Diabetic Neuropathy in Animals

Who Else Wants to See a Cat with Diabetes and Neuropathy

Have you ever heard of a case of neuropathy in animals? Well, for one thing it isn’t impossible. Animals, just like humans, have a network of nerves inside of them. They are also prone to certain sicknesses found in us such as diabetes. Also, just like us, they can get the side effects of diabetes such as diabetic neuropathy.

If you watch this video, you’ll see an example of a cat which has Diabetes Mellitus. It shows that the cat has already been affected by nerve damage and is having trouble moving around. Isn’t this awful? So, pet owners should always be wary of what they feed their pets. Although it’s good to give them nice treats, they should always remember that these are creatures that are prone to sicknesses too!

What Is Foot Neuropathy?

An Introduction To Neuropathy In Feet

Foot neuropathy is one of the most common ailments suffered by people with diabetes. When suffering from neuropathy, your feet will be more prone to getting injuries such as scratches, cuts, bruising and swelling. It will also be more prone to getting rashes, swelling up, and going numb.

If you are diabetic and any of these things happen to your feet, you should contact your doctor immediately.

Do you know what causes your feet to be so easily hurt? Foot neuropathy is characterized by the disruption of proper blood circulation to your feet. Keep in mind that your blood is what provides oxygen and essential nutrients to all parts of your body. Without adequate blood running through your feet, they will be less healthy.

Likewise, it is your blood that is responsible for healing wounds and other physical injuries. Without an adequate amount of it traveling through your feet, it will take longer for them to heal from wounds and such.

Loss Of Blood Circulation in Feet Causes Many Ailments

As a result of poor blood circulation, the nerves in your feet will also harden. As nerves are connected to your brain, their hardening will result in various ailments. For example, your feet will be shifting between the extremes of not feeling any pain and feeling more pain than you’re supposed to.

When the first thing happens, you will be unable to tell when you are already injuring yourself. This means that you could carry on with doing something that is hurting your feet and end up making the injury worse. Meanwhile, the second problem is an even bigger one. You will not be able to function properly when your feet hurt practically all the time.

Diabetic neuropathy in your feet is a very serious ailment. If you think you are suffering from this disease you should contact your foot doctor immediately and inquire on what you can do to lessen the pain.

Neuropathy: A Definition

All You Need to Know About Neuropathic Disorder

Peripheral neuropathy is a disorder of the body’s peripheral nervous system (PNS). A system of nerves that connects our brain to the rest of our body, the peripheral nervous system transmits signals from our central nervous system to our muscles, skin and other organs. Without the peripheral nervous system, we would not be able to move (motor) feel (sensory) or even breathe (autonomic). Thus, when a person has peripheral neuropathy, it means that one or more of these functions are affected.

Find Out What You Didn’t Know About Peripheral Neuropathy

Contrary to popular belief, this disorder is actually quite common. The reason why a lot of people are uneducated about it is because over the years the disease has been misdiagnosed, unnoticed or identified as symptoms of another sickness. Eight percent of the population is said to be inflicted with the disorder. Though it can occur at any age, older people are more susceptible to it. Symptoms include numbness, tingling, weakness in the arms or legs, a loss of feeling, dizziness or an impaired sense of position. Some people experience having a hard time walking or climbing stairs; others lose the ability to grasp objects, often dropping things. Many also report that they experience the sensation of wearing invisible gloves or socks on their hands and feet.

Causes for peripheral neuropathy can vary, thirty percent of which is unknown. Other causes include diabetes, tumors, heredity, infections and nutritional imbalance. Though some cases are mild, others prove to be fatal. 

Right now, some types of neuropathy are curable, but most are not. However, getting adequate medical help is crucial to keeping one’s self healthy against the disease. Educate yourself and your family about this disorder. If you or someone you know has been experiencing some of the symptoms described above, lose no time in consulting your physician. Peripheral neuropathy is much easier to cure when detected early.

The Guillain-Barre Syndrome: An Advanced Case Of Polyneuropathy

How To Detect The Guillain-Barre Syndrome

Neuropathy, if not treated at its early stages, can actually cause a number of complications. That is an obvious fact but not many people know about what can happen. Basically, this disorder begins with the feet and spreads to the other parts of the body. When it does, it’s called polyneuropathy. This doesn’t only affect the arms and legs, but also the 5 senses and other body systems.

An advanced case of polyneuropathy is called the Guillain-Barré syndrome. This is actually an infection in the body where in the immune system begins to attack the peripheral nervous system. Earlier indications are similar to those of peripheral neuropathy, such as tingling and painful sensations. However, as time progresses, the patient may suffer from weakness because the muscles are affected. Soon, it may result to paralysis.

Other Necessary Information About The Guillain-Barre Syndrome

There are little findings regarding the Guillain-Barre syndrome because it is a rare case. Most of the time, it occurs with people who have undergone gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases. Powerful medicines are often seen as the cause to this because these have chemicals which are too strong for the body. However, even with these pieces of data, there is little information on why the immune system begins to attack the body itself.

Treatment for this condition is actually through lessening the spread of the syndrome in the body. Regrettably, because of the fact that this concerns the nervous and immune systems, the body may not be able to function well. Machines such as respirators and others are present in order to regulate the metabolism of the body. The good news here, however, is that majority of the people who suffer from this have actually recovered, even from the most severe case.

With this, people should invest in taking care of their body in order to avoid these kinds of advanced sicknesses. Upon the appearance of even the smallest of symptoms, people should take the necessary actions so this would not evolve into a polyneuropathy case.

Symptoms Of Neuropathy: Based On The Two Main Causes

Symptoms Of Neuropathy: As Caused By Diabetes

If you want to know the symptoms of neuropathy, then you should always find out the main cause. The main ones are: 1) diabetes and 2) alcohol intake. By looking at the first, it is obvious that this is the type that is caused by Diabetes. This sickness contributes to the nerve damage of the body starting from the feet. If not treated immediately, the impairment of the nerves will spread through other parts of the body.

One of the most common symptom of diabetic neuropathy is numbness. Most of patients with the illness lose the ability to feel, even the ability to walk if the condition worsens. Other symptoms can even include prickling pain or burning feet. All in all, the lack of initiative to treat this may result to amputation. This operation is common to many diabetes patients because of their advanced cases.

Symptoms Of Neuropathy: As Caused By Alcohol Intake

The other common trigger of neuropathy is too much alcohol intake. Basically, large amounts of alcohol have an effect on the body especially on the nervous system. Those who aren’t careful with the amount they take may suffer long term consequences in the future. Other than numbness and sharp pains, people who have neuropathy caused by this may feel difficulty in urinating, constipation, muscle pains and others.

Advanced cases of neuropathy caused by alcohol can exhibit symptoms in normal actions such as speaking and swallowing. They may also experience abnormal body temperature and occasional nausea along with this. In summary, drinking alcohol may be a leisure activity but it drinking too much may have further complications in the future.

With all these, it is certain that neuropathy is more than nerve damage. It can affect other systems in the body. Unfortunately, treatment may take months, even years, making the condition seem permanent. Neuropathy may seem to be a harmless condition but it can produce fatal consequences. So, eat and live right. Watch out for possible neuropathy symptoms as well. Prevention is always the best action.