Non-diabetic cat has a low BG

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Lori and Atticus

Lori and Atticus

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I'm probably going to wear out my welcome, but I have to ask. I need to get my other kitty in to the vet, once again and I wanted to get your opinions. She is stumbling when walking on uneven surfaces and has been gaining weight. She is a chunky butt. She had what looked like a seizure a few months ago that terrified me. I took her into the vet the next day for them to run 400.00 of bloodwork and urinalysis that revealed nothing. The vet said she is aging (14) and probably had a small stroke. As I watched her over the next few weeks, she seemed to recuperate mostly. Now with Atticus being diabetic and me being full of basic knowledge about blood sugar in kitties (as well as me being hypoglycemic), it just hit me today that Ariel could be having blood sugar issues that may not have shown up at the vet office. I checked her blood sugar a few minutes ago because she was stumbling around pretty bad and just looks a bit off balance. It was 53 and she has been free feeding today. I have no idea how much she has eaten since I've been so focused on Atticus, but I know I have seen her at the food dish at least 3-4 times today (the day is only half over here).

What do I have the vet test for or check for when I take her in? Can I simply control hypo with diet? What causes it? She has been very healthy all her life except for being hyperthyroid. We had her on meds for a year and then treated her permanently with radioiodine. She has been hyperthyroid free for 1.5 years. Her T-4 is perfect now so I know it isn't related to that.

I did have her eat some food and added a little bit of Nutrical. I will check her again in an hour.

Thanks!
 
Hi Lori,

Her blood sugar is fine, it's perfectly normal and since she does not take insulin you don't need to worry about a hypo.

I'm no vet, but her stumbling and the possible seizure is worrisome. Have her electrolytes checked. Low potassium can cause that type of stumbling. But I would also check blood pressure and get a full blood panel. I'd compare that to what was done a few months back and see if anything stands out. I'd also have her thyroid checked. After the I-131 it's possible she could have hypothyroid. That could cause weight gain and lethargy.
 
Thanks! It just worried me that everywhere I look, it says that a normal BG for a non-diabetic cat is 70-120. Her thyroid has been checked on three different occasions in the last year. The most recent was a month ago. I'll get another blood panel as soon as I can.

BTW - love the name Tucker! That's my black lab's name. He's one cool dawg! :cool:
 
Remember a cat CANNOT hypo if not on insulin!

So , no need to give sugar or anything. 50's is quite normal a number and nothing to worry about.

40-120 is considered a good non-diabetic range.
 
I just wanted to update that I do have Ariel at the vet right now and the vet agrees that she is hypo with no insulin. Now she's trying to find out why because we know she is eating. My vet is blown away as well about this. She has never seen it before. The hypo also explains her drunk walk and seizures if this has been going on a while. I just wanted to update. I should know more later today or in Monday after the vet calls a specialist on Monday. I just hope we can get to the bottom of this.
 
Thanks! I had seen that article as well. I wish it listed some reasons though. I'm just happy my normal vet is back. She may not know everything but she has no issues asking her colleagues for ideas if she doesn't know. They are doing a full blood panel, urinalysis, and an X-ray of the abdomen (checking the liver area especially). Ariel is also kind of bloated, however she has lost a little weight in the last few weeks because of the diet change to wet food. Nice slow weight loss. That makes momma happy. :)
 
lori, there's an extremely rare condition that has been talked about on the board occasionally called insulinoma.

an insulinoma is usually a benign tumor in the pancreas made up of islet cells that constantly secrete insulin and is one of the major causes for hypoglycemia in non-diabetics. it's probably one possibility your vet may be looking at.

that said, two of my non-diabetic kitties regularly test in the 40s and my other non-diabetic cat usually runs in the 50s. vets don't often see kitties at low numbers like that because by the time many kitties get to the vet's office their BG numbers have risen considerably due to "vet stress".

hope your vet can get things figured out quickly. i know how worrisome it can be when you're not sure what's going on...
 
Well, nothing is set in stone at the moment. All kidney, liver, thyroid, and urine panels came back perfect. The x-ray turned out OK as well. The "fat" doesn't look like fluid on the tests which is good. The vet said it doesn't feel like fat, it feels like bloating; however the X-ray says it looks like fat and nothing else. We are sending it to a radiologist just to make sure because the vet also saw what looked to be a small(ish) liver. The enzymes were all good so we don't expect anything really to come of that. If everything comes back ok on that, the vet said we have ruled out pretty much anything except for neurological. Hopefully we will know more later. My poor kitty is SOOO mad right now. She's normally the sweetest cat ever, but she has been full of piss and vinegar today. :lol:
 
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