sores in diabetic cats ears

I am an old returnee to this site. my cat has been diabetic for two years. I am not sure if the problem is related to diabetes or not, in my research so far I think not. He has small pustual sores inside both ears, they are small and cover the wole inside of the ears. they are extremely hot to the touch. my cat has always been by me and yesterday i found him in our finished basement hideing under a table, couldnt understand why, he seemed ok, but left him with food and drink, this am when testing his bg noticed the sores appearing but not bad. tonite he is really covered, he is eating and drinking fairly well, I will not test him tonite, will make an educated guess with his insulin. but need any infor any one may have on what is wrong with him... his one eye is weaping a little but just clear, no pus or odd drainage, he has not urinated all day, small bowel movement last pm... will leave him here and spend time with him. am brushing cool water on the ears every once in awhile as they are so very hot. can anyone help me??

 

Sounds possibly like allergies, but boy, I'd really want a vet to look at that. Is it possible? You might try paw pads for testing numbers.

 

With them being hot to the touch it sounds like there might be an infection going on. This could also be why the eye is weeping. Is there a foul odor to his ears? Do you see him shaking his head or anything?

I would definitely take him into the vet. If he is hiding, those are usually sure signs that they are not feeling well.

Good luck.

 

thankyou for your replies, have just been sitting here petting him. yes in the am will do my first paw stick, was a phlebotamist when worked so not a problem, was however surprised to see paw could be used. just now in petting him, trying to look into the pink of the ear, did remove some tiny black spots, ear mites??? He has never been outside so am not sure how he would have gotten them but will try to find reading material on mites... thanks so much. this site is wonderful!!! confused_cat

 

how long has he had these pustules? is this something that was not there yesterday?

Edited to add: I would be very careful treating for mites if he has never been outside. I made the mistake of treating for mites and it turned out to be something completely different.. since his ears are hot, I'd wonder about infection. I think he needs to go to the vet. ((((hugs))))

 

i cant get him to vet till tomorrow am. did however realize he was dehydrating so every two hours round the clock have been giving warmed canned cat food liquified. he is very lathargic today, ears look horrible. thanks to all will let you know what vet says. cyndi and fuzzy

 

Just decided i needed to see exactly what fuz blood glucose was as guessed and gave 1.5 lantus at ten am, his normal dose, he is at 190, prob why he is so lathargic, giving him liquified food with honey in it. if i can get him throu the nite until ten tomorrow am will feel very blessed, as the past two years he has been a special gift to me from god. The vet had told me his pancreas was shot and i believed him, brought him home after vet gave iv h20 therepy, he lay on my bed for five days, asleep did not move or get up, no food, no water no bm no urine. by the fifth day i was struggling with putting him to sleep and i sat by the cat and prayed to god to take him then rather than me have to put him down, i prayed and prayed he be spared from death by my choice and just begged god to take him then and there. the next day, he got up, started eating and drinking, urinating and the whole bit as if he were never ill, the vets said after all thier years in the business, never had they seen anything like it.... I knew god had given him back to me for a precious while. I am so torn up rite now, just had to write my feelings down, watching him just lay there, is breaking my heart. I will continue to give small amounts of honey in his food and encourage him to eat, if anyone has any suggestions on the bg going lower please write me here or in my email which is lotsoflove1948@yahoo.com

 

Cyndi;

I am not sure about the sores in his ears, but will address the BGL reading that you just posted. 190 is
not a low bgl number, I really would not be giving him honey to increase that number as it is already substantially higher than a normal, non-diabetic number, which would be anywhere from 40-120.

Just feed him his normal every day wet food with a bit of extra water mixed into it. It is very likely that his bgl number will go even higher with the honey added to his food. Don't panic if that happens - it will likely drop again on its own once the honey is out of his system. In the future, I would not give him honey unless he is showing a bgl number under 50 to 60.

Regards,
~M

 

Cyndi,

Did you get to the vet today? I am curious about his little ears. Hope all is well.

