About Amy SO confused from Hadasah

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Hadasah

Member Since 2014
I wrote before about our Amy. Her symptoms were that of diabetes. First the excessive drinking and using
the litter box, then eating far more frequently than normal, although as I said before, the eating so often was pretty new.
I called the vet and he said it probably was diabetes.

We bought a HUMAN glucose meter. Are the readings the same as if it was a pet meter? That's an important question for me.
It took until last night to get the hang of testing Amy. Obviously she does NOT have diabetes. Her reading last night was
44. This morning (10 am) it was 45. At 1 pm it was 45. The last reading (5pm) was also 45.

Amy is not showing any of the signs that I have read about hypoglycemia. PLUS, she is drinking far less often and eating
as she used to. Amy has never been a big eater and won't eat with the other cats.

Two more questions.... first, how long can a test strip be out of the container? This because I'll have to test her by myself
tomorrow.
Second, what is going on here????? If the human meters measure the same as the pet ones, there is obviously something
wrong.

What do I do????

Thank you

Hadasah
 
[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]

No, they are not quite the same.

We suggest using an inexpensive human glucometer with pet-specific reference numbers (which your vet may not know about). One many of us use is the WalMart Relion Confirm, or Confirm Micro, which is also sold at American Diabetes Wholesale as as the Arkray USA Glucocard 01 or 01 Mini (same manufacturer - Arkray USA). It uses a tiny blood droplet and the cost is significantly lower for test strips (like $0.36 each). In Canada or other countries, you'll need to look for one you can afford, and easily obtain test strips to use.



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​
Examples of using the chart:

Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.

Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.

Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)
 
Hyperperphagia (eating a lot) plus excessive urination could be possible hyperthyroidism. A blood test at the vet will determine that.

But no, if not on insulin, those are fantastic, normal numbers.
 
Hi,

Well done, you, for doing those tests.
Those are beautiful normal blood glucose numbers: No diabetes. :smile:

But as BJ says above, if Amy is still eating a lot and losing weight then she may have a hyperthyroid problem. (She'd need a blood test to confirm and if it was positive she would need meds ongoingly (pills or a transdermal gel to put on the inside of her ear).

If I've understood your post correctly though Amy's drinking has reduced and her eating has returned to normal? Is that right..?
If that's the case then it may be that her blood glucose was elevated temporarily, perhaps by an infection that has now resolved...
Or, has her diet changed recently? For example, a switch from dry to wet food can drop the blood glucose quite a bit.

Eliz
 
Thank you Bjm and Eliz !

I am thrilled that Amy is not diabetic but if she was we would do what it took to help her. I wouldn't
let what happened to our Chelsea happen again. Starvation. I had no idea and wonder why the vet didn't
tell me. I would have had her put down.

Thanks for the 'translation' of the human meter to pet values. I wish I could get a copy
of that. If I look it up online, how do I Google it?

Amy's excessive drinking and going potty was going on for awhile. Wish I could remember how long. But the
vet thought too that it was diabetes when the eating often started. We asked for an antibiotic just in case it
was a UTI . I didn't think the meds were working but they did! Her eating slowed down and so did the rest.
The eating thing was probably unrelated.

When I called the vet today, they said it probably WAS an infection. But get this..... I asked the vet tech about
a chart of human meter vs pet meter values and she didn't know what it was. She said they used a human glucose meter
and whatever the value on the meter showed, they used. HUH?

So again thank you. I'm so happy to have found this group! Without you I would have remained clueless and if Amy
did have diabetes......

Hadasah
 
I assembled those numbers from the Lantus Tight Regulation protocol based on the work of Roomp and Rand. There is a pdf at the University of Queensland Centre for Companion Animal Health that lists approximate for human vs vet meters.
(One of these 2, if the links haven't changed: http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/docs/diabetesinfo/link4.pdf http://www.uq.edu.au/ccah/docs/diabetesinfo/link5.pdf )

And the Merck Veterinary Manual online provides 1 of the estimates for renal threshold, which may vary by cat's renal status.
 
Excessive drinking can be a sight of kidney disease too. I would take your cat to a vet rather than trying to diagnose yourself.
 
A good appetite is less common in kidney disease, especially as it becomes more severe.
 
BJM said:
But no, if not on insulin, those are fantastic, normal numbers.
Click to expand...

I agree, as long as you are using US measurements (mg/dL) and not mmol/L like the rest of the world uses. And as always, you can tell a lot by her eating, peeing and drinking, as well as how she is acting.
 
I kind of assumed US mg/dL since she reported the eating, drinking, and urinating had reduced and the numbers were in the 40s.
 
BJM said:
I kind of assumed US mg/dL since she reported the eating, drinking, and urinating had reduced and the numbers were in the 40s.
Click to expand...
Me too, BJ.
And I note that she did mention paying in dollars (just hope they were USD! And I do think so: I don't think meters actually read as high as 45 mmols.... nailbite_smile )
 
Elizabeth and Bertie said:
BJM said:
I kind of assumed US mg/dL since she reported the eating, drinking, and urinating had reduced and the numbers were in the 40s.
Click to expand...
Me too, BJ.
And I note that she did mention paying in dollars (just hope they were USD! And I do think so: I don't think meters actually read as high as 45 mmols.... nailbite_smile )
Click to expand...
I know, meters don't usually go that high, but I didn't read anything about where she was located and in Canada they call their money dollars, too. I thought better be safe and check. :smile:
 
BMJ, the links you sent didn't work...at least the first two. The Merck manual did though. I bookmarked it.

Yep. I paid in US dollars. The meter was free and the test strips were 50 for $10.

Oh. I'm familiar with kidney disease. One cat suddenly got wobbly back legs. It took 2 days to get an appointment
with the vet and he said she had acute kidney failure. We had her put down. She was only 8 years old. I'm wondering
now if something could have been done.

I'm happy to report that Amy is doing extremely well. I think I mentioned this before.... I don't remember how long
the excess drinking/ peeing was going on but the vet said her symptoms were that of diabetes. I asked for
an antibiotic just in case it was a UTI and it was. The excess eating hadn't been going on for long. But now all is well
and I'm one happy camper. So is Amy, since she doesn't have to have her ear pricked.

I'm so happy that we were able to do this right here at home.

Thank you ALL.

Hadasah
 
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