Advice needed for testing

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Cindy and Nacho

Cindy and Nacho

Member Since 2015
My Nacho (approximately 14 years old) was diagnosed on January 27 with diabetes. The vet wants him to come back in three to four weeks for additional testing to see how the insulin is working and if the dosage needs to be adjusted. She didn't mention anything about testing at home. I've been reading the forum trying to get an idea of how to handle everything (so much wonderful information!) and it certainly seems like I should be testing him at home. I'm going to stop at Walmart after work today and pick up the testing supplies. I just want to make sure I'm getting the right stuff. Could someone help me out?

Nacho also has a urinary tract infection and is on antibiotics for that. Does that affect the testing results at all?

BTW - he eats Friskies pate and has for quite awhile. He would nibble occasionally on dry food during the day if he needed a snack, but no more of that! He's on ProZinc - 1 unit twice a day. I was also curious as to how long it takes before the insulin makes a difference in his health. Is it immediate or does it take awhile for his system to become used to it?

I'm completely clueless about all of this and really appreciate any assistance.
 
I am glad you want to hometest. By testing before every shot, you will know if it is safe to give insulin. For newbies, we recommend using 200 as your "don't shoot" number. If you get a reading less than 200, you will skip the shot. Later as you become more familiar with how your cat responds to the insulin and dose, you will be able to lower that number. We can also help you learn how to determine if your dose needs to be adjusted.

The Walmart Relion brand meters are very good and inexpensive to use. We recommend either the Relion Confirm, Micro or Prime meters. These 3 meters use less blood than the Relion Ultima meter (which is also a good meter). You will also need test strips for the meter you buy. A pack of 100 usually run less then $40. You will also need lancets, either the 33 or 30 guage type.

Friskies pate is a good food. You should completely remove the dry from his diet, even a little bit can significantly raise the BG levels. Prozinc is a good insulin and you are at a good starting dose. By testing before every shot, you will be able to determine if you need to adjust his dose. If an increase is needed, only increase by 1/2 unit and stay at that dose for about a week before increasing it again. It takes about a week before your cat's body to respond to a dose change. We also recommend setting up a spreadsheet to track your readings. One of the other members can share the link with you. When you visit your vet, take this with you so they can see how well Nacho is doing. This should eliminate the need for your vet to have to run another fructosomine test.

When you test, the order you want to do it in is: Test, feed, then shoot. When you test, we also recommend giving Nacho a low carb treat, even if you are not successful in getting blood the first few times. Don't worry, this is normal when you begin hometesting. By giving a treat, Nacho will learn to associate testing with being rewarded and may even start reminding you when it is time to test. ;)
 
Thank you! I'll pick up the Relion meter, test strips and lancets tonight. I appreciate your help and all the information you provided. Fingers crossed that I get Nacho back to feeling like himself again soon!!
 
How long has Nacho been on antibiotics? Infection will raise BG definitely, my kitty Tiger is currently being treated for a UTI as well, when the AB started to work, I could tell by her BG dropping. Congrats for doing home testing- this is the best way to keep Nacho safe!
 
He started the antibiotic Tuesday evening. I picked up the home testing stuff this evening and will start testing in the morning. It was time for his dinner and shot when I got home. I knew I'd have to do some reading and figure out the testing process so I didn't want to put off his food and insulin. His appetite isn't quite as voracious at it has been so I'm hoping the insulin is starting to take effect. He's also not drinking as much water as he had been.

This is all new to me and I feel like there's so much to learn.
 
Take a look at my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools. These are ways to evaluate some of the "softer" signs of diabetes, such as intake and elimination, dehydration, and urine testing.
 
Well, Nacho was EXTREMELY cooperative when it came to poking him for testing. Unfortunately, I messed up and got an error reading. I'll have to try it again before he has supper. How long should he go without eating before I test him at that time? Seems to me I read somewhere that it should be a couple of hours, but now I can't find that information.

He seems to be feeling pretty good . . . he's back to purring like crazy any time I cuddle or pet him, he's also grooming himself more than he was a few days ago. He's such a sweetie (well, at least with me . . . he's definitely a one-person kitty - but then he always has been). I feel bad for him that he's going through this.
 
