? Zobaline And leg Neuropathy question-‘

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Mimis mom, Jan 10, 2020.

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  1. Mimis mom

    Mimis mom Well-Known Member

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    Oct 12, 2019
    I tried looking through some of the threads to see if I could find the answer but there wasn’t luck.

    How long does it take to see the effects of Zobaline?
    Mimi’s been on it for almost a month now I believe and it breaks my heart watching it loose balance if she walks longer than 5 steps before having to sit and take a break..
    I also notice some poop getting stuck to her bum- does the hind leg issue that happens in their gait also effect feeling in the body? Like, is she becoming paralyzed slowly and losing strength everywhere below the belt?
     
  2. Chris & China (GA)

    Chris & China (GA) Well-Known Member

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    It can take months....nerves are the slowest type of tissue to regenerate.

    No, neuropathy isn't the same thing as being paralyzed. She may just not have the muscle tone to eliminate the poop as well as she used to.
     
  3. Deb & Wink

    Deb & Wink Well-Known Member

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    You are getting the BG (blood glucose) levels better controlled also. That is the best way to get neuropathy better, and you have been working hard to do that for Mimi. Good job!

    No scientific studies to show methyl-B12 works or not in cats. All the evidence is anecdotal. Since so many cats get their BG levels regulated in the first 6 months, how do we know which treatment made the real difference? Still used it for my diabetic cat, since any excess would be excreted in the urine. I didn't care if there was no scientific based evidence. I wanted to try it if it would possibly help. Won't hurt. "Faster resolution" Relatively safe to use" How fast could I get some was my question to the shelter vet.

    Your Mimi has been through so much, with first Vetsulin, then DKA and hospitalized, switch to Lantus insulin, pet meter/human meter used. Food switch. You've been a good momma to Mimi, doing what you can for her.

    Give it time. I know it's so hard to see your cat struggling to walk. Ask your vet if gabapentin would be right for Mimi. Neuropathy or any type of nerve damage is painful. The gabapentin could make her more comfortable but sleepy.

    Even this one article from University of Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital says it can take 6-12 months to resolve. My diabetic cat's neuropathy did resolve. Completely and his case was severe.

    "Regulation alone is the treatment of choice to reverse neuropathy in cats. However, some anecdotal evidence suggests that a specific form of vitamin B12, methylcobalamin, may help these patients recover more quickly. Methylcobalamin is thought to promote nerve regrowth and can be absorbed in the spinal fluid."

    "Diabetic neuropathy
    The most common complication in cats that are chronically hyperglycemic is diabetic neuropathy—about 10 percent of cats are affected. The progression to this condition may take several months, and, if properly treated, it can resolve within six to 12 months. The femoral nerve is most commonly affected.

    An affected femoral nerve can lead to a plantigrade gait, which is walking on the whole sole of the foot (e.g., like rabbits, bears, and people). In cats, this gait takes the shape of walking on hocks (heels), and the tarsal joints and nerves of the hind legs are progressively damaged, leading to pain, numbness, and weakness or paralysis. The first sign of neuropathy in cats is often weak hind legs. As the condition progresses, the cat won't be able to stand on its toes. Jumping will become increasingly difficult until it's impossible. Eventually, the cat's legs will seem to slip out from under it, and the cat will be unable to walk. These are signs of motor and sensory nerve damage.

    Fortunately, in the early stages, this damage is reversible by regulating blood glucose concentrations. Regulation alone is the treatment of choice to reverse neuropathy in cats. However, some anecdotal evidence suggests that a specific form of vitamin B12, methylcobalamin, may help these patients recover more quickly. Methylcobalamin is thought to promote nerve regrowth and can be absorbed in the spinal fluid. It is not the same as the injectable B12 given to cats that have a true deficiency due to gastrointestinal disease, and it is typically referred to as methyl-B12. A veterinarian should be consulted before using this product.

    Again, the primary treatment is regulating blood glucose concentrations. There is no research to support the use of methylcobalamin for treating peripheral neuritis in cats, but it may result in faster resolution and is relatively safe to use. The neuropathy generally resolves once good glycemic control is achieved"

    From this website.

