New but Old Member - Question about home testing

[Milo & Norman & Sarah]

Hello, I am a returning member with yet another diabetic kitty. Norman was my first cat with diabetes in 2007 when I first found FDMB (which save my sanity and Norman's life) and was hoping and praying this site was still around after 12 years (the last time I logged in in 2010 after Norm passed)! My Milo was just diagnosed yesterday after I noticed him drinking and begging for an excessive amount of water, urinating frequently, noticeable weight loss over 1 week, and an extremely odd smell to his urine. Milo is a 11 yr. old DSH orange tabby. I took him to the vet yesterday, ran a urine test immediately showing he is diabetic, also did a panel of blood work that confirmed this morning. The Vet put him on PZI 2 units, twice a day. I have a glucose curve scheduled for the first week of August, but Milo is such a "scaredy cat" with major anxiety issues (he is on anxiety medication), that I'm going to try to do the curve testing myself. I ordered the ReliOn meter, strips, lancets today - will get them by Sunday. So, with this all being said, I have been on the site for hours refreshing my memory with everything, but cannot seem to find the frequency of testing. I'm sure I have missed it somewhere. I feel like back in 2007 we tested Norman 2x a day. My lifestyle has changed drastically since Norman and I'm afraid I might only get in one test a day with Milo. What is the actual frequency of testing and if I only have the opportunity to test Milo once a day, is this ok? Is an evening test ok? Milo is a different cat than Norm. Norm was very relaxed, was super easy/relaxed with testing, and just an all around easy cat. Milo is the complete opposite, high stress, major anxiety, runs/jumps at the slightest noise. I did get his first dose of insulin this evening without any issues, the testing is what I'm worried about! Sorry for the lengthy book, just wanted to make sure I covered everything. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Hi Sarah the dry food you are feeding is about 33% carbs too high
Most of us do feed FF Classic pate as you said you are feeding also
Most of us do use The Relion Meters
Do you have 26 or 28 gauge lancets and half unit syringes
How was he diagnosed was it a fructosamine test ?
What was his BG
I would definitely do the curve yourself
Here are the 2 dosings for Prozinc for you to see which want you want to follow and then add it to your signature
I would also add to your signature
Other health issues: arthritis/joint pain in left hip as you stated in your profile have you checked into adequan injections for the arthritis/joint pain in his left him.
I hope he's not in pain
As far as testings goes I copied this from Melissa

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.
Besides test his AMPS I would also get at least 2 more tests in after
Same goes for PMPS cycle
I will leave it up to Melissa @FrostD about how many tests you should get in and when
She a prozinc user

Hetevis the link for the 2 dosings methods to pick one
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/prozinc-dosing-methods.225629/

Are you still feeding any of that high carb ?

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

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

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
Take a look at the lancets ,you will see one side points up, that's the side you want to poke with
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

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

Hi Sarah and Milo and welcome back to the forum…..I am you would rather not be here, but it’s the best place to be if you have a diabetic kitty!
I would aim to test before every shot you give to make sure it is safe to give the dose. And them if you can get a test in 4-6 hours after the shots that would be ideal. At night, sometimes a before bed test is what is achievable.
Remember will take a few days for both you and Milo to get the hang of home testing the BGs so expect to have some failures.
Ask lots of questions

 

[Milo & Norman & Sarah]

Hi Sarah the dry food you are feeding is about 33% carbs too high
Most of us do feed FF Classic pate as you said you are feeding also
Most of us do use The Relion Meters
Do you have 26 or 28 gauge lancets and half unit syringes
How was he diagnosed was it a fructosamine test ?
What was his BG
I would definitely do the curve yourself
Here are the 2 dosings for Prozinc for you to see which want you want to follow and then add it to your signature
I would also add to your signature
Other health issues: arthritis/joint pain in left hip as you stated in your profile have you checked into adequan injections for the arthritis/joint pain in his left him.
I hope he's not in pain
As far as testings goes I copied this from Melissa

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.
Besides test his AMPS I would also get at least 2 more tests in after
Same goes for PMPS cycle
I will leave it up to Melissa @FrostD about how many tests you should get in and when
She a prozinc user

Hetevis the link for the 2 dosings methods to pick one
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/prozinc-dosing-methods.225629/

Are you still feeding any of that high carb ?

