Hypoglycemia - What, Why, and What to Do
No matter how diligent a fur parent is with testing and the correct foods, hypoglycemia can happen. This is when blood sugar levels drop below 70 mg/dl on a pet glucose meter (50 mg/dl if you are still using a human meter). Pre-meal insulin levels can be slightly low depending when kitty had their last meal, especially in the mornings. If kitty is not showing any adverse symptoms such as lethargy, trouble walking, or other low blood sugar symptoms, feed first and retest at least 30 minutes after feeding. You do not want to administer insulin if blood sugar is low to begin with. If kitty is having symptoms of lethargy and blood glucose is low, get out the Glucose SOS, corn syrup or honey and rub that on their gums to bring their levels up in the short term. If you have to do this, you need to call your vet right away to investigate why this happened and treat for other underlying issues.
Why hypoglycemia happens:
- Overdosing insulin. Not testing before dosing insulin or double dosing – fur dad took care of it and fur mom did not know so she did it too.
- Medications for other conditions – a lot of medications for acute and chronic conditions can cause hypoglycemia. Even natural supplements should be discussed with your vet, as “hidden” sugars are always possible.
- Food changes by the manufacturer – often companies will change recipes to save costs, change ingredient sources, etc., which can alter the chemistry of the food enough to cause differences in blood sugar.
- Other medical conditions – if kitty has developed another medical condition, the stress on the body can certainly raise or lower their blood sugar or change their reaction to their normal routine insulin-feeding routine.
What to Do to Prevent Hypoglycemia:
- Keep a journal or white board in the feeding/testing area with time tested, result, food given, and how much the cat actually ate. This will help prevent double dosing.
- Keep on person responsible for testing at a certain times or days if you need to split the task due to schedules or the ruler’s mood of the moment. (Many of my kitties will love me one minute and then look at me with derision the very next when petting them, so sometimes it is better just to go with it and let another household member handle things if possible.)
- Make sure you have a list of everything you are feeding kitty, including supplements! If your vet is not aware that kitty is on a certain natural remedy, they may prescribe medication that would be otherwise contraindicated with that supplement. Some supplements may also alter blood test results so, as with humans, tell the vet everything the kitty has been taking.
- Food label reading – I take a picture of the label once I know kitty will tolerate the food. One will do. If in the future their blood sugar goes up or down, you can compare the labels to see if their food has been changed. A lot of fillers that lower cost for the manufacturer can cause changes in blood sugar.
- Routine, routine, routine. Daily testing and feeding around the same time everyday plus play time! I rotate toys to keep them stimulated and we have an established play time before I go to bed. (Attacking the sheets while the fur parent attempts to make the bed up is great fun apparently!)
- Know when to stop giving insulin! If kitty has been within the normal blood sugar range for 14 days in a row, that is considered remission. It is still wise to test until the vet gives the okay to stop in my opinion.
- Once kitty is considered in remission – do not change their food back to pre-diabetic selections. Remission means kitty is diet controlled, and their pancreas is working better, but relapse can absolutely happen if we don’t keep a good routine with nutrition, routine, and play.
- Keep up on your regular vet checkups. We get busy, and it is easy to forget with healthy fur babies that they need their yearly physicals too! (I put my OWN off as long as I can until my doctor gets snippy with me about getting it done.) It is not fun, but necessary.
While all this diabetic care is going on, take a break with kitty every day. If they like brushed, do that. If they like TV, do that. If they have a favorite toy or enjoy catnip, do that. Bonding time is very healing, and will lower stress for both you and your fur baby. Even if kitty just wants to lay on your lap while you read or wants to hang out with you on the back of your chair, this is a good for them. It shows they are interested in their surroundings, and generally shows contentment. If they are not hiding or shying away from you, that is a good thing.
For special issues or immediate help, the Feline Diabetic Support Group on FB is a great resource for real-time support. Every fur baby is different, and sometimes it takes a bit of trial and error. Having a place to ask questions or just plain vent is healthy for fur moms and fur dads which will ultimately be healthier for the fur baby.