Any suggestions for an at home glucose test for my cat?

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lexiruby

lexiruby

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Does anyone have a suggestions for an at home testing kit?
My baby, Ruby, was diagnosed in the begining of August, this year (2010). We are having a VERY hard time regulating her diabetes. She is currently on 2 units of Lantus 2 times a day and still drinks a ton of water, pees a lot, and now her back legs are a little unstable! I am worried about her. She will be going to the vet tomorrow for the 8 hour glucose curve. This is the 3rd time I will have her in for this! It is $200 a pop, and I can't keep doing this! I am thinking that an at home test would be the best way to go. Please, let me know if you have any suggestions. Thank you so much. confused_cat
 

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You can definitely be testing at home - you will save a great deal of $$ as you have already noted, and get more accurate results. The stress of being at the vet raises a cat's bg numbers. Many members in the US use the Walmart Relion glucometer. It is quite reasonably priced, and the test strips are readily available. There are several other brands as well - many times the pharmacy will give you the meter for free, but the strips are the expensive part. I got a OneTouch Ultra from Shoppers Drug Mart in BC for free and the strips cost $73 at Costco for 100.

In addition to the meter and the test strips, you will need lancets to prick the ear. Don't get the super fine ones to start with. Has your cat had ketones? Many people also test the urine for ketones, again using strips from the pharmacy - ketostix I think.

Your vet may or may not support home testing, but you do not need permission to do so - it really is the best thing you can do for your cat. It is important to know how Ruby responds to the insulin. Most of us test before each shot, and a few spot checks in between as well. The numbers are recorded in a spreadsheet that others can see - the link is in most members signatures.

There are many very experienced members on this board who can help you and Ruby a lot. They will want to know what type of food you are feeding her and if she has other health complications.

Others will be alongin the morning to welcome you and offer more advice and information.
 
Here is a good beginning site: Newbie hometesting site and a video: Video for hometesting And a list of what you will neeed:

A human glucometer. Any one that sips and takes a tiny sample is fine. The meters are often free at drug stores; it’s the strips that are expensive. You can, however, buy them on ebay at less than half the price of stores. Lots of people here also like the ReliOn from Walmart. It is an inexpensive meter and its strips are the cheapest around.

Lancets and a lancet device. Usually, until the ears “learn” to bleed, a 25-26 gauge is good. Any brand will work.

Ketone strips. (Ketostix) Just like human diabetics use. You will sometimes need to test urine if the numbers are high.

Rice sack. Make this out of thinnish sock, filled with raw rice or oatmeal and then knotted. You heat this in the microwave until very warm but not hot. Then heat the ears before poking.

Also nice to have. Flashlight: so you can look at the ears and find the little capillaries that come off the vein running down the ear. Vaseline: Put a tiny smear where you want to poke. It will help the blood bead up.

We all have our tricks that helped us. Just ask. We love to help!
 
just go to your local pharmacy and pick up a human blood glucose meter, some test strips for the meter, some lancets to poke your cat's ear to get the blood sample and then get some tips from all the people here on this site.

Vets charge an atrocious amount for numbers that are basically useless.
Do YOU like going to the dr for things? Most people don't and I bet your cat does not like it much either. Stress will raise the numbers and that curve doesn't tell you much.

Of my two cats, one tests much higher at the vets office and the other, weirdly, tests very low at the office. BUT, when I get them home and test them again, within 30min, they calmed down and I get their true BG numbers.

Relion meter is used by many as the test strips are quite inexpensive when compared to other meters' strips. I can't get that meter in Canada and I use Bayer Contour, but also have backup meters OneTouch and also a Precision.

Very good advice for you to pick up a box of Ketostix at the pharmacy because with high BG numbers, you want to be testing your cat's urine for ketones. If you see even a trace when you test, please post here as they are quite a serious problem.

As you are using Lantus, it may be a very good idea for you to post over in that section so that others who are using the same insulin as you are can give you great advice to get started on Ruby getting better.

The back leg issue can be sorted out likely - many give B12 which helps but you will need to ask the others about that issue as I have no experience with it myself with my cats.

Once you are home testing, you will be able to see how well or poorly that 2u dose is working for Ruby. Without home testing, you have no idea if that dose is much too low or much too high, and both cases are not great.