Thanks for the response!

Milo was diagnosed at the vet with a urine analysis and then a panel of blood tests. BG was 483.
I have stopped the dry food, I am feeding Milo only the FF pate. Started the PZI 2 units on 7/14/22 at 6:30 PM.
Will have 28 gauge lancets and I have U40 syringes provided by the vet with the insulin.
Hopefully will start testing tomorrow when meter arrives. I have already been messing with his ears etc. to see if he will stay still. Seems to be responding well (no changes in his disposition/daily routine/eating) since starting the 2 units 2x daily.
I am concerned though, the PROZINC link you attached says to use 1 unit. Did the vet say to use 2 units because Milo is 13 lbs?

I teach at a university an hour from my house. I leave in the mornings by 6:45 AM and get home around 4:30-5pm. I will not be able to do any testing during that time frame once the fall semester starts in mid August. Is it ok that I will only be able to test him before I give his shot at 6:30 AM and before his 6:30 PM shot? Thankfully I have between now and mid-August to get a lot of data and testing in.

Hi Sarah the dry food you are feeding is about 33% carbs too high
Most of us do feed FF Classic pate as you said you are feeding also
Most of us do use The Relion Meters
Do you have 26 or 28 gauge lancets and half unit syringes
How was he diagnosed was it a fructosamine test ?
What was his BG
I would definitely do the curve yourself
Here are the 2 dosings for Prozinc for you to see which want you want to follow and then add it to your signature
I would also add to your signature
Other health issues: arthritis/joint pain in left hip as you stated in your profile have you checked into adequan injections for the arthritis/joint pain in his left him.
I hope he's not in pain
As far as testings goes I copied this from Melissa

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.
Besides test his AMPS I would also get at least 2 more tests in after
Same goes for PMPS cycle
I will leave it up to Melissa @FrostD about how many tests you should get in and when
She a prozinc user

Hetevis the link for the 2 dosings methods to pick one
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/prozinc-dosing-methods.225629/

Are you still feeding any of that high carb ?

Thanks for the response!

Milo was diagnosed at the vet with a urine analysis and then a panel of blood tests. BG was 483.
I have stopped the dry food, I am feeding Milo only the FF pate. Started the PZI 2 units on 7/14/22 at 6:30 PM.
Will have 28 gauge lancets and I have U40 syringes provided by the vet with the insulin.
Hopefully will start testing tomorrow when meter arrives. I have already been messing with his ears etc. to see if he will stay still. Seems to be responding well since starting the 2 units 2x daily (no changes in his disposition/daily routine/eating). Drinking has gone down a bit, he is no longer crying for water at his favorite water bowl (even though he has a water fountain in the next room).

I am concerned though, the PROZINC link you attached says to use 1 unit. Did the vet say to use 2 units because Milo is 13 lbs?

I teach at a university an hour from my house. I leave in the mornings by 6:45 AM and get home around 4:30-5pm. I will not be able to do any testing during that time frame once the fall semester starts in mid August. Is it ok that I will only be able to test him before I give his shot at 6:30 AM and before his 6:30 PM shot? Thankfully I have between now and mid-August to get a lot of data and testing in.

 

[Milo & Norman & Sarah]

Hi Sarah and Milo and welcome back to the forum…..I am you would rather not be here, but it’s the best place to be if you have a diabetic kitty!
I would aim to test before every shot you give to make sure it is safe to give the dose. And them if you can get a test in 4-6 hours after the shots that would be ideal. At night, sometimes a before bed test is what is achievable.
Remember will take a few days for both you and Milo to get the hang of home testing the BGs so expect to have some failures.
Ask lots of questions

Thank you, I appreciate the support! Thanks for the testing info, will definitely start trying once I get the meter tomorrow.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Thanks for the response!

Milo was diagnosed at the vet with a urine analysis and then a panel of blood tests. BG was 483.
I have stopped the dry food, I am feeding Milo only the FF pate. Started the PZI 2 units on 7/14/22 at 6:30 PM.
Will have 28 gauge lancets and I have U40 syringes provided by the vet with the insulin.
Hopefully will start testing tomorrow when meter arrives. I have already been messing with his ears etc. to see if he will stay still. Seems to be responding well (no changes in his disposition/daily routine/eating) since starting the 2 units 2x daily.
I am concerned though, the PROZINC link you attached says to use 1 unit. Did the vet say to use 2 units because Milo is 13 lbs?