 

Hi Cyndi - sorry to hear about Fuzzy having ear troubles. If there is infection, ask the vet to give you something non-steriod if possible. I use Epi-Otic and Malacetic Otic to clean Crash's ears. Neither affects his BG. I would definitely get him to the vet tomorrow though. Warm ears sound like infected ears. And honey is probably not needed at 190. Not sure how to access your chart or what insulin you are on. Tonight is my first foray into this new board. ((hugs))

ETA: changed Malacetic Acid to Malacetic Otic

 

confused_cat Well we finally got to the vet. The soren in and out of fuzzys ears, the vet said are a sign of infection going on, prob in his inner ear or mouth, and sure enough, the vet held his mouth open so i could take a good look and his gums were all inflamed and sore, soooo he gave him an antibiotic shot that works for two weeks, decided to do that as fuz was haveing trouble swolloing. so liquid canned fancy fiest for two weeks, then he will put fuzzy under and clean his teeth and see if any need pulled.for a long time now he has like, drooled when he lays for awhile and just thout old age till all this came about. with the bg, your rite, i have been on my own for two years and fuz was steady with his counts and was giving 5 units lantus twice a day. didnt even test alot, the the past few months is when he started to go one time 350 and the next 140 up and down and couldnt get him on a set dose, so he explained that to me today and told me to call him if i had questions. i also made it known to him(the owner) that i never came back due to three of his doctors telling me three different things when fuz was firt diag. and i was more confused when i left than when i came. so all will work out, fuz did drink his first bowl of water during the nite and urine ok, so he is wanted to still be left alone, after the ordeal this am, but the vet said i was doing good by him for him being so old and healthy. heads up to me!!! anyway thankyou again, and i do appreciate everyone on this site and wont wait two years to come back again. hugs to all the furbabies out there. cyndi and fuzzy

 

well I thout our trauma was done, but woke this am to the vets office calling about fuzzys lab results, they wanted him there asap to start an iv as his bun, and creatin, (kidney enzymes) are up about fifty percert. said he will be there for three days then home if does well and that i will have to give a iv therepy every couple days, didnt even want to go there, so did not ask, just want to get throu the next couple days, i called and they said he is fine, we are haveing a snow storm here in wisc and i was concerned about staff getting in to work tomorrow, as the pets are alone at nite, couldnt afford er facility, so pray that all will be ok, I know they are not there now so its starting to bother me that i cant just get in the car and go to him. I know he needed to be there but in 14 years he has not been away from me. due to his diab he travels with us to our other home and back again, loves the other place, but does not care for the ride. anyway wanted to see if any of you are familiar with kidney failure and what you do for them, can they live without pain??? with his back legs bent he has to lay on his sides and I dont think the legs hurt him just cant straighten them. he is a fighter, still walks and even jumps from chair to counter, his mouth is really inflamed but somehow he ate some dm food last pm. he didnt look good this am to me at all , course i thout with shot he would be better but now the kidney stuff is bringing him down. he didnt even fight me when i wrapped him in a blanket to go again, first thing he did in the car is wet and went all over my lap, fun in the cold!!! what we dont do, i love him so, he knows me better than my husband does, how do we form such a strong bond??They love us so unconditionally, he will let me wipe his mouth, nose,jostle him around and you see the trust they have for us and its awesome.so why does money have to be an issue with out pets, when we take them home they become our responsibility, just like children,I am so sick that money depends on what we do,with taxes, christmas, i am disabled and need lots of meds, the money isnt there, this will be fivehundred dollars and more, the other day was two, my husband is upset and wants to put him to sleep, i am so angry at him,I will return some of the christmas gifts to lower the credit card, but what to do, how do you handle your significant other in a time like this, i would appreciate some advice. thanks to all.cyndi and fuzzy

 

So sorry this is all crashing in at once, Cyndi.

Here's some info on help with vet bills: http://www.felinediabetes.com/vetbills.htm

We have lots of cats here with kidney issues. Why don't you start a new topic and ask for some advice/information?

