My four and a half month old kitten is very ill and the vet suspects it is juvenile diabetes that has gone untreated (we had no idea, she wasn't showing usual symptoms). We, on the other hand, aren't sure. Did anyone else's kitty experience high white cell counts and low red counts along with very high glucose (400-500+) when their kitty was diagnosed? We are only concerned because the medicine given by the emergency vet prior to her regular vet visit can cause high glucose levels. We just want to make sure nothing is being missed and this is the right diagnosis (we've had a string of bad vets and misdiagnoses already). Our vet doesn't have any experience in juvenile feline diabetes and we are wondering if the other things showing in her blood work are normal for diabetes.
4 1/2 month old kitten with a possible diabetes diagnosis
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Idjit's mom
Member Since 2018
Could you provide a little more information please? When did your cat visit the ER Vet, and what was the medication given for what condition?
Has your regular vet done the latest bloodwork re: high white cell -low red cell - high blood glucose (400-500)? and when was that done? Do you have copies of the tests and can you provide the levels?
An injury, illness, infection or dental issues can contribute to high blood glucose. Is your kitten ill or was was she injured?
I don't remember if additional bw was done when Idjit was diagnosed.
Depending on if kitty is being treated for an illness or infection, with what medications, is going to have a bearing on the BG.
I think in your position, (and just because I know my cat is diabetic) depending on what other more experienced members say, I would buy a glucose meter, strips and lancets and test that little fur person myself to see what BG you are getting now, without travel and vet stress that might have elevated the blood glucose. Is your kitten at home with you or staying at the vet?
Walmart has a ReliOn Prime meter and 50 strips for about $9.00 each, box of 26 or 28 gauge lancets are about $2-3.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
You could test a couple to 3 X a day and see what numbers you get before and after meals. Let us know what kitty eats, a high carb diet contributes to high glucose as well.
Has your regular vet done the latest bloodwork re: high white cell -low red cell - high blood glucose (400-500)? and when was that done? Do you have copies of the tests and can you provide the levels?
An injury, illness, infection or dental issues can contribute to high blood glucose. Is your kitten ill or was was she injured?
I don't remember if additional bw was done when Idjit was diagnosed.
Depending on if kitty is being treated for an illness or infection, with what medications, is going to have a bearing on the BG.
I think in your position, (and just because I know my cat is diabetic) depending on what other more experienced members say, I would buy a glucose meter, strips and lancets and test that little fur person myself to see what BG you are getting now, without travel and vet stress that might have elevated the blood glucose. Is your kitten at home with you or staying at the vet?
Walmart has a ReliOn Prime meter and 50 strips for about $9.00 each, box of 26 or 28 gauge lancets are about $2-3.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
You could test a couple to 3 X a day and see what numbers you get before and after meals. Let us know what kitty eats, a high carb diet contributes to high glucose as well.
Bron and Sheba (GA)
Member Since 2015
I am sure you are very concerned for your kitty.
Would you be able to get the pathology results and post them here do you think?
As you paid for them they are yours and you should have no trouble getting them.
Most of us here ask for them to have on hand.
We have someone here who knows a lot about path results and will be able to give you a lot of insight I am sure.
Would you be able to get the pathology results and post them here do you think?
As you paid for them they are yours and you should have no trouble getting them.
Most of us here ask for them to have on hand.
We have someone here who knows a lot about path results and will be able to give you a lot of insight I am sure.
We took her to the ER vet last night and she was given subcutaneous fluids for dehydration and a steroid (the medicine that is known to spike BG) for possible inflammation and antibiotic incase the high white cell count was caused by an infection at around 10pm. We followed up with a vet at 11am this morning to see what further treatment was needed. Her BG was tested again. It was lower than before but still way too high considering she hadn't eaten anything in those 12 hours between tests, but the other blood work wasn't done again. Vet said decrease in white cells takes longer than 12 hours to see and is pretty sure she doesn't have an infection since infections usually decrease BG. For all we know though, her high levels could be a decrease from an even higher number. We really have no idea. She could have diabetes and an infection. I just was unsure if the white count can be attributed to diabetes and its complications or if we are even dealing with diabetes at all.
