Home Testing of Blood Glucose for Diabetic Cats

Additional Resources

• Diabetes Mellitus: Introduction

• Cataracts in Diabetic Dogs

• Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Dogs and Cats

• Diabetic Cat Diet

• Diabetic Dog Diet

• Glargine (Lantus) and Detemir (Levemir) Insulin

• Insulin Administration in Cats

• Insulin Administration in Dogs

• Insulin Alternatives

• Monitoring Glucose Regulation in Dogs and Cats

• Hard to Regulate Diabetic Cats

• Hard to Regulate Diabetic Dogs

• Flash Glucose Monitoring in Cats and Dogs

The video on this page is provided as a resource to owners of diabetic cats who wish to learn how to conduct home tests that determine blood glucose (blood sugar) readings for their cat.

Working with your veterinarian, this technique can greatly improve the quality of life for diabetic cats by allowing blood glucose measurements to be determined without the undesired influence of "stress" that may accompany in-hospital testing.

We recommend that you discuss any questions you may have after viewing the video with your veterinarian. Work closely with your veterinarian, both after the initial diagnosis and long term, to design the optimal home testing program for your diabetic cat. Remember that your cat will need to be on a new dose for more than a week before it's worthwhile to test your cat to determine the effect of any changes.

Your veterinarian will work with you and advise you whether she/he wants a glucose curve run (a series of measurements taken over a 12-hour period) for determination of dose adjustment, OR whether you are to be armed with this technique for emergencies only.

It is very important that you do not adjust the dose of insulin on your own without consulting your veterinarian, as errors can be made that can be extremely detrimental to your kitty.

Usage Note

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