? How do I get Misha from blue to green safely?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Squeakycats

Squeakycats

Member Since 2017
Hello, all--

As you can see in his spreadsheet, my kitty Misha has been hanging around in the blue zone for several days with no insulin--I haven't given him any because the numbers have been pretty low and I'm not home during the day on weekdays to watch him. (The day he got .25 this week, my husband was home.)

I haven't yet spoken to my vet, but I expect she will tell me that we should just continue without it. But I would like to see him get to where his numbers are consistently in the green zone before we really stop! I'm thinking maybe this means .25 once a day, or twice a day, depending on what happens? maybe? I have some half-unit syringes that should be arriving today or tomorrow.

Any recommendations? How do I safely push those numbers just a little lower?
 
You could try the next dose down , which is 0.1 u (click to enlarge)
0.1u.JPG

Shoot every 12 hours and you will need to continue to monitor .
tips on getting important tests in while working full time can be found here
 
Thank you! I didn't know .1 was an option--that's excellent. And I think I found another thread where someone in a similar situation is being advised, so I'm going to follow that!
 
Here's some important information about reductions http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...ng-reductions-and-starting-otj-trials.150160/

You will have to monitor more closely but the more you can have Misha on insulin the better chances he has and as they have said 0.1 u is an option and even a drop ( which is less than the 0.1 u) it's tricky you'll but the important thing is that you'll be measuring less than the 0.25u and that you are consistent

Here's the link to the sticky about fine doses http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...insulin-info-handling-drawing-fine-doses.151/
 
Thanks! I was looking for the sticky but for some reason couldn't find it. I think I'm going to try .1 twice a day for a few days and see what happens. I definitely want to keep him on the insulin until the OTJ time has truly come.

Only-slightly-related question that I guess could go in the main forum...what do you think about the best location for ear pricks? I can always get blood if I hit the vein (obviously), but when I go for the edge of the ear, I tend to get nothing. If I set the lancet gizmo to go a little deeper, I go right through the ear. At first, he was completely fine with getting tested, but as it has been going on, he's become more unhappy about it, and his veins look slightly lumpy in some spots. I am using the rice sock to get his ears nice and warm first and the Neosporin with pain relief ointment after. I feel like my choices are to either go for the vein (which probably hurts and seems like it might do damage long-term), make holes directly through his ear (which just doesn't seem like the kind of thing to do intentionally), or end up sticking him four or five times for each test in order to finally get enough blood from the "sweet spot." I know I need to be watching him closely as we try to hit the right dose, but I hate my apparently-bad lancet technique. (I tried freehanding it once, and that went very poorly; I guess I could practice on myself a few more times and see if I can figure out why.)
 
Squeakycats said:
Thanks! I was looking for the sticky but for some reason couldn't find it. I think I'm going to try .1 twice a day for a few days and see what happens. I definitely want to keep him on the insulin until the OTJ time has truly come.

Only-slightly-related question that I guess could go in the main forum...what do you think about the best location for ear pricks? I can always get blood if I hit the vein (obviously), but when I go for the edge of the ear, I tend to get nothing. If I set the lancet gizmo to go a little deeper, I go right through the ear. At first, he was completely fine with getting tested, but as it has been going on, he's become more unhappy about it, and his veins look slightly lumpy in some spots. I am using the rice sock to get his ears nice and warm first and the Neosporin with pain relief ointment after. I feel like my choices are to either go for the vein (which probably hurts and seems like it might do damage long-term), make holes directly through his ear (which just doesn't seem like the kind of thing to do intentionally), or end up sticking him four or five times for each test in order to finally get enough blood from the "sweet spot." I know I need to be watching him closely as we try to hit the right dose, but I hate my apparently-bad lancet technique. (I tried freehanding it once, and that went very poorly; I guess I could practice on myself a few more times and see if I can figure out why.)
Click to expand...

I prick Babu as close to the edge of his ear as possible and around the middle of his ear, it has been more like a trial and error process to find his spot, especially since he has lots and lots of hair ( he has hair even on the inner side of his ear ) and I can't see his vein not even with a lamp. I do not use the lancet gizmo since the sound startled him and he got all restless plus I discovered that if I put the lancet on a 45° angle I had less chance of going through his ear and the only way was to hand held it hope this helps
 
That does help! I guess I just have to keep practicing. Do you do the stick pretty fast (like the lancet would), or more slowly (like you would if you were trying to insert a needle in a vein)?

Babu is gorgeous!!!!!
 
Squeakycats said:
That does help! I guess I just have to keep practicing. Do you do the stick pretty fast (like the lancet would), or more slowly (like you would if you were trying to insert a needle in a vein)?

Babu is gorgeous!!!!!
Click to expand...

Thank you !!

I definitely do it more slowly than the gizmo but it is still one quick sting not like when you want to really insert it
 
Also I do press more softly (or less not sure how to put it ) than I would if I was pricking my finger ( did some tests ) you will need more strength to prick your finger than his ear
 
I put the lancet on the spot I want then flick my wrist. It always feels to me like I'm going through her ear but I'm not. There's no way I could aim for the official tiny sweet spot between the edge of the ear and the vein. I try to fold the edge of her ear lengthwise and aim for a spot inboard of the vein. Often it is quite far from the vein. I used to fold and squeeze the ear to get blood, but then I watched a video where the tester just pressed on the surrounding skin. That works better for me. I'll think about that 45 degree tip above. Good luck. About a month in and I'm still trying to perfect the ear poke.
 
MJW said:
I put the lancet on the spot I want then flick my wrist. It always feels to me like I'm going through her ear but I'm not. There's no way I could aim for the official tiny sweet spot between the edge of the ear and the vein. I try to fold the edge of her ear lengthwise and aim for a spot inboard of the vein. Often it is quite far from the vein. I used to fold and squeeze the ear to get blood, but then I watched a video where the tester just pressed on the surrounding skin. That works better for me. I'll think about that 45 degree tip above. Good luck. About a month in and I'm still trying to perfect the ear poke.
Click to expand...

You are doing great it has taken me more than a month to locate the spot where I could get a drop ( not too big really but enough) with out causing almost an hemorrhage, the first time I did it I made him a hole so big I was considering getting him an earing for the piercing;) Probably helped at least to my fears the fact that I really couldn't see his veins so all I could do is move the spot a little till the drop wasn't too big, I was pricking blind sort of speak

With time his ear forms vascularities and it does get easier to get the blood, also you could just press the hole ear against the rice and wait a few seconds (as long as your meter allows) for the drop to form
 
I did read about the ear forming more blood vessels previously. That made my day. I use the 28 gauge lancets that came with the alphatrak.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top