Hello all, new possible diabetic cat owner here looking for some help and meter information.

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Curtis Forte

Curtis Forte

Member Since 2022
Hi everyone, my vet diagnosed my cat with diabetes and I'm in the process of getting his blood glucose data from her, but she wants to put him on insulin right away. I came across Dr. Lisa's cat info information and wised up to buying certain prescription diet stuff. I have taken dry food out of the house and am going to put him on FF pate and other low carb FFs. There are no Walmart's around where I live, can I just order Amazon's
Metene TD-4116 Blood Glucose Monitor Kit or is there a better cheaper option that has everything? I saw some mention of the Contour Next one. I'd like to start home testing soon to see how his levels change. The insulin is supposedly on its way, but the vet has to call 1 800 pet meds to figure out what's going on. Please throw some info. my way as to good meters and tips for Runi to recover. He is very skinny and as soon as I switched to a classic pate FF today, he ate it up so fast, so I hope to see his levels recover.
 
Welcome Curtis and Runi
Can you tell us where you live so we can give you some info on pet meters
Good that you switched to low carb wet foods
What insulin will you be using
I looked up the reviews upon the Metene on Amazon they don't look to good
 
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Hi sure, I live in Boston, the vet says she ordered Prozinc insulin. Yeah I saw a few bad ones but am confused by how many different ones there are and some come as kits and others don’t. Just tryin to get a good one but save some money too.
 
I do not recall the Metene BG meter being discussed in this form. A lot of use caretakers in this forum seem to use Walmart Relion brand BG meters. There current offering is the Relion Premiere meter. That meter comes in various models.
https://www.relionbgm.com/
and the cost of the4 strips are low. Some find the Classic too big and like the Com0act instead. The Blu model uploades BG values to your compatible phone.
 
What pharmacies do you have near you? You may want to get a meter from there. Then if you need strips quickly you do not have to wait on shipping?
 
This is a link from our Health Links page on glucometers. The information isn't entirely current. If you do a search on "glucometer ratings 2022" you will get several sites that provide information on meters. Most of the members here use a human meter vs a pet-specific meter due to the cost of strips for a pet meter.

The diabetes is likely the reason your kitty has lost weight. It's fine to feed him more than what you're used to feeding him. Until his levels are better regulated, the food he's eating isn't getting into his cells to provide the necessary nutrition -- the glucose is floating around in his blood.

I'd also suggest hunting down some treats. Most folks here use a freeze dried protein or other sort of protein (e.g., chicken, shrimp, even steak!). When you're starting to home test, you want to provide treats. It's a helpful way of getting your cat to associate getting poked in the ear with a treat.

This is a link on Hometesting to help you get prepared. The other link that we ask you to take a look at involves helping us to help you. It will provide directions on setting up a spreadsheet to track Runi's blood glucose (BG) test results so you have the data in one place and so we can follow along and offer suggestions, how to set up your signature so we don't plague you with the same questions repeatedly, and other helpful information when you're starting on this journey.

Please let us know how we can help.
 
You can order online from Walmart and they ship everything to you meter, test strips, lancets. I really liked ReliOn and the convenience of getting everything shipped to my doorstep. It gets pricey when you’re testing 3-4 times a day so it’s def the most cost efficient option.
 
Curtis Forte said:
Hi sure, I live in Boston, the vet says she ordered Prozinc insulin. Yeah I saw a few bad ones but am confused by how many different ones there are and some come as kits and others don’t. Just tryin to get a good one but save some money too.
Click to expand...
You can order the relion premier classic human meter from Walmart or amazon
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103. 9 dollars
17.88 for 100 test strips
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197

Go to any pharmacy or store and pick up 26 or 28 gauge lancets any brand will do
Get some cotton rounds
 
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
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6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
You can also put a thin layer of vaseline on the ear ,to help the blood bead up
A video one of our members posted
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
You can order the relion premier classic human meter from Walmart or amazon
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103. 9 dollars
17.88 for 100 test strips
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197

Go to any pharmacy or store and pick up 26 or 28 gauge lancets any brand will do
Get some cotton rounds
Click to expand...
You can order the lancets from Walmart too ;)
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Thin-Blood-Lancets-100-Count/34088206
 
Thank You for these resources, everyone, I decided on the Relion BLU from a comment so I can upload the data and show it to the vet, I have everything coming including ketone test strips. I just ordered the Prozinc with syringes on Chewy since the vet had some type of difficulty with 1800petmeds. I will follow the guide above to test him. Feel free to let me know about how to use the table to transcribe human values to cat values from my Relion, I will check out the forum thread. I will have to figure out how often to measure his blood, when, and how much insulin to give when it arrives.
 
