Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Intensive blood glucose control is safe and effective in diabetic cats using home monitoring and treatment with glargine.
- Journal:
- Journal of feline medicine and surgery
- Year:
- 2009
- Authors:
- Roomp, Kirsten & Rand, Jacquie
- Affiliation:
- Department of Computational Biology and Applied Algorithmics · Germany
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
This study looked at how well diabetic cats can be managed at home by their owners using a specific protocol. Fifty-five cats were involved, and the owners monitored their pets' blood sugar levels while feeding them a very low carbohydrate diet and giving them a type of insulin called glargine for over ten weeks. The results showed that about 64% of the cats went into remission, meaning their diabetes improved significantly. Cats that started this treatment within six months of being diagnosed had even better results, with an 84% remission rate. Overall, the study found that closely managing blood sugar levels at home is both safe and effective for diabetic cats.
Abstract
Human diabetic patients routinely self-adjust their insulin dose using a protocol and home monitoring, and perform equally well or outperform physician directed adjustments. The objective of this study was to report the outcome of home monitoring of diabetic cats by owners using a protocol aimed at achieving euglycaemia, using ultra-low carbohydrate diets (< or =10% metabolisable energy) and the insulin analogue glargine for >10 weeks and/or until remission was achieved. Fifty-five cats diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, whose owners joined the online German Diabetes-Katzen Forum, were included. An overall remission rate of 64% was achieved in the cohort. Significantly higher remission rates were observed if good glycaemic control was achieved soon after diagnosis: 84% for cats started on the protocol within 6 months of diagnosis went into remission, and only 35% for cats that began more than 6 months after diagnosis (P<0.001). Only one mild clinical hypoglycaemic episode occurred observed despite tight blood glucose control. In conclusion, intensive blood glucose control is safe and effective in diabetic cats using home monitoring and treatment with glargine.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19592286/