My diabetic cat's sugar is high. Can too much insulin cause this?

Question

I have diabetic cat and I am having trouble regulating her sugars. Can too much insulin give a high sugar reading? Pet's info: Cat | Manx | Female | spayed | 9 years and 10 months old | 18 lbs

Jennifer Summerfield, DVM CPDT-KA · Accepted Answer

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.

My diabetic cat's sugar is high. Can too much insulin cause this?

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