Low reading is this a Hypo ?

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Janet Qatar

Janet Qatar

Member Since 2015
Snafu had a reading of 95 this morning so I did not give him a shot, he had his food as normal, I have just tested him at lunch time 5 hours later and his reading is 38 and he is very active ? what should I do ? we are new to this have not seen this happen previously
 
As you know, I'm new to this to, but Since you didn't give him a shot this AM, I think he'll be fine, please let us know.
 
Hi Janet, 38 is very low. Did you retest to make sure it wasn't a wonky number? If you still get a low reading and if you haven't already given him some higher carb food, please do so to bring him back up and keep check his BG 20 minutes after that food and then post your number.
 
I gave him some food - a sheba with gravy and then re tested him and its now 73 but he seems so active far more than normal running around (he is normally quite lazy)
 
Great he's feeling good! Keep an eye on him. You were smart not to give the shot this AM.
 
Oh, good!!! I've been on pins and needles for you. Glad he came up. ANother testimony for home testing! As you saw there were no symptoms with Snafu for a hypo. Glad it turned out okay. He will need a reduction sounds like.
 
Thanks for the help - I am so lucky that my work mates were passing by my house this was just by chance that they did the test - it was not planned ..some sort of Karma that this happened all for the good of Snafu or it may have been too late by the time I got home form work I am so gratefull to them and to you all for the help .
 
I would keep testing. We consider a cat in remission if they range from 40-120 off insulin for two weeks. It may be that he rises (over 200) and you'll have to give a little insulin but I would definitely reduce his dose. If he is was at 38 without a shot, that is very encouraging.
 
Janet Qatar said:
Thanks for the help - I am so lucky that my work mates were passing by my house this was just by chance that they did the test - it was not planned ..some sort of Karma that this happened all for the good of Snafu or it may have been too late by the time I got home form work I am so gratefull to them and to you all for the help .
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Devine intervention and you are very lucky to have work mates that helped you out with Snafu. I am very happy it turned out well for you.
 
Ive tested again - 17.16pm Qatar Time and he is now 57 I gave him another high calore meal (which he is happy about ) he seems so hungry this number is still low as after the lunch meal at 1.30pm his reading went up to 73 I am so confused ? am I doing something wrong - does he need to go to the vet ?
 
As you did not give him any insulin this morning, I think he's doing well - & it is certainly fine that you were bumping his # up with a little food, after you saw that 38. I can understand why that BG# was scary to you, as is anyone's guess whether he held onto last night's shot for an unusually long time (every kitty is different). With Canisulin, the dose can wear off in 8 to 10 hrs. in some cats, but is also known to last as much as 12 hrs. others (again, ECID). When you check PMPS tonight, if he's high at a high enough BG# to shoot insulin, I'd say he's definitely showing you that he needs a reduction in the dose.
 
Who knows...maybe you are heading to another "no shoot" tonight. Remember you don't want to shoot under 200. If it is just below 200, you may want to consider stalling. Just holler if you need dosing advice tonight.
 
Still confused, I have just returned form the vets office, as the last few days readings have all been so low !! for example yesterday morning 95 after four housr 38 after six hours 73 after 9 hours 57 I gave him honey yesterday and four small tins of food as was so worried... but his behaviour was very normal not sleepy or drowsy. He did not get insulin . Today morning he was 52 after 4 hours at the vets office she took blood from his leg (she is not sure if I am doing it correctly or if the meter is working !!! ) the result was 61.
She is of the opinion that the food is wrong - he is not getting enough energy from two small cans food & she disagrees with wet food - I told het that every forum and article that I have read, says NO Dry food, but she states that Royal Canin for diabetics is special food that is better than anything else ... and when he was on that he was regulated, (yes and on insulin ) she has told me to give the food but to top up with dry food but to make it WET !!!
I have done reserach on this and other sites to try to learn but her advice goes against all the advice of 11,000 members and you all now best as she does not have a diabetic cat. Also after the 4 meals he had yesterday on the scale hes gained weight !!
He is meant to lose weight ,, I have now been told to do a curve at home for him and to test him every two housrs and give her the results by Wednesday
Im confused about what to feed him I still want to give him the low calorie wet food and thats what I think has made him improve -
Any feedback welcomed as for the past 4 weeks its a state of confusion.
 
Hi Janet, I'm not a vet(no where near!) but in this case I think your vet is wrong. It sounds like Snafu is feeling great and his numbers off insulin are great too. You said yesterday that he had more energy than usual, so I don't know why your vet thinks he's not getting enough energy from the food. If he were my cat, I'd keep doing what you're doing- Feeding the low carb wet food and monitoring his BG's.
 
