Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Home monitoring blood sugar in diabetic cats - what to know
By Kley, Saskia et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2004·Clinic for Small Animal Internal Medicine·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Evaluation of long-term home monitoring of blood glucose concentrations in cats with diabetes mellitus: 26 cases (1999-2002).
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 26 cats with diabetes were monitored at home by their owners to keep track of their blood sugar levels. Most owners were able to do this, and some cats even showed improvement, with four of them experiencing a temporary resolution of their diabetes for up to a year. The cats that were monitored needed higher doses of insulin compared to those that weren't. However, home monitoring did not change how often the cats needed to visit the vet for check-ups. Overall, the study found that owners were generally good at keeping up with home monitoring, which can help manage their cats' diabetes.
People also search for: cat diabetes home monitoring · how to check cat blood sugar · insulin dosage for diabetic cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate owner compliance with longterm home monitoring of blood glucose concentrations in diabetic cats and assess the influence of home monitoring on the frequency of reevaluation of those cats at a veterinary hospital. DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 26 cats with diabetes mellitus. PROCEDURE: Medical records of diabetic cats for which home monitoring was undertaken were reviewed, and owners were contacted by telephone. Signalment, laboratory test results, insulin treatment regimen, details of home monitoring, clinical signs during treatment, frequency of follow-up examinations, and survival times were evaluated. RESULTS: Monitoring of cats commenced within 12 weeks (median, 3 weeks) after initial evaluation; 8 owners were unable to perform home monitoring, and 1 cat was euthanatized after 1 week. In 17 cats, duration of home monitoring was 4.8 to 46.0 months (median, 22.0 months); 6 cats died after 7.0 to 18.0 months (median, 13.0 months). In 11 cats, home monitoring was ongoing at completion of the study (12.0 to 46.0 months' duration). Fourteen owners completed blood glucose curves every 2 to 4 weeks. Cats managed with home monitoring received higher dosages of insulin, compared with cats that were not monitored. Four of 17 cats managed by home monitoring had transient resolution of diabetes mellitus for as long as 1 year. Home monitoring did not affect the frequency of reevaluation at the veterinary hospital. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Owner compliance with long-term home monitoring appeared to be satisfactory, and home monitoring did not affect the frequency of reevaluation of patients by veterinarians.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15323384/