Newbie 1st BG success and it's 63. I panicked but not hypo.

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ladylei

Member Since 2012
I finally got Moonshine's blood and got a reading of 63! He had already been given 1/2 can of wet food without any bits of dry food mixed in around 5am with the intent I would give him the second half of breakfast after he let me test, and I just took his blood at 10am. I wanted to test a little after the chaos of getting my son off to school. I've given him another 1/2 can of wet food and rub syrup on his gums before that and will be testing again. Moon wasn't showing any signs of hypo at all this morning. How soon should I retest? How fast will the syrup work??

ETA: Moonshine is not on insulin as the vet said he was borderline diabetic with a BG of 275 on 11/24/2012. I've been trying to test him without success since 12/1/2012.
 
Re: First testing success and it's HYPO!!

When numbers are low it is recommended to test often maybe 15 minutes apart to keep a close eye on his numbers. When did you shoot?
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

OK just noticed the note at the bottom that he is not on insulin this is good :smile: his numbers are in the low range but not dangerously low food should help bring him up
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

Don't panic!
63 isn't hypo - my cat regularly sits in the 60s but then I have a lot of data on her and I know she's safe there.
Also, I tested my non-diabetic cat a few days ago and his reading came in at 50 - he's fine.
Actually, this could be a really good sign that he may be diet controlled :mrgreen: .

The only issue would be if there are any other medical conditions that could cause a hypo.

Otherwise, the syrup will probably make his numbers zoom but will wear of quickly. Just give him some Low Carb food and test again in an hour.
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

I ran took his blood twice within the past 10 minutes got a 66 and a 59 (not on the same drop of blood so I know it can vary a bit). Trying not to freak out. He ate the food I gave him. Should I rub more syrup on his gums? Seriously freaking out. Moon-man is acting normal though a bit upset with me for poking his ears 5 times in a few hours time.

ETA: Just saw the other posts, and feel much better. I'll just go take my anxiety med to calm myself down. I lost a cat Mischief to diabetes because we were told it was totally okay to shoot without any testing by the vet and then I came back from work and found her passed out. I rushed her to the E-vet only to have her PTS. It was over 14 years ago, but I still feel like I killed Missy by shooting insulin blind.
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

If he is not on insulin, you're fine. Cats don't generally hypo without insulin unless they have a serious medical condition (like an insulinoma which is a tumor that secretes insulin ... and with past high glucose levels, is unlikely) and/or aren't eating at all.

In fact, he may not need insulin if the diet changes have accomplished this.
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

Generally speaking -

No insulin - no hypo!

Normal BG range is 40 - 120!

If your cat is in this range without any insulin - then you're doing great. No need to give syrup or anything else, just keep testing and feeding the low carb foods....

And no need to panic!
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

This is good, not bad! 50 and above is a fine number for a cat who is not on insulin. No syrup is needed. Please stop panicking! Moonshine is fine.
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

Breathe!

A cat who is NOT on insulin CANNOT hypo.

63 is a GREAT number :smile: Normal non-diabetic numbers are roughly 60 to 150 mg/dl. Some non-diabetic cats even test in the low 40s and they are fine. You do not need to treat a normal blood glucose number.
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

63 is a perfectly normal non-diabetic number. No need to give syrup, which will artificially spike his sugar, and most certainly do not give insulin. Chances are good that the 275 at the vet was at least partly stress-induced. Feeding an exclusively wet, low carb diet will help keep him off insulin.

Since he's not on insulin, there's no reason to drive yourself nuts with frequent testing. It looks like you caught this early so you can test him every few days to make sure he's staying in a normal range.

Best,
Deborah
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

Agreed! 63 is a normal number, and a great one for you to get on your own! Your cat can't hypo unless you give insulin.
 
Re: Newbie First testing success and it's HYPO!!

Except his diet hasn't changed. He's been on the same food Nature's Variety Instinct canned with a tiny bit of the Nature's Variety dry in a toy that gives only a kibble at a time. So he has to play with it and work hard to get that bit of kibble. He has been given some extra when he cries about wanting food because I've worried about him showing hypo symptoms in the past and not as much hyper symptoms. Actually, I should be clear, Moonshine gets a bit of wet food early, but it is the same amount per day. I didn't want to make any changes to his diet until after I got some readings though the goal to drop all dry food is almost there.

