Is Senvelgo® as effective as insulin?

Yes. In a European clinical field trial, the efficacy of Senvelgo® was evaluated and compared to insulin. The study confirmed that once-daily Senvelgo® is non-inferior to (at least as good as) twice-daily insulin injections.11,12

How do I identify and manage cats that might be going into remission?

Remission of diabetes mellitus in cats is a complex phenomenon, which can be influenced by multiple factors in individual patients, such as glycaemic control, diet, age, weight and/or genetics. Cats that enter remission while treated with exogenous insulin are often identified following a hypoglycaemic episode (usually due to continued administration of exogenous insulin once endogenous insulin production has increased). Due to Senvelgo®’s mode of action, it may be difficult to identify cats that are in remission, since these cats would not be expected to have symptomatic hypoglycaemic events. Consideration should be given to continuing treatment indefinitely or discontinuing and closely monitoring glycaemic control and for return of clinical signs. If the patient relapses, Senvelgo® can be restarted when appropriate. However, cats who relapse will have experienced further episodes of hyperglycaemia (and therefore glucose toxicity), which may affect remaining beta cell function and mean these cats may not respond as well to Senvelgo® in the future, or be an appropriate candidate to restart Senvelgo®.

Can I feed a restricted-carbohydrate diet to cats receiving Senvelgo®?

While feeding a restricted-carbohydrate diet improves glycaemic control in diabetic cats, the effect of feeding these diets to cats receiving Senvelgo® has not been specifically investigated. Feeding such a diet, however, was not an exclusion criterion in clinical trials, and no specific concerns were identified in these cats throughout the trial period. We recommend not making any diet changes during the first two weeks of treatment with Senvelgo®.

Managing Diabetes | SENVELGO GB VET

cat eating from a bowl, with a human using a syringe to administer senvelgo

Diabetes management flowchart

This flowchart summarises recommended steps for assessing suitability, initiating treatment and monitoring cats receiving Senvelgo^®, including ketone assessment and long-term glycaemic evaluation.

a. Cats previously treated with insulin may be at higher risk for DKA & should be monitored closely when starting treatment. If transitioning from insulin, omit the insulin evening dose the day before starting Senvelgo^® treatment.

b. Soluble insulin & intravenous fluid therapy required to resolve ketoacidosis (supplement with glucose/dextrose if blood glucose <15 mmol/l).

c. A small proportion of cats may not respond adequately to Senvelgo^® treatment due to true insulin deficiency, so long-term treatment with insulin may be required in these cases.

d. While often a spot blood glucose will confirm glycaemic control, cats on Senvelgo^® can still be impacted by stress hyperglycaemia. If a spot blood glucose is high consider repeating or doing a fructosamine.

Guide for managing diabetic cats with Senvelgo^®

Click below to download our full Vet Management Guide which features all the information you need, including the above flowchart, for managing diabetic cats with Senvelgo^®

Senvelgo^® vet management guide

Managing diabetes - common questions

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References

1. Niessen, S. J. M. et al. (2022) Once daily oral therapy for feline diabetes mellitus: evaluation of SGLT-2 inhibitor velagliflozin as stand-alone therapy compared to insulin injection therapy in diabetic cats. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 36, 2512–2513.

2. Sparkes, A. H. et al. (2015) ISFM Consensus Guidelines on the Practical Management of Diabetes Mellitus in Cats. J Feline Med Surg 17, 235–50.

3. Waite, O. et al. (2025) Frequency, Risk Factors, and Mortality for Diabetes Mellitus in 1 225 130 Cats Under Primary Veterinary Care in the United Kingdom in 2019. JVIM 39:e70161.

4. Rand J, Gottlieb, SA. Feline diabetes mellitus. Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 8th edition. Ettinger SJ, Feldman EC and Cote E, eds. Elsevier, Missouri. 2017;1781-1795.

5. 2018 Summary of the Veterinary Clinic: Pet Obesity Prevalence Survey & Pet Owner: Weight Management, Nutrition, and Pet Food Survey. Available at:
https://petobesityprevention.org/2018.

6. Niessen, S. J. M. et al. (2017) The Big Pet Diabetes Survey: Perceived Frequency and Triggers for Euthanasia. Vet Sci 4, 27.

7. Diabetes in Cats: Quantitative market research study. Proprietary presentation, July 19, 2021. Kynetec; St. Louis, MO, on behalf of Boehringer Ingelheim.

8. Niessen, S. J. M. et al. (2010) Evaluation of a quaility-of-life tool for cats with diabetes mellitus. J Vet Intern Med 24, 1098-105.

9. Best New Product of the Year, 2024/2025 UK Veterinary Marketing Association (VMA) Awards

10. Behrend, E. N. et al. (2024) Velagliflozin, a once-daily, liquid, oral SGLT2 inhibitor, is effective as a stand-alone therapy for feline diabetes mellitus: the SENSATION study. JAVMA 262, 1343-1353.

11. Niessen, S. J. M. et al. (2024) Efficacy and safety of once daily oral administration of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor velagliflozin compared with twice daily insulin injection in diabetic cats. J Vet Intern Med 38, 2099–2119.

12. VMD. Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC): Senvelgo^® 15mg/ml oral solution for cats (velagliflozin). Veterinary Medicines Directorate, UK.

13. Reusch C, Chapter: 291 Feline Diabetes Mellitus, In: Ettinger J, Feldman E; editors. St Louis, Missouri, Saunders Elsevier; Textbook of veterinary internal medicine. 10th ed. 2010 p 1796-1816.

Diabetes management flowchart

Guide for managing diabetic cats with Senvelgo®

Managing diabetes - common questions

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Guide for managing diabetic cats with Senvelgo^®

Welcome to the Senvelgo^® vet website