Walking Funny

Lucky has had diabetes for about 6 months now. Recently I've notice that he has been walking funny on his hind legs and when he is sitting his front legs are twitching. Has anyone had this happen to their cat? If so, what was going on with your cat? Any help would be appreciated.

 

His behavior & drinking & eating habits are also normal.

 

The back leg problem could be neuropathy which is common in diabetic cats. Here is info and how to treat: http://laurieulrich.com/jasper/index.html

 

It sounds like neuropathy. Getting his glucose levels under control and methyl B-12 will help.

Are you hometesting? That is the best way to determine if your current dose is working. What insulin are you using and what is the dose?

 

I've tried to Home test his blood but I can never get blood to come out of his ears and I have tried everything I could do and have read. He is on Lantus insulin 3 units 2x a day. Should I take him to the vet or just purchase the vitamin ahead and try that?

 

You can get the MethylB12 at most natural food stores or on line.

If you want to start a new topic and list your city and state, it is possible we have someone who lives near you and could help you get started with the hometesting. It would make such a difference to your peace of mind and your kitty's well being to know what his glucose levels are.

 

I've also been reading up on the food portion for diabetic cats. Lucky has been on prescription dry food for diabetic cats for the last 6 months and lost the weight I am wondering if his leg problem has anything to do with this. He does like the canned food from fancy feast. I was wondering how many canned do I give a 16lbs cat a day? I usually will feed him in the morning and at night to go with his insulin shots.

 

Have you seen the hometesting tips and videos? http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

What brand blood glucose meter are you using? Are you using the lancet device that came with the meter?

Some brands of lancet devices do not work well at all for cats. Try a different one. Most pharmacies sell a couple but do not get the CVS generic one.

What depth setting is your lancet device set on? Try different higher setting to see if that helps.

If the lancet is too thin, not enough blood will come out. Try a thicker lancet if your lancet device can use one. 28 or 30 gauge usually works well. Here's a lancet comparision chart: http://www.walgreens.com/marketing/library/centers/diabetes/lancets.jsp

Try freehanding the lancet without the device. Many people find it much easier to get blood this way.

Are you warming the ear enough? Cold ears don't bleed well. If you don't have a rice sock, it's easy to make one :smile: The hometesting tips and videos link above has instructions on how to make one. Pop the sock into the microwave and heat until really really warm but not hot. Start with 10 seconds and add more time as needed. You should be able to comfortably hold the warm rice sock in your hand for at least 10 seconds. Hold the warm rice sock firmly against your cat's ear for at least 10 seconds, longer if your cat will tolerate it. Then prick with the lancet or the lancet device.

That's a kind of a high dose for being on insulin for 6 months. Did your cat start at 3 units twice a day or did you gradually work up to 3 units?

Up to you. You can try giving methyl B12 at home for awhile and see if that helps. It won't hurt your cat. Excess mehtyl B12 is excreted in the urine.

The prescription dry food is not needed at all. All it does it keep blood glucose levels too high and empties your wallet.

Great that your cat likes Fancy Feast :smile: Are you feeding the low carb varieties using the food chart?

I would not change the diet just yet, though. A diet change has a big impact on blood glucose levels. You must be testing your cat's blood glucose levels daily to even start a slow diet change. It's not uncommon for a cat to drop 100 points or more just from a diet change. If the drop in levels is not noticed but the same dose of insulin is given, your cat is very likely to become hypoglycemic which can be very serious if not treated.

I think some people feed up 3 or 4 cans of Fancy Feast a day. They generally split the canned food into several small meals that are given through a timed feeder so the cat can snack on food all day. Most diabetics tend to graze on food all day to keep their blood glucose levels stable.

 

Well, I am back from the vet and it is Neuropathy. I went ahead and order the Zobaline however my vet gave Lucky a Vitamin B shot and I have to take him back in a few days to follow with a 2nd shot. I bought a new BG tester, Reli On Ultima, and I will try again to test his blood and monitor his BG better. While at the vet, they did test his BG which is at 258. My understanding is that 258 is regulated? What should his BG be normally?

 

The Relion is a good brand of meter :smile: Lots of people here use it. Just ask if you need help with using your meter :smile:

[quoteWhile at the vet, they did test his BG which is at 258. My understanding is that 258 is regulated? What should his BG be normally?[/quote]

No, 258 is not regulated. Did the vet do a quick blood glucose test or take blood to run a fructosamine test? If it was just a quick test, like what you would do at home with your Relion meter, then 258 doesn't tell much of anything. Keep in mind that some cats get very stressed out at the vet's office and that causes blood glucose levels to be really high.

Normal non-diabetic blood gluocse levels are roughly 40 to 150 mg/dl or so. Ideally you want your diabetic to stay in this range for as much of the time as possible with insulin, and hopefully with some luck, without insulin and only with diet.

 

Hi smock,

In your post you mentioned that you thought 258 is regulated and squeem 3 is quite correct that those on 'tight regulation' protocols based on Rand study and others would not consider 258 regulated. But your vet may very well think that is regulated and that is where alot of confusion comes into it I think.

I have researched feline diabetes to death last few weeks and BG numbers based on 'conventional therapy' are very different from tight regulation protocols for the obvious reason that one group is monitoring BG at home and feels comfortable dosing at lower ranges of BG. They feel that maintaining as close to normal BG levels as possible may lead to remission and better for cat regardless.

Check out these videos--see Treatment one. They are from from Cornell University. They consider regulated to be 100 to 300.
I actually learned alot from the videos about diabetes even though I am not following the advice contained therein.

http://partnersah.vet.cornell.edu/Carin ... /Treatment

Another resource I ran across is a paper entitled "Diabetes Remission in Cats: Which Insulin Is Best" by Dr Feldman Univ of Calif, Davis July 2009.

He says 120 to 300 mg/dl is the goal of insulin treatment. Though he does mention that some researchers suggest 90 to 270 mg/dl.

http://cp.vetlearn.com/Media/pdfs/spons ... ission.pdf

My cat Pinky would be considered 'regulated' on these scales but I know she is not feeling well at all. I want a close to normal range for her (and remission would be nice too)

Best wishes with your kitty. Hope neuropathy subsides quickly.
Elaine.

 

One thing I'd like to point out about the Cornell videos is to discount the monitoring video. They only recommend urine testing because the videos (and the vet school) are sponsored by Purina--so of course they made the video trying to sell the Purina "glucotest" strips. Testing with a meter is the absolute best way to monitor your cat. If you're having trouble, let us know in what way and maybe we can help! It's tricky at first but once you get the hang of it testing with a meter is really easy.