Blood sugar testing

[Roops]

did our first blood sugar testing on Rupie about a half hour or more ago.
He has been sick the past couple of days. Drinking lots, and loose as a goose.
Stools not solid. Little shape to them. Takes a lot out of our babies.

We upped his insulin back again this morning.
Back to what we normally gave him.
5 units of ProZinc

He has had three blood curve tests at the vet's office since
being diagnosed. We will be better informed wiser as we continue
to do these blood tests.

It took an army to draw the blood (me shaking like a leaf)
this morning but we managed.
I used my own lancet/pen while my youngest son held
the glucose meter. My other daughter need by
with cotton pad. Surprisingly it was easier than I was expecting.

We tested his blood sugar using the Alphatrak meter/with strips.
The reading is not the best, or most desirable,
but it's not the highest it has been.
when he was tested at the vet's office it was about 33.
today about 11:30 it was 19.2. He was given his insulin
dose about 7 or earlier this morning.
My oldest daughter has been giving him his shot.
We all need to learn how.

We still need to work on switching him over to canned cat food
that is lower in carbs, and better for him.
We are try to eliminate dry kibble as much as possible.
He is not into people food so making from scratch not worthwhile
he wouldn't eat it.
Since he was sick he has been not wanting to eat.
He has been a tired boy.
I am pretty sure it was the Fancy Feast salmon
, or the Friskies Seafood medley that caused the most recent
loose movements. Last time it was Whitefish and tuna.
He likes fishy stuff but it doesn't like him.

He has recovered from the blood sugar test.
Sunning himself now, and playing.

Planning on retesting him later on this evening.
Hopefully this will get easier in time.

 

[Lisa and Witn (GA)]

I have reached out to the ProZinc forum to see if they can help you.

 

[Rachel]

So the 19.2 was about 4 1/2 hours after the shot? Did you happen to get a test before the shot? It's definitely high, but that doesn't mean that the dose is too low necessarily. Too high a dose can look a lot like too low a dose. To determine what's going on, we'd really need preshot tests every day and whatever mid cycle tests you can get...we can figure out what's going on faster the more tests you can get. I know it can be hard to get mid cycles, but anything you can do is great...I used to do a +2 before bed during the week since I couldn't do nadirs while at work. That combined with what I could do on my off days helped me see what was going on.

5 units of insulin is a LOT. How did you get to that number? Did you start lower and work your way up?

As for the testing and shots, it WILL get easier. Do you give a treat after the test? That's the secret to it! My kitty came running for tests because she knew a treat was coming...and all my other cats came too! If you are still getting used to testing, try doing some conditioning with your cat as well. Pick a spot you want to test usually (mine was on the floor by the fridge). Take you cat there several times a day, pet him, rub his ears, praise him, and give him a treat. He'll start to associate going there and having you touch his ears with good things and he'll be eager for test time!

 

[Lisa and little]

Hello Rupie and parent and welcome. First thing I would like to say is we were all in your shoes at one point. I remember having a near nervous breakdown at testing time and now it has become routine. One thing I could recommend to make that process a bit easier is ditch the lancet and try poking the ear free hand. While that sounds scary it really is easier and I think a lot of other members here would agree. The second thing would be to get your spreadsheet going to keep track of your BG tests. I am not that computer savvy but other members here like @Kris & Teasel or @Djamila can probably guide you through the process. One thing that stands out to me is Rupies weight. 17Lbs? Unless he is a Maine Coon that seems heavy so getting his weight under control will certainly help with BG #s. That said kibble is the devil . I was very resistant to this as well since my Little was a kibble only girl but all my research and all the wonderful advice I have gotten here says dry food is a huge culprit when dealing with high BG #s. That said I cannot give any dosing advice but what I will say is if you do remove kibble and his weight comes down doses will more than likely be lower as many kitties respond to food changes fairly quickly so make sure you monitor levels closely as diet has a huge effect on BG #s. I’m sure one of the more experienced members will respond with real advice but I just wanted to say hi and let you know you are not alone with the frustration and stress of all these things. Again we have all been there at some point so just know it does get better and easier and we are all here for you. Hugs your way

 

[Silvia]

I second this! Phoenix is off dry food and all wet food, under 10g of carbs. Also he’s a big cat, weighing 16 lbs...due to less calories and strict monitoring/prevention of food stealing (from his older brother, Banana) he’s lost some weight. His numbers have tanked without insulin. Hang in there! We made huge gains within a few weeks with simple diet changes and a strict feeding schedule. Good luck, Rupie and fam!

 

[Roops]

So the 19.2 was about 4 1/2 hours after the shot? Did you happen to get a test before the shot? It's definitely high, but that doesn't mean that the dose is too low necessarily. Too high a dose can look a lot like too low a dose. To determine what's going on, we'd really need preshot tests every day and whatever mid cycle tests you can get...we can figure out what's going on faster the more tests you can get. I know it can be hard to get mid cycles, but anything you can do is great...I used to do a +2 before bed during the week since I couldn't do nadirs while at work. That combined with what I could do on my off days helped me see what was going on.

5 units of insulin is a LOT. How did you get to that number? Did you start lower and work your way up?

As for the testing and shots, it WILL get easier. Do you give a treat after the test? That's the secret to it! My kitty came running for tests because she knew a treat was coming...and all my other cats came too! If you are still getting used to testing, try doing some conditioning with your cat as well. Pick a spot you want to test usually (mine was on the floor by the fridge). Take you cat there several times a day, pet him, rub his ears, praise him, and give him a treat. He'll start to associate going there and having you touch his ears with good things and he'll be eager for test time!

