Diabetic cat and dental treatment

[Helgaursula]

My cat (about 10 years old) has to have teeth cleaned and maybe some pulled. As Toby has had DAK before and has some issues, what is the best way to handle it. I am particularly worried about needing to starve him. When he had a Libre, he went very low very quickly on some occasions, although generally he tends to be high. He has an insulin pin and I do not test him.

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi Helga, it’s good to hear from you after so long.
Do you ever test for ketones?
Is Toby eating well at the moment?
What has the vet said about not feeding him before the dental.
Normally it is just not feeding him from 12 midnight the night before.
I would think about having a libre put in after the dental so you can see what the BGs aware doing as he may need less insulin after the dental.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

Some vets say ½ food and ½ insulin morning of dental as long as the AMPS is as expected. Do what your vet has experience with.

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Another option may be a referral to a dental specialist vet. They usually do extra monitoring and are used to more complicated cases. Neko's dental vet said half dose in the AM and up to 1/3 of her breakfast before 6AM. One time I just gave her a token dose cause she was flirting with a reduction.

We have a post on Info on Dental Procedures (including pictures)

 

[Helgaursula]

Thanks for all the replies. At the moment I am gathering information. Not to give him food after midnight will be difficult as he always eat a bit a night. Usually I also feed him at 7 am and then give him his insulin (4 U morning 3 U night) at 8. Maybe it might be easier to do him in the afternoon, if it is possible. When he was in the hospital (with the DAK) initially, he did not eat at all for 3 days and he was on a drip. He went Hypo as well. I test for ketones and so far negative. Putting on a Libre is always stressful for Toby. If there was a special dentist, I would go there. Does anybody
know one in Melbourne????

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I would call one of the veterinary schools. It looks like there's a vet school at University of Melbourne. I can't sort out if they teach dentistry there but they may be able to offer referrals. In the US, there is a professional association for veterinary dentists and they have a means for searching. I did a Google search (veterinary dentists in Melbourne AU) and came up with a number of practices.