Thanks Sharon, I think thats what we will do as it seems the most logical thing to me - I dont know why the vet is obsessed with Royal Canin dry food even if it is Diabetic food - its still high in carbs .. I will keep him off it and maybe give him 3 meals a day all low carb and keep up with the monitoring of the BG.
 
Hi Janet, those numbers are great and do not warrant any insulin. Normal is 60 -120 and he being a newly diagnosed diabetic, your no shot number is 200 or below, so you did right by him. Perhaps his pancreas is turning back on. I agree with Sharon , the low carb food is what you what you want to be feeding him as you are doing. How much does Snafu weigh and how much should he weigh. And how much food are you giving him? Please do not give him dry food unless you want his numbers to go way up. I hate to say this but maybe it's time for a new vet. Most of them do not know enough about feline diabetes as they don't treat to many because a lot of people put their cat to sleep after the diagnosis. Also, they get the equivalent of one day's worth of information about feline nutrition. You are doing great. Go with your gut about your vet. You can always post here after the curve for help with dosing .
 
Hi, Janet - I agree totally with Sharon & Bobbie's comments above - except for that one 38 you saw @ +4 yesterday, ALL of Snafu's BG #s are well within normal limits! You may actually be one of those very fortunate cases in which a short course of insulin, coupled with the change to lower carb food, is enough to jump start the pancreas. What you experienced in your talk with the vet regarding food choices is (unfortunately) not at all uncommon - ask almost anybody here.;) Many vets are just too overbooked with patients & too busy to keep up with the latest in best practices as relates to treating feline diabetes.
Janet Qatar said:
She is of the opinion that the food is wrong - he is not getting enough energy from two small cans food & she disagrees with wet food
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Good grief, Sanfu isn't even on a dose of insulin right now - and from what you're telling us, Sanfu's weight is good! (Sheesh, some vets ...:banghead:)

So I am happy to hear that you have decided to stay the course and follow your gut instincts, regardless of your vet's (misguided:rolleyes:) attitude about food choices for a diabetic kitty. It's pretty obvious to me that you are a smart gal who is deeply committed to the kitty you love so much. Good job, Janet! :bighug:
 
Janet Qatar said:
Also after the 4 meals he had yesterday on the scale hes gained weight !!
He is meant to lose weight
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Getting to and maintaining an optimum weight is very important in managing a diabetic kitty - whether on insulin or in remission. Have attached a doc to help you assess Snafu's weight. (I weighed Bat-Bat daily for quite a while; now that her weight is well maintained, I weigh her weekly.)
 

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Hi Janet! My kitty 's former vet prescribed a dry "prescription" food purportedly for diabetic cats; little did I know it was doing him more harm than good. When I realized he needed a low-carb food, and that the vet's choice had something like 35% carbs, I made the change to something better suited for diabetic cats. When my vet found out, she and her assistant both argued with me; the assistant kept saying, "But it's made for diabetic cats," every time I said it was too high in carbs! My vet told me what I was feeding him was the equivalent of McDonald's and that I was going to kill him! Well, I stood my ground and he went from needing a whopping 7 units 2x daily to needing only 2, almost immediately, and from there he has dropped to less than 0.05. Sadly the vets don't really get enough education about nutrition, but they get the great sales pitches from the cat food companies who want them to sell their food.
 
Just an FYI: I used to write marketing materials for a multitude of industries - including those for sales reps. And as vets are only human - just like the rest of us - they, too, can be sucked in by fancy graphs & charts, artfully slanted "studies" - and a great script provided to sales reps by pet food manufacturers. (Ha, and the writers they hire can be sucked in for a while, too!:rolleyes: So just call me "older & wiser" now ...)
 
Squalliesmom said:
Hi Janet! My kitty 's former vet prescribed a dry "prescription" food purportedly for diabetic cats; little did I know it was doing him more harm than good. When I realized he needed a low-carb food, and that the vet's choice had something like 35% carbs, I made the change to something better suited for diabetic cats. When my vet found out, she and her assistant both argued with me; the assistant kept saying, "But it's made for diabetic cats," every time I said it was too high in carbs! My vet told me what I was feeding him was the equivalent of McDonald's and that I was going to kill him! Well, I stood my ground and he went from needing a whopping 7 units 2x daily to needing only 2, almost immediately, and from there he has dropped to less than 0.05. Sadly the vets don't really get enough education about nutrition, but they get the great sales pitches from the cat food companies who want them to sell their food.
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Squallie could be the poster child for good feline nutrition!:cat:
 