Its best to test about 2 hours before feeding. So glad he did well with the testing, a few tips.....warm the ear, have diabetic friendly treats, have an extra strip or 2 handy just in case an error happens and have a treat for yourself :)

May I ask what his bg was when he was diagnosed? Infection raises bg, so once that antibiotics does its thing and you eliminate the dry food who knows what will happen. Hidey was on Prozinc and had great results. Good luck!
 
Thanks. He's getting a little hungry so I'm going to have to be strong and not give in to his sad eyes. He's just sitting in front of his food dish waiting for food to magically appear . . . at least he's not crying for it like he was doing a few days ago. It seems like I just couldn't keep his food dish filled often enough for him before he was diagnosed.

His bg was 420 at the vets, but he was extremely stressed. In fact, they had to give him a little gas to be able to examine him. Nacho doesn't handle strangers well, or friends, or family, or other animals. I got him when he was 1-1/2 years old and he definitely hadn't been socialized. It took me a couple of months before he'd even let me hold him. Now he follows me like a little puppy and is almost always in the same room I am.

Nacho is not on dry food any longer. He used to just nibble on it every now and then if he needed a snack in between meals, but it wasn't much. I took his bowl of that away and it doesn't seem to bother him that he doesn't have it available. I've been reading the boards getting ideas on how to keep food out for him while I'm at work. I'm thinking "catcicles" will work well - - at least I think that's what they're called (portions of frozen wet food with water added). I've also left out canned food with added water for a little something extra for him. This is a whole new way of taking care of a cat!!
 
How much longer till his shot? If it's not that long you can test now. That's the problem when their unregulated, they are sooooo hungry. As to when your at work, you should also look at timed feeders. I got the petsafe 5 when Hidey was diagnosed....ugh! Had to buy 3 of them since I have 3 cats but love them. When Hidey was on insulin I had to fed him every 4 hrs or his bg would spike. I've now cut it back to 3 feedings. His hardest time was going all night without food. His bg would really spike. Smaller meals are actually better for them anyways. They also have a 2 compartment feeder as well. Might be worth looking into?
 
Well, this last test didn't go so well . . . Nacho was pretty hungry and just wanted to eat. I ended up giving him some food so he'd hold still but he kept flicking his ears and I couldn't get a good poke. And yes, it was the pre-shot test I was asking about. I'm going to try during the night to see if I can get a reading on him . . . I'd like to get some idea of what's happening with him and the insulin. I gave him a special treat (tiny piece of bacon) after trying the poke. I'm hoping he'll associate the treat with the testing and will start cooperating.

Thanks to all for your guidance. :)
 
Cindy and Nacho said:
'm going to try during the night to see if I can get a reading on him . . . I'd like to get some idea of what's happening with him and the insulin.
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Perfect!!Yes, you do want to try and get a test aroun nadir( lowest point during the cycle)!

Cindy and Nacho said:
I gave him a special treat (tiny piece of bacon) after trying the poke. I'm hoping he'll associate the treat with the testing and will start cooperating.
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This is exactly what will happen and then testing will get so much easier! I like bacon too, however I might suggest something low carb such a boiled chicken breast meat? My kitty loves chicken Pure Bites, but it's the crunchines that she misses from her dry food.
 
The bacon that I gave him is Bacon Bits - - the package said that it was zero carbs. I just gave him a small piece as a very special treat. He loved it. He's never had bacon before. I thought he was going to rip the bag out of my hand!!

Nacho has boiled chicken breast as a treat quite often so I thought something completely different for his testing might be good. I boil a chicken breast, cut it up in small cubes and freeze it. He enjoys that but nothing like the way he acted with the bacon. :D
 
jumping in here re: the frequent, smaller meals. How do I go about starting that? Given that Oren is getting 1 3.3oz can of fancy feast in the morning, and 1 at night (before each shot), how much of that amount do I give him in the morning that is a safe amount for shooting and how large are the 3-4 meals spread throughout the day? Is it still 1 whole can for the a.m shot, then the 2nd can broken up into smaller amounts, and another bit in the evening? and Cindy; does Nacho eat the chicken cubes while frozen?!
Indeed, SO much to learn
 
I thaw out a couple cubes in the microwave for him. I cut the cubes pretty small so they're more of a treat than a snack or meal. I'll let someone with more experience answer your question about the frequent, smaller meals. I'm still trying to get Nacho regulated and he's still hungry a lot . . . not as bad as he was before the diagnosis though.
 