    My diabetic cat had exactly the same neuropathy symptoms you describe for Mimi. Take heart, it can get better.
     
  4. Mimis mom

    Mimis mom Well-Known Member

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    Oh! Ok thank you! Good to know!! It breaks my heart when I see her back legs start to slide a little, lose balance and have to sit.. :(
     
  5. Mimis mom

    Mimis mom Well-Known Member

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    Oct 12, 2019
    I’m nervous it won’t work- I know that’s silly but I don’t want to mess anything up. The lifelink one said it’s not formulated with any fructose and is made specifically for cats but I know that’s probably just marketing..
     
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  6. Mimis mom

    Mimis mom Well-Known Member

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    Awww I hope she doesn’t eventually loose function :(
    Her BG is seeing some greens but then it looks as though it decides to bounce right after that. Stop panicking little pancreas!
     
  7. Tina Marie (GA) and Jan

    Tina Marie (GA) and Jan Well-Known Member

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    Rosa - I wish I had seen your neuropathy concerns earlier.
    Tina was in poor condition when finally diagnosed, and I learned of Zobaline on here, and started right away. Of course good BG control is the true helper, but I'm sticking with the Zobaline also.
    My sweet girl is 90% better than she was in July!!! She WAS dragging her back end:( Now there are lots of times she walks completely normal, and she jumps around again too! I had pet steps all over the house, and now she jumps around them sometimes!

    She also takes 50 mg gabapentin twice a day.
    I hope Mimi improves like Tina did!!
     
  8. Deb & Wink

    Deb & Wink Well-Known Member

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    Thank you so much @Tina Marie and Jan for sharing another success story with feline diabetic neuropathy. And letting other people know that gabapentin helps too with nerve pain.
     
  9. Tina Marie (GA) and Jan

    Tina Marie (GA) and Jan Well-Known Member

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    Deb, I wish I had found such an educated and thorough post like you made above, a few months ago. I eventually learned most of it, but not nearly as easily as I could have;)

    And @Diane Tyler's Mom - excellent info above for saving money, without giving up the folic acid!
     
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  10. Deb & Wink

    Deb & Wink Well-Known Member

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    Simply trying to pass along information I have learned that helped my cat and my reasoning on why I decided to use the methyl B12 for my cat. Paying it forward, because other people helped me in the beginning too.

    I wish I had known about using gabapentin and thought to ask the vet for some to use for Wink. I should have remembered that could help, since my MIL was diabetic.
     
  11. Diane Tyler's Mom

    Diane Tyler's Mom Well-Known Member

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    @Tina Marie and Jan thank you Jan, Tina is such a beautiful kitty and congratulations to Tina being in remission
     
    Last edited: Jan 12, 2020
  12. Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

    Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 21, 2019
    I started with Zobaline then switched to the Vitacost brand Diane suggested. My Minnie has been on it for about 3 months now and I think she’s improved about 50-60%. She also had to stop and rest and couldn’t jump at all. Now she can do these mini jumps, get through the pet door again and do up and down the stairs. It looks like a bunny hop but she’s doing it. I can’t say for sure if it’s just the diabetes being regulated or the B12 or even the antioxidants the nutritionist put her on but it is getting better. Everyone who said it takes months is right so hang in there!!!
     
  13. Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

    Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 21, 2019
    I just started Minnie on gabapentin per the nutritionist. Hard to find the right dosage in capsule form and the liquid version didn’t work. It’s almost impossible to get her to take it and the flavor they add made her nauseated. Looking forward to see if it helps!
     
  14. Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

    Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 21, 2019
    @Tina Marie and Jan I got steps too ha! Wish I could post the video of her jumping on them here but it doesn’t seem to be a compatible format... She is starting on 20mg of gabapentin. Did you start your kitty at lower than 50 and then increased it? Just curious. Thanks!
     
