Fructosamine Test worth doing & did we increase Insulin too soon

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LuanneP

LuanneP

Member Since 2017
Hi all,

I've updated Merry's spreadsheet (finally figured it out, LOL!). My vet asked me today if I wanted to schedule him for a Fructosamine test in about 2.5 weeks since his BG numbers have been a bit variable. Is it worth doing that test? Merry is a foster so the rescue group would have to pay for it but I don't want them wasting their money if it won't be helpful. The rescue is already trying to get me not to test his BG before each shot but I cannot, in good faith, stop doing that, so I've paid for his test strips myself.

You'll see on Merry's spreadsheet that he was increased to 1.5u on Aug 9 & then to 2u on Aug 29. Now I'm wondering if we increased him to 2u too soon. My vet is experienced with diabetic cats & has helped some of her Clients to go into remission so I trust her more than I'd trust other vets but I still question if we've increased him too quickly.

Thanks!
 
I wouldn't bother with the Fructosamine test. You're SS for him tells you so much more :). I have a hunch that the 2.0U dose is getting him down to lower blues and causing him to bounce a little higher by next PS test. Don't focus too much on curves but randomly get mid cycles each day, so the SS will kind of look like a scatter plot ;). Take at look at some other SS's, if you look at Maury's go back to before July. I started a full time job in August so not as much mid cycle data as before.

Since you are paying for the testing supplies on your own, have you thought about trying a human meter for daily testing? Not sure if the cost was an issue. I still pull out my AT2 for curves but while unemployed I couldn't use it for daily testing. Many kudos for you for not listening to them telling you not to test his BG before each shot :bighug:. What I would try to do, to also contain my poking addiction :rolleyes: is test 4 times a day. AMPS, a mid cycle, PMPS, and a before bed test :) That way you won't need to do a full curve so often.
 
If you do enough testing each day (pre-shots and one mid cycle test per cycle) there is absolutely no benefit to getting the fructosamine done. That test gives you an average of BG by measuring other blood components effected by BG. If there are some very high readings and some very low readings, it can average out to look like kitty is regulated when in fact they are not. It can also be skewed by other blood values so unless those components are checked at the same time, again, you can get misleading results. I had it done once and was told my cat was in the good range when everything on her SS told me she was anything but regulated! Won't do it again and had my vet scratching her head! It's helpful for diagnosing a cat and one of the few tools a vet can use when home testing is not being done.

The daily data is much more accurate and more telling. :)
 
Thanks @Yong & @MrWorfMen's Mom :) I told my vet I didn't think it was necessary. I really don't want the rescue spending any more money on him than they have to right now. I'm kind of afraid they'll send him to a different foster home if I'm too much of a pain, LOL! I would like to adopt him (if he can integrate into my household of cats & dogs) once we get his Diabetes under control & he also needs a dental as soon as his Diabetes is regulated. His mouth really bothers him. Can other things like having a sore mouth affect his BG reading as well? Otherwise his health is good. He had full bloodwork done & his kidneys & liver etc are good. He's a healthy 9 yr old with the exception of his Diabetes & teeth.
 
LuanneP said:
Can other things like having a sore mouth affect his BG reading as well?
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Oh yes. It's even possible once he has his dental work, he may go into remission. Any sort of infection can cause BG to stay higher than normal. But dentals are expensive :(. My boy is going to need one because he has resorbed an incisor or two and a pre-molar.
 
Getting the dental done sooner will help with getting his glucose under control....bad teeth are one of the leading causes of cats coming out of remission as well as being harder to get under control in the first place.

As long as his health is good enough for anesthesia (which it sounds like it is), get the dental done ASAP...unfortunately, they're not cheap. It's important to have someone who's able to do X-rays, full cleaning, extractions (if necessary) and follow up....usually around $500-$750
 
Oh, I didn't realize that! Maybe that's why he came out of remission back in May (in his previous home before he was surrendered). I always use a board certified Dental surgeon for dentals for my guys, only the best for them :) But, unfortunately, that won't happen for Merry. The rescue has a vet they use & I know they don't have dental xrays there. He's also lost a few teeth so likely has roots that haven't absorbed so also need to be removed but they won't know without xrays. I can't do anything about that though as that's the rescues choice.
 
LuanneP said:
Oh, I didn't realize that! Maybe that's why he came out of remission back in May (in his previous home before he was surrendered). I always use a board certified Dental surgeon for dentals for my guys, only the best for them :) But, unfortunately, that won't happen for Merry. The rescue has a vet they use & I know they don't have dental xrays there. He's also lost a few teeth so likely has roots that haven't absorbed so also need to be removed but they won't know without xrays. I can't do anything about that though as that's the rescues choice.
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Tooth issues are one of the biggest causes of a cat coming out of remission.
 
So Merry is scheduled for a dental on the 12th. I hope it's just a case of bad teeth & nothing more serious. He flicks his tongue out of his mouth often, paws at his face & drools. Hoping there's not a growth or anything really bad going on inside his mouth. My regular vet is doing his dental so I feel better that she's doing it rather than the clinic they usually use but she still does not have dental xrays. I think there is only 1 vet in this city who does have dental xrays & the rescue doesn't use that vet. For my own dogs & cats, I take them to Ottawa to see the Board Certified Veterinary Dentist (3 hr drive) but there's no way the rescue could afford to do that. Paws crossed all goes well for Merry. Anesthesia always worries me because I lost a dog on the table 8 years ago (went in for a dental :( ) and it was awful. Since then I'm so paranoid about putting an animal under anesthetic which is another reason why I travel to the better hospitals for my crew because they are better equipped to handle an emergency should anything bad happen.
 
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