Cat's Blood Sugar Pattern Has Me Baffled

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Brad and Chowder

Member Since 2016
Hi everyone,

This is my first post, and I was hoping to have some thoughts on my 18-year old cat Chowder, whose blood sugar levels of as late have been very confusing to me. He had first been diagnosed in December 2014, but went into remission in March 2015. After about a year of not needing any insulin, I had to restart him on a very small dose of insulin a few months ago, in March. He has always received Lantus, both when first diagnosed and more recently.

His diabetes now seems very different than it had been. In the last few weeks and months, he has gone days without needing insulin (when his number stayed consistently below 200), and in general, a small dose of .25 or .5 units of Lantus once in the morning keeps him in a good place until the next morning.

The last several days, however, are what really prompted me to create this topic. I have below his most recent readings (I use a Relion Micro glucometer) and dosage information, and what really confounds me is what is happening between midnight and when I first check his blood sugar in the morning:

6/30-234 at 9:45 AM, gave .5 units at 9:55 AM, 91 at 1 PM, 198 at 10:40 PM

7/1-364 around 8:50 AM, gave .75 units at 9:05 AM, 255 at 11 AM, 154 at 1:25 PM, 215 at 6:45 PM, gave about .25 units at 6:52 PM, 153 at 12:25 AM

7/2-342 around 8:50 AM, gave one unit at 9 AM, 176 at 11:15 AM, 98 at 1:25 PM, 202 at 7:20 PM

7/3-371 at 8:35 AM, gave one unit at 8:40 AM, 268 at 10:33 AM, 152 at 225 PM, 155 at 8:10 PM, 169 at 10:43 PM

7/4-302 at 9:40 AM, gave one unit at 9:45 AM

Nothing has changed about his food, so from yesterday to today for example, how could his number jump from 169 late at night to nearly 300 this morning? Something even more extreme happened from 7/1 to 7/2, when his blood sugar jumped by 200 points in about eight hours, and that was even with an insulin shot in the evening, which I usually do not have to give. His numbers at night generally do not warrant a shot, yet first thing in the morning lately, he is above 300.

Even before this, I've been wondering, what else can cause high blood sugar levels besides diabetes? Part of me wonders if there is something else going on. I'm also curious what others have experienced in a cat who came out of remission, such as how their blood sugar levels differed from pre-remission.

Thanks so much for any input, and I can provide anything else if needed!
 
Can you repost the results in format like"
6/30 AM PS (preshot) 234, +3 91, +13 198 so every reviewer sill not have tot do the calculations to determine time after shot for subsequent BGs. Also, are you give one or two shots a day? Very very few cats get sat control with only one shot a day.
Further Lantus is a depot level insulin so it take 3-5 day for the the depot to be fill and yo get consistant response. Because it is a depot insulin you should maintain a constant dose for about 5 days before increase. You are increasing dose without waiting. In any event you should always decrease dose immediately if BG goes too low.
 
It sounds like your giving only 1u once a day. Is there a reason why only once a day? Any chance he has a dental problem or urine infection?

Lantus doesn't normally last 12 hrs so even though you give it in the morning, there isn't anything to carry him through the night. You could split the dose and give 12 hrs apart, have you tried that?
 
Thanks for the replies, and here are the reformatted numbers:

6/30-9:45 AM PS 234, gave .5 units at 9:55 AM, +3 91, +13 198

7/1-8:50 AM PS 364, gave .75 units at 9:05 AM, +2 255, +4 154, +9.5 215, gave about .25 units at +10, +6 153

7/2-8:50 AM PS 342, gave one unit at 9 AM, +2 176, +5 98, +11 202

7/3-8:35 AM PS 371, gave one unit at 8:40 AM, +2 268, +6 152, +12 155, +14 169

7/4-9:40 AM PS 302, gave one unit at 9:45 AM, +3 224

I know that Lantus is typically given twice a day, 12 hours apart, but in most cases, his blood sugar is in the high 100s at night, even 12 hours after his morning shot, so I wouldn't be comfortable giving another shot at that point. Last night, for instance, he was 169 close to 11 PM. Would giving a shot really have been the right thing to do? Maybe I am too afraid of hypoglycemia, but it seems to me that his shots last beyond the usual 12 hours.

Also, Woodsywife, Chowder is currently nearing the end of a two-week antibiotic course for a urinary tract infection, but I haven't been sure if that is even a factor with his blood sugar. For example, during the first few days of the antibiotic course, when the infection would have still been present, his numbers were so good that he didn't even need insulin for multiple days. If, however, the presence of an infection actually helps lower blood sugar, then those numbers I posted above could sense, since right now his infection should be clearing up (he is a few days away from being done with the antibiotic).
 
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