I teach at a university an hour from my house. I leave in the mornings by 6:45 AM and get home around 4:30-5pm. I will not be able to do any testing during that time frame once the fall semester starts in mid August. Is it ok that I will only be able to test him before I give his shot at 6:30 AM and before his 6:30 PM shot? Thankfully I have between now and mid-August to get a lot of data and testing in.



Thanks for the response!

Milo was diagnosed at the vet with a urine analysis and then a panel of blood tests. BG was 483.
I have stopped the dry food, I am feeding Milo only the FF pate. Started the PZI 2 units on 7/14/22 at 6:30 PM.
Will have 28 gauge lancets and I have U40 syringes provided by the vet with the insulin.
Hopefully will start testing tomorrow when meter arrives. I have already been messing with his ears etc. to see if he will stay still. Seems to be responding well since starting the 2 units 2x daily (no changes in his disposition/daily routine/eating). Drinking has gone down a bit, he is no longer crying for water at his favorite water bowl (even though he has a water fountain in the next room).

I am concerned though, the PROZINC link you attached says to use 1 unit. Did the vet say to use 2 units because Milo is 13 lbs?

I teach at a university an hour from my house. I leave in the mornings by 6:45 AM and get home around 4:30-5pm. I will not be able to do any testing during that time frame once the fall semester starts in mid August. Is it ok that I will only be able to test him before I give his shot at 6:30 AM and before his 6:30 PM shot? Thankfully I have between now and mid-August to get a lot of data and testing in.

Hi Sarah Great job getting all the supplies already
Do you have the syringes with the half unit markings ? We adjust doses by 0.25 units at a time so these syringes make it easier to do that
I will tag Melissa
@FrostD to comment on the dose you are giving she is familiar with Prozinc
Do you have your hypo kit
I'll give you some suggestions
Great no more dry food , when did you stop the dry food

Med and High Carb food and some honey



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart.

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

@FrostD

 

[FrostD]

Welcome!

2U is pretty high when on a low carb diet. The ProZinc guidelines do have the vet do it by weight, but they don't factor the diet into it. We recommend starting at 0.5U when on a low carb diet.

If you take a look at my spreadsheet from 2020, you'll see the drastic effect a diet change had on BG and dose. That is why we are more cautious.

As long as he does not have a history of ketones, I would reduce to at least 1U until you can get a few tests in. We'll know much better once we get some data.

 

[Milo & Norman & Sarah]

Hi Sarah Great job getting all the supplies already
Do you have the syringes with the half unit markings ? We adjust doses by 0.25 units at a time so these syringes make it easier to do that
I will tag Melissa
@FrostD to comment on the dose you are giving she is familiar with Prozinc
Do you have your hypo kit
I'll give you some suggestions
Great no more dry food , when did you stop the dry food

Med and High Carb food and some honey



Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart.

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

@FrostD

Thank you again. I don't think I have half units, the syringes the Vet gave me only have full units on them. Yes, I do have my my hypo items ready. I have some honey, a gravy FF, and Karo syrup. Milo was only getting the dry food in the mornings (was already giving him FF pate in the evenings), so July 13th, I stopped giving him the dry and am giving him pate both meals.

Frustration level for me and Milo is intense right now. I didn't want to wait any longer for my meter to come in (was delayed on Amazon until Tuesday) so my husband went out and bought the ReliOn Classic for me. I have tried testing Milo 3 times now and I cannot get his ear to give me any/enough blood all 3 times. I cut my finger pretty good the first time because he jumped really bad and I wasn't ready for it. The second time I got a pin dot of blood, but he jumped and ran away so I could not get to it before he wiped it away. Third try, I literally poked his ear in the sweet spot area about 3 times, he jumped each time, and no blood. I will keep trying but am super frustrated with the jumping and now he is shying away from me.

 

[Milo & Norman & Sarah]

Welcome!

2U is pretty high when on a low carb diet. The ProZinc guidelines do have the vet do it by weight, but they don't factor the diet into it. We recommend starting at 0.5U when on a low carb diet.

