Diabetic cats

Harry was a drinker – and a copious producer of urine. Uncharacteristically, he’d lost his appetite, and a lot of weight when Mitch brought him in. On the scales we discovered he’d dropped a full kilogram.

Dr Kate frowned. Harry had also lost his purr and just wanted to be left alone. She drew a drop or two of blood. Harry’s blood glucose was sky high, and so were his blood ketones. His body was producing toxic ketones, making him very sick

The nurses rushed Harry onto a drip and started insulin injections. For two days they monitored his blood glucose and electrolytes closely. After another day in hospital he was eating and drinking, and well enough to go home.

Mitch wasn’t confident giving Harry insulin injections at first, but Harry was happy as long as he had food in front of him. Soon both Mitch and Harry were pros. Mitch learned to check Harry’s blood glucose at home and kept in close touch with Dr Kate. A change in insulin dose takes a few days to change blood glucose levels. Insulin doses in cats stabilise over weeks, not days, Mitch found.

At Harry’s next visit, he had gained 400gm, and his drinking and urine production was back to normal. He started a special high protein diet, which he hopes will put his diabetes into remission. But he doesn’t really mind – he’s getting so much more attention these days!