She is definitely ill, not injured. Barely moved all day yesterday and today and was trembling and twitching terribly and would not eat. Currently hospitalized overnight because of her severe dehydration and being treated with insulin to see if that perks her up. I don't have the path results, but I do remember her white count was over 30,000 and her original BG taken at the ER vet was in the 500s. This morning it was in the 400s.
She eats all wet food besides the occasional treat, we just made the switch to all wet food a couple weeks ago.
I don't have them currently, I can see if I can get them though. Thank you!
Lisa and Witn (GA)
Member Since 2009
Infections and pain often do increase glucose levels.
If you are starting on insulin, can you let us know what type and the dose? Since the glucose levels will probably also decrease as the infection is cleared, it is very important that you also home test. Giving insulin when the glucose levels are too low can cause hypoglycemia. This can be very dangerous for your cat. By testing before every shot you will know if it is safe to give the dose. For new members we generally recommend skipping the dose if the glucose levels are below 200. If you need to continue insulin after the infection clears and you understand how your cat responds to the dose, the "don't shoot" number can be gradually lowered.
Update: she is coming home around noon. Vet says she is eating again and acting more normal. They only gave her one insulin shot and her BG lowered and has held steady since then. They want her to come in a week and get it tested again. I'm leaning more towards the idea that it wasn't diabetes and something else was shooting it up, the vet still thinks diabetes caused by a poorly formed pancreas. Seems very unlikely she would have had such a quick onset of symptoms (fine at 7 am and then completely not ok at 12 pm) and then such a quick and stable turn around after one insulin shot if it really was diabetes. Maybe that's normal, you guys can let me know if any of you experienced it that way.
Bron and Sheba (GA)
Member Since 2015
I am very glad your kitten is much better and coming home. That's good news.
I would stick to a canned food diet that is low in carbs such as fancy feast pates. Dry food is very high in carbs.
It concerns me that they are going to leave it a week before retesting the BG levels without taking certain precautions.
If she is in fact a diabetic, and just giving her one dose of insulin and then no more and saying she probably isn't a diabetic is strange. Do you know if they did a fructosamine test to confirm or discount a diabetic diagnosis?
There are two things you can do to keep your kitten safe until a diagnosis of diabetes is confirmed or not
I would stick to a canned food diet that is low in carbs such as fancy feast pates. Dry food is very high in carbs.
It concerns me that they are going to leave it a week before retesting the BG levels without taking certain precautions.
If she is in fact a diabetic, and just giving her one dose of insulin and then no more and saying she probably isn't a diabetic is strange. Do you know if they did a fructosamine test to confirm or discount a diabetic diagnosis?
There are two things you can do to keep your kitten safe until a diagnosis of diabetes is confirmed or not
- Buy a bottle of Ketostix from Walmart or a pharmacy. Only around $10. Then collect a urine specimen from kitty and dip the test strip into the urine, wait 15 seconds exactly and then read the result against the colours on the side of the Ketostix bottle. Make sure you are in a good light. Anything above a trace needs vet attention. Test the urine daily for the week if possible. The reason I am suggesting this is because leaving a diabetic cat untreated (without insulin) can result in ketones forming, especially if an infection could also be present, and this can then lead to DKA which is a very serious illness in cats. This can be avoided by testing for ketones.
- Buy a home testing kit from Walmart to test the blood sugars yourself. They are not expensive and a ReliOn brand is a good brand. We can help you with testing. It won't hurt your kitty and you will be able to see how her blood glucose levels behave..You would only need to test a couple of times a day but this will keep you ahead of any problems that may occur if she is just left for a week if in fact she is diabetic.
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