If you take a look at my spreadsheet from 2020, you'll see the drastic effect a diet change had on BG and dose. That is why we are more cautious.

As long as he does not have a history of ketones, I would reduce to at least 1U until you can get a few tests in. We'll know much better once we get some data.

My vet did look into the food/carbs and told me to only use the FF pate, no more hard food and still said 2 units. I think I will just go ahead and give him 1 unit since I cannot get a test done on him yet. He keeps jumping and now will not let me near him every time I try testing. I have heated up his ear with my fingers (he will not let me put a warm rice pack on his ear, or anything near his ear really), nothing is working at the moment besides me bleeding from the first attempt where I sliced my finger when he jumped. I will keep trying, super frustrated now though. Will also bump him down to 1 unit. Thanks so much.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Thank you again. I don't think I have half units, the syringes the Vet gave me only have full units on them. Yes, I do have my my hypo items ready. I have some honey, a gravy FF, and Karo syrup. Milo was only getting the dry food in the mornings (was already giving him FF pate in the evenings), so July 13th, I stopped giving him the dry and am giving him pate both meals.

Frustration level for me and Milo is intense right now. I didn't want to wait any longer for my meter to come in (was delayed on Amazon until Tuesday) so my husband went out and bought the ReliOn Classic for me. I have tried testing Milo 3 times now and I cannot get his ear to give me any/enough blood all 3 times. I cut my finger pretty good the first time because he jumped really bad and I wasn't ready for it. The second time I got a pin dot of blood, but he jumped and ran away so I could not get to it before he wiped it away. Third try, I literally poked his ear in the sweet spot area about 3 times, he jumped each time, and no blood. I will keep trying but am super frustrated with the jumping and now he is shying away from me.

I know it's frustrating you
. can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
You can also put a thin layer of vaseline on the ear ,to help the blood bead up
Are you using 26 or 28 gauge lancets
Are you giving him a treat such as any freeze dried treat while trying to test him and after that so he will associate getting them when testing
Just keep trying
If you take a good look at the lancet there is one side that curves up, that's the side you want to poke with

Try to start rubbing his ears when he's just sitting by you


The syringes you can get. Like I mentioned above half unit syringes make it easier when you have to adjust by 0.25 units . Vets usually don't carry then. For whole units you might as well the ones you have now but I would go ahead and order one of these
https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/18553/ulticare-u40-pet-29g-3-10cc-1-2in-half-unit
Contact call them and they will contact you vet to fax a script over , give the vet a heads up and ask for refills then you can just go on line and order them yourself

ADW5OFF

Take an additional $5.00 off all orders of $50.00 or more!

DIA10

10% off your next order!




Or these they are shorter length syringes
https://shoppettest.com/advocate-pettest-u-40-insulin-syringes-31g-3cc-5-16-100-box/

Even though they don't say half unit markings on the box they are
I copied off one of the reviews that was given saying they are half unit syringes

• 4
  What a difference these needles make!
  Posted by Trish M on Jul 23rd 2021
  
  My dog was diagnosed less than a month ago and I was given 29g 1/2 syringes. She is a small toy poodle with Cushing's disease and her skin is very thin and delicate. I'm new to injections so I know I was causing her more discomfort than necessary. These make SUCH a difference. She no longer squirms and the ordeal is over much faster. The 1/2 unit markings are great as well.
  The only reason I didn't give 5 starts is because the syringes come in packs of 10 and are not individually wrapped. I'm very paranoid about contamination and keep the open bag in an airtight container. Please PetTest, wrap them individually.
  But my little girl and I are VERY grateful!
• 
  
• Found this on their Facebook site tough See Below
• 
  
• .

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

PET TEST SYRINGES

NOTE: We will be doing extensive inventory from July 21, 2022 - July 22, 2022, and our warehouse will closed during that time.

Please order ahead as no shipments will go out during those two days. Thank you for your understanding! I see they are in Florida
3361 FAIRLANE FARMS ROAD WELLINGTON, FL 33414(888) 469-3579

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

My vet did look into the food/carbs and told me to only use the FF pate, no more hard food and still said 2 units. I think I will just go ahead and give him 1 unit since I cannot get a test done on him yet. He keeps jumping and now will not let me near him every time I try testing. I have heated up his ear with my fingers (he will not let me put a warm rice pack on his ear, or anything near his ear really), nothing is working at the moment besides me bleeding from the first attempt where I sliced my finger when he jumped. I will keep trying, super frustrated now though. Will also bump him down to 1 unit. Thanks so much.

