Percy has diabetes

Hi, I hardly know where to start. My name is Deborah and my husband's name is Henry. We have six cats, all rescues or foster failures, and two cocker spaniels. I found Percy at age 3 mos. on a lonely swamp road in eastern NC, brought him home. That was 10 years ago. I sort of blame myself for his diabetes. I started fostering cats about 18 mos. ago. Our first foster was a late-neutered, large male cat who started territory wars w/one of our other neutered males. Silas was terrified of the foster. Vet recommended putting Silas on Royal Canin Calm to help him cope with the intruder. Problem with Royal Canin Calm besides the cost is that it is delicious. Everyone loved it, particularly Percy (NOT afraid of the foster), who found it wherever I hid it and ballooned up to 22 lbs. Big cat to begin with; looks pretty fit at 14 or 15 lbs. That's why I blame myself: if he had not gotten so fat, would he have gotten diabetes? Would he have gotten so fat if I hadn't started fostering a cat who scared Silas, hence the yummy, fattening Calm? Anyway, Percy was dx'd last month when we took him to the vet for a Brown Recluse spider bite on his back paw--a horrible, horrible-looking wound. Percy ended up having to lose three of the four toes on that foot, and our vet said the diabetes probably affected how quickly his tissues became necrotic. He is on 8 units of Vetsulin 2x/day; he started on 6 units 2x/day, but his glucose levels were still anywhere from 450 to over 600. So our vet upped his dose and now his thirst has moderated as has his urine output. Vet said he will put him on a diet in a couple weeks after we make sure he is good at this dose. Percy is a strong, loving, purring, calm cat. He does seem better--livelier, more interested in what's going on, calmer, less grumpy. I am really worried about one thing right now: his skin. He loses hair in large patches that expand from the center out. It appears the top layer of his skin peels back from the center of a lesion, taking the hair w/it. Newly exposed skin looks inflamed. At the center of a widening lesion, the skin becomes very dark and sort of rough. Vet said apply Neosporin if I feel I have to do something (he wasn't at all obnoxious about saying that.), and that's how I do feel. Can't find an image that looks like Percy's lesions. God, they're awful (the images). So hello. I'm very glad I found Feline Diabetes online.

 

Welcome Deborah, Henry & Percy (and all the other critters in your gang) to FDMB the best place you never wanted to be.

First of all, stop blaming yourself for Percy's diabetes. While his weight may have played a role, it also may not. Many cats without a weight problem develop diabetes and it's far more common than you think. We've all got regrets whether that be diet, not seeing symptoms early enough etc. but the important thing is you are here now and trying to do your best for Percy.

That spider bite sounds horrible and I'm so sorry to hear the poor fellow lost some toes as a result. Those Brown Recluse bites can be really nasty diabetes or not so while the diabetes may have contributed to the severity it may just have been a bad bite. I hope his paw is now healed up.

As for his back, that sounds nasty too. There are any number of possible causes for the hair loss and skin symptoms. Perhaps you could take a picture and post it over on the Health Forum HERE along with a brief summary (copy the above is fine) along with the current treatment prescribed for Percy's diabetes. The Health forum is where we provide specific information and there is more traffic there so you'll get lots of response and feedback.

 

Thank you so much! I was thinking of taking a picture of his back. Plus a couple small spots have come up on his ears, under one eye, and around the nostril on the other side. So, that's a good idea. I appreciater your response and support. I guess we all need it!