He has high GLU 395
AST 67
ALT 134
CL 112
CO2 13
CHOL 364
CK 61
I think the values are better now though that we switched him to a better diet. He is eating a lot more and has a lot more energy than when he was brought in to be tested
 
Curtis Forte said:
Thank You for these resources, everyone, I decided on the Relion BLU from a comment so I can upload the data and show it to the vet, I have everything coming including ketone test strips. I just ordered the Prozinc with syringes on Chewy since the vet had some type of difficulty with 1800petmeds. I will follow the guide above to test him. Feel free to let me know about how to use the table to transcribe human values to cat values from my Relion, I will check out the forum thread. I will have to figure out how often to measure his blood, when, and how much insulin to give when it arrives.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the forum, you're in good hands here. My tip would be to always order way more test strips than you think you'll need, especially if you don't regularly drive past a Walmart; I always have at least one unopened 2 pack on hand. I'd bet at some point you'll be driving by one & go in just to grab an extra box or two ;)

I also email my vet weekly with a link to Maus's spreadsheet so she can check on her progress. Not all vets are into this, but luckily mine is
 
Curtis Forte said:
Feel free to let me know about how to use the table to transcribe human values to cat values from my Relion, I will check out the forum thread. I will have to figure out how often to measure his blood, when, and how much insulin to give when it arrives.
Click to expand...
You can't compare human values to cat values

Syringes did you buy the U-40 syringes with the half unit markings?
We adjust doses by 0.25 units at a time.
These syringes make it easier to do that

When you are ready to start with the prozinc you can start a new post link this post to the new one and ask about how many units to start with such as
? Starting prozinc need dosing advice

First you need to create your signature
To set up your signature which you will see is at the end of everyone's post in gray, click on your name up top and then tap on the word signature and add this information
  • Add info we need to help you:
    • Caregiver & kitty's name
    • DX: Date
    • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
    • Name of your meter
    • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
    • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
    • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
    • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
    • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
    • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.
Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom. If you need help urgently it is important we know these things at a glance. We don’t want to waste valuable time finding out information.

Take a look at mine

We have what's called our spreadsheet where we track our cats BG to see how the insulin is working and how low it's dropping
You need to be testing first thing in the morning (AMPS AM Pre Shot) to make sure the number is safe to give insulin.
Same thing at night PMPS
Then you test a couple times during each hour cycle
You withhold food 2 hours prior to both testings AM and PM you don't want the BG to be food influenced
After that we feed our cats small meals during each 12 hour cycle
I can give you the link to set up the spreadsheet
If you have any trouble setting it up just ask, we have a member that can do it for in no time
The link will also explain how the spreadsheet works
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/how-to-create-a-spreadsheet.241706/

You can read all about prozinc here all the yellow stickys
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/
 
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Ok thank you so much this is a lot to process, I am going to measure his blood glucose now for the first time. He has eaten about 2 hours ago. The Insulin has not arrived yet and I sorted out the issue with the vet. It should be here soon now. I will create a new post asking about how much insulin to give when it arrives. On the spreadsheet template what does the AMPS PMPS +#s and U represent for the measurements?
 
His first reading after 2 Er4s, I had a really difficult time getting a droplet to form as I ordered 30 gauge before seeing the comments. Eventually I got a 324mg/dl reading, I had to poke many times is there another location that works well too? How do I put this in the spreadsheet?
 
