Stabilising Mueslie's diabetes

Mueslie is a 12-year-old cat who belongs to Pukekohe Clinic veterinary nurse Ally. She was bought in to see Dr Nikki Frost because she was losing weight. She had gone from 5.1kg a few years ago down to 3.73kg, always seemed hungry, was drinking more and her coat suddenly looked unkempt. Ally described it as “just looking old all of a sudden”.

After blood and urine tests, Mueslie was diagnosed with suspected diabetes, which was confirmed with a blood test at the lab. She was then started on insulin which was injected under the skin twice a day and a diabetic diet that is designed to be high protein and low carbohydrate to try and keep sugar levels even throughout the day. We then used a continuous glucose monitor sensor to see how the insulin affected her sugar levels. The initial report showed that her dose was a bit too low as her levels were still a bit high so we increased her dose of insulin and got a much better result on this dose.

Over the first month of treatment, Mueslie gained weight and was up to 3.94kg and is currently sitting at over 4kg. Her coat has gone back to its former soft glossy form and she is drinking less and back to being her normal Mueslie self.

For more information on diabetes, read our disease file.