What's Wrong with my Cat, Snoopy?

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by ancientgirl

That's great. Looks like his treatment's are going well.

Yes! Very, very thankfully. Yay Snoopy!!!!

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by chico2

Shabby we are all here at different times,after all duty calls
I am glad Snoopy is doing better
I too was at a funeral once for a 17yr old friend of one of my sons,it is so very sad to see a young persons life cut short:sad:

I can't even begin to express how happy and relieved we are that Snoopy seems to be responding so well. I watch him constantly, much to the chagrin of the girls. I don't think they like the 'extra' attention old Snoop is getting. lol

Funerals are always unpleasant but much more so when the person is young. We've since found out that his girlfriend, who remains in hospital is also pregnant with his child. We haven't heard if the pregnancy is still viable or not.

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by krdahmer

I'm still here.... glad to hear Snoopy is still doing well. I am busy cleaning up yet another flood and bugging my landlord to do something about it!

(I did take a bunch of new pics of my guys... even got a group shot, so I'll try and get around to posting them later in the pic forum!)

Thanks for the kudos for Snoopy!!!

Are you kidding me? ANOTHER flood!!! You need to take this guy to the rent board and lodge a complaint. That's terrible to have to put up with that!!!!

Waiting for the photos when you're ready.

[Shabby]

This has been a bad week all round. However, Snoopy began "sneezing" yesterday and kept up all day. This morning he was still sneezing and has now added "head shaking''!

I just googled cat sneezing and cat sneezing/head shaking. It gives several causes but I'm wondering if it's his teeth!! When he was diagnozed with Diabetes on February 4th, the vet said Snoopy's teeth would have to be cleaned because they were a mess, but they'd have to wait a bit until they get his Diabetes under control.

Snoopy has an appointment with the vet tomorrow morning at 8:00a.m. and will be there for the day for a blood curve. I'll get hubby to tell them about the sneezing and head shaking.

We've had Snoopy since he was 9 months old, will turn "11" on May 1st and I've probably heard him sneeze maybe 20 times in all those years. I've NEVER seen him shake his head.

I just hope the diagnosis of Diabetes hasn't been the start of a downhill slide for my baby boy!! :sad:

I'm hoping the vet will tell me tomorrow there is nothing else wrong. Snoopy has always been a TOTAL IN-DOOR cat and has never been outside...unless of course, he's traveling to the vet in his carrier, but it's basically door to door.

How is everyone else and their fur babies?

Cheers

[Love4himies]

Almost sounds like he has something irritating his sinuses. Does he have any history of allergies?

Snowball used to do that when I turned on a used room humidifier in our bedroom. I stopped using it and the sneezing stopped.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Shabby

... the vet said Snoopy's teeth would have to be cleaned because they were a mess, but they'd have to wait a bit until they get his Diabetes under control.

I'm not sure I agree with your vet's logic on this one. If Snoopy has bad teeth, especially if any are infected and need to come out, that could be complicating the regulation process. Infection raises blood glucose, so it's really a good idea to deal with those things as soon as possible. If the rest of his blood work looks good and he's had his blood pressure checked (make sure the vet does this - and I'd also suggest an EKG to check for heart murmur), then there's no reason why he can't have a dental sooner rather than later.

Originally Posted by Shabby

Snoopy has an appointment with the vet tomorrow morning at 8:00a.m. and will be there for the day for a blood curve. I'll get hubby to tell them about the sneezing and head shaking.

Not to nag (okay, maybe a little nag ) but have you had a chance to get a glucometer yet? It would be considerably less stressful for Snoopy and much more accurate if you could do your own curves and spot checks. I can give you step-by-step instructions if you need them.

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

Almost sounds like he has something irritating his sinuses. Does he have any history of allergies?

Snowball used to do that when I turned on a used room humidifier in our bedroom. I stopped using it and the sneezing stopped.

Nope, no allergies of any kind, ever. Snoopy has never been ill, has never had any infections, has never had any injuries including cuts, has never had any broken bones, ear infections, etc. The Diabetes diagnosis came as quite as shock to us on Feb. 4th because he has never been ill before.

