7/27 Moonie AMPS 247, +2 186, +10.5 116, PMPS 135, +2 91, +3 97

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

7/26 Moonie AMPS 239, +2 239, +9 139, PMPS 138, +2 134

Happy Monday!

Numbers weren’t great this morning but it put a smile on my face that Moonie came to her testing room on her own and plopped for me. She hasn’t done that for me in at least a week. I gave her extra kisses and she tolerated them because they came with extra chicken

I’m determined to do better by her in terms of my testing and aftercare technique. I’m worried about the tiny bumps on her ears that may be hematomas.

Do you have any tips to minimize the stress and damage on her ears? I know I have to do a better job avoiding her vein (I bought a bright head lamp), and I do rotate her ears, apply pressure after, and apply Vetericyn Wound Care. I think I should add a cold compress too. And I started applying the tiniest dab of Emla cream 30 mins before the test and I think that’s helping. Anything else?

Thank you in advance

This was Moonie licking her little lips for her +1 snack this morning. She knew the Lamb Burgini was coming!

 

[Adriana and Lola]

I’m still pretty new but I’ll share my methods

For me personally, I alternate ear to ear from each check. Usually her ears are already warm but if they’re cold to the touch I spend like 3 minutes rubbing them so they can get warm with my hands. I try to pick a new spot every time so I start at the top of the ear and work my way down throughout the day. I use the 28g lancets and I’ve learned that you need the smallest amount of pressure to get blood to come out. I try going in at a sideways angle so that it doesn’t pierce through and like my husband says “give her a piercing” . I also use a support so like a napkin behind her ear so that I have something to support her ear with. Once I stab her ear I lightly press to allow blood to come out and once I get her reading I apply pressure for around 1 minute just to stop any additional bleeding. Occasionally I will clean her ears with alcohol wipes and she doesn’t protest so I guess it doesn’t burn? Overall I just try my best to never stab the same spot on her ears and alternate back and forth!!! I think lola actually likes to be checked lol she doesn’t protest like she did at the start, I think she likes the loves she gets during the process

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

I’m still pretty new but I’ll share my methods

For me personally, I alternate ear to ear from each check. Usually her ears are already warm but if they’re cold to the touch I spend like 3 minutes rubbing them so they can get warm with my hands. I try to pick a new spot every time so I start at the top of the ear and work my way down throughout the day. I use the 28g lancets and I’ve learned that you need the smallest amount of pressure to get blood to come out. I try going in at a sideways angle so that it doesn’t pierce through and like my husband says “give her a piercing” . I also use a support so like a napkin behind her ear so that I have something to support her ear with. Once I stab her ear I lightly press to allow blood to come out and once I get her reading I apply pressure for around 1 minute just to stop any additional bleeding. Occasionally I will clean her ears with alcohol wipes and she doesn’t protest so I guess it doesn’t burn? Overall I just try my best to never stab the same spot on her ears and alternate back and forth!!! I think lola actually likes to be checked lol she doesn’t protest like she did at the start, I think she likes the loves she gets during the process

Thanks Adriana! Maybe I just need to be more systematic about varying the spots. I do try but I haven't been following a pattern (top to bottom) like yours so I can imagine when I'm tired I end up going to the same spots that I know will "work." And I'll have to try to go in more sideways too. We're back on the 26g gauge which I also think doesn't help. We used to go to 28g when we used AlphaTrak but the Contour requires so much more blood that we weren't able to get there with the smaller gauge. Maybe some day

 

[Adriana and Lola]

Thanks Adriana! Maybe I just need to be more systematic about varying the spots. I do try but I haven't been following a pattern (top to bottom) like yours so I can imagine when I'm tired I end up going to the same spots that I know will "work." And I'll have to try to go in more sideways too. We're back on the 26g gauge which I also think doesn't help. We used to go to 28g when we used AlphaTrak but the Contour requires so much more blood that we weren't able to get there with the smaller gauge. Maybe some day

Trust me sometimes I struggle with getting a good stab in! Sometimes no blood will come out and I’ll be like…what I’ve learned that there’s no rush in checking numbers, so I take my time and make sure Lola is fine and has no stress during the process. If it’s near her feeding time she knows she’s about to be fed and starts getting a little restless like “girl check me faster”

 

[Wendy&Neko]

Some suggestions on after care in Marje's post on Testing and Shooting Tips

Tips on testing in general, along with videos in here: Hometesting Links and Tips

 

[Sara & Khloe]

I know this sounds so silly but I use one of these cat toys behind Khloe’s ear for the poke. It’s flexible enough so the ear isn’t completely firm against the needle. I feel like it gives that perfect poke of deep enough to get blood but not deep enough to pierce the ear. I also notice if I poke to close to the center, she gets those little bumps but the pokes at the very very edge of the ear never get those bumps. I personally don’t use any wound care products, I just apply pressure with a cotton ball/tissue.