  15. Bron and Sheba (GA)

    Bron and Sheba (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Rosa, my Sheba had diabetic neuropathy quite badly. She had to stop several times as she was walking to rest, she would slip and slide, she could not jump onto chairs or beds and her feet would slide from under her as she stood on a wooden floor. She also found it hard to squat in the litter box for more than a few seconds. I used Zobaline and it took several months, but she recovered fully.
    It just takes time so don't lose heart.
     
  16. Deb & Wink

    Deb & Wink Well-Known Member

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    Jan 31, 2013
    Gabapentin is bitter. Very very bitter. You might try finding empty gel caps and transferring smaller amounts to the gel cap. It gets tricky to not spill it. Used a tiny paper funnel. Usually 50 mg is the smallest dose of gabapentin that is available in capsules.

    If the gabapentin is compounded into a liquid, even a flavor cats love, they may spit it out and drool endlessly.
    Tablets are even larger doses, 600 mg is the smallest. Trying to cut that tiny tablet into a tiny dose for a cat would be extremely difficult.

    Used gabapentin as one of the pain management medications for my cat with oral cancer. Will make your cat very lethargic.
     
  17. Diane Tyler's Mom

    Diane Tyler's Mom Well-Known Member

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    I'm so happy Minnie has improved, what an adorable pic you have
     
  18. Larry and Kitties

    Larry and Kitties Well-Known Member

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    Dec 28, 2009
    I use 50mg BID on my civi Moxie. It does not maker he lethargic at all. Moxies has sever joint problems. I get the human 100 mg capsules and put the powder in 2 #3 gel caps. I just get the level the same in each capsule.
     
  19. Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

    Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 21, 2019
    @Deb & Wink that’s exactly what was happening with Minnie. I got the 100mg capsules since that’s the smallest concentration I could find. I saved up the gel capsules from the b12 then split each 100mg into 4 capsules since she’s starting on 20mg. It was quite an operation I sterilized this pointy metal nail filer and used it to put the powder into the empty gel caps. We’ll see what happens as we may be upping the dosage which would make the proceeds easier. That or order from a compound pharmacy!
     
  20. Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

    Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Dec 21, 2019
    @Mimis mom, I have a cat fenced enclosed backyard and that’s where the cats do most their business. With the neuropathy at first, Minnie wasn’t able to go out on her own so I started taking her in the am and pm as much as I could and at this point, with the diabetes regulated, she’s sorta potty trained like a dog. She can go in and out on her own now which makes things easier. Any way, I noticed the poop issue too and since I could see her doing it, what was happening is they she’d poop then sit on it because she had no strength on the back legs. I thought it was diarrhea then realized it was because she was sitting on it. It will get better as her neuropathy improves. She was even peeing laying down which was messy also but doesn’t happen anymore. Getting in and out of the litter box became so difficult for her, I made a spot with pee pads and some old bath rugs that she was using to pee on. But with the poop, I just tried to gently move her away from it so she’s wouldn’t sit on top of it. I just had plenty of baby wipes around and I’d clean her right away if I was around when she went #2. I have hardwood floors so it was easy to clean if she dragged and I used old blankets to cover her favorite spots so I could easily wash them off. There was a diarrhea phase too - Minnie got diabetes from her pancreatitis/IBD - before the nutritionist got her on a specific probiotic to regulate the pancreatitis/IBD. The vet prescribed metrosonidazole to regulate the diarrhea and that worked well.

    I haven’t seen anyone mention antioxidants for the neuropathy here but the nutritionist put Minnie on it because she said what happens with the back legs is the accumulation of oxidants and the antioxidant would help combat that. Has anyone else also heard that? Last thing I want mention is that the nutritionist was a God send and honestly better than any of the vets we visited. I honestly think that controlling the pancreatitis/IBD with the probiotics is the only reason we were able to get her diabetes under control.
     
  21. Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)

    Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA) Well-Known Member

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    @Diane Tyler's Mom Thank you! I totally get how Mimi’s mom feels. I thought I was losing her for a few weeks and I was heartbroken. Then a few weeks ago she jumped on my bed to wake me up in the morning just like she had always done and I cried like a baby! Anyway, hard to find a good pic of them together ha!
     
    Last edited: Feb 4, 2020
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