He has been an extremely healthy cat for the past 11 years. He sees the vet once a year for vaccines and that's it. We've been very fortuntate, but he IS spoiled...VERY! The only thing he has ever had other than his vaccines, is teething cleaning.

We have not used any new cleaning products (all natural anyway), haven't used any new flooring, carpets, humidifiers or de-humidifiers etc.

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by sugarcatmom

I'm not sure I agree with your vet's logic on this one. If Snoopy has bad teeth, especially if any are infected and need to come out, that could be complicating the regulation process. Infection raises blood glucose, so it's really a good idea to deal with those things as soon as possible. If the rest of his blood work looks good and he's had his blood pressure checked (make sure the vet does this - and I'd also suggest an EKG to check for heart murmur), then there's no reason why he can't have a dental sooner rather than later.



Not to nag (okay, maybe a little nag ) but have you had a chance to get a glucometer yet? It would be considerably less stressful for Snoopy and much more accurate if you could do your own curves and spot checks. I can give you step-by-step instructions if you need them.

I don't mind being nagged one little bit Sugarcatmom!

Yes, I did get the glucometer etc., and HAVE been doing my own testing. I am a Nurse but had no idea Diabetes basically worked the same as human diabetes!!! See, if an OLD dog (oop, CAT) can learn new tricks.

BUT...I'm having a hell of a time regulating his blood sugar. I'll give you today's numbers:

7:00 am. (Before feeding....16.8)
8:00 am. (Feed food Wellness Wet No Grains....)
9:00 am 9.3
11:00 am 11.0
1:00 pm 13.2
3:00 pm 13.2
5:00 pm 15.2
7:00 pm 21.4
8:00 pm (Feed food....22.2)

and now I'm waiting until 9:00 to take it again.

Teeth....Hubby is going to pressure him tomorrow when he takes him to deal with his teeth NOW! His breath clears a room a 2 seconds flat, especially if he yawns in the room!

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Shabby

I don't mind being nagged one little bit Sugarcatmom!

Yes, I did get the glucometer etc., and HAVE been doing my own testing.

Woohoo!! Good for you!

Originally Posted by Shabby

BUT...I'm having a hell of a time regulating his blood sugar. I'll give you today's numbers:

7:00 am. (Before feeding....16.8)
8:00 am. (Feed food Wellness Wet No Grains....)
9:00 am 9.3
11:00 am 11.0
1:00 pm 13.2
3:00 pm 13.2
5:00 pm 15.2
7:00 pm 21.4
8:00 pm (Feed food....22.2)

and now I'm waiting until 9:00 to take it again.

These things can take some time. Remember, it's not a race. Some cats take months to get regulated (which is another reason why the dental shouldn't wait). Now, what time was the insulin shot? There is quite a drop between 7 and 9 am, which shows that Snoopy is at least responding to Lantus. You might need to tweak the timing of food in relation to insulin to see if you can moderate the drop. Some people feed half the meal at shot time, and then feed the other half about an hour later. Other situations might call for food on board an hour before the shot. It can take a fair amount of experimenting and keeping notes to see if you can find a pattern. Just keep up with the testing (but also don't get too obsessed with numbers - look at the whole cat and the 5 Ps: purring, playing, preening, peeing & pooping).

Originally Posted by Shabby

Teeth....Hubby is going to pressure him tomorrow when he takes him to deal with his teeth NOW! His breath clears a room a 2 seconds flat, especially if he yawns in the room!

Ya, that's not good. Not to mention it could be painful. Cats are soooo good at not showing their discomfort (survival mechanism). My boy had a dental last Sept that saw 3 teeth removed, including one of his canines. The pulp of the canine tooth had literally exploded out the end of the root and was starting to calcify into the bone. They had a helluva time getting it out. It was likely quite painful for quite a while, but the only sign from Aztec was a watery eye for about a week before he had it removed.

[Shabby]

[QUOTE=sugarcatmom;552193]Woohoo!! Good for you!

