Why is my diabetic cat's blood sugar high and not responding to insulin?

I'm so sorry to hear that Shady is not doing well. Diabetes can be difficult to regulate initially. I have attached a link to a good article for ideas on cats that are difficult to regulate below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=&A=1605&SourceID= That may give you some ideas to discuss with your vet. I would also look at Shady's diet. I have a very difficult time controlling diabetic cats on a dry food diet and find that they do much better on a canned food diet with higher protein. Here is a link to a website that discusses that and gives lots of good information on managing diabetes in cats. http://binkyspage.tripod.com/index.html I know it can be difficult to get a diabetic cat regulated, but don't get discouraged. Everyone once in a while if I have made all the changes I can and the cat still isn't regulated, I will refer to an internal medicine specialist to make sure I'm not missing anything. You can find one at the following site. http://find.vetspecialists.com Please let me know if that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Hi, I think you should check his blood glucose, which I think it’s going to be high. If you can’t because your vet is closed and you don’t have an emergency clinic nearby, I would give him half dose of insulin. Please get in touch if there is anything else we can do for you. Hope this helps.

Hi there. Pets who are on an insulin dose that is too high can have something happen called the Somoygi effect, which basically means that their glucose levels can drop suddenly and then get really high afterwards as the body "overshoots" as it tries to compensate for the sudden drop. So yes, it's possible for an animal on a too-high insulin dose to have high glucose readings in some cases. This is why blood glucose curves are generally needed to assess the pet's response to insulin. This means checking the glucose level every 2 hours for an 8-12 hour period, to give a clearer picture of exactly how the levels are changing throughout the day. I would recommend talking to the veterinarian who is managing Cupcake's diabetes about how best to monitor her glucose levels and determine if any insulin dosage changes are needed.

No, the Cosequin is probably not the reason for her symptoms; that is a very benign supplement. It is more likely that her blood sugar is not regulated correctly. I suggest you get Mehe to your vet for a follow-up exam. If she is not on insulin, she may need it. If she is on insulin, the dose may need to be adjusted.

If she is alert and more stable on her feet then I would not give any more supplements unless signs indicate that. Be sure to take her a glucose check before administering any more insulin though. I would recommend trying to feed her several small meals every 3-4 hours though to help maintain a higher blood glucose

It is extremely concerning that Simba is not responsive. A blood glucose of 355 is very high, even for a diabetic cat. Given his unresponsiveness, I recommend taking Simba to an emergency veterinarian immediately. There is a chance that he may be experiencing diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), which can cause massive shifts in the blood electrolytes, which can lead to seizures or changes in the heart. I hope that all goes well for Simba!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is concerning as it may be an indication that his diabetes is not well-controlled at the moment. I would highly recommend that you check in with a veterinarian as soon as possible to check for this possibility. If this is the case, they can work in getting him to feel better and then possibly focusing in controlling his diabetes better. Best of luck!