How long should I wait

[Edington]

Sorry if this is somewhere else of the forum but I couldn't find it.

I'm the owner of a newly diagnosed cat and my vet suggested I get an at home Glucometer to make my life easier, I was just wondering how long after the feeding and Insulin (Caninsulin) should I wait before testing her blood with the meter I did look on Google but it's quite hard to find a straight answer.

Also has anyone got any experience with the Advocate Pet test meter? I tried to use the lancet before feeding and it wouldn't draw blood. The site I was trying to use her ear and tbh t didn't even seem like the needle touched her skin the lancet brand is the Pettest Genteel (it uses vacum and a plunger rather than the dial).

I've been able to take the blood using a needle prick but I'd rather actually be able to use the Lancet just for convenience.

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

@Edington
Sorry no one got back to you sooner
Previous post ( intro post
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...m-new-diabetic-cat-owner.292325/#post-3194636

You can read about Caninsulin here
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.231587/

Here is some info for UK members and meters
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-vit-b12-and-other-need-to-know-stuff.137376/

To be sure are you withholding food 2 hours prior to testing AMPS and PMPS so the BG number is not influenced by food.


Test , feed , wait 30 minutes then give insulin

 

[Diane Tyler's Mom GA]

Here is a link helping us to help you link. If you noticed, our members have some basic information about their cat's in their signature. This helps us to not pester you by asking the same questions (your cat's name, insulin type, date of diagnosis, etc.) repeatedly. We also have a link to our spreadsheet in our signature. We are very numbers driven. The spreadsheet is a record of your cat's progress. By linking it in your signature, we can follow along and provide feedback should you need the help


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 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

Try putting a thin layer of Vaseline on theear so theblood will bead up

Here is a video that one of our members did ,ignore the coding because she is using a pet meter, with a human meter no coding needed
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

 

[Edington]

@Edington
Sorry no one got back to you sooner
Previous post ( intro post
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...m-new-diabetic-cat-owner.292325/#post-3194636

You can read about Caninsulin here
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/beginners-guide-to-caninsulin-vetsulin.231587/

Here is some info for UK members and meters
https://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB...-vit-b12-and-other-need-to-know-stuff.137376/

To be sure are you withholding food 2 hours prior to testing AMPS and PMPS so the BG number is not influenced by food.


Test , feed , wait 30 minutes then give insulin

Hey, thanks for the reply yes i inject at 6am and 6pm (trying to stick to schedule) she eats twice a day just before the insulin shots. I just wasn't sure how long I should be waiting to test her BG after the Insulin to ensure that it's actually working.

I could draw blood freehand just not with the actual lancer pen though I believe I've figured it out as the pen is different than ones I've seen before, it uses a plunger and needs a vacuum on the skin to work properly. Link below is the actual lancer
https://shoppettest.com/genteel/

 

[Bron and Sheba (GA)]

If you are giving Caninsulin, you need to test the blood glucose, feed a meal and then wait 30 minutes before giving the insulin.
I will attach a link to Using CANINSULIN
Caninsulin is not a good insulin for cats at all so I would recommend you ask the vet to swap you to either Lantus or Prozinc, which are longer acting more gentle insulins and are recommended for cats.

I would also recommend to feed at least 2 snacks every cycle at around 2 and 4 hours after each dose of insulin, as well as the 2 main meals.
A snack is a couple of teaspoons of low carb food.

 

[Edington]

If you are giving Caninsulin, you need to test the blood glucose, feed a meal and then wait 30 minutes before giving the insulin.
I will attach a link to Using CANINSULIN
Caninsulin is not a good insulin for cats at all so I would recommend you ask the vet to swap you to either Lantus or Prozinc, which are longer acting more gentle insulins and are recommended for cats.

I would also recommend to feed at least 2 snacks every cycle at around 2 and 4 hours after each dose of insulin, as well as the 2 main meals.
A snack is a couple of teaspoons of low carb food.

I have an appointment with the vets in a few days someone else has mentioned Prozinc soci already plan on bringing it up to the vets. The main problem is that I leave the house an hour or two after the injection for work and don't finish for 8-10 later. So I'm unable to give her snacks during the day, I'm actually thinking of buying a timed feeder and setting it to release a small amount of her food throughout the day, she's on a wet and dry mixed diet with the wet having around 2% carbs and the dry has 9%

 

[Sienne and Gabby (GA)]

I worked full time while managing Gabby's diabetes. A timed feeder was essential!