I think going with 1 unit is good until you can start testing

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

My vet did look into the food/carbs and told me to only use the FF pate, no more hard food and still said 2 units. I think I will just go ahead and give him 1 unit since I cannot get a test done on him yet. He keeps jumping and now will not let me near him every time I try testing. I have heated up his ear with my fingers (he will not let me put a warm rice pack on his ear, or anything near his ear really), nothing is working at the moment besides me bleeding from the first attempt where I sliced my finger when he jumped. I will keep trying, super frustrated now though. Will also bump him down to 1 unit. Thanks so much.

@FrostD
See your post #8 Thanks Melissa. So go with 0.5 units or 1 unit ?

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

Welcome back, Sarah.

One thought about Milo's numbers. From what you said about his being an anxious kitty, it's very possible that his numbers were a bit inflated at the vet's office. It's quite common for cats to have higher numbers due to all of the strange sounds and smells, a car ride, strangers handling him, etc. Starting at a lower dose will be helpful for your nerves and it will give you a chance to see how your kitty is doing on Prozinc -- hopefully without any drama.

Once you're back on your fall schedule, you might want to consider getting a timed feeder. It will allow you to be sure that Milo has access to food should his numbers drop. My schedule was much like yours. I set my shot time (5:00) so I had enough time in the morning to make sure I could get a test or two in given that my cat was a bit of a drama queen. I would get home in time for her PM shot. The timed feeder was helpful so I was sure that Gabby had access to food should her numbers drop.

Also, you may want to look into getting some freeze dried treats. Many of the members here use freeze dried chicken but there are a variety of proteins that come freeze dried for treats. Giving your cat a treat every time you test, whether or not the test is successful will help your kitty to associate testing with treats.

 

[Milo & Norman & Sarah]

I know it's frustrating you
. can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
You can also put a thin layer of vaseline on the ear ,to help the blood bead up
Are you using 26 or 28 gauge lancets
Are you giving him a treat such as any freeze dried treat while trying to test him and after that so he will associate getting them when testing
Just keep trying
If you take a good look at the lancet there is one side that curves up, that's the side you want to poke with

Try to start rubbing his ears when he's just sitting by you


The syringes you can get. Like I mentioned above half unit syringes make it easier when you have to adjust by 0.25 units . Vets usually don't carry then. For whole units you might as well the ones you have now but I would go ahead and order one of these
https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/18553/ulticare-u40-pet-29g-3-10cc-1-2in-half-unit
Contact call them and they will contact you vet to fax a script over , give the vet a heads up and ask for refills then you can just go on line and order them yourself

ADW5OFF

Take an additional $5.00 off all orders of $50.00 or more!

DIA10

10% off your next order!




Or these they are shorter length syringes
https://shoppettest.com/advocate-pettest-u-40-insulin-syringes-31g-3cc-5-16-100-box/

Even though they don't say half unit markings on the box they are
I copied off one of the reviews that was given saying they are half unit syringes

• 4
  What a difference these needles make!
  Posted by Trish M on Jul 23rd 2021
  
  My dog was diagnosed less than a month ago and I was given 29g 1/2 syringes. She is a small toy poodle with Cushing's disease and her skin is very thin and delicate. I'm new to injections so I know I was causing her more discomfort than necessary. These make SUCH a difference. She no longer squirms and the ordeal is over much faster. The 1/2 unit markings are great as well.
  The only reason I didn't give 5 starts is because the syringes come in packs of 10 and are not individually wrapped. I'm very paranoid about contamination and keep the open bag in an airtight container. Please PetTest, wrap them individually.
  But my little girl and I are VERY grateful!
• 
  
• Found this on their Facebook site tough See Below
• 
  
• .

Thank you for the syringe information! I will get some half unit syringes. Thankfully I am not having any issues with giving him the insulin injections. I'm calling it a day on trying to test Milo, we are both frustrated and exhausted. Will try again tomorrow morning. He also only picked at his food tonight I'm guessing from the stress I'm causing - which is not good because I have to mix his anxiety meds and Miralax in his food. So I still need to monitor him tonight to make sure he eats all of his food and I'll keep an eye out for hypo aspects as well. So disheartened right now...