With the mini meals what I did is just split it up. In your case your doing 2 cans a day, I'd split it up into 4 meals (2 of them at shot time) and then the other 2 a couple hours later.

Right now my cats feeding schedule is:
7 am: 2 oz holistic select chicken & lamb pate & 1 TBS young again zero carb
7 pm: 2 oz holistic chicken pate
1 am: 2 oz holistic select turkey pate

When Hidey was on insulin I fed at: 7 am, 12 pm, 5 pm, 10 pm, & 2 am.

I also add water to each serving so it's more of a soupy consistency and helps fill them up and makes sure they stay hydrated.
 
Morning all; thanks Hidey's person; I am kinda thick with this; my fear is to make sure he gets enough at shot time. I do not yet have an auto-feeder, so on days when I'm not here, I'd have to put out the remainder after shot meal, and no doubt he'll scarf it for now...

If i do 1/2 can (~1.65oz) at 7a.m (pre shot),
1/4 (1.1oz) 3-4 hrs. later
1/4 3-4 hours later,
then repeat at 7p.m, does that sound reasonable?

Everyone recommends the Petsafe 5 feeder; has anyone experienced the problem of cats getting into it and/or it not revolving correctly? its seems it would be a terrible thing if it failed to work during the day after the initial feeding..
 
That looks like a reasonable feeding schedule. You may find that you tweak it a little to feed more as you get data on how it is working.
 
so today, haven't tried retesting yet (might in next hour or so) but did do the smaller meal thing following the schedule above., mixing a bit of water into each serving.
Today's observations: 1 pee in the box from overnight (compared to a usual 2)
1st meal at 7:00, 1st drink of the day was 8:15a.m. compared w/ instantly drinking and peeing most previous days after the large meal. He got some boiled chicken treats w/ practice handling for testing (holding on lap, ear rubbing etc.) .
Fed at 10.30. Hardly any water consumed and no pee b/n 10:30 and 2:00!
Fed at 2, and having just returned at 4:15 from being out, only 1 pee in the box and negligible water consumed. All pee amounts were reasonable; perhaps a bit more than 'normal', but not copious.

this is a big improvement over yesterday. he peed and drank a LOT more yesterday; following the stressful 1st testing preshot and the unsuccessful tests midday.

I hope I can take this as a good sign? Fri., he seemed to have some noticeable decrease in PU/PD also, so not sure if this day can be attributed more to the diet change yet... but I will try to repeat it. Unfortunately, it's back to work for me tomorrow, so I can't follow this feeding schedule w/o coming home perhaps at lunch, but even then that would mean only 2 instead of 3 during the day. Going to order the PetSafe 5 tonight from Amazon and hope to employ it later in the wk (thanks to Amazon Prime!)
 
If he's a grazer and you're not worried about him eating everything at once, you can also leave canned food mixed with water to sit out during the day. This is what I do on the days I work in the office and it's good for up to 12 hours (maybe longer, but I'm home by then).

Just as a heads up, since you're adding water to the food, this should greatly reduce his water consumption to the point where he might not even directly drink water any more. Mikey rarely touches the water dish now to the point that when he does, it makes me worry something is up.
 
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He's still eating rather enthusiastically, but not frantically, I'm fairly sure he'll eat it all at once...he's never been a grazer before, always a 2x a day guy. But I suppose it's worth a try.. perhaps the added water also makes him feel more full and he won't eat it all immediately. I guess I'll try it tomorrow.. How disruptive is it to alternate b/n the several times a day vs. 2 times a day, at least at first till I can get the feeder going? Wed i'm at home, and Fri. too, except Fri. he's supposed to go back to vet for first follow up curve.