Curtis Forte said:
Ok thank you so much this is a lot to process, I am going to measure his blood glucose now for the first time. He has eaten about 2 hours ago. The Insulin has not arrived yet and I sorted out the issue with the vet. It should be here soon now. I will create a new post asking about how much insulin to give when it arrives. On the spreadsheet template what does the AMPS PMPS +#s and U represent for the measurements?
Click to expand...
AMPS means the first test in the morning , withhold feeding 2 hours prior to testing so it's not food influenced You would put that number in the AMPS cell that means AM pre shot
If you test him 2 hours later after giving insulin that BG number goes in the +2 cell
and so on

Same thing with PMPS withold feeding 2 hours before that test then test and put that BG # in the PMPS cell if you test 3 hours after giving insulin that goes in the +3 cell and so on

The U means how many units of insulin you are giving
When you start a new pot the Date Runi AMPS # and any tests after that
To add those tests to the right you will see the word Tool Threads tap on that then tap on Edit Thread add those tests and tap Save
Do you have the U-40 syringes with half unit markings?
We adjust the dose by 0.25 units at a time. Those syringes make it easier to do that

I have only tested using the ear, once you get the 26 or 28 gauge lancets it will help.
You can test on his paw pad but I have never used it
 
Please look at the diagram and pic Diane posted earlier on the thread. Make sure you’re warming up the ear to help with the blood flow. You can fill a sock with rice and nuke it for 20-30 seconds then hold that against the ear to warm it up
 
Thank you everyone, I am on the second day of giving him one unit of insulin, maybe he needs more though? I'll keep an eye on the tests and check out the rest of the forum.
 
Curtis Forte said:
Thank you everyone, I am on the second day of giving him one unit of insulin, maybe he needs more though? I'll keep an eye on the tests and check out the rest of the forum.
Click to expand...
I can tag a prozinc user for you
Looked at your SS insulin should be given at the same time both AM and PM twelve hours apart
You need to be testing Runi's BG at night PMPS and get tests in during the PM cycle
Can you try and get more tests in during the AM cycle

I doubt he needs more insulin , you just started out giving it to him

Did you read my post #19 here , the numbers are on the right hand side of each post

The notes you have in your unit cell are confusing
Are you giving insulin every 12 hours ? Twice a day?
Melissa can you take a look at his SS Thanks

@FrostD
 
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Not enough data to say what to do with dose :)

But Diane is right, the shots need to be 12 hours apart, give or take about 30 minutes maximum (ideally 15 mins).
 
I have updated the sheet; I am giving him 1 unit twice a day spaced out around 12 hours and doing a blood test before insulin in the morning and before his nighttime insulin. I am concerned as his glucose levels have significantly decreased today going from 323 to 283 to 146 is this normal when starting insulin? When should it be alarming?
 
Hello and welcome! I know how overwhelming all the information can be. For now, focusing on gathering as much information as possible to learn what numbers are alarming. Can you test a few times throughout the day and night? This will help you (and the people here) to learn how Runi is handling the insulin.

What was helpful for me in the beginning was to look at other people's Spreadsheets to see how often to test and when to increase or decrease a dose.
 
I suspect dose is too high. Please reduce to 0.5U with the next shot.

We dose based on nadir, or the lowest BG in the cycle. You want that to be about 90-120 for now; we reduce by 0.25U any time they go under 90 (or you can reasonably infer they did). Just given my experience reading lots and lots of spreadsheets, he went well below 90 last night. So 0.5U is safer for now.

If you are around please keep a very close eye on him today. If you have some higher carb food (or have to leave), please leave that out for him.

Nadir on ProZinc is about 4-6 hours after the shot. So if you can start getting some tests in that window, that will tell us a lot.

Also, for now, please no shot if he's under 200. Once we get him to a good dose we'll work on lowering that number or giving partial doses under 200.
 
Looking at your SS again are you shooting 12:30 PM in the afternoon on 7-13 ?And then 11:30 PM at night?
Why so late can't you test him in the morning?
Then same time at night
I assume you work because there are no tests after AMPS
You really need to be doing a lot more testing so see how the insulin is working and how low he's dropping. You should have tested him after that 146
At night you also need more tests, set an alarm if you have to
I'm really confused at what you are writing on your SS in the Units cell about the times you are writing
@Curtis Forte
 
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