Update on Jimmy Stewart and Possible Pre-Diabetic Condition

Refer to blog posts from September 1 and September 8, 2014: Jimmy had dental surgery at MSU in September.  A blood test at the cardio, for a pre-surgical cardio echo (he was fine), showed higher than normal glucose levels. His follow-up fructosamine test proved negative (a test to determine if higher than normal levels of glucose have been present in the blood over the last 30 days.)

MSU tests showed high glucose and high fructosamine before surgery and normal levels while sedated.  So, we believe stress causes high glucose but that still is not good for his system. MSU believed that this could lead to eventual diabetes which brings on all other sorts of complications and medical risks.  MSU also thought high glucose levels were the cause of his out of box incidences for which he has been on Prozac since 2010.  Once the glucose gets too high for the body to handle-due to stress or diabetes-cats will feel the need to urgently go and often dump their urine where they are at the moment.  While this could be one reason for Jimmy's need for Prozac, we know that without Prozac he would have a difficult time using his litter box.

In October, 2014, he had follow up tests which were normal.  BUT the dental surgeon suggested we reduce his carbohydrate and sugar intake and feed him diabetic diet.  The regular dentist disagreed BUT in researching, I found that carbs are present in gravy and gravy cat food is one type that diabetic cats cannot eat.  Pate types of food are better.  So, we began in October to feed him pate and we believe we have not had any out of the box incidents from him since then.

Jimmy Stewart Has a Follow-Up with Vet Post Dental Surgery

Jimmy is recovering well from dental surgery.  He had blood drawn last Thursday and the vet called Friday to say she doesn't think he's pre-diabetic.  His glucose was normal at 92.  All other values are normal.

When he was at Michigan State on August 20 for surgery, his glucose was 320-but that was after he had been in the car for over an hour and at MSU for over an hour before they drew blood.  So, it could have been elevated due to stress.   But the surgeon was concerned that he was pre-diabetic. The fructosamine test was also high.

The regular vet thought the elevated glucose was due to stress because whenever he's had blood drawn at the regular vet's office-because it's close to home and he has less time to be stressed-the glucose has been normal.

And it has nothing to do with how well the kidneys are or are not functioning (in his case, at this time.) The regular vet said that when glucose gets above 250-280, that the "extra" will spill over into the bloodstream regardless of kidney function.

However, we had also been feeding him a different cat food for the two weeks between surgery and the blood recheck which could have affected the outcome.  The food was Fancy Feast Classic which has no gravy, therefore, fewer carbs.  And we were also feeding Purina Naturals grain free food which supposedly has fewer carbs.   That could have caused the difference.  We will know more when we recheck the fructosamine at the end of the month.

When kidney function has declined, it is possible that sodium, glucose, magnesium, and many other blood values will increase.  If all blood values are normal except glucose, then it is possible that a cat is diabetic.  If there are spikes in glucose, then the cat could be pre-diabetic.  And while the fructosamine test is suppose to be the standard for determining if the cat is diabetic, it acts as a historical aggregate of glucose levels.  So, even when glucose is falsely elevated due to stress, the fructosamine will reflect that history.

Jimmy Stewart