possible diabetic- vet visit UPDATE

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hmjohnston

hmjohnston

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My dads GF's cat, blue russian mix like mine, male, age 14, has lost a lot of weight, drinks and eats all the time (goes outside constantly so they don't know pee size), AND has a rash all over him (loosing his fur as well- but that might be rash related). And he steals their food from their plate (Sneakers did that as well).

I am going over on Friday after work with my meter- would I (If I can get blood) be able to tell if he has diabetes if he has a high number?

They said the rash was there before they moved, so it isn't from the place they moved to, and he was given some allergy medicine and it went away some but now it is back- so I think the rash is allergy related- but to the food? They say his food hasn't changed- wet in the morning, dry the rest of the time (changing that one!).

I know what brand she uses so I will take her a printout of acceptable wet food under 10% and 5% and try to check his bg- he is a grazer so it won't be a fasting one and since he is constantly hungry it will be food spiked- but a normal cat won't have a high level (thinking 250-HI) with food, right?

They also have a vet visit scheduled for Monday. I just want to get some solid advice in there BEFORE the vet (as most vets in Arkansas prefer Humulin and I didn't want her to waste the money if she could get something better.) If Smokey is high enough when I test- what would be a good insulin for her to request? I know I can give advice on PZI and Levemir. And Barbara isn't a whimpy owner- she will insist on great treatment of her cat :lol: .

I don't know how PC savvy she is- I think I recall they do have a computer, and if high enough I will also get her to this site.

Thanks, just needed to ask.
 
Re: possible diabetic- can I tell with meter?

I am going over on Friday after work with my meter- would I (If I can get blood) be able to tell if he has diabetes if he has a high number?
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Possible, but not conclusive. It would definitely be worth trying, because if you get a 50, that should eliminate the possibility. If you get a higher than normal reading, at least it gives you some data to give to the vet and make it worth running a blood panel.


They said the rash was there before they moved, so it isn't from the place they moved to, and he was given some allergy medicine and it went away some but now it is back
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See if you can find out if there were any steroids involved in making that rash go away. If it is steroid induced diabetes, it would help to know that up front.

Carl
 
Re: possible diabetic- can I tell with meter?

I have run curves on both my civies and Maxwell after he went into remission, and even with food on board neither of them have been above the high end of normal, Maxwell will go higher on food than the civies will...Maxwell will rise about 20 points where the civies maybe 5 to 10 points. So I would think if you get anything over 200ish it would be a good idea to at least have a blood panel run to eliminate the possiblity. Hyper-T could also be causing some of those symptoms as well.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette, Autumn & The Fur Gang
 
Re: possible diabetic- can I tell with meter?

Thanks. Those are both interesting points to bring up. Especially the steroids- it sounded as if the loosing weight and hungriness was more recent than the rash so I would need to find out how long ago was the rash 'treated'. Didn't even think about that :oops: .

I have found out from personal experience with FD and Sneakers that if you at least know SOMETHING about it the vet is less likely to push you into something bad for your kitty and is more likely to go with your suggestion- if you bring backup :lol: .
 
Re: possible diabetic- can I tell with meter?

Take the test, see what it reads. If it reads higher than normal for a cat. Take another test, either several hours later, or next day. Again if it reads higher than normal, then there is a distinct possibility you are dealing with FD.

At this point, getting a fructosamine from the vet, may be a good idea. As this is really the only time it comes in handy.

As far as what insulin to ask for if needed - either prozinc, lantus or levimer are all good choices. Maybe print out the stickies for these insulins, let your dad read them and decide which he feels more comfortable with. Then ask for that insulin.

Be sure to set him up with a meter, hypo kit, etc.

Also, regarding the rash - while it could be steroid or medicine related, it also could be food related. With Maui her skin issues were a result of DRY food. What exactly in the dry food, I don't know. I only know it was when the dry was finally removed that her skin cleared up, itchiness stopped and she hasn't had a problem since.

Find out if he changed flavors of food recently. Sometimes that can be the problem too, that a cat may be allergic to a particular flavor, such as beef or fish, or even poultry (chicken/turkey). Maybe trying a novelty food such as rabbit or duck or lamb may be a way to see if that could be the problem too.
 
Re: possible diabetic- can I tell with meter?

They feed friskies wet and meow mix dry. Said they hadn't changed his food but I bet the pet food people did. Didn't think to ask about kinds/types within the brand. The food was my first thought as well. maybe they are adding something they didn't and he is now allergic to what was once okay.

I was thinking about getting her a meter- but might wait until after I test first. I happen to have an empty Saturday afternoon (for once!) and can go back and do another test if he is really high or show her how to do it and she can pick something up that night. Most kits come with lancets and a few strips anyway.

Oh well, a few hours in a smoke-filled house, what fun and joy :roll: .
 
Re: possible diabetic- can I tell with meter?

If it is diabetes you'll probably get a really high reading and he vet can confirm with the fructosamine test. If his glucose level is normal then it could be hyperthyroid which also causes increased appetite and weight loss. The vet can test for that too and it's pretty easy to treat. Havd fun and hopefully you'll be able to help figure it out
 
Re: possible diabetic- can I tell with meter?- UPDATE

Reading was 57 so I already told her it probably wasn't diabetes. I did mention that she should get the two Thyroid tests done.

Poor kitty, he has a rash all along the bottom part of his body, really bad along his tail and flanks. He keeps licking and biting and has bitten himself until he bleeds in a few areas. Some places he has nearly licked himself bald and he just loved all the attention I gave him, laying quietly in my arms as i warmed his ear up- got blood on the first try he was so relaxed and cozied :lol: . Didn't eat the freeze-dried chicken treats though :? . Finicky, just like my blue.

To me it looks like when my sisters dog had food allergies and would lick herself raw and sometimes bite to bleeding. I told her not to allow a steroid shot (he hadn't had one yet). Would benadryl or sudafed work on a cat? He gets friskies canned (shredded) and friskies chow mix tuna/salmon/fish dry. She seemed to think he would never convert to full wet or that the allergy could be food related as he gets the same kind each time.

But, good news, at least it wasn't diabetes. She was going to let me know what the vet says on Monday.
 
Re: possible diabetic- can I tell with meter?- UPDATE

I know Missy had skin allergies when she was young, initially hair loss with normal skin, then hotspots on tummy poor girl that looked so irritable, we never really figured to what, changing foods didn't help, but of interest when I inadvertently exposed her to tea tree oil when I had excema flare up her hotspots finally healed and hair eventually grew back.
Wouldn't recommend tea tree oil though as that damaged her liver, why she's on prednisolone.

She now does well on all proteins and restricting them didn't help skin...
 
Re: possible diabetic- can I tell with meter?- UPDATE

Flea allergies are also pretty common and can cause cats to overgrown themselves raw. When they are allergic just a single bite can set them off. Treating the house and him and any other pets for fleas could help and won't hurt. DeFlea by Natural Chemistry is a really good product to use on carpets/bedding etc and a single spray bottle is enough to do a big house.
 
Well, Smokey seemed to have really bad grass allergies. He got a shot (no idea WHAT!!) and Barbara says he is already drying up after a day. She was also given something to put on the areas that he had pulled out with his teeth and were bleeding to make it not so itchy.

So good end to that... unless it was steroids and then it is just sit and wait. I'll keep asking about him to make sure that he is doing okay.

Thanks for all of the great (and happily unneeded) advice. He goes back in two weeks for his yearly shots.
 
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