Squalliesmom said:
Hi Janet! My kitty 's former vet prescribed a dry "prescription" food purportedly for diabetic cats; little did I know it was doing him more harm than good. When I realized he needed a low-carb food, and that the vet's choice had something like 35% carbs, I made the change to something better suited for diabetic cats. When my vet found out, she and her assistant both argued with me; the assistant kept saying, "But it's made for diabetic cats," every time I said it was too high in carbs! My vet told me what I was feeding him was the equivalent of McDonald's and that I was going to kill him! Well, I stood my ground and he went from needing a whopping 7 units 2x daily to needing only 2, almost immediately, and from there he has dropped to less than 0.05. Sadly the vets don't really get enough education about nutrition, but they get the great sales pitches from the cat food companies who want them to sell their food.
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Totally agree with the above and it is almost word for word my conversation at the vet even down to the reference to Mc Donalds, I had even printed out so many copies from sites showing in BOLD - DO NOT FEED Diabetic cats dry food but still got --- yes but this is special food for diabetics its not junk food - all the tinned food is so high in fat !!! I have explained that only certain brands are acceptable and that I have a list and an app on my phone to work out the carb content ..
the conclusion was still to supplement his wet food with the dry - my point was not understood
However I am so grateful to the support of the members here who are helping me to understand, now I just need to figure out how much to feed him so that his numbers remain in the acceptable range and dont dip too low.. This evening at 8pm he tested 46 so is that ok as in normal .. I will test him now more often as my daughter has returned from UK and can assist :cat: so thats great for snafu and me .
 
Hi Janet, I am assuming that the 46 was prior to feeding? Any thing under 50 is starting to go into hypo, so please if you haven't all ready fed him, do so and retest in 20 minutes to see if that number is coming up. And no shot tonight for sure!!
 
Janet Qatar said:
...DO NOT FEED Diabetic cats dry food but still got --- yes but this is special food for diabetics its not junk food - all the tinned food is so high in fat !!! I have explained that only certain brands are acceptable and that I have a list and an app on my phone to work out the carb content ..
the conclusion was still to supplement his wet food with the dry - my point was not understood
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Exactly what I got from my vet and the tech. My vet also told me I was testing to often and to stop testing altogether, and that there was "no such thing as half-units." Sadly, I had to find a new vet who understood feline nutrition and who supported home testing. I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I would have killed my cat if I had not been home testing!
 
Squalliesmom said:
Exactly what I got from my vet and the tech. My vet also told me I was testing to often and to stop testing altogether, and that there was "no such thing as half-units." Sadly, I had to find a new vet who understood feline nutrition and who supported home testing. I can't even begin to tell you the number of times I would have killed my cat if I had not been home testing!
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Agreed - although she totally supports the home testing and has instucted me now to test him every 2-3 hours in the next 24 hours !! Unfortunately in this very tiny country of Qatar we are not blessed with an abundance of great vets, this one is the best I have found . I will call around the others tomorrow and ask them if they have any knowledge of feline diabetes, I think they are more familiar with horses and camels ! & for sure they are an agent for Royal Canin ..
 
Bobbie And Bubba said:
Hi Janet, I am assuming that the 46 was prior to feeding? Any thing under 50 is starting to go into hypo, so please if you haven't all ready fed him, do so and retest in 20 minutes to see if that number is coming up. And no shot tonight for sure!!
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Hi yes this was prior to food , although he has had two meals today, 8.30am and 3pm and another at 8pm after this test. I will re test now.
 
Snafu's reading are still low- I re tested after he had a meal I gave his Sheba with gravy as his numbers were low I now have so much food I can open a pet store -
after food I tested +3 his test was 45 so I gave him more food (he never refuses food) - this morning his test was 44. He has had his breakfast again Sheba as his number was low. His last Insulin shot was on Saturday .He seems find not drowsy or any thing I will keep a check on him as e
 
Hi Janet, his little pancreas must be turning back on. I am so glad you test! Without testing Snafu would have been in big trouble. Now that you have fed him, test him again and see what his numbers are.
 
I may be wrong here, but since you haven't given any insulin in days, and he's eating good, and acting fine, I think everything is ok. You are using an accutest meter, that's a human meter isn't it? They can read lower than pet specific meters. Keep an eye on him you're doing a great job.
 
Janet Qatar said:
Agreed - although she totally supports the home testing and has instucted me now to test him every 2-3 hours in the next 24 hours !! Unfortunately in this very tiny country of Qatar we are not blessed with an abundance of great vets, this one is the best I have found . I will call around the others tomorrow and ask them if they have any knowledge of feline diabetes, I think they are more familiar with horses and camels ! & for sure they are an agent for Royal Canin ..
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I got a chuckle out of you saying the vets were "more familiar with horses and camels" I even told my husband about it last night and asked where Qatar is located.
 
Hi, Janet - I just now saw this thread & looked at Snafu's spreadsheet - appears he's doing GREAT without insulin! As Sharon mentioned above, human meters can read lower anyway (there can be a variance of around 20% +/-) and as Snafu is not on insulin, when he's showing you numbers in the 40s all on his own, I don't think this need be of any major concern - especially when you see he is behaving normally. (I will double-check Dr. Lisa Pierson's excellent catinfo. org site in regard to this though, and get back to you.):)
 
This is from the Q&A section on the website of Dr. Elizabeth Hodges, DVM, another vet who is very well versed in feline diabetes:
Q: My cat has been off of insulin for several days, and I'm getting glucose readings in the 40s and 50s (2.2-3.3 mmol/L). Should I treat him for hypoglycemia?
No! Your cat is actually at the normal level for the cat. What most people do not realize is that the cat IS NOT hypoglycemic at these levels of 50 or less. I have seen many normal cats with these kinds of numbers when they are tested at home without the excitement of being at the veterinary hospital. In fact, numbers well below 100 are absolutely normal for the diabetic as well as the non-diabetic. I cannot over-emphasize this point. Those who believe that a cat is having a “hypo” when blood glucose numbers fall below 100 are in error.

And here's the link to that page from which I harvested the above excerpt: http://www.yourdiabeticcat.com/faq.html

Hope this helps ease your mind a little, Janet. :bighug:Please keep us posted on Snafu - I'm so excited about how his pancreas has kicked in!:D
 
Hi Robin thank you so much for the input. I have read the link and I feel so much happier now, I can stop proding the cat every half hour and asking if he is ok like some mad woman !! and also feeding him so that he will be obese ..I am so lucky to have found this site and have great help from you all I cant thank you enough. I will keep up with the testing as often as possible. I did call another vet in Qatar today I asked him two questions do you deal with feline diabetes answer yes second - I said all I want to know is what food would you recommend to a diabetic cat - answer dry food - so I told him thanks but no thanks and he said that the net was full of hog wash and not to belive all that you read ......I will not be going to that clinic .. but we have so little choice her sadly and the vet that I am using is the best of the bunch ...
 
So happy to report that Snafu had a reading of 75 this morning :cat: I think and hope that he is ok for the moment, I dont know if this is a temporary thing but I will continue to test him daily as much as possible, although he hates it . My thanks to all the wonderful people her that have helped me with questions and worries over the past month. I will keep him on a wet low carb diet and keep you posted.
 
Janet, that is so wonderful!!! If he can stay off insulin for 14 days, he is considered in remission. Keep testing him daily until then and after that point there are suggestions on how often to test which we can talk about then. Remember, once a diabetic, always a diabetic so it is important to continue to feed the low carb food. Any thing other than low carb could set him back into higher numbers. Finger and Paws crossed. :cat:
 
Just want to check if the numbers are ok ? I have read the link from Robin thank you for that , it puts my mind at ease, however I still get leary about the way the numbers go up and down , for example yesterday morning before food 75 then at +8 after having breakfast and a small lunch he tests at 42 ?
Pretty similar pattern today morning 86 +9 48
I just assuming that he is still normal as per the link but is it normal to go up and down that much ? I dont want to bring out food everytime I see a low number but I panic a little as the past one month has been a roller coaster with Snafu .
 
Snafu's numbers will go up and down throughout the day. This is a normal process with the body. Since Snafu is not on any insulin and has not been for 6 days now he will not go into a hypo stage. It really looks like the high glucose readings were transient, but you can continue to test once or twice during the day to keep a record of his numbers. Snafu is looking great!!
 
Many thanks for the reply Mary Ann thats great news, I will of course keep up with the testing, should I still do the testing two- three times each day ? He does not like it too much and his poor ears are sore . Although I tell him that its for his benefit and he is now getting chicken tiny pieces as a treat.
 
