Ketones in blood

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Buffy-&-Cindee

Buffy-&-Cindee

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I'm battling getting Buffy's numbers down to no avail. She's not exhibiting any "classic" symptoms but today I tested her for ketones and the result was 0.3. According to the meter instruction booklet, for a human without diabetes, a reading of less than 0.6 is normal. Does anyone known what "normal" is for a cat?
 
Anything more than a trace needs vet treatment. It can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis...so it's important to get vet intervention as EARLY as possible. I haven't looked at ketone strips in over a year...don't remember them having numbers honestly (like I said it has been a long time!) but I feel like any number would probably be more than a trace.
 
I'm waiting to for a return phone call from him right now. The meter I'm using is the Nova Max Plus. It will read "Low" if the number is less than 0.1 or "High" if the number is greater than 8.0. Her test read 0.3, neither low or high.
 
This is what the owner's manual for the Nova Max Plus says (for humans):
NOTE: The normal adult blood ß-Ketone range for person without diabetes is less than 0.6 mmol/L. Consult with your heathcare professional for the blood ß-Ketone range that is appropriate for you. If the blood ß-Ketone result is between 0.6-1.5 mmol/L and glucose is more than 250 mg/dL, this may indicate development of a medical concern. You need to contact with your heathcare professional for assistance. If the blood ß-Ketone result is more than 1.5 mmol/L and glucose is more than 250 mg/dL, contact with your heathcare professional immediately. This indicates a risk of developing DKA.
 
Thank you. I read that too in the owners manual. I just don't know what the range is for a cat. My guess is that 0.3 is just a trace. Hopefully my vet will call soon. In the mean time, she's fine. No symptoms. Typical Buffy. :-)
 
Here's some good info for you: Ketones, Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA), and Blood Ketone Meters.

From that page:
When do ketones show up on a blood ketone meter such as the Nova Max Plus or Precision Xtra meters?
The latest studies in cats indicate ketones will begin to show up at readings of 2.4 and 2.55 on a blood ketone meter:
Measurement of ketones - Weingart_J VET Diagn Invest-2012(1).pdf
Measuring ketones - JSAP_Zeugswetter - 2012.pdf

In other words, about 2.5 on a blood ketone meter is about when ketones would show up as "Trace" on ketostix.

Hope that helps...
 
Oh thank you! That's exactly what I needed to know.

I just got off the phone with the vet and he said they don't like to see any ketones but .03 is nothing to fret about but I need to keep testing her. She's getting a full blood work up tomorrow and they'll be testing her thyroid as well. Basically he's going to do every test available to see if anything else is going on. We're switching her back to Lantus as well because her averages on Prozinc and BCP-PZI were both higher than they were on Lantus. Not a great deal, on average 50 points lower but at this stage, I'm for doing anything to get her numbers back down. We were really hoping to see a dramatic decrease with the BCP-PZI but it just didn't happen. :-(
 
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