Case Of The Month

Snowball is a very talkative 13 year old kitty. He was brought to Dedham Veterinary Associates because he had been loosing weight and his usual voracious appetite had completely disappeared. He had no interest in his food at all. There were other kitties at home so it was hard to know who may have been drinking and urinating more. Snowball’s owner feared the worst and was very afraid that there would be nothing that could be done and he would have to say good bye to Snowball.

Snowball was very dehydrated and weak when he came to the hospital. He had dropped 3 pounds since his last visit. A quick in-house blood test revealed that he had diabetes mellitus and kidney failure. The combination had caused him to loose too much potassium which made his muscles very weak. The good news is that Snowball had a chance.

He was admitted to the hospital to start treatment of his dehydration and low potassium. His owner was sent to a human pharmacy to get Lantus insulin which is commonly used to treat diabetes in people. Many diabetic cats do very will with this insulin, also. Within hours of starting IV fluids with electrolytes and insulin Snowball started eating. He ate all night and was able to go home the next day.

Diabetes is a common metabolic disease in cats but fortunately it is also very treatable. Most cats require injections of insulin twice daily. This sounds like a daunting task but it is usually tolerated very well by most kitties. As Snowball’s owner discovered, “giving the insulin is a piece of cake.” One week after discharge from the hospital Snowball and his owner were doing well with their insulin routine. Snowball’s blood test showed that his potassium was now normal and his kidneys were doing much better. His blood sugar level was reasonably controlled and most importantly, Snowball was acting like him self and had completely regained his appetite. Snowball is expected to continue to do well for a long time to come.