Introduction

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrinological cat diseases. However glucose levels in blood according to normal values can lead to a false impression. Blood serum protein fructosamine level in blood may help as it points at glucose level increase over the past 2–3 weeks and it is not affected by a short-term glucose level rise or decrease due to stress or food intake.

Objectives

Compare and evaluate the glucose level monitoring methods using glucose and fructosamine level in blood during feline diabetes mellitus treatment.

Methods

Blood samples with glucose and fructosamine results for monitoring method evaluation were used from 13 clinic cats with diabetes and treated with insulin Lantus. Glucose monitoring results obtained domiciliary were used for the result comparison.

Results

Of the 13 cats only two animals had ideal glucose and fructosamine levels and three good ones (Feldman, Nelson 2004) the last 14 days, as evidenced by domiciliary monitoring. This indicator levels and glucose monitoring of three cats showed that in spite of insulin therapy, the animals still come into hyperglycaemic state. Increased fructosamine level in two cats with supposedly good blood glucose control domiciliary showed latent periods of hyperglycemia. These cat owners admitted mistakes in feline diet and insulin injection. Three cats’ glucose pointed to hyperglycaemia, but fructosamine proved good glucose control that coincided with domiciliary monitoring results.

Conclusions

Fructosamine determination in cat blood serum is sufficiently qualitative and reliable glucose monitoring method in diabetes mellitus case and allows evaluating glucose fluctuations in the last 2–3 week period.