Sadly, 3 more failed ear sticks this afternoon, but lots of praise and treats. i used the rice sock and I'm using a hand held lancet not the pen... don't know how i got so lucky on the very first try but can't seem to get any more... both of us stayed much calmer today though... Only about 1 hr. till dinner time, so perhaps it's not worth trying again now?
 
I spent the first couple of months after Mikey's diagnosis tinkering with feeding twice daily, using timed feeders, free-feeding, grazing, etc... till I found a routine that made both of us happy. If he's used to twice-daily meals, then I would try first splitting it up into 4-times daily and see if that works better for everyone, with or without timed feeders.

When it comes to cats and food, they're more likely to complain when there is none vs. if you're feeding them more often, so I think you'll be fine.;)

With testing, when I first started out with Mikey, I would attempt to test him as often as he'd let me. Sometimes, this meant back to back tests when he was cooperative. Sometimes it meant starting to attempt his pre-shot test an hour before it was due because he was being uncooperative. For me, my goal the first few weeks were simply to get pre-shot tests every day. Then, any other tests I could attempt was us just getting used to the testing process. If either of you need a break from testing and it's not a pre-shot, then take a break! It'll keep you both calmer.:smuggrin:
 
An infection will definitely affect the blood sugar. Also, his urine might have a sweet odor because of the antibiotic. I too, use tthe Walmart Relion brand. It requires a very little blood to do the testing. I always test, feed amd administer the insulin at the same time every day. Regimentation is paramont to managing diabetis. Adapting to a routine will take for you and your critter as well. Good luck from Jane and Stewey
 
Welcome Cindy and extra sweet Nacho! You've already got things going WONDERFULLY! Nacho is a lucky kitty! Keep at the testing - his ears will 'learn to bleed' which technically means additional capillaries will grow in the ear area helping you get blood more often. That part just takes time and pokies!

Which ReliOn meter did you get?

Bacon has a high fat content and was either sugar-cured leaving sugar residue or salt-cured leaving salt residue in the meat but as long as you don't give him much, that should be OK for an ocassional treat.

HUGS and welcome again!
 
congratulations Nacho and Cindy! still no luck w/ Mr. Oren. he let me try again tonight, and though it seemed a great opportunity, I still couldn't get any blood after 2 jabs. More rubbing of ears and caresses and chicken treats. I have tried the warming sock (though not tonight) and rubbing the ears w/ my fingers. Tonight it would it would have been an hour after shot, so not optimal, but he is so anxious to eat pre-shot that those times are way more stressful for both of us.
Sigh. Maybe I need to try the lancet pen that came w/ the Relion Confirm?
 
I'm using the Relion micro . . . still having problems getting any blood drops but Nacho is letting me poke him - well, sometimes. I've been playing with his ears hoping he'll get used to me touching them. He's always been very particular about where I pet him and lets me know when he's had enough. He doesn't really like his ears being touched, but he's getting a little better. The paws would be a definite no. Nacho doesn't mind if I pet the tops of his paws but I'm not allowed to touch the bottoms!

The shots are going well and he seems to be feeling better. He was pretty playful last night and even more affectionate than usual. Now . . . if I can get the testing going, I'll feel like we're really doing well.

Thanks for all the help and encouragement!
 
Cindy; I know exactly your frustration! I'm able to get some pokes in, sometime, but not getting blood!! It's very difficult at pre-shot time, cause that's when Oren's most hungry and squirmy and not interested in being restrained. I've been holding him and playing w/ his ears, giving treats and cuddles etc, and he's pretty good, even lets me jab once or twice, but i feel horrible when there's no result.

I've noticed an improvement in his attitude and overall demeanor also; more purring, some playing even, and grooming and a bit perkier overall, decreased PU/PD. Let's hope I can get the testing resolved too!
Let's hope we both get some improvement soon, if we just keep at it!!
 
The ears "learn to bleed" the more you poke them, so it starts becoming easier and easier to get blood. If all else fails and you need that blood (i.e. for a pre-shot), you can always aim for the vein. You don't want to do it every time because it does bleed more and bruise easier, but it works in a pinch.
 
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