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I’m the mom of Abby. She will be 13 in October. She was diagnosed with diabetes a year ago next month. Her first issue. Was a sinus one. So bad her nose would clog up, then peal and then be a bloody mess. You could hear her breathing from another room. She was sneezing. So now she also had herpes. Next, her knuckle bones on her front paws starting coming through the pads of her paws. Someone on another forum suggested I order zobaline. I did and with time the knuckles retracted and the paws healed.... for a while. Then they started to fill up with pus. They’d pop. I’d get it all out. The next day, right back filled up again. Take her to the vet. She now has E. Coli??? She’s almost 13. She was a stray when I got her 11 yrs ago but she’s not been out since then. So how did she get that? She doesn’t get raw meat. We’re still dealing with that and then about 3 weeks ago she had a small spot on her side with matted hair. I cut it off her. I didn’t go down to the skin but the next day, where I cut, you could see her skin. By later that day it was a bigger spot. Two days later she had 3 spots. Back to the vet we go. She’s now been diagnosed with Cushings disease (she’s lost about 35 to 40 percent of her hair and her skin is paper thin) as well as diabetes. While she still has E. Coli and herpes. The vet has mentioned surgery but we both don’t think she would make it through the surgery, she just has so much going on. Plus, I literally just spent a ton on my other cat to have half of her teeth removed. Has anyone else’s cat had this many infections/diseases at the same time? Any suggestions? My vet said to try cushx drops S. Like I said Abby was diagnosed with diabetes 1 yr ago and has been unstable that entire yr. I started giving her the drops twice a day, about 2 1/2 weeks ago and she has been under 200. Lots of times in the low 100’s. So now the diabetes is becoming livable but the Cushings is kicking her butt!!
Lastly, Abby is a bit more aggressive if I take too long giving her, her meds, getting her blood to test etc. she bites sometimes. Yesterday, she got me really good on my thumb. I asked my vet any chance I could get any of this stuff from Abby and his response in quite the doctorly way was “I don’t think so”!! So my entire thump is swollen down to my palm. I can't bend it at the knuckle. Should I be concerned? I’m really at my wits end. I have 4 cats. 2 are mine and 2 are my Mom’s, who moved in with me last September. Then had a stroke in April. I’m pretty much her sole care giver. I really can’t take much more!!

 

So sorry for the diagnosis. How is your thumb? I don’t know that you’d catch anything from Abby, but a bite on the hand can be serious and you probably at least need antibiotics. I actually use vetricyn on bites I’ve gotten. It works great, but do please see a doctor to be sure a joint isn’t involved. For the Cushing, we have a couple members I’ll tag for you. @Ana & Frosty and @Tuxedo Mom I hope they have some info to help you

 

I am only going to address the Cushing's diagnosis and let others give information/suggestions with the other issues.So sorry to hear that Abby has been diagnosed with Cushing's. I am assuming this is PDH (pituitary based) Because Cushing's causes an over-production of natural cortisol it can affect many other areas of the body. The worst part is when the skin starts tearing because of the thinness. It can be very difficult to heal or stitch those tears. My Tuxie had ongoing UTIs and URIs. I used l-lysine to help with his URIs and d-mannose to help with the UTIs.

Cushing's makes it extremely difficult to control glucose levels because of the excess steroids being produced by the body...or rather the body loses its ability to properly turn on and off the production as is needed. In readings I have come across over the years the line of thought is that the Cushing's is the root cause of the diabetes. And since it can sometimes wax and wane the numbers tend to be quite erratic.

One of our other members @Ana & Frosty has started her Frosty on vetoryl to help reduce the effects of the Cushing's and has had some hopeful results so far. She has been tagged in this thread so hopefully she can give information from her experiences with vetoryl and how it is working for her Frosty.

 

Thank you @Tuxedo Mom for tagging me in this post. I think I can help answer a lot of your questions, both about you and your cat.

First things first. @markieAbbysMom - You have to put the oxygen mask on yourself before you can help others, right? SO. It sounds like your thumb is infected. I recommend calling your doctor right now - even if you get the answering service, for an urgent appt tomorrow to have it looked at and get antibiotics. Tell them you have a cat bite and your thumb is very swollen and you can't bend it. If you can't get an appt, please go to the ED or Urgent care tonight. Cat bites are not to be taken lightly - their mouths are second dirtiest to only human mouths! I have been bitten by Frosty and had to be on antibiotics prophylactically. Also be sure your tetanus shot is up to date. You have to take care of you first to be able to effectively take care of your cat or anyone else.

Now onto your furry friend. Her nasal issues (peeling, raw skin, scabbing), paw infections, and skin and fur issues are all likely related to Cushing's. She may or may not have herpes, but Cushing's is the first issue to address here.

Let's go back to the pathophysiology - what is Cushing's disease? Basically, it's the body producing too much Cortisol. Cortisol is a steroid hormone . We need a certain amount in our body to function properly. But too much can cause muscle wasting, thinning skin, poor hair growth, big fat belly, and diabetes. The extra cortisol is either caused by a small tumor in the pituitary gland, that is located in the brain, which sends a signal to the adrenal glands to make too much Cortisol. OR sometimes the tumor is on the adrenal glad itself. Most of the time, it is in the pituitary glad. Either way, the end result is the same.

So the nose issue may not even be herpes! That may be one thing coming off your list once we get Cushing's under control.

Ecoli is probably a secondary infection in the paw wounds. Basically, with Cushing's, a cat can get thin skin that tears easily. My Frosty would groom and rip patches of skin out of his sides. He had a hole the size of a quarter and you could see down to his muscles. The ecoli infection is a secondary infection - basically, she had a little cut, then used the litter box, covered with her paw, and some of the ecoli bacteria from her poop got into the wound. We all have ecoli naturally as part of our normal gut flora. You don't have to eat raw meat or go outside to get it. Skin tears and thin skin is a side effect of Cushing's, and will get better once she is being treated.

I would not try any Cushx drops because it's just herbal medication that doesn't actually work (not studied, no proof). You need to see an internal medicine veterinarian, and ask about Vetoryl. It is a medication designed for dogs to block the excess hormone that leads to too much cortisol. they don't have one for cats because it is "rare " in cats - although I tend to think it is just recognized in cats as much as it is in dogs (for whatever reason). If you want to read more about Frosty's story, you can check out my posts in this forum - he was just diagnosed 2 months ago. He has been on Vetoryl for almost 2 month and is doing very well. H

We had to put Frosty in a cat onesie to protect him from tears and infection. You can check out my instagram page for his pictures - he alternates it with the dog's shirt. (we also have 4 pets)

I am really sorry about this diagnosis and the fact that its adding to an already full pot. It totally sucks. But I think there is treatment available for your kitty that might make her issues get better. At least it's worth a try. If you get a script from your vet, I suggest ordering it online because it is much cheaper.

Please reply with any questions! I am happy to be able to help in any way!

 

Oh, to clarify, no you will not catch things like Cushing's or Herpes or diabetes from your cat, but their mouths are full of bacteria which can cause an infection in the skin or soft tissue under it. I would definitely see a doctor ASAP - when I got bitten by Frosty, I called my doctor and got antibiotics right away.