These things can take some time. Remember, it's not a race. Some cats take months to get regulated (which is another reason why the dental shouldn't wait). Now, what time was the insulin shot? There is quite a drop between 7 and 9 am, which shows that Snoopy is at least responding to Lantus. You might need to tweak the timing of food in relation to insulin to see if you can moderate the drop. Some people feed half the meal at shot time, and then feed the other half about an hour later. Other situations might call for food on board an hour before the shot. It can take a fair amount of experimenting and keeping notes to see if you can find a pattern. Just keep up with the testing (but also don't get too obsessed with numbers - look at the whole cat and the 5 Ps: purring, playing, preening, peeing & pooping).

The time of the injection was 8:15 (fifteen minutes after beginning to literally inhale his food.

I have been keeping a DAILY Journal...Dates; times; BG #s before eating + time insulin given and dose after eating etc; I've also been recording his appearance, colour and clarity of his eyes, especially the sclera, his behaviours, number of hours he sleeps or doesn't sleep during various parts of the day in relation to times given insulin, food etc. and watching for ambulatory unsteadiness, checking his fur, feet etc.

I'm following him to his litter box to record his urine output in relation to his fluid intake and his BM's. The diarrhea he had is GONE!!!!! His urine OUTPUT still seems to be a bit excessive but there is improvement.

Being a HUMAN nurse, I do have special urine instruments here to take readings and collections. I have a blood pressure cuff but I need to find out what a NORMAL BP is for a cat of his age and what range (#) I need to pump the cuff to, in order to get a correct reading.

Funny, both boys kept saying: "Mom, your're a nurse, why can't you just fix him yourself?' My reply: "The key word here boys is HUMAN nurse NOT CAT nurse! I diagnose people, given people insulin, morphine and worked mainly in Palliative Care with drugs commonly used for Palliative patients etc., not CATS!!!

[loopoo]

so glad he is doing better with the food and the maintenance,medical care you are giving
i hope you get his sneezing, possible tooth issues resolved and i gather you have been through some stress and then some... it always happens in multiples, but it does clear... and we do find time to relax.. and heal

[chico2]

Shabby,sorry to hear about Snoopy,but I believe it could very well be his teeth causing this new problem.
Sugarcatmom does such an excellent job always sharing her knowledge,so I really have nothing else to add,except good luck with Snoopy today

[krdahmer]

The head shaking can be because of the sneezing/ something in his nose... the sneezing can be something he picked up at all his recent vet visits... and who knows, both could have something to do with his teeth. I'm sure that once his teeth are done, especially if one is infected and needs to come out, all the other stuff will slowly get easier to regulate. for Snoopy for his vet appt. tomorrow! And for you...

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Shabby

The time of the injection was 8:15 (fifteen minutes after beginning to literally inhale his food.

Holy moly, that's quite a drop then. Presuming that he was still around 16ish when he got the shot, going down to 9.3 in less than an hour is too fast. Could be that his pancreas is trying to get in on the action, or it could be that his dose is too high, or maybe it was just a fluke. I'd keep an eye on those drops and make sure it isn't happening regularly. If you see this again, cut his dose in half for a few days and see if that levels things out.

Originally Posted by Shabby

I have been keeping a DAILY Journal...Dates; times; BG #s before eating + time insulin given and dose after eating etc; I've also been recording his appearance, colour and clarity of his eyes, especially the sclera, his behaviours, number of hours he sleeps or doesn't sleep during various parts of the day in relation to times given insulin, food etc. and watching for ambulatory unsteadiness, checking his fur, feet etc.

Super! You're hardcore. Just don't get so obssessed that you forget to look after yourself, too. Make sure you have a glass of wine (or other bevvie of choice) now and then and just enjoy Snoopy.

Originally Posted by Shabby

I have a blood pressure cuff but I need to find out what a NORMAL BP is for a cat of his age and what range (#) I need to pump the cuff to, in order to get a correct reading.

Hmm, not sure about that. I might have a link somewhere with normal BP values, but maybe your vet can help?

[Shabby]

Phew...I think 2008 is going to be a year of emergencies for our family, I feel like a black cloud is following us! Sorry for the silence, but I had another terrible fall and I'm black and blue. My 'back', I don't even want to go there other than to say, the pain meds are not helping.

I decided to just start a new post to say "thank you" to everyone who responded with ideas regarding Snoopy's sneezing and head shaking.