We have just started testing at home. We only started around 11 or so yesterday because my oldest daughter was worried he was becoming hypoglycemic. She was at work, so my younger two and I did it. 5 units of insulin was determined by the vet's office. He started out with 1 unit and gradually worked his way up to 5 units. His bs last night around 8o'clock was 25. something. Went up about 6 points. This morning at about 7:30 it was 18. something. He has had no insulin since last night. I did give him a few treats about between 5 or 6 this morning. Purina Pro Plan. We also gave him a few Party Mix treats during his test.

So the 19.2 was about 4 1/2 hours after the shot? Did you happen to get a test before the shot? It's definitely high, but that doesn't mean that the dose is too low necessarily. Too high a dose can look a lot like too low a dose. To determine what's going on, we'd really need preshot tests every day and whatever mid cycle tests you can get...we can figure out what's going on faster the more tests you can get. I know it can be hard to get mid cycles, but anything you can do is great...I used to do a +2 before bed during the week since I couldn't do nadirs while at work. That combined with what I could do on my off days helped me see what was going on.

5 units of insulin is a LOT. How did you get to that number? Did you start lower and work your way up?

As for the testing and shots, it WILL get easier. Do you give a treat after the test? That's the secret to it! My kitty came running for tests because she knew a treat was coming...and all my other cats came too! If you are still getting used to testing, try doing some conditioning with your cat as well. Pick a spot you want to test usually (mine was on the floor by the fridge). Take you cat there several times a day, pet him, rub his ears, praise him, and give him a treat. He'll start to associate going there and having you touch his ears with good things and he'll be eager for test time!

Dear Rachel We have just started testing his bs at home. Mid day he was about 19.2 yesterday. It might have been high down to his digestive system being off. My daughter gave him, his insulin shot sometime before 7. The vet's office suggested a reading of 13-14 best. We tested him again last night before his shot. He was 25. something. We gave him another 5 units of Pro Zinc. We tested him again this morning around 7:30 or later. It was 18. something. No insulin shot had been given since the previous night. I did give him a few Purina Pro Plan OW kibble (4-5?) about 5 this morning. We are holding back the treats (Temptations/Party Mix) and only giving them sparingly...like during blood sugar testings time. 5 units of insulin was determined by the vet. He started out with 1 unit and worked his way up. I need to remember to wear my glasses when pricking his ear. That an a well lit room is beneficial. I do the pricking, and massaging of the ear. My kids hold the glucose meter. Do you wipe the ear off with alcohol prior to pricking. I do try to wash my hands. I know a clean ear is important for best results. I have not found it necessary to put Vaseline or something of that nature on his ear for the blood to bead up. A good idea about conditioning. Rupie loves his ears rubbed.

 

[Roops]

Hello Rupie and parent and welcome. First thing I would like to say is we were all in your shoes at one point. I remember having a near nervous breakdown at testing time and now it has become routine. One thing I could recommend to make that process a bit easier is ditch the lancet and try poking the ear free hand. While that sounds scary it really is easier and I think a lot of other members here would agree. The second thing would be to get your spreadsheet going to keep track of your BG tests. I am not that computer savvy but other members here like @Kris & Teasel or @Djamila can probably guide you through the process. One thing that stands out to me is Rupies weight. 17Lbs? Unless he is a Maine Coon that seems heavy so getting his weight under control will certainly help with BG #s. That said kibble is the devil . I was very resistant to this as well since my Little was a kibble only girl but all my research and all the wonderful advice I have gotten here says dry food is a huge culprit when dealing with high BG #s. That said I cannot give any dosing advice but what I will say is if you do remove kibble and his weight comes down doses will more than likely be lower as many kitties respond to food changes fairly quickly so make sure you monitor levels closely as diet has a huge effect on BG #s. I’m sure one of the more experienced members will respond with real advice but I just wanted to say hi and let you know you are not alone with the frustration and stress of all these things. Again we have all been there at some point so just know it does get better and easier and we are all here for you. Hugs your way

Dear Lisa and Little, Our Roops is of unknown breed, and definitely a fluffy cat. He was much fluffier before he was diagnosed. His weight loss was one of the reasons we took him to the vet. That and his lack of interest in food. We knew something was seriously wrong. He was about 23 pounds at one point but lost weight over a few months. I am part to blame for the weight gain. Grandma's house had good pickings. When we took him in (he's my oldest son's cat) I picked up a glass cake dish...so two heads could stick in the bowl and eat at once. Our other cat, Ollie was not fixed. Ollie was an only furbaby and did not take well to a stranger coming to his home. I thought a larger bowl or dish were they could both eat from a good idea. It wasn't. We tried Felway but eventually decided to get Ollie fixed. He was nine years old. That stopped the spraying. They get along fairly well. My youngest daughter caught Ollie licking Rupie yesterday. I think Ollie knows Rupie is not well. The vet's office recommended Purina Pro Plan OW management kibble, as well as wet cat food. It is my hope to eventually wean him completely off kibble.

 

[Roops]

I second this! Phoenix is off dry food and all wet food, under 10g of carbs. Also he’s a big cat, weighing 16 lbs...due to less calories and strict monitoring/prevention of food stealing (from his older brother, Banana) he’s lost some weight. His numbers have tanked without insulin. Hang in there! We made huge gains within a few weeks with simple diet changes and a strict feeding schedule. Good luck, Rupie and fam!

Silvia...
food stealing. I can relate. We are trying to feed the other cat upstairs
or put his food up.
Ollie never was a big eater, Roops the opposite. He likes his grub.
Ollie seems to like Roop's Purina Pro Plan OW management kibble.
Wet canned cat food...both lick the gravy off the top.

 

[Lisa and little]

I literally sit between my 2 and make sure everyone finishes without stealing. Some days go better than others and sometimes I have to move my civvies food around the room and act like the police but no stealing allowed