PhotonStopper

Missy paid a routine visit to Dr. B. today. We only arrived back home a few minutes ago after a visit to check her blood glucose level. Missy's been doing fine though still doesn't groom herself much, if at all. She does have a good appetite, is awake and alert for a decent amount of time, and can move around just fine (though there's a hint of stiffness in her hips). In-clinic testing indicates blood glucose seems to be under control though a little higher right now than we would like (it's 387). Her weight is up just a bit at 8.9 pounds; she feels "solid." Following the blood collecting and exam we cooled our paws in the waiting room for a few minutes and Miss sampled some Hill's "dental treats."  {Actually, I seem to recall this is Hill's "Oral Care Adult" formula but the vet likes to use them more as treats than staple food.} She crunched happily on five of those things in the safety of her carry case. They're high fat and all but I suppose the fat just makes them all the tastier and suitble as comfort food following a stressful experience. Office staff kindly gave us two small sample bags to take home. Tasha got a couple crunchies that way too and loves 'em. Dr. B. says to continue the once-a-day insulin at the same dosage while we await a "new" blood test for fructosamine (glycated serum protein) which is a good indicator of long-term blood sugar levels and control. If the fructosamine test is "out of range" then the insulin dosage can be adjusted. All-in-all a good report for an old cat. For Tasha the advice is to keep her on her cortisone indefinitely at half a tablet once every third day; hardly any medication at all but hopefully enough to keep her bowel inflammation at bay.

Addendum: The test results came back and Missy's fructosamine level was 584. Normal level for that substance in a cat is 370 – 400. That means that over the previous week Missy's blood glucose level was too high, too. Dr. B. increased her insulin dose from 6 to 7 units per day. We're to recheck fructosamine again in two weeks.

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