Janet Qatar said:
Many thanks for the reply Mary Ann thats great news, I will of course keep up with the testing, should I still do the testing two- three times each day ? He does not like it too much and his poor ears are sore . Although I tell him that its for his benefit and he is now getting chicken tiny pieces as a treat.
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I would think considering how well his numbers have been staying that two tests... one daytime and one evening..should give you a decent idea what is happening with Snafu. Also watch for increases in amount of drinking and urinating, which could indicate higher glucose numbers.

Maybe some other people can step in and offer their opinions on the number of tests. Other than that continue with feeding the low carb food and with any luck Snafu will continue to give great numbers!!!
 
@Janet Qatar What you've started is an OTJ trial!!! Looks like Snafu is one of those lucky cats that just needed a low carb diet and a short bit of insulin to jump start his pancreas!!

It's TOTALLY normal for a non-diabetic cat to get BG readings in the 40's...even high 30's isn't out of the question, so it sounds like Snafu is doing great! If you feed him and his numbers go down, that's normal too! It means his pancreas is kicking in to produce insulin to deal with the food he just ate!!

Here are the OTJ trial instructions so you have the info:

Start the trial on the next green pre shot.

If he/she is green at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time; just feed small meals and go about your day. If he/she is blue at your normal "PS", feed a small meal and test again after about 3 or 4 hours. If his/her number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!

Post every day so we can monitor your progress and see if any tweaks are needed. He/she may have a sporadic blue number. Don't panic but post before you decide whether to shoot so we can have a discussion.

After 14 days of no insulin, we have a party!!

Sometimes the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support in the form of resuming insulin. It's not the end of the world if that happens; we just give him/her the support needed. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to take our time to get that than to rush into remission just to have it fail later on.

Good luck with the trial!!!

Once he/she is through the trial successfully, you enter a new phase. Your cat is still diabetic but has now become diet-controlled. Continue feeding low carb food in the manner successful for your kitty. If you decide to change his/her feeding schedule, let your meter be your guide to the best times to feed. Avoid medications with sugar in them and steroid medications unless they are medically essential. Continue testing blood glucose weekly for the first month and then monthly forever. It's a good idea to weigh him/her monthly. Weight should remain stable. If he/she seems "off" or sick, or is showing signs of diabetes (excessive drinking, eating, urinating, weight loss), test his/her blood glucose right away. Keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy; dental issues can bring a cat out of remission. If you see rising blood glucose numbers, it's time for a visit to the vet!
 
To Chris thank you so much for the detailed response. I can relax and breath now, its been a scary time for us I could not have managed without all the guidance form you and the other members, if I had listened to the vet I would have killed Snafu by now !! He is also a lucky boy since turning up on our doorstep just over two years ago with a back pain from being kicked ...and a year ago being diagnosed FIV, I think and I am not experienced but I just now my cat that following his episode last year when the diagnnosis was made of FIV following a sickness that he became diabetic last year he went to a vet with all the same symptoms high thirst dehydration urinatinatng alot but after they kept him for a week - told me so many different things - 1 pancreatitius - then they could not get him to eat then they thought temporary diabetic - then they would place a feeding tube and at the end of the week as they were about to do some surgery for the feeding tube once they shaved his neck and belly after discovering so many scars - only at this point did they test for FIV - at this point they called me and said there is nothing they can do as he is too weak due to the FIV come and take him home ..he had been 7.5 kg going in and lost 2kg I assumed he was coming home to die as they did not give me any hope or treatment plan. or advise that he was diabetic. So I brought him home and we showered him with love and offered him comfort and food as they said he did not eat .. he ate - as long as it was food with gravy such as sheba and he recovered in a matter of weeks his hair grew back and he was back to near normal .. but I think the whole time he was diabetic. poor guy as we started to notice from March this year crying when he went to the bathroom (for poop) each time he would cry as if to say it hurt - again we went back to the vet for check - they said nothing wrong and looked on me as if I am crazy cat woman -- In June I went back again with same thing and said I know he is not well crys when poops and coughs etc seems unwell so she gave me a laxative even though he can make the toilet fine ...
At this point we changed to a new vet and asked for the file to be transferred as no one was taking his previous history of a pancreatitus attack into account
Snafu has used a few of his nine lives but he would like to thank you all.
We will now keep up with the testing and stick to the low carb diet (me and him) and will check in daily. Many thanks again .
 
Just a quick update to state that Snafu has not had insulin for 8 days, he is more active than normal, playing chasing and jumping and is a very happy I hope healthy cat - we have not seen him like this for some time , so he was clearly suffering in silence for some time .
Thanks to all and I think after the 14th day we can party ? and have a low carb treat :cat::bighug:
 
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