Possible Acro/Cushings Kitty

Discussion in 'Acromegaly / IAA / Cushings Cats' started by Moose (GA) & Rae, Aug 26, 2021.

  1. Moose (GA) & Rae

    Moose (GA) & Rae Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2017
    Link to my post on the main health forum: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/question-about-possible-brain-cancer.251978/

    Hello everyone, joining this forum as my cat may have Acro or Cushings and I am going to get as much info as possible.

    As a summary, my cat has been OTJ since 2018 and was diagnosed with CKD around the same time. His health has been progressively declining over the past 2 years. He seems to be declining more rapidly as of lately. His symptoms include: ravenous hunger, excessive thirst, muscle wasting, weight loss, hair loss, ears folding over, and skin lesions, thin skin (you can see his white bones clearly under his skin.) He has had numerous blood tests, tested for hyperthyroidism and checked his stool for worms.

    His ideal weight was 14 lbs since he's a bigger cat. He was 7 lbs in Feb. and as of his vet appointment the other day, he is now 5 lbs.

    I had been trying to feed him more, and different kinds of high calorie food but any change caused bloody diarrhea and vomiting bile every morning. I recently found a food that he tolerates well, no vomiting or diarrhea. I still cannot feed him anymore than 6 oz a day (~ 200 calories) as again it will cause diarrhea (even if feed as a couple of small meals throughout the day.)

    At his vet appointment two days ago, the vet said that he thinks Moose has acromegaly. He advised that I make an appointment with a specialist. I have one scheduled for 4 weeks from now. Since he has not had an x-ray/ultrasound so I imagine they will do those tests at the specialist.

    Here are some pics of his skin, lesions, and ear folding. His ear folding is usually worse but it seemed better today.

    [​IMG][​IMG][​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2021
  2. Wendy&Neko

    Wendy&Neko Senior Member Moderator

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    Tagging @Gabrielle R. whose kitty has Cushings, and I think the only one posting recently. Coincidentally and unusually, her kitty Max also has acromegaly.

    Did you vet say why he thinks Moose has acromegaly? Is he diabetic again? Acromegalic cats tend to have muscle growth (due to increased IGF-1 and growth hormone), not muscle wasting.

    A few articles on Cushings you might want to look at:
    https://icatcare.org/advice/hyperadrenocorticism-cushings-disease/
    and the attached.

    And the link to your post on Feline Health, for more background for other readers.
     

    Attached Files:

  3. Moose (GA) & Rae

    Moose (GA) & Rae Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2017
    That is an unusual coincidence! I hope they are all doing well, I can't imagine managing both of those conditions.

    I'm starting to wonder if he was getting cushings and acromegaly confused. All he said was that his symptoms point to Acromegaly :confused: I was doing a bunch of research this morning and he has every single symptom of Cushings, but not of Acromegaly (as you mentioned, he has muscle wasting not growth.) & no he is not diabetic again. I just bought fresh test strips and tested him the day before his vet visit. He was at 67.

    I read some of those earlier today but will check out the ones I haven't read. Thank you for the resources!

    That is helpful, thanks for linking. I can update my top post to include that.
     
    Last edited: Aug 26, 2021

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