 

Thank you sue, i will post a new topic....cyndi and fuzzy

 

I am glad he is getting the treatment for his mouth and ears. That should make him feel better eventually, but first you have to get through this part. Good luck to you and Fuzzy. I hope you get some great advice on the kidney stuff.

 

Fuzzy came home today, his ears are clearing up inside and out, also his dental and gum problem. got the kidney thing ironed out for now, posted it under my new topic kidney failure in cats...His blood glucose has been great, I am to give him 1/2 unit lantus am and pm and not test him(that seems odd) recheck to vet on wednesday. Initally he was on five units so in two years has been getting better. He is resting on the dogs couch which is such a switch for him to even come in the living room, he looks like he has been throu the war with both front paws shaved and purple from the iv. am leaving him rest and soon it will be insulin and treat time. we will tackle the dental problem in two weeks when dentist cleans and or pulls some tee th, it is so good to have him home again. Thanks to all who answered my plea for help. this is a great place!

 

fuzzy was at the vets today for a recheck for his ears, the vet specifically said they were abcesses from his bad dental inf. He gave him a second inj of antiboitics, the sneezing i did address but as i thout, the mouth can disrupt your whole system, i have been there! fuzzy had the dental and gum infection for so long unnoticed that he probably would have become septic had i not gone in when i did. his breath has been horrible for a long time, but just thout that was him and with the ageing process, didnt get the clue i should have. well he ate this morning like a champ, as it was, the vet was swabing in his mouth and gums, looking at inf, when fuz let out a hollar and a tooth came out onto the guaze, it just fell out. vet said he would probably feel better and he was correct. the ears are clearing up nicely and he seems to be doing ok, i am weining him from his dry dm to canned food, do leave a little dry at nite. fuzzy was 18 lbs so lost a bit of weight but rite now am concerned to get him on low carb, low phos. diet of wet food only. The one thing that is sad with all this is before fuzzy was always in my room with me now he has decided to live in our finished basement, he stays down there all day, i do make him come up to the kitchen for meals as want to maintain some routine, is easier to prick his ear in the lite of the kitchen. he is great with diab numbers staying between 200 and 114 and is only on one half unit of insulin twice a day now... i am reading all the info i can on foods and diet, so hope to do ok by my little furry friend. thanks to all of you that responded, i am keeping alot of your input. confused_cat

 

Cyndi,

Did I understand correctly that you took Fuzzy today and today is when his tooth fell out? If that is the case, then I am sure as he starts to feel better he will come out from the basement (we hope).

Thank you for the update. Glad to hear his ears are doing better.

My Chloe one day woke up with an abscess that had made its way from inside the mouth to leave a hole in her face. I freaked out. Went to the vet right away and turned out to be a tooth infection gone bad. It is scary when you had no idea that anything was wrong.

Take care and keep us updated on his progress.

 

Yes, the last entry was written the day his tooth came out.I did get all the copies of his lab work and would post the numbers for all but dont know how, do i just copy the low and high and give you his result?? not a pro on navigating on the computer!! I am ok rite now with the treatment, and want to get his dental prob out of the way, but am reading stuff on diet as now i am faced with the wet food vs his dm... never did understand the calorie, sodium ect thing!! he is just being weird today i guess, wont walk around just lays wherever i put him, so am watching him carefully, still thinking with the tooth and all and more antibiotics he may just want to be left alone, it breaks my heart, was petting him and he took his paw, set my arm down on the chair and kept his paw on my hand so i couldnt pet him, guess he is saying leave me alone!! just brought him some wet food, he ate a little, maybe i am not feeding him enough?? thankyou again to all who answer, makes me realize i am not alone with my fuzzy.

 

this about wraps up this post. please see todays post in diabetic cats with kidney problems (failure) I have a clear pix now of what was going on. found a wounderful vet, thanks everyone! cyndi and fuzzy