1/07 Herman amps fail +0.75 218 (12.1mmol/L) …what to do when cannot test before shot?

Amy & Herman

Amy & Herman

Member Since 2022
Yesterday: https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...amps-272-a-few-questions.265263/#post-2970948

Herman can be difficult at times. (Ps that’s an understatement).
There are some moments where persevering with an ear prick is simply impossible. He turns feral and gets extremely distressed. Yowling hissing biting and hiding. He generally does not mind the prick but multiple pricks when I don’t get enough blood or trying to get him still throws him into a tailspin. He hates even a hint of restraint. If he is sleeping or in cuddle mode I can often succeed but if he’s up and about doing Herman-stuff there currently no chance of a successful test. We learned early on that giving him his insulin shots needed to be done with zero restraint and a quick motion while he’s distracted. We mostly got that down. I am sure ear pricks will improve over time but while I work towards that with wild Herman. I’ve watched all related videos and read all the documentation. We will get better…but for now…what should I do?

I feel like my current best option is keep dose low enough to be safe to shoot even if no pre shot test is possible. I work from home so can closely monitor him most days. I will aim to try to get mid cycle shots whenever the opportunity presents itself to better determine nadir. I really need more data to help me make better decisions, wish that Libre had stayed on a few more days (came off yesterday dinner time).

The alternative is to miss a significant amount of shots when pre shot checks are unsuccessful.

I welcome anyones insight or opinion.
Amy & Herman
 
So sorry you are struggling with testing him :bighug:
We have all been there, when Chico was not regulated he was very ravenous before eating which made it more difficult to test him. The good news is that it gets better and easier very quickly, until then make sure to keep your calm while testing (fake it if needed, sing along) so that he doesn’t pick on your stress, warm up his ear (the rice sock for us worked like a charm) and make sure to give him consistently treats after each test for him to associate testing with treats.

When Chico was still ravenous we were testing him in two with my husband. If it where to happen that we couldn’t get a test at preshot, i would let him be for 15-20 min and repeat the procedure. Your schedule would be shifted a bit but you can get back by 15 min each cycle.

If you need more specific advice on something feel free to ask :bighug::bighug:
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Here's a post by another member with testing tips. Maybe something here can help.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/9-9-bailey-amps-117-5-62.252712/#post-2851043

Some cats are agitated at preshots because they are starving and want food. Is that the case with Herman? Unregulated cats cannot process their food and are always hungry. Would he be more amenable to preshot test if he got food 2.5-3 hours before?
Click to expand...
This is a much better advice than mine, this adreses the reason for the difficulties to take the preshot test ;)
 
Great advice on the link. My Artemis was very hard at first too (she's a mostly outside cat) & it was super frustrating. Thank goodness she doesn't bite, but we know all about the PANIC attacks. No time for ear warming but she does like to have her face, head & ears massaged. I experimented with a lot of holds & found if I sorta straddle her while massaging her head & doing something like a milking pull from face to ear she'd sit while I surreptitiously get the blood going. Then I put my ear holding hand across her face (sorta hold her head by her face), ear between thumb and forefinger. With the other hand I push in the test strip, grab the lancet, poke then test. EVERYTHING is set up right next to me on the floor on the side I'll be grabbing from, test strip partially inserted, lancet ready for action (no holder). Maus also gets a treat that she can't resist (sardine or a couple bits of kibble) & sometimes her face is in the bowl while I test. Same for insulin shots. The good news is, it does get easier.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
Here's a post by another member with testing tips. Maybe something here can help.
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/9-9-bailey-amps-117-5-62.252712/#post-2851043

Some cats are agitated at preshots because they are starving and want food. Is that the case with Herman? Unregulated cats cannot process their food and are always hungry. Would he be more amenable to preshot test if he got food 2.5-3 hours before?
Click to expand...
Great advice. I am definitely trying to establish a routine and make it about a snuggle and reward. It’s not the shot he’s offended by but more the needing to be a little still and messing with ears. If I only tested him while resting/sleeping we’d be fine. Getting a test at a specific time when he’s busy doing cat stuff isnnear impossible! He yowls, hisses runs away and would absolutely bite! Tried getting thicker lancets but my local drug store doesn’t have, might need to order on Amazon but will try Walmart first.
 
I don't know if this would be helpful or not, but once I get my hands on him I use my legs to help in the process, because Benny is fast, muscular, and capable of great outrage. I straddle Ben with my lower thighs, but with my weight on my knees or backside (not on him). Facing away from me. My weight is not on him at all but I can kind of scissor him loosely or more tightly with my knees. This way I can manage him with my knees or thighs in a pincer movement, and I generally have both hands free (sometimes one hand on his scruff if he's in really spirits). He does not struggle when in this position though it is not really squeezing him. When I try to just give the ear poke in a different position he still struggles and pulls his ear away. When he is in that loose squeeze he's fine and does not try to get away.
 
