10/29 Testing Mugsy

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Today when I finally got to test Mugs: On the 8th poke I finally got enough blood and that's when we lost all control of him. Will try again soon and am now putting ambesol on his feet after the sticking to mitigate some of the pain from multiple pokes.

I tried ear sticks but, my eyesight and the angled lancet make it impossible to hit the mark (yes I've been over the pages on home testing again and again). He doesn't like earsticks any better (I have a gouged leg). We'll stick to paws - I can find the mark.

When our checks come, I am going to buy the 26 ga lancets. Yes, I am using the warmed rice sock. He's doing very well in spite of outwitting us (which he is proud of).
 
I so sorry you and Mugsy are having such difficulty. It sure can be frustrating.

I know I had a hard time when I first attempted to get blood. I tried using the lancet freehand without the clicker thing and that - for me - was much worse. It seemed to bother my kitty a lot more than the clicker. So I went back to trying it with the device. When I finally got a clicker with a clear top, I could see better and didn't miss the edge of the ear. I would push firmly for a second after I clicked so the round opening added pressure around the poke. It was like squeezing a splinter out and I'd get more blood. I don't know if that made sense, but it really helps me.

Maybe as a back-up plan you can get some of those strips that check the urine for sugar. They are no where near as accurate, but can give you a little better idea of where Mugsy is. I think they are called "Diastix."

Here is a link to something that explains better: http://www.caninediabetes.org/pdorg/urine.html

I hope when Mugsy's head wound heals he feels better about the whole poking thing. I bet he is extra sensitive to pokes on his head or toes.

Good luck!
 
I almost always have to squeeze Donovan's ear to get a big enough drop, except for the rare geyser (I still feel guilty when that happens :oops:). I freehand with the lancet, but it's a personal preference. I too started out with paw pad pokes, but IMO those were a heckuvalot harder to squeeze than his ear. He even bit me once while I was trying to squeeze his paw pad, and Donovan does NOT bite. After a few weeks of "Oh crap, here comes the pokey lady again - I'm outta here", he got over it, I got over it, and he's *so* easy to test now. I hope you find the right set of tricks to make testing Mugsy more bearable for you both.

MJ&Donovan
 
my recommendation, since you can't test daily, is to reduce Mugsy's dose. The numbers you do have are enough to make me afraid that he could be dropping very low. I can't really say how much to reduce since there is no data, but I would go at least to 0.5 until you can test regularly. We know he hit 50's at least once, and we know he went low enough at least once to bounce to the 500's (or that could have been because of infection, but we don't know). If his infection has cleared, then his numbers have likely dropped even more than the 50's we saw. Safety first, and 1 unit might not be safe for Mugsy.
 
I agree with Libby, the 500 number and the 50 both made me concerned about Mugsy going low. Until you are able to test regularly, I would go with a reduced dose for safety's sake.
 
I am glad to see that thongs are starting to get better for you. I think too that until you can test more regularly, so with the lower dose. Once up and running with more tests it will be easier to see what dose would be best.

In time Mugsy will get used to all this - most kitties do. Good luck!
 
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