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i stopped giving my diabetic male cat insulin about two weeks ago as he was putting up a fight and appeared very tender in his back haunches where i gave the shot.he is very touchy in his lower abdomen and doesnt pee enough.the vet didnt even test him for a sugar reading-said fructosomine wouldnt be needed because he has had no insulin.he was given a battery of [unecessary?]blood work,,totalhealth,cardio pet etc.no urinalysis as he didnt pee.the few times i saw him peeing i managed to test his ketones and level was ok.he got fluids for dehydration also.what next?he is 15 yrs old.thank you
Optional Information: Type of Animal: cat Pet's Gender: male Pet's Age: 15 Name of Cat: slash Already Tried: see above.he eats evo dry and alittle bit of can feast or friskies
Hello, I am Dr. Zoe. Is he still experiencing this tenderness in his haunches and abdomen? And, is he having any true bladder problems/urinating problems right now (it's okay if he has low urine production as long as the urine is normal)?
yes he is very tender it hurts him when i touch him underneath his back legs and lower ab.i havent caught him peeing yet.he doesnt seem to be drinking much.
This tenderness is very worrisome, but reassuring if his lab work was normal. I do want to ensure that a CBC was done (didn't see that in the list) just to confirm that he isn't experiencing an unusual infection or having a leukemia-type problem (not viral leukemia). If so, then this is good. Has he had x-rays of his back and abdomen? This would be very useful just to ensure there are no bony lesions that could cause him to be very painful. And final question: is he on any pain medication?
i am still waiting on his lab tests results,and no cbc,unless it is part of the' total' health' test.about three months ago he was on insulin then and bloated.the vet did an xray and said he was constipated and did a cat enema.he got lactulose for a while-pooped ok.seems all these new problems are occuring now-could it be because i quit the insulin?he is thin except for where he is bloated and tender.also-how dangerous was it to quit the insulin?
It may be a part of the total health check (I hope so...and if this was sent to Antech they have a test called this, and a CBC is included which is great!). Has he been defecating (just want to ensure he is not constipated again)...if we do become concerned he may be significantly constipated again, then x-rays may be the way to go (to diagnose this). I do not see these problems as related to uncontrolled diabetes. If he had diabetes signs he should be drinking a lot and urinating to the point he is flooding his litter box; since he has none of these signs then the diabetes is probably fine. It is not dangerous to quit insulin, if he had borderline or resolved diabetes.
could he have a urinary blockage?i forgot to tell you he is not on pain meds.i am worried about ketones,i have read that it could happen suddenly and would be e real emergency.he poops a little bit,hard ones.i am concerned that giving him the lactolose may do more harm than good if he cant move his bowels and gets full enough to burst intestines.
If he had a urinary blockage he would be painful in his abdomen, but he would also be attempting to urinate frequently in his box without producing anything (or you may only see small dribbles). If he is producing even small pancakes of urine 1-3 times a day then he is fine. This is a problem that usually progresses rapidly to a cat becoming terribly lethargic and so painful he may try to bite when you touch his abdomen. If he was just seen by his vet, and they didn't assess his bladder to be painful and too large, then this is unlikely to be the problem. This is absolutely a medical emergency since a cat can die from the ensuing kidney failure.
And lactulose? Yes, please give. Also work on increasing his water intake. Did your vet talk to you about this? There are strategies to try to increase water such as feeding canned food (and adding a bit of water) or tuna. Use a water fountain. Offer some tuna flavored water (and regular water too), etc.
my cousin who has a human medical background took him te vet for me as i had to work.they did liver profile,thyroid,and pancreas bloodwork.she said that the vet said they may put him on flagyl and oxstrin.is that a dietary supplement?will it help/i do know that flagyl is an antibiotic.
Oxstrin is a nutritional antioxidant supplement. I'm not sure that this will provide a cure for him, but will not hurt. I'm not sure why to use the flagyl right now. This is an antibiotic; if he had diarrhea or true gastrointestinal (or liver) issues then I think this a good choice.
the flagyl will depend on outcome of his blo od work if they will put him on it.they also want to do a urinalysis add on with reflex upc.what will that tell me?
The urinalysis is important in general because of his unusual urinary activity. If protein is found in his urine this UPC ratio can tell us if this is abnormal level of protein loss. If so, then this may suggest some the kidneys are not working as well as they should at the filter level.
does that mean urine is backing up in him?could it be the cause of tender bloated ab?
No, this is not what that means. If the protein is elevated in the urine, it means that the kidneys are letting protein filter into the urine, when it should not. This simply means there is some underlying kidney failure/insufficiency. This would have nothing to do with the bloating. BAck to this bloating for a moment-- this is most commonly caused by either constipation, fluid in the abdomen (did they do a quick ultrasound to confirm no fluid in the abdomen...or xray) or excess gas in intestinal tract (this is usually associated with diarrhea...so probably unlikely).
no x ray was taken,which surprised me as my cousin was authorized by me to ok an x ray.you think it would be one of the first things they would do.
Perhaps, they were not worried about any sort of bloating problem or constipation? I'm not sure. But I am very concerned about constipation, given his history. And if the labwork is unremarkable, and medication is not helping him this is definitely the next step.
poor old guy!thanks for your help and patience.one more question.i do not have a printer.is there a way for me to look save this iadvice?do you also save it?if i need to get in touch again i will ask for you to have a continuation of this.thanks!
Yes, even if you "accept" this answer the screen will change and you should be able to return to it and read all of what we have discussed. Also, this page is easier to print. I will have this saved as well...so should you lose it (which you will not but if so) you can let me know and I can probably do a copy/paste for you. Just send me a question addressed to me (Dr. Zoe) and let me know. Absolutely, let me know if you have future questions. And keep me posted with Slash's progress.
I mean by "this page" being easier to print being the one this will change into once you accept the question and we exit this chat. :)
thanks again from slash and me!goodnite.
Have a great evening.
Experience: 12 yrs in practice, specialist canine/feline medicine