnt feel anything manually either. Rags was in a ton of fights when he was the neighborhood hobo stray and unneutered. Im wondering if old injuries are flaring up. There is nothing in his bloodwork or on manual exam that indicates he has any tumors or lesions. He is negative for Feline leukemia/aids. Ive been told hes anywhere from 10-11 this was last year so now hed be 11-12 years old to as high as 15-16. Vet gave him a kiss on his little head which Ive never had a vet do before. He is the owner of a diabetic dog.
 
Wonderful you will hometest. Here is what you need:


A human glucometer. Any one that sips and takes a tiny sample is fine. The meters are often free at drug stores; it’s the strips that are expensive. You can, however, buy them on ebay at less than half the price of stores. Lots of people here also like the ReliOn from Walmart. It is an inexpensive meter and its strips are the cheapest around.

Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 25-26 gauge is good. Any type will work.

Ketone strips. (Ketostix) Just like human diabetics use. You will sometimes need to test urine if the numbers are high.

Rice sack. Make this out of thinnish sock, filled with raw rice or oatmeal and then knotted. You heat this in the microwave until very warm but not hot. Then heat the ears before poking.

Also nice to have. Flashlight: so you can look at the ears and find the little capillaries that come off the vein running down the ear. Vaseline: Put a tiny smear where you want to poke. It will help the blood bead up.

Here's a good beginning site: Newbie hometesting site and a video: Video for hometesting

We all have tips that helped us get blood the first time. Just ask!
 
We use the Truetrack meter... it sips. Was the cheapest one I found... then found out about the strips being expensive. At the pharamcy they were $50 for 50! But then I found them on Amazon.com $30 for 100. Checked against my vet's reading... it was spot on though. We were all surprised!
 
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