My Cat is Walking Flat Footed

cyncity

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My cat is walking flat on his back feet. He is asthmatic and has been receiving regular steroid shots for years for this. He is slightly overweight and I already had one diabetic cat so I am familiar with this issue in cats. Before this leg issue I took him to find out if he was diabetic as well and they did the UA to see what his glucose levels were. They came back very low so they are convinced that he is not diabetic. He does drink a lot of water and his urination in the littr box is very large just like my other cat however the vet attributed this to the steroids. He eats and drinks normally and his demeanor is very happy other than the fact that he cannot walk normally. He is on science diet W/D food so he can lose some weight. An X-Ray showed nothing abnormal. What is wrong with my cat??
 

catpack

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There are an array of things that can cause cats to have "drop foot." Toxoplasmosis, blood clot, nerve damage...

The the flat foot something new? Was it a sudden onset? Had your cat seen a vet since this has occurred?
 
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cyncity

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Yes it is fairly new and yes it was sudden. I took him to the vet and they thought perhaps it is a pinched nerve since there was no glucose in his urine.
 
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cyncity

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Not quite that low but yes...
 
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cyncity

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I have another appointment this week to have blood work done...I'm just not convinced that it is a pinched nerve after all I have read.
 

catpack

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I've been through something similar. We are about to get a neuro consult. This particular cat was 2 1/2 at initial onset. He has not experienced any associated pain. He has improved over the last 6 mo, though is only about 70%.

We have done bloodwork (and follow-up work,) x-rays, physical therapy, laser therapy...

We are reevaluating right now. I will also note that this kitty was given a rabies shot (PureVax) 3 days prior to symptom onset.
 

white shadow

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OK.

Now, you also posted in the old thread "My Cat Is Walking Funny".........go back there and read posts 19 and then 21.

In post 21, the_food_lady spoke about some other causes of what you're seeing - which is known as "plantigrade stance".

Now, just so you know, jem's cat was eventually diagnosed with diabetes (http://www.thecatsite.com/t/182666/diagnosis-diabetes#post_2494699)

I'm glad to hear that you'll be having some blood testing done....frankly, I'm surprised that wasn't done earlier.

Here's some reliable (trustworthy) reading about some of the causes of plantigrade stance, starting with the most common one, low potassium (as mentioned by the_food_lady in that other thread): http://www.felinecrf.org/potassium.htm#weak_back_legs

Here are some other causes of plantigrade stance and treatments (cause on left, treatment on right side) - the source is the same site referenced above:
Did you once post about your difficulty to find a competent feline Vet in the UAE ? I'm asking because I have a recollection of reading someone's frustration about that. If so, fwiw, The International Society of Feline Medicine has a feline specialty registration program which is similar to that of the American Association of Feline Practitioners.....it shows one 'feline specialist' in the UAE, "German Veterinary Clinic" http://www.germanvet.ae/    Now, just because a clinic/Vet is listed as 'feline specialist' is no guarantee of competency....it is, however, a good starting point in a Vet search. (If you want/need it, here's International Cat Care's 'find-a-Vet' page: http://www.icatcare.org:8080/cat-campaigns-cat-friendly-clinic/accredited-clinics - the 'cat-friendly' designation is pretty meaningless, it's the 'ISFM Practice Member" designation that's of real value).

Hope some of that helps!
 

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I know this as "walking on the hocks" and was going to say the same thing as White Shadow - possible low potassium? When Sebastian suffered his first attack of pancreatitis last year, he was walking on his hocks, but also not as low as in the picture above. There can be several reasons for low potassium. Sebastian suffered gastric loss of potassium from vomiting and anorexia and his blood work showed potassium at the very low end of normal (right on the line). His urinalysis was fine.

Let us know how the blood work comes out!
 
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cyncity

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I appreciate everyone's input! I guess I will wait and see what happens with the blood work and go from there. I am new to this forum thing...this is really great!
 
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cyncity

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So kitty is diabetic...really unhappy with my vet right now. I took him in in March to see if he was diabetic because he was displaying symptoms and they said his urine showed no glucose. Then I took him back in July because he walking funny and they said it must be a pinched nerve. The blood work came back today and his glucose is at 509. If we start insulin will his legs come back to normal or is the damage done??
 

cocheezie

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You will need to check out this site and its forum, thoroughly: http://www.felinediabetes.com

A number of owners on this site use a specific form of B12 called methylcobalamin to combat the neuropathy. It supposedly helps with nerve regrowth. You can help strengthen and tone the muscles back there. My diabetic cat never walked on his hocks, but he did develop weakness in his back legs. Putting treats and special bits of food on  short wooden stools that made him step up led to jumping up and then the food was put on window ledges. He can jump up now. It took time and regulation of the diabetes. He couldn't jump at all when first diagnosed. He manages 2/3 of the staircase before you can tell that really he's beginning to pull himself up with his front legs. Play helps as well.

Hopefully your little one's glucose levels will get back on track soon. Regulation of glucose levels and finding the right insulin dose takes time. This is done to prevent a cat having low sugar levels which can be deadly.
 
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cyncity

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I will try that.
 
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