Not only excess, but also sugar deficiency can be lethal for the cat: here are the symptoms and remedies of hypoglycemia in the cat.
Good nutrition is the basis of the well-being of our pet. There are many aspects to take care of: from proteins to vitamins, from fats to carbohydrates, and of course sugars. Well, it is not enough that the cat does not take too many; it also needs to take on enough. The danger is that the cat will get sick with hypoglycemia. Let’s see what you need to know about it.
What is hypoglycemia in cats
Hypoglycemia is a pathology that occurs when the level of glucose in the blood is excessively low. It is a potentially lethal pathological condition for the animal. Although it is particularly widespread in the first months of life of kittens, it is not uncommon for it to also affect adult cats.
It is not enough to diagnose hypoglycemia alone: it is in fact a pathology that very often is simply the effect of other diseases, or in any case depends on very specific causes. Here are the main ones:
Inadequate diet
Excessively prolonged fasting, especially if before a great physical exertion
Liver diseases
Pancreatic cancer
Heart failure
Renal
Excessive administration of insulin
Symptoms
The symptoms of hypoglycemia can be different, depending on the cause on which the disease depends, the age at which it manifests itself, and the rate at which the lowering of the minimum levels of glucose in the cat’s blood occurs. Here’s what it is:
Lack of appetite
Weakness
Walking difficulties
Seizures
Feline stress
Muscle tremor
Pupil dilation
Cardiac arrhythmia
Obviously it is not necessary that all the symptoms occur at the same time. Although the pathology is the same, each cat has a situation of its own, and therefore can only present certain symptoms. Among other things, the latter occur especially when blood glucose has reached a certain minimum threshold (normally below 50 mg / dl).
Diagnosis and remedies
In the presence of such symptoms it is necessary to contact your veterinarian to ascertain the real cause of the cat’s malaise. Although it seems superfluous to reiterate it, it is good to remember never to proceed with DIY diagnosis. As for the diagnosis, and the related treatment, it is not easy to summarize the various remedies to follow.
The reason is very simple: as mentioned above, hypoglycemia in cats can depend on several pathologies. It is therefore necessary, once the symptoms of hypoglycemia have been ascertained, to understand from which disease it depended. Only after that it will be possible to act specifically on the situation of the animal.
If the pathology depends on poor nutrition of the cat, it will be necessary to proceed to the elaboration of a new diet for the animal. In this case, until it stabilizes with the new diet, it may be necessary to give food supplements to the cat.
Where, on the other hand, hypoglycemia is dependent on other pathologies (as mentioned, for example, pancreatic cancer, renal or heart failure) we will act directly on the latter; proper care should include the problem of hypoglycemia. In any case, the professional could prescribe a special treatment for the cat.