 

[JoM]

I hear what you are saying about the ears. Karamelle never protests the pokes, but her ears are losing fur and have scar tissue forming. I do alternate ears and press afterwards and use different spots. Sometimes if I leave one ear alone for a while it seems to get better. I dont know the answer, so Im reading your responses.

 

[Staci & Ivy]

Hoping the tips will help Connie. You’re doing such a great job with Moonie
It’s a challenge with all of the things we do to not cause scar tissue.

I notice Ivy has scar tissue in all of the areas I give her insulin shots. And I do move around both sides, up and down as much as I can. But 4 years of shots must add up.

I’m so glad to hear she’s back out and not avoiding you at shot time.

Hope you have a great day

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and kind words!

This will give me a great chance to review best practices for testing and ear aftercare again. I think I read them a lot when I first started, but I bet I'll absorb the information a lot better now that I've been doing it a while

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and kind words!

This will give me a great chance to review best practices for testing and ear aftercare again. I think I read them a lot when I first started, but I bet I'll absorb the information a lot better now that I've been doing it a while

I always put a cold wash cloth on Gracie’s ear after poking but I put her ear against the cap of a contact lens holder; you know those round caps one for each contact? That gave me a really good surface and allowed for a very quick poke with a 31g lancet. Then came the very cold wash cloth with compression.

You know you can poke from the inside, right? That might also help you see the veins and it will keep the outside of her ears looking nicer.

One thing I wanted to pass on is, at this point, the chance for remission is dwindling although it could happen. I pushed Gracie really hard because she was only 4 years old and I didn’t want her to spend her whole life on insulin. But, if I had it to do over, at about year 2.5-3, I would have cranked back and just kept her below renal threshold. Moonie is still in the regulated to well regulated category. When you think about her life, your relationship with her, yours and Parker’s lives, etc etc, maybe it’s better for you all for her to be in that 100-200 range most of the time. There is nothing wrong with that. We all push green here so hard but after a certain amount of time, it just might make more sense to relax a little, get some rest, let her rest, have a life.

• Not treated [blood glucose typically above 300 mg/dl (16.7 mmol/L), poor clinical signs]
• Treated but not regulated [often above 300 (16.7) and rarely near 100 (5.6), poor clinical signs]
• Regulated [generally below 300 (16.7) with glucose nadir near 100 (5.6), good clinical signs, no hypoglycemia]
• Well regulated [generally below 200-250 (11.1-13.9) and often near 100 (5.6), no hypoglycemia]
• Tightly regulated [generally below 150 (8.3) and usually in the 60-120 (3.3-6.7) range, no hypoglycemia, still receiving insulin]
• Normalized [60-120 (3.3-6.7) except perhaps directly after meals — usually not receiving insulin]

I think I mentioned the other day that feeding her that higher LC food is a good idea. If you do decide you want to push for more green, it could help raise her overall curve level to where you could add more insulin, if you wanted.

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

I always put a cold wash cloth on Gracie’s ear after poking but I put her ear against the cap of a contact lens holder; you know those round caps one for each contact? That gave me a really good surface and allowed for a very quick poke with a 31g lancet. Then came the very cold wash cloth with compression.

You know you can poke from the inside, right? That might also help you see the veins and it will keep the outside of her ears looking nicer.

One thing I wanted to pass on is, at this point, the chance for remission is dwindling although it could happen. I pushed Gracie really hard because she was only 4 years old and I didn’t want her to spend her whole life on insulin. But, if I had it to do over, at about year 2.5-3, I would have cranked back and just kept her below renal threshold. Moonie is still in the regulated to well regulated category. When you think about her life, your relationship with her, yours and Parker’s lives, etc etc, maybe it’s better for you all for her to be in that 100-200 range most of the time. There is nothing wrong with that. We all push green here so hard but after a certain amount of time, it just might make more sense to relax a little, get some rest, let her rest, have a life.

• Not treated [blood glucose typically above 300 mg/dl (16.7 mmol/L), poor clinical signs]
• Treated but not regulated [often above 300 (16.7) and rarely near 100 (5.6), poor clinical signs]
• Regulated [generally below 300 (16.7) with glucose nadir near 100 (5.6), good clinical signs, no hypoglycemia]
• Well regulated [generally below 200-250 (11.1-13.9) and often near 100 (5.6), no hypoglycemia]
• Tightly regulated [generally below 150 (8.3) and usually in the 60-120 (3.3-6.7) range, no hypoglycemia, still receiving insulin]
• Normalized [60-120 (3.3-6.7) except perhaps directly after meals — usually not receiving insulin]

I think I mentioned the other day that feeding her that higher LC food is a good idea. If you do decide you want to push for more green, it could help raise her overall curve level to where you could add more insulin, if you wanted.

Thank you so much Marje! I’ll definitely start the cold compresses and the contact lens holder cap idea is such a clever one. I’ll have to try that! We did start out by poking the inside of her ear actually but I felt like Moonie didn’t like me touching the inside of it. Definitely something to retry though if we keep hitting the vein too often for my comfort.

