? 4/20 Shooter AMPS 284

[Heather & Shooter]

3/21 Shooter AMPS 187, PMPS 321 | Feline Diabetes Message Board - FDMB

Oh my poor old man... So when I posted a month ago, Shooter was diagnosed with high blood pressure. They put him on .625mg amlodipine once a day. I bought an animal/neonatal blood pressure monitor and he MIGHT be a LITTLE bit better but I feel like his bg numbers are a mess! He also has terrible arthritis, so they've been giving him Solensia injections every month. March was the 13th one and I didn't feel like it was doing as much good anymore. Then this last week he seemed much more wobbly than normal and his back legs seemed a little weaker or hurting more (hard to know). Thursday night I started him on 50mg of Gaba in case he was in pain (from both arthritis and his bad mouth). It made him VERY wobbly. Friday afternoon I took him to get his 14th Solensia injection and when I got home it seemed like his RIGHT back leg wouldn't hold him up, so I held his butt up while he ate. Then he seemed ok. Saturday morning the stinker even jumped up on the chair to get up on the counter to eat his brother's higher carb food then at 3pm he jumped up on his blood sugar/insulin bench while I messed around in the kitchen. I don't know if he was trying to get down and was wobbly from the gaba or if he couldn't use his back legs or what but he FELL HARD onto the floor on his back/left side. I felt SO BAD! I laid him down on a blanket and the rest of the night he couldn't use his LEFT back leg. I had to hold his butt up for him to eat, drink, walk... So I took him to the ER and they really couldn't give me any answers. She couldn't say Yes or No it's from the Solensia, Yes or No it's from the gaba. She didn't feel like anything was broken and felt that it was neurological and to contact a specialist. I stayed on the couch all night so I could hear if he was trying to literally crawl around. This morning he wasn't much better and one of his vets was open. I did stop the gaba. They did bloodwork and xrays. The dr thought for sure it was gonna be kidney related because of his bloodwork from January but it is stable. The xrays didn't show anything broken but showed a very narrow space in the back of his spine. The vet thinks he might have a pinched nerve similar to sciatica. It's so hard to watch him struggle and have to lift him up to stand although sometimes when I do then he is able to hold himself up to eat and sometimes even takes quite a few steps before collapsing. Does anyone have any advice or help for me??

@Wendy&Neko
@Bandit's Mom
@tiffmaxee

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Arthritis is very common with acros. Have you ever talked to the vet about other treatments such as Adequan? Solenia helps with pain, but Adequan helps the joints themselves.

Which leg is he now using? Have you felt his foot on that side to make sure it's as warm as the other side and not cold?

Short term help might be something like a kitty wheel chair. Or I've seen people use a lift harness. I'm hoping this will be temporary until he recovers his injury.

There are vet physiotherapists or maybe an acupuncture vet might help?

 

[tiffmaxee]

No advice from me but sending

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Oh Heather I’m sorry to hear Shooter is in pain. I also hope it’s temporary and he will recover soon.

Sending you both lots of love and prayers for his recovery

 

[Heather & Shooter]

Arthritis is very common with acros. Have you ever talked to the vet about other treatments such as Adequan? Solenia helps with pain, but Adequan helps the joints themselves.

Which leg is he now using? Have you felt his foot on that side to make sure it's as warm as the other side and not cold?

Short term help might be something like a kitty wheel chair. Or I've seen people use a lift harness. I'm hoping this will be temporary until he recovers his injury.

There are vet physiotherapists or maybe an acupuncture vet might help?

Not really. I remember her acting like Cosequin wouldn't help because he was too far advanced in the arthritis and needed something stronger like Solensia. However, if I they do different things why not do both?

It's weird and I guess this makes me wonder also if it isn't nerve related, sometimes he can get up on his own and other times he can't and scoots himself around with his front legs (which is so sad!). If I pick up his butt, he can hold himself upright and eat his FF out of his bowl then he can walk a few steps and collapses. At first I thought it was neuropathy because I think I've read other people who's cats have done this, but even though his numbers haven't been as good, they aren't bad enough for neuropathy to get that bad are they?

The only foot that seems to be affected now is his back left. They felt it at both the ER & vet and also checked the pulse in both. The ER checked his BP & BG in both legs as well. She also suggested an acupuncture lady right there at the ER. I mentioned prednisolone to her and she said absolutely not to a diabetic cat. Then I mentioned it to the regular vet & he said 2.5 mg every other day. I'm hoping that helps.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

My vet says she sometimes uses both. Acupuncture really helped Neko.

With neuropathy, they walk on their back hocks. You can see videos on line of cats with neuropathy to see what it looks like. More info here: Feline Diabetic Neuropathy

Not sure how prednisolone could help? Unless there is some inflammation.

 

[Heather & Shooter]

My vet says she sometimes uses both. Acupuncture really helped Neko.

With neuropathy, they walk on their back hocks. You can see videos on line of cats with neuropathy to see what it looks like. More info here: Feline Diabetic Neuropathy

Not sure how prednisolone could help? Unless there is some inflammation.

Oh ok, it doesn't cause complete weakness in the back legs? Then I guess it's either pinched nerve like the vet thought, or he injured his hip when he fell off the bench. He seems to have permanent neuropathy though. He has walked on his hocks (back & front) for years. It might not be QUITE as bad when his numbers are really good but it's always still there.

Maybe the vet thought the prednisolone would help him heal quicker. I think it is helping because he walked around quite a bit this morning and even jumped up on the chair he likes to lay on every morning! He wouldn't hardly eat though. Only took a couple bites which is NOT like him. I gave him famotidine in case he's nauseous from the convenia or iron shot. I figured it wouldn't hurt him either way.