Fructosamine Test: better than BG?

[Cat Caregiver]

My newly diagnosed diabetic cat Oliver has been on Vetsulin for a little over a month now. I just had a follow-up with the vet, giving her these details:

After two weeks on 1 unit Vetsulin Oliver’s blood glucose (AlphaTrak2) was still too high (500-600 mg/dl).
Per vet instruction, I changed his diet to Royal Canin Glycobalance (aprox. 25% carbohydrate).
This diet did not help normalize his blood glucose.
So, I switched Oliver to Low Carbohydrate canned Diet ( < 5% carbohydrate), Fancy Feast Classic Pate.
The low carb diet knocked about 100 points off Oliver’s blood glucose level, keeping blood glucose out of the 500 to 600 range, but still way too far out of normal range.
So, I tried 1.5 units which put him in the normal range for only a few hours (at most) per cycle.
(Any dosage higher than 1.5 would put him in danger of hypoglycemia I fear.)

Currently Oliver:

• is on 1.25 units (less danger of going hypo I think than having him on 1.5),
  
• produces a little over 600 ml of urine daily (still too much),
  
• daily tests negative for urine ketones,
  
• has gained 1 pound (now he’s 8 pounds), and
  
• is active and exercising daily.

The vet listened to all this and said that blood glucose data was not reliable and booked him for another fructosamine test in two weeks. I asked if she could suggest some longer-acting insulin and she said that diabetes in cats is tricky and had no suggestion but that we can talk after the fructosamine test.

Does anyone have experience with using fructosomine tests to evaluate treatment strategy?

 

[Red & Rover (GA)]

A fructosamine test gives an overall picture of what the last 7-14 days have been like. Hometesting tells you and the vet more.
Read the first few posts about the difference on this thread: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fructosamine-results-and-scale.153944/

 

[Ale & Bobo & Minnie (GA)]

Sorry but your vet is completely wrong and that alone would make me look for another one. This is basics and so is what insulin to prescribe. Vetsulin was made for dogs not cats, so not the best insulin for cats. A test that gives you a 3 week average is never going to be more reliable or better than home testing. You need a new vet asap

 

[Ann & Scatcats]

@Cat Caregiver . With Your Daughter and Oliver already to ring his own bell and out walking in harness, and with Oliver's brother in training for ringing his own bell too - I assume, correct me if I am wrong, that you've had your vet for long and for all your cats and dogs. There is no reason to ever distrust a c a r e f u l vet, using all the tools in early regulation of the diabetes numbers. YES! I have thourughly with Swedish My Animal Hospital since 1933, used all tools there is,and since 1988 to Save Both My Tjejen, Baby Lillen, Simba, Gustav, + more cats, of Which Fructosamine tests in the beginning as Crucial. And I had no reason to ever change from them, in 2006, when the diabetes came, and the Lantus then was new.
This is how nice the Entrance to Our Swedish Animal Hospital is , also in 2015, besides all the other years since 1981
It's Covid-Rules there too now for visits. Only Their Registered Owner is allowed in.

 

[JanetNJ]

fructosamine tests are very helpful for diagnosing diabetes, but not for giving a day to day picture of how they are doing. It give the AVERAGE over time. SO A cat could start the day high, go super dangerously low... and the average is good. All the while he's at a danger of going hypo. see what I mean? the daily BG are much more helpful for figuring out dosing.