Is hypo possible when not using insulin?

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thatgirlblu

Member Since 2013
Got a reading of 37. Hasn't had insulin 5 days. Someone told me 30-120 is okay/good. So 37 should still be good I'd guess but the odd thing is he's been lower every day it seems.
I guess I'm worried he'll be even lower tomorrow....and under 30 would be bad.
But nothing anywhere has told me that a cat who is eating regularly can get hypo when not getting insulin. Is it even possible?
He's fine btw running around happy and eating, but when I put 37 on the chart it came up in red too, figured this was not ideal.
Sorry if it's nothing. I'm just a very over concerned cat mom, heh.
Chart: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc ... ZNXc#gid=0
thanks
 
Some cats just have lower numbers then others. If he has not had any insulin at all for 5 days, then there is no insulin left in him and hes not going to have a hypo.

I am not a good person to explain this though but sure someone will be around who can explain why. For now, wanted to atleast tell you that you dont have to worry about a hypo though.

His BG might be running a little lower then normal if he hasnt eaten anything in a while but no insulin = no hypo.


With these greens numbers I would NOT give any insulin. Looks like your kitty is doing GREAT without insulin!
 
Hi,
generally speaking high 30s or 40s are normal for some cats - assuming otherwise normal behavior. Obviously, if acting sick, low BGs could be a signal of a problem but technically-speaking hypos do not generally occur when not on insulin. My sweet Pudge stayed in the 40s all through his first remission. In May of this year he went into his 2nd remission & has stayed mostly in the 70s. One more note: my Pudge often got lower BGs when OTJ, if many hours had elapsed between his meals. He always exhibited more even BGs when he ate several smallish meals throughout the day & night. I still leave food for him at night.
Best wishes, Sophie
 
My Nikki was exceptionally low when she came off insulin back in August. I was regularly getting numbers in the 20's! :shock: She never showed any signs of having problems. I did find that after a couple of weeks of keeping her carbs between 5-10% and feeding 7-8 small meals per day, her numbers came up to a more "normal" range. She's pretty much in the high 40's/low 50's these day. :-D

If you can split his meals up a bit you may see his BG's stay more level. Good luck!
 
I'm glad you posted this thread and just to let you know you are not alone.

Same thing happened to Pasquale yesterday- he had a 39 and he had 40ish readings over the weekend. No insulin for him for day 9 now, but like you, I couldn't help but be a nervous cat mom to see it dropping so steadily. But boy, did I see him running around and playing last night, chasing my other guy around! He hasn't done that in a while. So between that, and the great assurance / information being posted here, plus knowing it's not uncommon, I hope you feel better about it.

I am also going to try freezing "foodsicles" and leaving those out while I'm at work.
 
One point I should make is that under extremely rare circumstances there may be medical reasons for the low BG (cancer or some kind of insulin secreting tumor, which are very, very rare in cats). That being said, if your cat is playful, has no vomiting/diarrhea issues, and is being checked regularly by your vet it is probably normal for your cat to be that low.
 
Also remember that we and our glucometers aren't perfect!

FDA Consensus Guidelines
"The consensus document expressed the following performance goals:

a) "The goal of all future Self Monitoring Blood Glucose (SMBG) systems should be to achieve a variability (system plus user) of 10% at glucose concentrations of 30-400 mg/dL 100% of the time. However, the panel is aware that the accuracy required for clinical management has not been rigorously defined.",

b) "With current systems, SMBG measurements should be within 15% of the results of the reference measurements.",

c) "Approximately 50-70% of individuals who receive some sort of formal training are capable of obtaining a result within 20% of the reference method; however, performance may deteriorate over time."2"
 
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