I'll test him again in a few minutes to make sure I haven't driven his BG really high with giving him syrup on his gums along with the food. I'm going to keep testing him on a regular basis too. All information is worth having and more BG testing means more information.
 
Re: Newbie 1st BG success and it's 63. I panicked but not hy

I just re-read your first post and it looks like Moonshine was originally on dry food and you have been weaning him off onto wet.
Maybe its just finally hit the point were the dry is no longer affecting his bg and its come down all by itself.

Also, I think the only other bg tests you had were at the vet and not long after he'd peed a small amount with blood ( I have no idea what could have caused that) but maybe those 2 factors raised his bg to the high level.
 
Re: Newbie 1st BG success and it's 63. I panicked but not hy

Low numbers can be scary at first but they really are good and you are right all info is worth having and if there is any change in his BG you will know because you are testing. It's exactly what we are doing with Oscar right now his numbers are good but we want to make sure they stay that way so we keep testing. The main thing is relax and know Moonshine is safe and happy :-D
 
Re: Newbie 1st BG success and it's 63. I panicked but not hy

ladylei said:
Except his diet hasn't changed. He's been on the same food Nature's Variety Instinct canned with a tiny bit of the Nature's Variety dry in a toy that gives only a kibble at a time. So he has to play with it and work hard to get that bit of kibble. He has been given some extra when he cries about wanting food because I've worried about him showing hypo symptoms in the past and not as much hyper symptoms. Actually, I should be clear, Moonshine gets a bit of wet food early, but it is the same amount per day. I didn't want to make any changes to his diet until after I got some readings though the goal to drop all dry food is almost there.

I'll test him again in a few minutes to make sure I haven't driven his BG really high with giving him syrup on his gums along with the food. I'm going to keep testing him on a regular basis too. All information is worth having and more BG testing means more information.
Click to expand...

Even lower carb dry foods can keep BG high in many cats. My cat is one of these; he can't even have a few pieces EVO or Instinct dry without it raising his BG up into the high 100s, low 200s. I would suspect that removing the dry food has a lot to do with the falling numbers you're seeing. This is great. Once you completely get rid of the dry food, you should have a diet controlled cat. :-D
 
Re: Newbie 1st BG success and it's 63. I panicked but not hy

Vet stress may increase a glucose level 100 points over "normal", so that 275 might have been really a 175. Borderline, but not truly diabetic. Did he do a fructosamine test? That is closer to an average glucose over several days; if that were elevated, he might be borderline diabetic and not just stressed.
 
Re: Newbie 1st BG success and it's 63. I panicked but not hy

I'll need to go back over the paperwork from the labs. I went over many questions with the vet asked about ketones, the BUN/CREA, and platlet levels. I don't recall if fructosamine was discussed or even tested for since the vet appointment was originally for peeing outside the litterbox, peeing small amounts, and blood in urine. So borderline diabetes diagnosis came as a shock when everything else was good.
 
Re: Newbie 1st BG success and it's 63. I panicked but not hy

I couldn't determine if anyone asked what type of glucose meter you are using. If you are using a meter calibrated for humans, then I think you need to add 30 to the number. So, the real glucose reading would be 93 in this case if using a human meter and not one calibrated for felines.

DZ and Sarah
 
Re: Newbie 1st BG success and it's 63. I panicked but not hy

Using a Relion Confirm (Walmart brand) meter, so yes a human meter.

Moonshine seems resigned to letting me test him but this time he went over to a toy. It's almost as if he's saying "Fine, prick my ears again, but I want this toy for a playtime." :lol:
 
Re: Newbie 1st BG success and it's 63. I panicked but not hy

Ah, okay. So, when you log the numbers, please do convert them first. So, now, you don't need to worry about a hypo unless it is an unconverted 20, I believe. Please, someone else chime in if I'm incorrect.

P.S. Good for kitty and the toy!

DZ and Sarah
 
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