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my cat was seen this morning by my vet for a bloated abdomen. I was told by him after he took an xray that he had a tumor on his heart and cancer and was dying ; I was referred to a specialist who said there was no sign of a tumor or cancer and she believes that it is just his diabetes out of control....where do I go from here? He is eating fine but has out of control dandruff from his diabetes and and has a growth that I have been telling my vet about for months to no avail...he is also extremely thirsty all the time. Other than these symptoms he is acting fine.
Thanks ,
Victoria Goedmakers

Submitted: 999 days and 20 hours ago.

Category: Cat

Value: $9

Status: CLOSED

Posted by Jessesmom 999 days and 19 hours ago.

Answer

Hello Victoria,

Can you give me a little more detail on your cat's past and present conditions? Thanks.

How old is your cat?

When did you first notice his bloated abdomen?

What type of specialist were you referred to, who said he doesn't have a tumor or cancer, and what treatment did s/he suggest to help his diabetes, if it was out of control? Was bloodwork, urinalysis and a fecal analysis done at either of the vet's offices?

When was he diagnosed with diabetes and is he on insulin? If yes, what type of insulin and how many units per day? Is his diabetes being controlled with diet, too? What food does he eat (what brand and dry and/or canned)?

Where on his body, is the growth you've been telling your vet about? Can you describe the growth for me? Is it an open sore, oozing, bleeding, or is it hard, soft, under the skin, on top of the skin?

Is your cat eating, urinating and defecating normally besides his increased drinking? You said he's acting fine; is he playful, active, alert?

Thanks for all your additional detail, which will help me provide you with the most complete answer.

CherJessesmom39258.7299523495

Posted by Jessesmom 999 days and 17 hours ago.

Info Request

Hello again, Victoria.

I mistakenly posted what should have been an 'information request', as an 'answer', so I am resending it as an 'information request', here, since I'm requesting further information from you. All you have to do is click 'reply' to answer my questions about your cat:
--------------------------------------------

Can you give me a little more detail on your cat's past and present conditions? Thanks.

How old is your cat?

When did you first notice his bloated abdomen?

What type of specialist were you referred to, who said he doesn't have a tumor or cancer, and what treatment did s/he suggest to help his diabetes, if it was out of control? Was bloodwork, urinalysis and a fecal analysis done at either of the vet's offices?

When was he diagnosed with diabetes and is he on insulin? If yes, what type of insulin and how many units per day? Is his diabetes being controlled with diet, too? What food does he eat (what brand and dry and/or canned)?

Where on his body, is the growth you've been telling your vet about? Can you describe the growth for me? Is it an open sore, oozing, bleeding, or is it hard, soft, under the skin, on top of the skin?

Is your cat eating, urinating and defecating normally besides his increased drinking? You said he's acting fine; is he playful, active, alert?

Thanks for all your additional detail, which will help me provide you with the most complete answer.

Cher

999 days and 15 hours ago.

Reply

Reply to Jessesmom's Post: Shadow is almost nine years old. He is on protamine Zinc insulin (40 units per ml) he gets 4units. His abdomen was not swollen until we came back from vacation. We left him and it was fine....The attendent told me they were feeding him three to four cups of food a day. He is only supposed get a cup a day; I feed him a cup but ration it out throughout the day due to his diabetes. He is on md diabetic food. He does have a skin growth actually several...they look like skin tags...they were supposed to do a biospy but they only did an xray and that is when the doctor said he had a heart tumor and was going to die....take him to a specialist the specialist did not see an enlarged heart or tumor. He is acting completely normal besides the swelling and drinking a great deal. I think he may have Cushings disease....he has a great deal of the symptoms. He sleeps a great deal but he always has...he is still very loving and playful. They did bloodwork and said it was normal...the specialist believes they did not read his sugar results accurately and when I saw the blood results his glucose level is high. Any thoughts....I am thinking either way; I am going to try alternative medicine for him. He has gained five pounds....which was apparent when we picked him up at boarding facility.
Thanks!
Vikki

Accepted Answer

Hi again, Vikki, and thanks for your additional information about Shadow.

Is he getting 4 units a day or 4 units per shot, of the PZI? Did the boarding facility give him his shots in the correct amount and at the correct times? It's very difficult to believe that a boarding facility which agreed to take care of a diabetic cat, fed him 3-4 cups of food a day, when he was supposed to get one! How did they justify this? You might have to seek legal action or at least ask them to pay for Shadow's medical bills, if they've made him sick through their negligence!
If you want to file a complaint with the Florida State Board of Veterinarians, go here:

http://www.aavsb.org/DLR/DLR.aspx

I believe his bloated abdomen is due to the over feeding. How long were you away, and for how long was he boarded?

I assume he's eating the canned m/d, as the dry was voluntarily recalled? I too, have a diabetic cat, who is on PZI, and who was eating dry m/d and he's now on another food, since it was recalled. I don't know if it was reintroduced with a different formulation or from a different supplier, but I'll check.

His dandruff is related to the diabetes (my cat has it too), as the coat and fur are usually affected in this way, plus, if he's overweight, he may not be able to groom as he once did, so you should be combing/brushing him several times a day to bring natural skin oils to the surface. Also, adding Omega 3 essential fatty acids to his diet is good for his skin. Canned tuna, salmon or sardine oil is good, if he likes it. Also, any fatty acids supplement recommended by the vet, would be a good idea, too.

If Shadow is drinking lots of water, this indicates his diabetes is NOT under good control, and the ratio of the tremendous amount of food to insulin, is what made his entire system go 'wonky'. If his blood glucose reading was high, you're going to have to re-stabilize him on the insulin according to his readings, now. As he loses weight, eating his proper amount of food, you'll most likely see good numbers for his bg again, but it should be checked at least once a week by the vet.

You're right that he is exhibiting symptoms of Cushings, but these are also symptoms of diabetes. Cushings Disease is not very common in cats, and is much more prevalent in dogs; however, it CAN happen. Cushings is often seen with diabetes, if a cat should develop it. Investigate this possibility further, with the specialist or a new (feline only, if you can) vet of your choosing, but I'd concentrate on trying to stabilize his blood glucose level, food intake, and insulin, at this time.

You can investigate alternative medicine or a holistic vet/feline nutritionist, to try to get his weight regulated again, but I do not know of a successful alternative way to treat feline diabetes, except with insulin.

If the vet who diagnosed the enlarged heart and tumor/cancer is your regular vet, you of course, need to find a new vet. This mistake with his diagnosis and the mistake at the boarding facility (was it the vet's boarding facility?) were unconscionable, but the most important thing now, is to get Shadow back to eating his regular amount and adjust his insulin as needed until he's stable and you get a 'within normal range' reading on his bg tests. In addition to the normal 'in office' blood glucose tests, I don't know if the specialist did this yet, but get a 'fructosamine curve' done; this is a more accurate reading and takes into account the stress which can raise a cat's bg at the vet's office.

Skin tags are usually benign, and a feline dermatologist should be able to tell you just from examination, if there's need for a biopsy, now.

The website below, Feline Diabetes Message Board (FDMB), has many experienced and caring owners of diabetic cats, and I think you'll find them very helpful in solving the problems Shadow is experiencing, due to this terrible error with his food:

http://www.felinediabetes.com

I hope Shadow will be fine, and would you please keep me posted on his progress and how it's going with the insulin, vets, tests, etc.? Thanks.

CherJessesmom39258.9280423958

Expert:	Jessesmom
Pos. Feedback:	99.7 %
Accepts:	7673
Answered:	6/25/2007

Feline Specialist Health/Behavior

Feline Healthcare and Behavior Specialist 40+ years Experience

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