It IS his teeth and he has an abcess and is currently on Antirobe, 50mg once a day until it's gone. His dental work has been scheduled for 4 weeks from now.

We have reduced Snoopy's insulin to 2.5mg twice a day and his numbers are steady...thankfully!!

Oh, and.....he now weighs 4.9kg which is just over 10 lbs!!!! The vet said he'd like to see Snoopy stay at this weight, and thinks it's a good weight for him. I still can't believe he was once a whopping 20 pounder!

So, I shall continue to be diligent in checking him several times a day, watching his input/output etc., and see if we can't get this old boy back in kitty shape!!!!!

[chico2]

Aww Shabby,how do you manage to fall like that,twice now
I am really careful walking Bailey,since I have osteo-arthritis,I could easily break bones in a fall.
Hope you feel better soon

[krdahmer]

Yikes! Hope you feel better soon! And glad to hear Snoopy is doing well... hope the meds work for his abcess.

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by chico2

Aww Shabby,how do you manage to fall like that,twice now
I am really careful walking Bailey,since I have osteo-arthritis,I could easily break bones in a fall.
Hope you feel better soon

Chico2, it's easy for me...I fall INSIDE the house, not outside!!

Thanks for your kind words.

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by krdahmer

Yikes! Hope you feel better soon! And glad to hear Snoopy is doing well... hope the meds work for his abcess.

I think Snoopy is REALLY beginnning to feel better. Last night he put his ''kung-fu'' moves on Nellie!!! Shadow LOVES Snoopy but sometimes Nellie just up and decides she's going to chase him. When Snoopy was younger, he'd finally learned that even though she was this huge German Shepherd, a couple swipes of his paws could stop her in her tracks.

Well, last night Nellie cornered Snoopy in the kitchen and old Snoopy got up on his hind legs, ears back, nails out, hissing and swinging those paws. Nellie made a quick retreat to her couch where she remained for the rest of the evening.

MY SNOOPY IS COMING BACK!!!!!!!

[Jim Hall]

LOl You can always tell when a kitty fells better when they get rowdy

Good for snoopy

[Love4himies]

Yep, sounds like Snoppy is feeling better.

[BAILEYSMUDGE]

You're love and attention (and the insulin, of course) has brought Snoopy back to enjoying life. Congrads to you!!! Now...about you.....hope your bruises are healing quickly.

[phoozles]

It's so good to hear that Snoopy is on the mend!
Hopefully you'll be on the mend soon enough too!

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by Jim Hall

LOl You can always tell when a kitty fells better when they get rowdy

Good for snoopy

That's for sure!!! I can't believe how quickly he is responding, I'm very proud of him!!

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by Love4himies

Yep, sounds like Snoppy is feeling better.

For sure, and I'm breathing a HUGE sigh of relief!!

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by BAILEYSMUDGE

You're love and attention (and the insulin, of course) has brought Snoopy back to enjoying life. Congrads to you!!! Now...about you.....hope your bruises are healing quickly.

Well, thank you very much for saying that! I take my pets happiness and illness's just as seriously as I do my children.

As for me...falls, bruising, feeling ill most days come with the territory of a permanent life-long injury unfortunately. Today, I'm more colourful than a rainbow.

[Shabby]

Originally Posted by phoozles

It's so good to hear that Snoopy is on the mend!
Hopefully you'll be on the mend soon enough too!

Thank you!!

[chico2]

[QUOTE

As for me...falls, bruising, feeling ill most days come with the territory of a permanent life-long injury unfortunately. Today, I'm more colourful than a rainbow.[/QUOTE]
Aww Shabby,so you falling has to do with your condition,not just beeing clumsy,like me.

[catladytabby]

what i think you should do is ask the vet to check for FIV and thyroid and diabetes . hope you cat gets better

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by catladytabby

what i think you should do is ask the vet to check for FIV and thyroid and diabetes . hope you cat gets better

I realize 6 pages of posts is a lot to read, but if you had, you'd know that Snoopy was indeed diagnosed with diabetes and is currently doing great.


Go Snoopy!! And go Snoopy's mom!! (sorry to hear about your latest accident - I'm glad you can maintain a sense of humour about it all ).