 

[FrostD]

@FrostD
See your post #8 Thanks Melissa. So go with 0.5 units or 1 unit ?

1U maximum. My preference is 0.5U, but I understand trying to walk the line between what the vet says and what we say.

 

[Milo & Norman & Sarah]

Welcome back, Sarah.

One thought about Milo's numbers. From what you said about his being an anxious kitty, it's very possible that his numbers were a bit inflated at the vet's office. It's quite common for cats to have higher numbers due to all of the strange sounds and smells, a car ride, strangers handling him, etc. Starting at a lower dose will be helpful for your nerves and it will give you a chance to see how your kitty is doing on Prozinc -- hopefully without any drama.

Once you're back on your fall schedule, you might want to consider getting a timed feeder. It will allow you to be sure that Milo has access to food should his numbers drop. My schedule was much like yours. I set my shot time (5:00) so I had enough time in the morning to make sure I could get a test or two in given that my cat was a bit of a drama queen. I would get home in time for her PM shot. The timed feeder was helpful so I was sure that Gabby had access to food should her numbers drop.

Also, you may want to look into getting some freeze dried treats. Many of the members here use freeze dried chicken but there are a variety of proteins that come freeze dried for treats. Giving your cat a treat every time you test, whether or not the test is successful will help your kitty to associate testing with treats.

Thank you! The vet said the same about his numbers being high, they had a vacuum running in another room, etc., I'm sure he was really stressed at the time of the test. Thank you for the info about the timed feeder. My husband does work from home, so he will be able to keep an eye out for Milo if any food is needed if his numbers drop. Milo just will not let my husband near him to test or anything though - he is very cautious of all men, especially those with low/booming voices like my husband has. I am definitely getting the freeze dried treats first thing tomorrow morning. Thanks again...I could really use a good testing day tomorrow...I really want to see what his numbers are doing.

 

[Milo & Norman & Sarah]

1U maximum. My preference is 0.5U, but I understand trying to walk the line between what the vet says and what we say.

Thank you, I have definitely bumped him down to the 1U. If I could just get a test done for his numbers, I wouldn't be stressing so much. I'll keep trying. Thanks again.

 

[FrostD]

Thank you for the syringe information! I will get some half unit syringes. Thankfully I am not having any issues with giving him the insulin injections. I'm calling it a day on trying to test Milo, we are both frustrated and exhausted. Will try again tomorrow morning. He also only picked at his food tonight I'm guessing from the stress I'm causing - which is not good because I have to mix his anxiety meds and Miralax in his food. So I still need to monitor him tonight to make sure he eats all of his food and I'll keep an eye out for hypo aspects as well. So disheartened right now...

Hang in there They absolutely feed off of your energy.

Aside from the tips youve already gotten - You can try wrapping him in a towel like a burrito if that helps. When I have to give difficult meds I kneel on the floor with my heels together and knees apart, burrito the cat, slide him between my legs. Heels prevent him from going backwards, burrito helps keep the claws at bay and from running off.

We all struggled in the beginning, with enough patience and perseverance it becomes old hat soon enough!

 

[FrostD]

Oh something else that may help is testing one handed so the other hand can have a death grip on the ear. It's a little awkward at first, but maybe some muscle memory will one back to you lol

1. I stick the strip in the meter - not far enough to turn it on, just far enough that it's sitting in there. I then set that by my dominant hand.

2. I go about drawing the blood. I wait until I have a blood drop about the size of a ball on a ballpoint pen.

3. Then I death grip the ear with my non-dominant hand, pick up the meter with dominant hand. With the meter in my palm, I grab the strip between thumb and forefinger and push it in all the way so the meter turns on.

4. Dip in blood and go!

After getting hit in the face and eyes with blood far too many times, I decided I'm never letting go of the ear lol

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I agree with Melissa. I had a "Vulcan death grip" on Gabby's ear in the beginning. I was testing on my kitchen counter -- there was under cabinet lighting so I could easily see what I was doing, she faced the side of the refrigerator so she didn't think she could go anywhere, her side was against my body which I suspect she found (sort of) reassuring, and she saw the treats container!