7-27-22 Chispa AMPS 460, 376 +2, 343 +4. PMPS 506!, 336 +2

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

Good morning, everyone! Chispa got her first Lantus shot this morning. We both cringed at the ear prick, but in the end, we both survived the ordeal. I'll update the title with additional tests throughout the day. Thank you all for your help and kindness.

(photo attached of the "traumatized" patient)

 

[Angela & Cleo]

She's BEAUTIFUL!!!! Good luck today.
PS the ear pricks get easier with time...(It took me over 3 months to get my kitty to accept testing) promise.

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

She's BEAUTIFUL!!!! Good luck today.
PS the ear pricks get easier with time...(It took me over 3 months to get my kitty to accept testing) promise.

Thank you so much, @Angela & Cleo -- your encouragement goes a long way today. And I will pass the compliment along!

 

[Sugar’s Mama]

Love her fluffy window perch to supervise all of the outside happenings!

 

[Ben&Squirrel]

Good morning, everyone! Chispa got her first Lantus shot this morning. We both cringed at the ear prick, but in the end, we both survived the ordeal.

Congratulations! The first one is tough. It will definitely get easier. She is a pretty girl!

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

Love her fluffy window perch to supervise all of the outside happenings!

Thanks, @Sugar’s Mama -- that is her "intern station," next to my desk, where she does Important Cat Work throughout the day.

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

Congratulations! The first one is tough. It will definitely get easier. She is a pretty girl!

Thanks, @Ben&Squirrel. I need all the encouragement I can get! And I'll pass the compliment along.

 

[tiffmaxee]

Nice drop at +2. A freeze dried treat after each poke helps. Just make sure 100% protein. I’m glad the first shot and poke went well.

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

This is horrible. I had to stick her SIX TIMES before I got a drop of blood AND the meter cooperated. Twice I got the drop of blood but it had shut itself off and gave me an error message. She earned a whole bunch of freeze-dried chicken treats for her troubles, but aaaaaaaaaagh :...(

 

[tiffmaxee]

If you can’t get it to work after two tries then don’t try again for a couple hours as she’s not like,y to go a lot lower today. Unless you see a bg under 200 at the next test I would not test again until pmps. It will get easier. Is she bleeding easily? As it saying too little blood?

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

@tiffmaxee Thanks for this advice. No blood came out on a couple of tries (maybe I didn't poke enough), but on most tries I did get a nice drop. The real problem was that the meter had shut itself off because I took too long (so operator error for not noticing). Frustrating that it will turn itself on again when it detects blood, but only to give an error message -- it "sees" the blood, but it won't read it. It just tells you that you're an idiot for not pressing the "on" button (again).

 

[Angela & Cleo]

@tiffmaxee Thanks for this advice. No blood came out on a couple of tries (maybe I didn't poke enough), but on most tries I did get a nice drop. The real problem was that the meter had shut itself off because I took too long (so operator error for not noticing). Frustrating that it will turn itself on again when it detects blood, but only to give an error message -- it "sees" the blood, but it won't read it. It just tells you that you're an idiot for not pressing the "on" button (again).

This happened to me a LOT too. Racing the meter clock just creates more stress and anxiousness - on the human not the cat.
What helps was NOT to push the strip all the way. I wait until AFTER there's a drop of blood starting to form. Lessens the chance of error message due to running out of time. For me its insert strip in meter but NOT all the way, poke, look for blood starting to pool, THEN push strip in meter all the way, then strip to blood.

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

Thanks for the tip, @Angela & Cleo. Glad to know it's not just me.

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

Well, I tried to do a +6 test, but after two tries -- 1 @ no blood, 1@ error/insufficient sample -- I gave up and fed her a bunch of chicken treats. Should I wait an hour or two and try to test again, or leave her in peace until PMPS? I feel so bad for her ... she is so patient, but just like all the others, she never signed up to be a pincushion.

 

[tiffmaxee]

Leave her in peace. It will get easier.

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

@tiffmaxee That's the answer she was hoping for. (Me too.) Thanks!!

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

Holy moly ... Chispa's PMPS was 506!! She'd had a small meal about an hour before. This is scary. I was going to give her a regular meal after the shot, but should I withhold food and retest at +1 or +2??

 

[tiffmaxee]

You dint want to feed fir two hours before amps/pmps as the bg will be food influenced and higher. Instead why not make your shot time an hour earlier and test,fed,shoot then. As I mentioned you will test, feed, shoot all within about 10-15 minutes.

It will take 5-7 days for tge depot to build.

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

Earlier shot time won't work with my schedule, but I can adjust her feeding times (and will).
Breathing a huge sigh of relief as her +2 has come down to 336. I gave her a meal and put another in the automatic feeder for 3.5 hours from now.

 

[Karen and Chispa (GA)]

One thing I have noticed today is that for the first time in months, she is not cleaning her plate immediately at every feeding. She eats about half and comes back later to finish the rest. Is that because lower BG tells her that she's not as hungry? Or could it be the reduction in prednisolone from 5 mg to 2.5?

 

[tiffmaxee]

I’m thinking it’s the reduction in prednisolone. It increases the appetite. That pmps was artificially inflated. The +2 came down so likely she onsets then.