I cried a bit reading your comment because I could really feel the sincerity of it coming from your lived experience and love for Gracie. And I felt quite guilty because I know it’s selfish of me in a way to keep pushing Moonie’s body for better and better numbers. It makes me wonder how much I do for me and how much for Moonie. The thing I’ve learned as an adult is that it’s important to love someone the way that they want to be loved, not in the way you want to love them. And it just reminded me of that.

In my head, I know the likelihood of remission is very low and I should be optimizing purely for her quality of life, and that probably means fewer pokes. I guess it’s something I need to take to heart more - that maybe if a dose is requiring us to do so many pokes that Moonie starts getting cranky, it’s probably not the right one regardless of what kind of numbers it produces. At the end of the day, I need to remember that I do this for her and not me. It doesn’t matter how great I feel looking at a sea of greens if Moonie is unhappy being poked all the time.

I really appreciate you sharing this because I think as caregivers it’s so easy to get caught up in trying your best or giving it your all, and you get blinded by it and maybe forget that it may not be the right thing for your cat.

 

[Marje and Gracie]

Thank you so much Marje! I’ll definitely start the cold compresses and the contact lens holder cap idea is such a clever one. I’ll have to try that! We did start out by poking the inside of her ear actually but I felt like Moonie didn’t like me touching the inside of it. Definitely something to retry though if we keep hitting the vein too often for my comfort.

I cried a bit reading your comment because I could really feel the sincerity of it coming from your lived experience and love for Gracie. And I felt quite guilty because I know it’s selfish of me in a way to keep pushing Moonie’s body for better and better numbers. It makes me wonder how much I do for me and how much for Moonie. The thing I’ve learned as an adult is that it’s important to love someone the way that they want to be loved, not in the way you want to love them. And it just reminded me of that.

In my head, I know the likelihood of remission is very low and I should be optimizing purely for her quality of life, and that probably means fewer pokes. I guess it’s something I need to take to heart more - that maybe if a dose is requiring us to do so many pokes that Moonie starts getting cranky, it’s probably not the right one regardless of what kind of numbers it produces. At the end of the day, I need to remember that I do this for her and not me. It doesn’t matter how great I feel looking at a sea of greens if Moonie is unhappy being poked all the time.

I really appreciate you sharing this because I think as caregivers it’s so easy to get caught up in trying your best or giving it your all, and you get blinded by it and maybe forget that it may not be the right thing for your cat.

You’re welcome. It’s a tough decision to make but your comment about deciding who we are doing it for is important. I worried way too much about effects on her kidneys when, honestly, I now think if they can stay primarily below renal threshold, the long-term effects are minimal. Gracie was always incredibly tolerant about her pokes (and she got a lot) but reflecting back, I wish that had not been such a focus of our relationship. “More pets, less pokes” is what I should have done at that 2.5-3 year mark because I didn’t know her time with us would be so short . I don’t regret the early push, though.

If you’ve never looked at JD’s SS, it’s worth a peak. He was diabetic over six years and lived to be 20. His numbers were never great, he bounced like crazy, but he was one happy cat.

I hope the testing tips will help.

 

[Connie & Parker & Moonie]

You’re welcome. It’s a tough decision to make but your comment about deciding who we are doing it for is important. I worried way too much about effects on her kidneys when, honestly, I now think if they can stay primarily below renal threshold, the long-term effects are minimal. Gracie was always incredibly tolerant about her pokes (and she got a lot) but reflecting back, I wish that had not been such a focus of our relationship. “More pets, less pokes” is what I should have done at that 2.5-3 year mark because I didn’t know her time with us would be so short . I don’t regret the early push, though.

If you’ve never looked at JD’s SS, it’s worth a peak. He was diabetic over six years and lived to be 20. His numbers were never great, he bounced like crazy, but he was one happy cat.

I hope the testing tips will help.

Thank you so much - I know what you mean, because I always worry that too much of the time I spend with Moonie is diabetes management. When I play with my civvie cats’ ears and they purr, it breaks my heart that Moonie never enjoyed them the same way because they always precede a poke. It’s really hard to accept that “doing your best” may not be the same thing as doing the best by your cat, especially when you’re not the one primarily bearing the costs and the kitty can’t advocate for herself in terms of weighing the costs and benefits.

I always appreciate your thoughts so much. You not only bring so much knowledge to the forum, but also your lived experiences, the joys, the regrets, all of it and you’re so very kind to share all of that with us for our benefit.

I think we’ll go back to 3u tomorrow morning but be extremely mindful of how many pokes that dose takes us and let Moonie guide us more on what she wants to do. In that vein, it’s probably the right call to let her enjoy her Lamb Burgini in peace regardless of whether it bumps her insulin needs a little. I haven’t seen her that happy since I threw out all of her Meow Mix so we’re also eternally grateful to Wendy for suggesting it.

And thank you for sharing JD’s SS - I’ll take a closer look in a bit but it eases my heart so much that she can live a full happy life even without a SS full of greens.