Will the insulin help the weakness in his hind legs?

Hi all -

Tonight will be day 4 of insulin shots (1/day for now). It's going well.

I was wondering about the condition that diabetic cats have with their hind legs (the term escapes me just now). Does this condition correct with insulin or will he always have weak hind quarters?

Thanks in advance...
hannah

 

I do not have any experience with Neuropathy but I copied this from a recent post for you. I wish I had more info on this hopefully someone will chime in soon


Here is a link for the Zobaline from amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/ZobalineTM-Diabet ... B008G3LI2M
This will help the neuropathy. It can take a few weeks .... up to a couple of months before it makes a difference but it will .
It needs to be methylcobalamin ( a type of b 12) ..... regular b12 ( cobalamin) won't help with neuropathy

Here is the post it came from, they discuss the use of zobaline.
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=120423&p=1257430&hilit=Zobaline#p1257430

 

Thank you! I'll read up on this (not much tonight) and post back. Thank you so much for the reply.

:YMPEACE:

 

I just wanted to give you some encouragement about neuropathy. Several years ago I adopted a diabetic cat who had severe neuropathy. When I took her in, she had not been on insulin and was on a very poor diet. I immediately started her on Lantus and changed her diet to Friskies Pate flavors. I also began giving her Methyl B12. Her neuropathy was so bad, she barely could walk. She dragged her back legs around.

Within a month of the proper care, she began walking. Within 2 months, not only was she beginning to run, she was also jumping on the bed. Within 6 months, she barely had a limp and was running and jumping all over including on top of the kitchen cabinets. It was like I had a new kitty.

Not every cat responds the same way, but most do see significant improvement. It takes time, so be patient.

 

My sugardude Wink also had severe diabetic neuropathy when I took him in to foster. Could hardly walk 3-4 steps before he had to rest, walking entirely on his hocks, could not jump, had trouble with the stairs. He got a diet change to low carb canned food Fancy Feast pates, got more frequent BG (blood glucose) testing and I learned to shoot those low BG levels and never skipped a shot again, he also got some methylcobalamin. The best part was that not only did the neuropathy symptoms go away, but he also went OTJ (off-the-juice, insulin being the juice) and he jumps everywhere now! ;-)

I'd say it took 2 months to see improvement. It took time for you cat to become diabetic, it will take time for the symptoms to improve and the pancreas to heal.

 

I too want to encourage you with the hope of improvement. My Tommy was limping alot as well before he was DXed. Thinking back, I can say that I saw improvement in about 2 months. Little by little he improved and around 4 months I noticed that his limp was gone! As Lisa said, be patient. What is more important now is to get your sugar dude going with home testing to make sure you are safely giving the correct amount of insulin. It seems overwhelming at first, but these wonderful people here to help you will be your lifeline. My advise is to take deep breaths and know that in time everything will become routine. Do not hesitate to ask any question you may have. You are in the best place for you and your kitty. :mrgreen:

 

Thank you for the reply. It's so good to hear that your kitty is walking and playing as nature intended. I'll have to look in to the suggestions I've been offered and bounce them off the vet as well.

I just viewed some videos on YouTube for cats with neuropathy. Most were way more severe than Aspen seems to be. This is the closest I could find to how he walks (discounting this cats front leg issues, as he doesn't have any that I can discern).
Well, I can't get the YouTube tool to function so here's the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfSWO8a1PlQ

His hind feet are always pointed out (what's the opposite of 'pigeon toed'?). It reminds me a bit of how Mary Poppins held her feet. lol He's walked this way since we got him 2.5 years ago and I thought it was just him being in cautious mode (fight or flight)! While I'm not upset with myself for not realizing, I sure do wish I'd have realized a whole lot sooner for his sake.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

 

More encouragement to follow through, thank you for the response!

If the home testing can only be done by tapping the cats ear for a blood sample, I can tell you will all assurance that Aspen will not tolerate that. I'd lose all trust I have going right now and that can't be risked. My vet called me at work last week over this concern and we spoke for at least half an hour. What he suggested given Aspen's 'panic' cat status, is to administer the insulin for the next few weeks then bring him in for an outpatient blood sample. In and out, real quick. That visit alone *might* set me back a night or TWO even with the insulin, if he decides he can't trust he's not going to the vets next time I touch him. :/

What happens to the cats progress if you miss an insulin shot? That has me very concerned.

Thank you for your time and response!

 

What a celebration it will be when Aspen goes OTJ!!! I'd be ecstatic for him! He was 8 years old when relinquished to the shelter by his only family due to 'financial hardhips'. He's walked like this since day 1. And after the diagnosis that he's diabetic, I have to wonder if his people got the diagnosis (2.5 years ago) and just didn't feel they could afford the expense? He's front de-clawed on top of it all (poor kid). Aspen doesn't have trouble with the basement stairs, but he sometimes fails at a jump attempt.

I also wonder if his 'panic' / scaredy cat MO is partly due to the fact he is (and has been) sick and so feels vulnerable? Is that possible?

Great to hear your Wink is doing so well!

 

Have you checked out the videos related to ear testing? My boy wasn't too hard to test this way, but I know that many, many cats are harder to train than Tommy was. Some of the suggestions were to do this very gradually. It was suggested to just touch the ear first, and give praises and a small treat. When he lets you do this without problems, then start rubbing his ear, again with praises and a treat. Then try holding a warmed baby sock filled with rice, making sure it isn't "hot", just warm. (I'm not saying to do this all in one day. Don't proceed to the next step until he is ok with the step you are on.) If you are going to use the lancet device with the lancet, touch the end to the ear without pushing the trigger, then just the sound of the device snapping (without a lancet in it), etc, always giving praises and a tiny treat afterwards. This alone may take several days to accomplish. I've seen many advise givers giving these suggestions. And they are just "suggestions". Every cat is different. There are also "how-to's" for testing on a cats paws as well. If you post asking for suggestions on how to test a fearful cat, then I know you will get more suggestions. I due hope that you will continue to ask questions, there is a lot of people that will help you every step of the way. :razz:

 

If Aspen allows you to hold and pet him, testing him may be easier than you think. What you want to do is make it a pleasurable experience. First, you want to reward him with a low carb treat every time you test even if you are not successful in getting blood. A good treat is freeze dried chicken or tuna flakes. Also, spend a lot of time petting his head and gently massaging his ears. That will help him get used to you touching his ears and gets the blood flowing to make it easier to get a drop of blood.

Soon you may find him reminding you it is time to test. :lol:

 

Thank you Lisa, I guess I was trying to say that in a lot more words :mrgreen:

 

That would be a negative. Aspen will not allow the confinement of his 'person', i.e.: holding him. Nope! lol I've held him a handful of times which only lasted 30 seconds or so and he panics and 'worms' his way out. So, because he's not comfortable with it, I stopped trying.
He'll cuddle, and be patted until you can't do it any longer - but to confine him by holding him for a test, I just don't see it happening.

I do thank you so much for the support though!

 

Are there low carb food treats, toys, games, or grooming he enjoys? Those things can become positive reinforcements.

You use those in a process called shaping, where tiny successive steps towards a goal or reinforced with one of those. Each tiny step will take repetition several times a day for at least a week before moving to the next step.