What monitoring approach is recommended after starting insulin therapy in canine diabetes mellitus?

• A. No monitoring needed
• B. Serum fructosamine weekly
• C. Urine glucose curves and occasional blood glucose checks
• D. Owner's note of appetite

Answer: (C)

After starting insulin therapy in a diabetic dog, you monitor to ensure the dose is achieving stable control without causing dangerous lows. Using urine glucose curves along with occasional blood glucose checks provides practical, actionable information. Urine glucose testing shows whether glucose is spilling into the urine over a period, which reflects how high blood glucose is on average and helps gauge whether the insulin dose is bringing glucose down into a safer range. Occasional blood glucose checks give direct measurements at specific times, enabling precise dose adjustments and helping detect hypoglycemia that urine testing alone might miss. Relying on weekly fructosamine can lag behind real-time changes and won’t catch acute hypo- or hyperglycemia, while simply noting appetite is too subjective to guide dosing. No monitoring is unsafe because insulin requires ongoing assessment to keep the dog safe and well-controlled.