Amy & Herman said:
will try Walmart first
Click to expand...
As much as I hate going in there, this is where I get all my bg stuff, from the lancets to the relion meter & test strips; inexpensive, dependable supply and a store no matter what direction I'm headed in.
Ben&Squirrel said:
I straddle Ben with my lower thighs, but with my weight on my knees or backside (not on him). Facing away from me.
Click to expand...
This is exactly how I hold Maus, my feet keeping her from backing out. It's weird, but almost like if she can't see me, it's not so bad (thanks cat). For the insulin, I keep the business end of the syringe (cap on) in my teeth so I have 2 hands to part the fur on her scruff & hold, then with one hand pull up while the other grabs the syringe & pokes. This is usually done with her face in kibble (forbidden food otherwise, takes a minute to eat all the bits). She will not allow me to get near her while eating 'normal' food

I noticed the beautiful long hair, and a quick tip for parting is to slightly wet your hand

Also, I turned off the beeping on the meter and I occasionally change the tone on my reminder alarm because they both seemed to put her off
 
Susan for Artemis (Maus) said:
As much as I hate going in there, this is where I get all my bg stuff, from the lancets to the relion meter & test strips; inexpensive, dependable supply and a store no matter what direction I'm headed in.

This is exactly how I hold Maus, my feet keeping her from backing out. It's weird, but almost like if she can't see me, it's not so bad (thanks cat). For the insulin, I keep the business end of the syringe (cap on) in my teeth so I have 2 hands to part the fur on her scruff & hold, then with one hand pull up while the other grabs the syringe & pokes. This is usually done with her face in kibble (forbidden food otherwise, takes a minute to eat all the bits). She will not allow me to get near her while eating 'normal' food

I noticed the beautiful long hair, and a quick tip for parting is to slightly wet your hand

Also, I turned off the beeping on the meter and I occasionally change the tone on my reminder alarm because they both seemed to put her off
Click to expand...
Great tips! I always think to myself as I’m poking ears how much easier it would be if he had short white fur on his ears!
 
Ben&Squirrel said:
I don't know if this would be helpful or not, but once I get my hands on him I use my legs to help in the process, because Benny is fast, muscular, and capable of great outrage. I straddle Ben with my lower thighs, but with my weight on my knees or backside (not on him). Facing away from me. My weight is not on him at all but I can kind of scissor him loosely or more tightly with my knees. This way I can manage him with my knees or thighs in a pincer movement, and I generally have both hands free (sometimes one hand on his scruff if he's in really spirits). He does not struggle when in this position though it is not really squeezing him. When I try to just give the ear poke in a different position he still struggles and pulls his ear away. When he is in that loose squeeze he's fine and does not try to get away.
Click to expand...
Herman does a full on freak if I try to hold him down or even motion to restrain him in any way…. Literally to the point where he bites yowls and I’m sure he will hurt himself in the panic as he thrashes about and he loses it so quickly. I’m hoping the advice that ears will bleed easier with more pokes is true. I think I can mostly manage if they started bleeding on the first poke because it’s just when it takes too long he starts to go nuts. Timing the meter when more blood is needed sends my heart racing. Then my hands shake. Its the shortest 3- seconds ever. It’s stressful!
 
Amy & Herman said:
Herman does a full on freak if I try to hold him down or even motion to restrain him in any way…. Literally to the point where he bites yowls and I’m sure he will hurt himself in the panic as he thrashes about and he loses it so quickly. I’m hoping the advice that ears will bleed easier with more pokes is true. I think I can mostly manage if they started bleeding on the first poke because it’s just when it takes too long he starts to go nuts. Timing the meter when more blood is needed sends my heart racing. Then my hands shake. Its the shortest 3- seconds ever. It’s stressful!
Click to expand...
Maus will not be held, but for some reason, the scissor thing between my legs works, especially while I'm rubbing her face. I hope you can find a hold that works for you. Our challenging cats can be a - challenge :blackeye:
 
Polysporin, and neosporin, according to recent studies, have ingredients in them which are not good for cats if ingested. If you can get Emla cream from your vets, that's a good substitute.

I found a very small smear of vaseline on my girl's black long haired ears was invaluable. It helped the blood bead up instead of diving into the fur where I couldn't see it.
 
Hendrick Cuddleclaw said:
yeah without vaseline, we never ever got a successful test. Blood drop would always just go right into that furry ear hair
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I think for next prick I will more liberally apply vaseline - maybe this is the ticket - I have been using a tiny amount and may not be enough to help with the pooling.
Curious who has had better luck on the outside vs inside of ear. I am also not coordinated to use cotton backing and use my finger so keep picking myself as needle frequently goes through ear.
 
Amy & Herman said:
I think for next prick I will more liberally apply vaseline - maybe this is the ticket - I have been using a tiny amount and may not be enough to help with the pooling.
Curious who has had better luck on the outside vs inside of ear. I am also not coordinated to use cotton backing and use my finger so keep picking myself as needle frequently goes through ear.
Click to expand...

in the beginning, I pretty much always went outer ear, inner ear had more ear hair and i found it more difficult. Oddly, over time I got the hang of dealing with the extra ear hair and ultimately found the inner ear bled better on Hendrick. So, it may just depend on the cat. We fell into a routine of rotating from ear to ear, inner to outer, so that no one part of any ear got over-poked and there was always ample time to heal. I.E. Right ear inner, Left ear inner, Right ear outer, Left ear outer then back to Right ear inner. We would mark it on the SS because I could never remember.

I feel you on the lancet going right through. THat used to happen to me a lot but over time I got the hang of it so I didnt over-poke anymore. Remember to have the lancet at a 45 degree angle and always with the angled point down (if you're not sure what I mean by this, let me know I'll post a pic)

I also used a lot more vaseline in the early days. After becoming more skilled in the pokes, less and less was needed.
 
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