Post when you have the meter and items, and you will get plenty of people to help you. If you can post where you are located, there may be someone close to you who can help.
 
Wow! The response is wonderful! Thanks to everyone. I did have Ruby at the vet today, her glucose was as high as 330 and as low as 279. She said Ideally it should be around 250. Her glucose numbers were a lot better this time, leading us to believe that her diabetes is finally (after 4 months) getting close to regulated.
Her hind legs are still very unstable. After doing tons of research, I am thinking I should take her back for blood work. She could have low potassium (she still drinks a ton of water, and pees ALOT), or she could have CRF. I am so scared to get bad news. I have put two cats down in the past, and I currently have 3 cats. I know I adopt cats so that they can have a wonderful life! I spoil them like you can't imagine, it just kills me that she might be slipping away and I can't help her. Nor do I want her to be in any pain! She still cleans herself, purrs all of the time, sits as close to me as she can get, she is a lover. This is so hard. I would really like some words of hope, or the truth from someone experienced with feline diabetes.
I am in Lisle, Illinois.
Jen
 
I hope you will start hometesting, Jen, so you can see how the insulin is really working. Your numbers were not bad at the vet;some kitties test up to 100 points higher at the vet so your kitty could already be in very good numbers.
 
Thank you. I will go out and see what I can find to home test. Even if her levels are great, it doesn't explain the hind leg weakness.
 
Don't despair about the hind leg weakness. While it could be other things (potassium is a good thing to check, given the other symptoms), there are ways to help the weakness if it is 'simple' neuropathy. My cat was only able to walk a few feet and then he would sink to the ground. This was for several months. He was started on vit B12 shots, and he now trots around the yard and this aftenoon I saw him jump over the Christmas lights along the driveway - only a foot high but I was excited! My vet loads a couple of syringes and I give his shots at home monthly.

There are also pills that you can get from the pharmacy - I don't recall the name, but others have had remarkable results with them as well. I'm sure that someone will post the details for you.
 
you need to use the correct form of B12 for neuropathy and it's methylcobalamin.

This is the brand I used and highly recommend:

http://www.vitacost.com/NSI-Vitamin-B-1 ... cobalamin/

why -

1) doesn't contain any sugars or fruit flavorings, like other brands
2) easy to administer - empty one capsule daily and mix into wet food
3) there is more than enough of a dose, that if the cat doesn't eat it all, no big deal - typically recommended daily dose is 3-5 mg. this contains 5 mg
4) in general - if you have other cats and they eat it, it won't hurt them


Like others mentioned, home testing is the best way to go - it will save you all the vet visits, $ and stress on the cat, plus it puts you in control of knowing what's going on.

I've used several meters - I found that Bayer contour is easy to use and takes a tiny amount of blood. Similar to the relion (relion is cheaper). But please be careful what relion you purchase, as I see on this board, there is a recall in effect. Go to top of this page for more information.
 
Here is info about neuropathy and how methyl B12 can help: http://www.laurieulrich.com/jasper/

Any basic Human blood glucose meter will work for a cat. You don't need a high end fancy meter with graphing/food tracking/etc features. A meter that simply gives a blood glucose reading is all you need.

Price varies among brands. Wal Mart, if there's one near you, has the inexpensive Relion blood glucose meter and inexpensive test strips. OneTouch is a good brand. The Mini model works well. AccuChek Aviva is a great cat-friendly meter (easy to use, readily sips up a tiny drop of blood, few errors) but test strips are pricey. If you go with the Aviva, shop around online for the best prices. Ebay, Healthwarehouse.com, and Amazon.com are some places to check. The pharmacy's generic blood glucose meter will also work but keep in mind that the test strips may only be sold at that particular pharmacy or chain. With the big name meters, you can buy test strips at any pharmacy as well as many places online.
 
I would just add that the neuropathy can take some time to resolve. For come kitties it seems to resolve fairly quickly (as in a few weeks) while others like mine took a while longer. Diabetes is a long term commitment and every cat responds differently to insulin and vitamins. The strength of this board is that there is so much experience with so many different situations that you can ask questions and someone will have encountered the situation before. The trick is to ask!
 
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