Why is my diabetic cat's chest wet, losing hair, and developing sores?

Poor Sascha. If fleas have been ruled out and treated for, and other possible skin parasites/infections like mange and ringworm has well, then the most likely explanation is allergies. Allergies are never easy to treat, but in a diabetic cat they become extra difficult, because of our reliance on steroids to calm the inflammation. Steroids can actually cause diabetes (I wonder is this is the case with Sascha?) so I would look to other remedies, including trying a novel protein/hypoallergenic diet as well as other immunosuppressive drugs that don't lead to insulin resistance, such as cyclosporine.

This is probably due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites or it could be stress related. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment (advocate or advantage), then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). If allergy is not identified this behaviour could be purely stress related. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

An allergy and him being unable to reach the area to groom since he is 17#. Try to brush and wash the area to help. You can safely add omega 3 fatty acids to his diet without effecting his diabetes If it continues to bother him I would see your vet about medicines

Wet food actually helps cats lose weight. It has a higher moisture content, so it takes more of it to give a cat their daily caloric requirements I would have him seen by a vet today or tomorrow. In a senior cat, this weight loss can not only be caused by dental problems, but also diabetes, kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, or cancer. I recommend having a physical exam, geriatric blood panel, and urinalysis to diagnose what is causing his weight loss. Once the cause is found, the vet can discuss treatment options.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). The following products can be found online and can be tried as a first line approach: Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent, Krillex Krill oil chews. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Diabetic cats often have a sort of greasy fur quality with dandruff. Once he is well regulated on insulin this should improve. I do not think you have to worry. And I wish you lots of success. The injections are not so hard to give (I give my kitty his injection while he eats...he does not even notice it)

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. What you are descri bing could be secondary to a bacterial skin infection or allergies. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look cheech to try and figure okkut why he is losing weight and why he is scratching. He may need s course of an antibiotic if this is a skin infection. I would check his thyroid level as well to make sure the weight loss is not from hyperthyroidism. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.