Feline diabetic neuropathy is a diabetes related disorder that is thought to be caused by sustained nerve damage from high sugar levels. It causes weakness in your cat, most often affecting the hind legs. The disorder is painful but since a cat cannot talk, often you will not realize your cat is suffering from the disorder until the symptoms become obvious. Neuropathy can often be treated to where your cat will make a partial or full recovery.
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Prevention
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If your cat has been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, it is important that you seek treatment for her. This will allow you to get her blood sugar level under control, preventing further diabetes related complications. Diabetic neuropathies are a family of nerve disorders associated with the diabetes.
Risk Factors
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Like diabetes, the exact cause of the diabetic neuropathy is unknown. It has been linked to elevated blood sugar levels from uncontrolled diabetes. Older male obese cats are more prone to develop diabetes than female, younger and fit cats. However, diabetes can affect any cat at any point in its life.
Symptoms
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One of the most obvious symptoms of the neuropathy is a cat's use of her hocks to walk instead of her toes, causing her gait to look unusual. Other symptoms include an inability to jump to higher surfaces, her feet slipping out from under her on the floor, walking only short distance before she has to rest and weakness in her hind legs.
Treatment
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Cats will usually make at least a partial recovery from the neuropathy once the diabetes is under control and the blood sugar levels are regulated. Methylcobalamin has been linked anecdotally to faster recovery.
Warning
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Even though methylcobalamin has been linked to a faster recovery for your cat, the supplement was not developed for animal use, and the most effective treatment for the neuropathy is to work with your veterinarian to regulate your cat's diabetes.
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