? How does a cat's pancreas work?

[MayL]

Hi everyone,

I am trying to better understand why hypoglycemia occurs. When a cat's pancreas starts producing insulin again, how does it know how much to produce? Does the pancreas recognize that there is exogenous insulin in its body? If a cat is not diabetic, how does its pancreas know not to produce too much insulin or else it will go become hypoglycemic? Thank you!

 

[allison and Bubbles]

a healthy pancreas "knows" exactly how much insulin to create in order for healthy digestion...it is when something goes wrong with the pancreas that things go wrong...


hyperglycemia means high blood glucose level...hypo means low....a cats glucose level in Canada should be between 4 and 9 mmvo/L (according to my vet)...if your cat has stopped being able to utilize glucose as its main source of energy it will start to use its own fat storages for energy (not normal...called ketosis)...this can happen for a number of reasons...it can happen because there is a problem with the cats pancreas itself in that the pancreas stops producing enough insulin (the hormone that enables the body to utilize glucose for energy) OR there may be a different underlying cause for your cats body to not be able to utilize glucose for energy...

this can lead to an overload of glucose in the blood called hyperglycemia (high glucose levels in the blood)...but for whatever reason ...in the case of hyperglycemia...your cat needs immediate vet attention...a cat with hyperglycemia will be lethargic and not feel well and in some cases can end up seizuring which can lead to coma and death...

hyPOglycemia is LOW glucose levels which is also dangerous for your cat...it can lead to DKA (too many ketones being produced in cats body)...very dangerous situation....

in the case of a diagnosis of diabetes...your cats body cannot regulate its own glucose levels so very specific amounts of insulin prescribed by your vet will need to be administered usually twice a day in order for your cat to maintain healthy blood glucose levels...without this your cat can develop many serious complications in a short period of time...

it is possible for a cat that has been diagnosed with diabetes to go into remission and all of a sudden his pancreas decides to begin producing insulin again...there are no signs that this is about to happen ....this can be dangerous for your cat as too much insulin (whether its from a needle or your own cats body) can cause a medical emergency (typically a seisure)...this is why BG level home testing BEFORE you give insulin is the safest way to avoid disaster...

I hope this helps somewhat ....I am not a vet so please understand this is only my take on it after some research ....

 

[MayL]

a healthy pancreas "knows" exactly how much insulin to create in order for healthy digestion...it is when something goes wrong with the pancreas that things go wrong...


hyperglycemia means high blood glucose level...hypo means low....a cats glucose level in Canada should be between 4 and 9 mmvo/L (according to my vet)...if your cat has stopped being able to utilize glucose as its main source of energy it will start to use its own fat storages for energy (not normal...called ketosis)...this can happen for a number of reasons...it can happen because there is a problem with the cats pancreas itself in that the pancreas stops producing enough insulin (the hormone that enables the body to utilize glucose for energy) OR there may be a different underlying cause for your cats body to not be able to utilize glucose for energy...

this can lead to an overload of glucose in the blood called hyperglycemia (high glucose levels in the blood)...but for whatever reason ...in the case of hyperglycemia...your cat needs immediate vet attention...a cat with hyperglycemia will be lethargic and not feel well and in some cases can end up seizuring which can lead to coma and death...

hyPOglycemia is LOW glucose levels which is also dangerous for your cat...it can lead to DKA (too many ketones being produced in cats body)...very dangerous situation....

in the case of a diagnosis of diabetes...your cats body cannot regulate its own glucose levels so very specific amounts of insulin prescribed by your vet will need to be administered usually twice a day in order for your cat to maintain healthy blood glucose levels...without this your cat can develop many serious complications in a short period of time...

it is possible for a cat that has been diagnosed with diabetes to go into remission and all of a sudden his pancreas decides to begin producing insulin again...there are no signs that this is about to happen ....this can be dangerous for your cat as too much insulin (whether its from a needle or your own cats body) can cause a medical emergency (typically a seisure)...this is why BG level home testing BEFORE you give insulin is the safest way to avoid disaster...

I hope this helps somewhat ....I am not a vet so please understand this is only my take on it after some research ....

Thank you for breaking this down for me

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

When a cat's pancreas starts producing insulin again, how does it know how much to produce? Does the pancreas recognize that there is exogenous insulin in its body?

The body needs glucose to function ( is what gives the cells the energy they need ), hypoglicemia is just two little glucose ( sugar ) in the blood, ( either for humans or cats ) and since the body needs a minimum amount to function going two low can be very dangerous ( humans can feel confused and may faint for example) and in the case of cats it can actually kill them


On a healthy cat the pancreas produces insulin as a response of the amount of glucose (sugar ) that is in your cat's blood, and it actually detects if it needs to produce a lot or just a little depending on how much glucose is there on the blood the actual mechanism is complicated but it actually resembles you testing only continuosly in automatic and very very precise


If you are lucky enough and your cat's pancreas starts producing insulin again, at least in the beginning may not be very precise on how much to produce it usually starts producing just a little so most likely it will need help for a while ( so you will have to keep giving him extra insulin) and it does not have a way of knowing you are adding extra insulin (pancreas can detect glucose not insulin) , it will detect glucose in the blood and produce insulin regardless, so in this stage is super important that you keep a close monitoring and testing to avoid going to low, because you will have two sources of insulin

Hope this helps, I'm trying not to be super technical

 

[MayL]

Thank you everyone! I am wondering if Milo's pancreas is working again. He's been on 3 units for a couple of weeks (please see my spreadsheet - I have data in two tabs, one for ReliOn meter and one for AlphaTrak). I've been trying to understand what's going on with his BG and today he went the lowest I've ever seen. ReliOn at +7 he's at 62 and AlphaTrak he's at 97. Kind of nervous about what units to give him tonight but I plan to test often tonight and in the wee hours.

 

[Kris & Teasel]

Thank you everyone! I am wondering if Milo's pancreas is working again. He's been on 3 units for a couple of weeks (please see my spreadsheet - I have data in two tabs, one for ReliOn meter and one for AlphaTrak). I've been trying to understand what's going on with his BG and today he went the lowest I've ever seen. ReliOn at +7 he's at 62 and AlphaTrak he's at 97. Kind of nervous about what units to give him tonight but I plan to test often tonight and in the wee hours.

Both are safe - and good - numbers. Keep the 3 u dose tonight. Get at least a +2 test to see where he's headed.

I suggest you post on the ProZinc forum for dosing advice.

 

[Veronica & Babu-chiri]

Thank you everyone! I am wondering if Milo's pancreas is working again. He's been on 3 units for a couple of weeks (please see my spreadsheet - I have data in two tabs, one for ReliOn meter and one for AlphaTrak). I've been trying to understand what's going on with his BG and today he went the lowest I've ever seen. ReliOn at +7 he's at 62 and AlphaTrak he's at 97. Kind of nervous about what units to give him tonight but I plan to test often tonight and in the wee hours.

He's looking good, but he appears to still be needing a fair amount of insulin, his results in the next days will probably let you know if you need to adjust (lower ) the dose a little bit, he has to EARN de decrease