Cinthia E.
Member Since 2022
Hello everyone!
I joined the Facebook group a few weeks ago, and I often post there. This is my first time posting on this forum.
I have some questions about neuropathy.
Here is a little backstory on my cat Pema. Pema is 12 years old and not totally overweight; she weighs 7 pounds now and was probably no more than 9 pounds before she was diagnosed with diabetes.
A few weeks ago, on a weekend day, Pema began to limp on one of her back legs. My sister and I made an appointment for the vet early the next week. Well, on the Monday, Pema couldn't walk at all and she wasn't eating. So, we called the vet to see if we could get her in earlier, and we got an appointment for the Tuesday. By the time we got her there, she was already getting dehydrated and she had acute kidney failure (caused from the dehydration). The vet suspected diabetes, so she did a blood test, and Pema's BG was in the 500s and the vet checked her urine and Pema had high ketones. So, my sister was told to take Pema to the emergency hospital so that she can be on IV fluids, fast acting insulin, and monitored all day and night. So, 4 days later, we were able to pick Pema up and start her on insulin. Her kidney levels were back to normal. She was also diagnosed with a UTI and sent home with antibiotics. They gave us ProZinc and told us to give her 2 units every 12 hours. When we got home, Pema was still a little wobbly when she walked but she was looking and acting much better. After a couple of days, her walking seemed to be normal. We home test with a ReliOn Premier Classic. We reduced her insulin to 1.5 units, because she had multiple low numbers (50 or less) before the nadir (her nadir is typically at the +4 mark). So, she has been on 1.5 units since last Sunday (2/27/2022). Her AMPS numbers have been in the 300s or 200s, and her PMPS have been in the upper 100s (with a couple of days in the 300s and 400s). So, she isn't regulated yet and her numbers still aren't in the optimal range consistently.
Yesterday, I noticed that she was limping again on her left leg. She also has that leg sticking out when she lays down, and it seems kinda stiff when she walks and stands. She also hasn't been standing up or walking as much. She is still acting normal and playful. I was thinking maybe arthritis, but she was doing this before the DKA. And, my sister just told me that the vet suspected neuropathy as the cause of her not walking before her diabetes and DKA diagnosis (I was thinking it was the UTI that was causing her pain and keeping her from walking). However, when I think of neuropathy, I just think of the cats who walk of the hocks of their feet.
So, my questions are:
Could this be neuropathy?
What are the early warning signs of neuropathy?
How long does a cat have to have high BG numbers to develop neuropathy? And, how high do the numbers have to be?
I'm scheduling an appointment with the vet, but I'm all paranoid because of her not walking before the DKA event, I would like to know of some personal experiences with neuropathy.
I also ordered the Zobaline, just in case.
Thanks in advance!
I joined the Facebook group a few weeks ago, and I often post there. This is my first time posting on this forum.
I have some questions about neuropathy.
Here is a little backstory on my cat Pema. Pema is 12 years old and not totally overweight; she weighs 7 pounds now and was probably no more than 9 pounds before she was diagnosed with diabetes.
A few weeks ago, on a weekend day, Pema began to limp on one of her back legs. My sister and I made an appointment for the vet early the next week. Well, on the Monday, Pema couldn't walk at all and she wasn't eating. So, we called the vet to see if we could get her in earlier, and we got an appointment for the Tuesday. By the time we got her there, she was already getting dehydrated and she had acute kidney failure (caused from the dehydration). The vet suspected diabetes, so she did a blood test, and Pema's BG was in the 500s and the vet checked her urine and Pema had high ketones. So, my sister was told to take Pema to the emergency hospital so that she can be on IV fluids, fast acting insulin, and monitored all day and night. So, 4 days later, we were able to pick Pema up and start her on insulin. Her kidney levels were back to normal. She was also diagnosed with a UTI and sent home with antibiotics. They gave us ProZinc and told us to give her 2 units every 12 hours. When we got home, Pema was still a little wobbly when she walked but she was looking and acting much better. After a couple of days, her walking seemed to be normal. We home test with a ReliOn Premier Classic. We reduced her insulin to 1.5 units, because she had multiple low numbers (50 or less) before the nadir (her nadir is typically at the +4 mark). So, she has been on 1.5 units since last Sunday (2/27/2022). Her AMPS numbers have been in the 300s or 200s, and her PMPS have been in the upper 100s (with a couple of days in the 300s and 400s). So, she isn't regulated yet and her numbers still aren't in the optimal range consistently.
Yesterday, I noticed that she was limping again on her left leg. She also has that leg sticking out when she lays down, and it seems kinda stiff when she walks and stands. She also hasn't been standing up or walking as much. She is still acting normal and playful. I was thinking maybe arthritis, but she was doing this before the DKA. And, my sister just told me that the vet suspected neuropathy as the cause of her not walking before her diabetes and DKA diagnosis (I was thinking it was the UTI that was causing her pain and keeping her from walking). However, when I think of neuropathy, I just think of the cats who walk of the hocks of their feet.
So, my questions are:
Could this be neuropathy?
What are the early warning signs of neuropathy?
How long does a cat have to have high BG numbers to develop neuropathy? And, how high do the numbers have to be?
I'm scheduling an appointment with the vet, but I'm all paranoid because of her not walking before the DKA event, I would like to know of some personal experiences with neuropathy.
I also ordered the Zobaline, just in case.
Thanks in advance!
