6/25 Elvis 133 an hour after shot

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Linda & Elvis

Linda & Elvis

Member Since 2018
I'm having trouble getting blood, especially since Elvis gets frustrated after I spend an hour trying. This morning I couldn't get any, so I gave her one unit, then an hour later, after she'd eaten a little and seemed calm, I was able to get her sample. (I think I'm doing the right steps - warming her ear with a sock full of heated rice, rubbing her ear, pressing the lancet firmly against the surface & holding a pad underneath.)
 
That's a nice number. An hour after the shot and after a meal, it's probably (more or less) similar to what the pre-shot would have been. It's maybe a little lower than we usually recommend shooting before there's a fair amount of data, especially with an AT, which I think is what you are using?, but it's still quite a safe number. When very new, we usually set 200 (or a bit higher for an AT) as the no-shoot number, but as you gather more data you can move that threshold down quite a bit.

It can be quite a struggle to test in the beginning! It does get easier, and you are doing the right things. What size (gauge number) lancet are you using? The lower numbers (=larger size), 26 or 28, do make things easier in the beginning. But a lot of it is just time and giving her ears a chance to grow new capillaries to make it easier to get blood. Hang in there!

If there's any way you can get another test today, maybe around +4 or so, it would be great. If you can't, just keep an eye on her, make sure she has food available (especially if she starts acting hungry). Like I said, 133 is quite safe, we just want to make sure she doesn't go too low (68 is the "take action" number on an AlphaTrak pet meter, 50 is "take action" on a human meter). It's really encouraging that her numbers are so good right in the beginning like this!
 
Thanks for that! Because her number was high last night I thought it would be higher this morning and safe to shoot. I'm going to try to run home in the afternoon to see how she is (and hopefully test her again, and feed her.)
 
I was able to run home quickly and tested her successfully and she was at 150, about ten minutes after a little wet food.
 
Another nice number!

According to your spreadsheet, that would have been at +7, which is around or a bit after the typical Lantus nadir (low point). Some cats nadir earlier, so it's very possible she went somewhat lower today.
 
Thanks, that's encouraging!
I hope I can get a good preshot number tonight. what would be a good cutoff number for shooting? 200?
Amber is lovely, by the way - calicos are so beautiful!
 
Awww, I'll tell Amber you said that!

200 is the general no-shoot, but ATs run a bit higher numbers than the human meters that a lot of us use, so you could even use 250 as your cutoff. Of course, ideally you want to get to where there's a dose you can reliably shoot morning and night, but as long as there's no history of ketones, skipping is a safe option in these early stages when you're gathering data and getting a testing routine going.
 
If you aren't sure what to do with the pre-shot number you get, you can edit the title of this post to a question to get some advice from fresh eyes (I won't be around much longer tonight). Add a reply, too, so that the post gets bumped to the top of the forum.

Good luck! And add a pic of Elvis when you get a chance, we'd love to see her!
 
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