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My dog's blood glucose is low, but vets disagree. What's next?
Updated on September 23rd, 2025
I've gotten some mixed reviews about my dog's blood glucose. Had a false reading of <10 from preop bloodwork first time. Went back for a quick in house retest and got 57. Vet said low end was 60, so came in just a tad low but didn't seem concerned. Some vets thinks it's low, others think it's still acceptable. I'm torn and not sure what I should do. My dog is otherwise healthy, normal, same activity level, no symptoms of anything. Wouldn't have suspected anything if not for preop work for dental
1 Answer
Most Helpful Answer
Answered By Stacey Anstaett, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on July 26th, 2018
I don't see an age, breed, or sex listed for your pet, which would give us helpful information in terms of how to interpret that finding.
It is certainly lower than expected; usually when dogs (or cats) have their blood drawn, they are a bit stressed from being at the vet, which tends to increase the blood sugar for a short period of time, so usually we will see animals be over 80-90, and most commonly over 100. It may be worth asking your vet about running a "baseline cortisol" test to screen for Addison's disease. I will attach some information below.
Keep a close eye on your dog as well. If he seems lethargic, tired, walks with a weak or wobbly gait at times, etc, (or certainly if he has more obvious problems such as a seizure), then this probably is a problem for him. Other possible causes of low blood sugar (again age, breed, and sex also play in here in terms of liklihood), include insulinoma (a tumor in the pancreas), liver disease, or toxin exposures (most notably xylitol).
I hope that is helpful for you.... for more detailed information consider requesting a consultation so we can go back and forth with information.
Thank you for asking PetCoach!
https://www.petcoach.co/article/addison-s-disease-hypoadrenocorticism-in-dogs/
It is certainly lower than expected; usually when dogs (or cats) have their blood drawn, they are a bit stressed from being at the vet, which tends to increase the blood sugar for a short period of time, so usually we will see animals be over 80-90, and most commonly over 100. It may be worth asking your vet about running a "baseline cortisol" test to screen for Addison's disease. I will attach some information below.
Keep a close eye on your dog as well. If he seems lethargic, tired, walks with a weak or wobbly gait at times, etc, (or certainly if he has more obvious problems such as a seizure), then this probably is a problem for him. Other possible causes of low blood sugar (again age, breed, and sex also play in here in terms of liklihood), include insulinoma (a tumor in the pancreas), liver disease, or toxin exposures (most notably xylitol).
I hope that is helpful for you.... for more detailed information consider requesting a consultation so we can go back and forth with information.
Thank you for asking PetCoach!
https://www.petcoach.co/article/addison-s-disease-hypoadrenocorticism-in-dogs/
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful