Caninsulin dosage advice needed please

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Monica & Josie

Monica & Josie

Member Since 2017
Hello everyone, I need advice regarding Josie's dosage please. She's on 1 unit of Caninsulin twice a day at the mo and her numbers seem to be fairly consistent plus her very recent fructosamine test results were 333 but she still has a lot of pink and red numbers. How can I bring her numbers down more into the yellows blues and greens?! Should I up her dose? How do I know if Caninsulin is the best insulin for her?
I have to go abroad for 10 days at the end of July leaving my dear husband in charge of EVERYTHING! :nailbiting:
I am really hoping that by then Josie will turn into a pretty straightforward and easy maintenance case so hubby can handle it and we'll have a happy kitty. And a kitty mummy who won't lose her sanity with constant worry!
Your input and helpful suggestions would be much appreciated, thank you!
 
Josie's curve is typical of Caninsulin (Vetsulin in USA), a fast steep drop. I would ask your vet to change to ProZinc since that pet insulin is better and is now available in the UK.
 
Hi Monica,

Your spreadsheet is missing pre-shot readings and doses for a number of days so it's difficult to say for certain what's going on. It looks like your dosing has been a bit inconsistent too and while in some cases I can assume you gave a lesser dose due to the pre-shot reading, at other times, I am not sure what the reasoning was for a lowered dose. My gut feeling is that Josie is bouncing from low numbers she is not used to. I notice she had a very low reading of 2.5 mmol on the 18th of May on a 0.5u dose but then you held that dose for a good run and her numbers were creeping upward.

Your goal is to have a drop between pre-shot and nadir (lowest reading in a cycle) numbers of no more than 50% to try to keep bouncing at bay as much as possible. Bouncing happens when kitty drops to numbers they have been unaccustomed to, they go into unsafe low numbers or if they are dropping so much and so fast that the body senses danger and pumps out hormones to bring the BG back up to the higher levels it has been accustomed to as a result of the diabetes. The best way to get a handle on a situation like this is to ease kitty's numbers down gradually so the body becomes re-acquainted with normal BG levels.

It does appear she is metabolizing the insulin quickly and a change to a longer acting insulin like Pro-Zinc might help too but in the meantime, if she were my kitty, I think I'd try a dose of 0.25u for about 3 days barring any low pre-shots and see if she starts to level out a bit even if her numbers are still starting at pinks but going into the yellows mid cycle. If you can get her level off a bit, then a gradual increase might not precipitate such drastic bounces. If you can get readings pre-shot and then at +2, if she seems to be dropping fast (more than 6mmol) you can give her a snack of low carb food to try to slow down the drop.

Curiosity......have you changed Josie's diet recently because that can have a big effect on the amount of insulin needed?
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Hi Monica,

Your spreadsheet is missing pre-shot readings and doses for a number of days so it's difficult to say for certain what's going on. It looks like your dosing has been a bit inconsistent too and while in some cases I can assume you gave a lesser dose due to the pre-shot reading, at other times, I am not sure what the reasoning was for a lowered dose. My gut feeling is that Josie is bouncing from low numbers she is not used to. I notice she had a very low reading of 2.5 mmol on the 18th of May on a 0.5u dose but then you held that dose for a good run and her numbers were creeping upward.

Your goal is to have a drop between pre-shot and nadir (lowest reading in a cycle) numbers of no more than 50% to try to keep bouncing at bay as much as possible. Bouncing happens when kitty drops to numbers they have been unaccustomed to, they go into unsafe low numbers or if they are dropping so much and so fast that the body senses danger and pumps out hormones to bring the BG back up to the higher levels it has been accustomed to as a result of the diabetes. The best way to get a handle on a situation like this is to ease kitty's numbers down gradually so the body becomes re-acquainted with normal BG levels.

It does appear she is metabolizing the insulin quickly and a change to a longer acting insulin like Pro-Zinc might help too but in the meantime, if she were my kitty, I think I'd try a dose of 0.25u for about 3 days barring any low pre-shots and see if she starts to level out a bit even if her numbers are still starting at pinks but going into the yellows mid cycle. If you can get her level off a bit, then a gradual increase might not precipitate such drastic bounces. If you can get readings pre-shot and then at +2, if she seems to be dropping fast (more than 6mmol) you can give her a snack of low carb food to try to slow down the drop.

Curiosity......have you changed Josie's diet recently because that can have a big effect on the amount of insulin needed?
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Yes I agree Im trying to be consistent with dosage and been doing preshot numbers every time for a while now.
Didn't help that she wasn't eating yesterday and vomiting yellow foam..

Great point and yes I was thinking as well of giving her very low carb snack during the day to slow down the drop.

No I haven't changed her diet, took away dry food completely at the very beginning, about 10 days before she started receiving insulin. Have changed the wet food couple of times as she lost interest quickly in some flavours but they were all similar ingredients and all below 10% carb. I try to feed her the same thing but she gets bored with it and doesn't want to eat. Now I think we finally settled for two different ones, Sheba Flakes 2.5% and Butchers Classic Really Meaty 3.5%

We were going to try her on 0.25 unit on vet's advise as her numbers were going down nicely and have started but the preshot numbers become considerably high so been advised to increase the dosage..? so we did. It didn't help. So you think we should've kept it low for a while to prevent bouncing?

Thank you for taking the time to advise me!
 
Larry and Kitties said:
Josie's curve is typical of Caninsulin (Vetsulin in USA), a fast steep drop. I would ask your vet to change to ProZinc since that pet insulin is better and is now available in the UK.
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Yes we asked the vet if should change insulin but she said give this a go for a bit longer as it seems to be working and we might just need to get the dosage right..
 
Thank you everyone for your replies, after yesterday's sickness and little food Josie ate better this morning but not her usual amount and her AMPS numbers were much lower at 14.5 / 260 so gave her a reduced 0.5 unit shot. I don't know if this was the right or wrong decision, I had to decide quickly and I based it on her lower food intake and the significantly lower preshot numbers.

Some of you advised to keep her on 1 unit and see how it goes and some of you advised to lower to 0.25 to even out the bounces.
They BOTH make sense!! It's hard to decide which way to go...

Now Im not sure if it's a good idea or not but shall we meet half way and keep her on 0.5 unit for a few days to be consistent regardless her preshot numbers as you suggested and see how she responds?

And thank you, I really appreciate your support!
 
It's really hard to know what to do, Monica, I do sympathise. Pre-shot numbers vary and we have to think on our feet and dose what is often our best guess at the time. Achieving a spreadsheet that makes some sort of sense can take a while, while you try different dosing options for different pre-shot numbers.

I'm not the world's best at deciphering spreadsheets but I think perhaps sticking to a lowish dose for a few days might at least give some clues as to whether Josie is bouncing or not.

... just seen your last post as I was typing the above! Yes, people will advise different ways to go and they both make sense! So try one way and if that doesn't work, try another way. As Josie isn't eating much at the moment, I'd go from here with a lowish dose and see how that pans out. The key to all of this is testing - I know it isn't easy when you have things to do but the more tests you can get in to give the clearest possible picture, the better.
 
Monica Lewis said:
Yes I agree Im trying to be consistent with dosage and been doing preshot numbers every time for a while now.
Didn't help that she wasn't eating yesterday and vomiting yellow foam..

Great point and yes I was thinking as well of giving her very low carb snack during the day to slow down the drop.

No I haven't changed her diet, took away dry food completely at the very beginning, about 10 days before she started receiving insulin. Have changed the wet food couple of times as she lost interest quickly in some flavours but they were all similar ingredients and all below 10% carb. I try to feed her the same thing but she gets bored with it and doesn't want to eat. Now I think we finally settled for two different ones, Sheba Flakes 2.5% and Butchers Classic Really Meaty 3.5%

We were going to try her on 0.25 unit on vet's advise as her numbers were going down nicely and have started but the preshot numbers become considerably high so been advised to increase the dosage..? so we did. It didn't help. So you think we should've kept it low for a while to prevent bouncing?

Thank you for taking the time to advise me!
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They usually vomit stomach acid when their tummies are empty. It's better to feed more often than just twice a day... That will solve that. Just no food two hours before preshot testing.
 
Monica Lewis said:
Thank you everyone for your replies, after yesterday's sickness and little food Josie ate better this morning but not her usual amount and her AMPS numbers were much lower at 14.5 / 260 so gave her a reduced 0.5 unit shot. I don't know if this was the right or wrong decision, I had to decide quickly and I based it on her lower food intake and the significantly lower preshot numbers.

Some of you advised to keep her on 1 unit and see how it goes and some of you advised to lower to 0.25 to even out the bounces.
They BOTH make sense!! It's hard to decide which way to go...

Now Im not sure if it's a good idea or not but shall we meet half way and keep her on 0.5 unit for a few days to be consistent regardless her preshot numbers as you suggested and see how she responds?

And thank you, I really appreciate your support!
Click to expand...
With a significantly lower preshot you are wise to do 0.5. It's what I would have suggested.
 
JanetNJ said:
They usually vomit stomach acid when their tummies are empty. It's better to feed more often than just twice a day... That will solve that. Just no food two hours before preshot testing.
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She's normally always asking for food so we feed her 4-5 times a day smaller portions. Although it always makes me wonder how is that affecting her BG readings especially when doing a curve? I guess her numbers will never be exactly accurate..?
 
Monica Lewis said:
I will most definitely try! Just did a +3 and it was 12.4 :). I hope that's good at this point..
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It's fine but a bit flat. What I might suggest is that over 300 do 1 unit and 250-300 0.75. But let's see how today plays out. Your cat doesn't seem to really drop until +4.
Monica Lewis said:
She's normally always asking for food so we feed her 4-5 times a day smaller portions. Although it always makes me wonder how is that affecting her BG readings especially when doing a curve? I guess her numbers will never be exactly accurate..?
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For curve days feed her however you normally would. Cats gotta eat. Lol its ok if the numbers during the day are food influenced. You don't want the preshot test to be food influenced because you have to make sure the numbers are naturally high enough to shoot. If she's 250 at preshot and it's only because of food, when the food wears off in an hour or two she could drop too low, ya know?
 
i see she hasn't been eating well for two days... gotta stay on top of that. I'm hoping it resolves itself soon... try to get her to eat whatever she will. cooked chicken, tuna, a favorite cat food... you don't want her to stop eating. add extra water to her food too... If she's starting to get a bout of pancreatitis they tend to get dehydrated pretty quickly.
 
JanetNJ said:
i see she hasn't been eating well for two days... gotta stay on top of that. I'm hoping it resolves itself soon... try to get her to eat whatever she will. cooked chicken, tuna, a favorite cat food... you don't want her to stop eating. add extra water to her food too... If she's starting to get a bout of pancreatitis they tend to get dehydrated pretty quickly.
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Thanks Janet.
Just had to drag her out from under bush in garden where she loves staying daytime for test. She was not interested in boiled chicken cubes or tuna but was willing to eat two pieces of small naughty emergency dry treats whilst testing her. At +5 11.8 / 210. Might have to go to vet tomorrow if not improving. Shame I was very hopeful after this morning's promising feed but she's looking uninterested and frail again..
 
Today's yellow numbers could be a lot worse, Monica, and you said she did eat quite well this morning so maybe she's just having a quiet day. It's quite warm here in Surrey and maybe the same for you too? Warmer weather can put cats off food. I wouldn't worry too much atm unless she is showing other signs that concern you...?
 
Diana&Tom said:
Today's yellow numbers could be a lot worse, Monica, and you said she did eat quite well this morning so maybe she's just having a quiet day. It's quite warm here in Surrey and maybe the same for you too? Warmer weather can put cats off food. I wouldn't worry too much atm unless she is showing other signs that concern you...?
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Thanks Diana, agreed!

Not sure at this point if her low food intake yesterday affecting her today or the heat or something more serious.. Will wait and see.

Although not helping that she just disappeared from her usual spot in the garden, I just looked everywhere but she's not coming back to calling her..!:(

I don't think she liked it that we knew her hiding place and dragged her out from under bush for blood test...
 
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I hope Josie shows up soon!

This sugar dance can be a lot of guess work especially in the early days and it's definitely not a one size fits all condition. You will get differing opinions and that may seem confusing but it also gives you options to consider. Above all, I believe each of us as caregiver's have to do what we are comfortable with no matter what suggestions are provided. It would be very helpful to get a BG test each night before you head to bed. Many cats go lower at night than during the day so any data you can get on the night cycle will help to fill in pieces of the puzzle and help you get Josie leveled out.
 
Anthony Morgan said:
Hi Monica,
I just wanted to say sorry to hear you are having a difficult day with Josie. I hope all's OK.
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Thank you Anthony, today is looking promising getting back to normal..

Luckily she's eating enough so I'm able to give her the 0.5unit Caninsulin. I think sticking with the lower dosage started to curb those bounces..fingers crossed we are finally on the right dosage path....

How are you and Shelley getting on? Nice blue and green numbers on your spreadsheet btw :)
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
I hope Josie shows up soon!

This sugar dance can be a lot of guess work especially in the early days and it's definitely not a one size fits all condition. You will get differing opinions and that may seem confusing but it also gives you options to consider. Above all, I believe each of us as caregiver's have to do what we are comfortable with no matter what suggestions are provided. It would be very helpful to get a BG test each night before you head to bed. Many cats go lower at night than during the day so any data you can get on the night cycle will help to fill in pieces of the puzzle and help you get Josie leveled out.
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Thank you, that is very true.

Yes will try to get evening numbers, past couple of days as not well Josie hated the testing and hissed and growled at us when started testing ( which she hasn't done since the beginning ) so I was pleased to get the bare minimum ps tests done and decided to give her a break. Today hopefully will go better..

Things are looking good with the 0.5 unit at the mo, hopefully numbers will stay consistent..

Thank you everyone for your support, hope you all have a lovely day! :)
 
Monica Lewis said:
Thank you, that is very true.

Yes will try to get evening numbers, past couple of days as not well Josie hated the testing and hissed and growled at us when started testing ( which she hasn't done since the beginning ) so I was pleased to get the bare minimum ps tests done and decided to give her a break. Today hopefully will go better..

Things are looking good with the 0.5 unit at the mo, hopefully numbers will stay consistent..

Thank you everyone for your support, hope you all have a lovely day! :)
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Wow nice amps today again!
 
JanetNJ said:
Wow nice amps today again!
Click to expand...

Thank you :) BG didn't go down much at +4, could be cos I gave her a favourite small carby treat to encourage her to eat? I won't make a habit of it!!

Janet I just watched your video of how to home test, you are sooo nice and smiley and with your chilled kitty you make it look so easy! :)

I watched several home testing videos now and all the cats look so mellow as if they were all on drugs putting up with it compare to my Josie!!!:banghead: She is not keen at all and fights sometimes but also purrs at the same time?! Weird!

I must admit I cannot test her on my own. She used to put up such a fight at the beginning but now we worked out that we are able to do it if I hold her cuddling which she likes and my husband does the poking and test which she puts up with most of the time. I tried to do it on my own a few times but she didn't like it and in 5 minutes I made about 6 holes in her poor ear whilst she kept moving.. I don't want to force or push it as I don't want to rock the boat now that we've been able to do it for a while together with my husband and got into a little routine. The problem is that most of the time my husband goes to bed around 9pm.. plus starting a new job tomorrow and won't be around daytime..
So that is something I still need to master somehow asap. One of the FDMB ladies really got angry with me for being unable to test on my own which didn't really help and only made me feel even more bad about it and more frustrated...

Was your cat always this easy to test?
Josie NEVER sits on our lap so always wants to jump off as soon as I try to get her there to attempt to test on my own..

Any suggestions apart from the usual warm rice socks, soothing music or singing, hot water bottle, holding down, giving a treat, gentle stroking, wrapping in towel, firmly holding down between legs... etc. would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
 
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Hi Monica, just catching up here today! Ref your spreadsheet, it may be that the dose you're trying at the moment is just enough to keep Josie steady for a few hours... she may have dropped a little before this test or she may drop afterwards, we don't know. This is why it's so important to collect data, to see patterns etc on different doses.

I'm sorry to hear you have rather a fight when it comes to testing and I'm even more sorry to hear that someone here got angry with you. There is no excuse for that. The vast majority of us here recognise that treating FD isn't easy, and we stick around on this site because we want to encourage and help each other. So well done you for still posting here - try to put that one negative experience behind you because as I said, most of us really do want to help.

I think you do sort of find a way of testing that suits you, but it may be trial and error. In some cases it can help to do the test while the kitty is tucking into food - ideally you don't feed for a couple of hours before a shot is given, so by that time an appetite may have been worked up! So maybe try that - make sure Josie is concentrating on her food, and maybe add a few tuna flakes on top - and do the test as quickly as possible, she may not notice!

My own experience is that rice socks etc can be rather bulky and therefore off-putting for the cat... instead of a rice sock, I used to use those disposable facial wipes... rinse them out, cut them into small strips, fold over a few times, rinse again in warm water, and use that to hold against the ear. It's not bulky at all and has the added advantage that you can use it to hold against the ear for a few seconds to stem any flow of blood.

You will get there! You have a great positive attitude and that's half the battle!
 
Diana&Tom said:
Hi Monica, just catching up here today! Ref your spreadsheet, it may be that the dose you're trying at the moment is just enough to keep Josie steady for a few hours... she may have dropped a little before this test or she may drop afterwards, we don't know. This is why it's so important to collect data, to see patterns etc on different doses.

I'm sorry to hear you have rather a fight when it comes to testing and I'm even more sorry to hear that someone here got angry with you. There is no excuse for that. The vast majority of us here recognise that treating FD isn't easy, and we stick around on this site because we want to encourage and help each other. So well done you for still posting here - try to put that one negative experience behind you because as I said, most of us really do want to help.

I think you do sort of find a way of testing that suits you, but it may be trial and error. In some cases it can help to do the test while the kitty is tucking into food - ideally you don't feed for a couple of hours before a shot is given, so by that time an appetite may have been worked up! So maybe try that - make sure Josie is concentrating on her food, and maybe add a few tuna flakes on top - and do the test as quickly as possible, she may not notice!

My own experience is that rice socks etc can be rather bulky and therefore off-putting for the cat... instead of a rice sock, I used to use those disposable facial wipes... rinse them out, cut them into small strips, fold over a few times, rinse again in warm water, and use that to hold against the ear. It's not bulky at all and has the added advantage that you can use it to hold against the ear for a few seconds to stem any flow of blood.

You will get there! You have a great positive attitude and that's half the battle!
Click to expand...


Wow cut up disposable face wipes..?? Never would've thought of that! :) You must've tried many things til you got there!

Actually whenever I tried testing her on my own I had tears of frustration running down my cheeks and I couldn't see a thing! But tried over and over again just kept poking several times squeezing and milking until just about managed to do it. So I put aside trying and stayed with doing it with hubby and everyone's been happy.

We just about manage to inject her now whilst she's eating and lets us do it with very little protest. Again must admit I can't inject on my own either. My hubby is around for that every day morning/evening so I will leave that like that for a while. Again don't want to rock the boat as we had such a heart wrenching struggle trying to inject her at the beginning..

Anyways, thank you very much Diana for encouraging. I will persevere, I know now I have no choice or excuse as I'll be on my own a lot. Just need to source a tranquilliser for the cat! :)
 
Yong said:
We are here to hold your virtual hand :bighug:
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Yes my virtual hands always feel very warm and sweaty from all the holding..! :)

I find it incredible how dedicated you all are to helping others and how much of your time this must take up! I am in awe of all of you, really. And very grateful.
 
You will be fine, Monica, really. But I had to smile about a tranquilliser for Josie! If you really think she needs calming, you could try Feliway, a plug-in thing that is supposed to be helpful to calm anxiety in cats (and maybe humans too, I don't know!!)

The cut-up facial wipes thing was just a progression for me from cotton wool and then folded-over tissue. The wipes are easier to warm under the tap and not too bulky.

One other thing - I'm sure this has been mentioned... do you give Josie a little treat after testing her? Many of us have a special store of goodies for just that purpose... it helps the cat to associate test time with something positive, a reward afterwards. Oh and reward yourself too (seriously) - chocolate, wine, cake, whatever... it helps a lot!!
 
Monica Lewis said:
Thank you :) BG didn't go down much at +4, could be cos I gave her a favourite small carby treat to encourage her to eat? I won't make a habit of it!!

Janet I just watched your video of how to home test, you are sooo nice and smiley and with your chilled kitty you make it look so easy! :)

I watched several home testing videos now and all the cats look so mellow as if they were all on drugs putting up with it compare to my Josie!!!:banghead: She is not keen at all and fights sometimes but also purrs at the same time?! Weird!

I must admit I cannot test her on my own. She used to put up such a fight at the beginning but now we worked out that we are able to do it if I hold her cuddling which she likes and my husband does the poking and test which she puts up with most of the time. I tried to do it on my own a few times but she didn't like it and in 5 minutes I made about 6 holes in her poor ear whilst she kept moving.. I don't want to force or push it as I don't want to rock the boat now that we've been able to do it for a while together with my husband and got into a little routine. The problem is that most of the time my husband goes to bed around 9pm.. plus starting a new job tomorrow and won't be around daytime..
So that is something I still need to master somehow asap. One of the FDMB ladies really got angry with me for being unable to test on my own which didn't really help and only made me feel even more bad about it and more frustrated...

Was your cat always this easy to test?
Josie NEVER sits on our lap so always wants to jump off as soon as I try to get her there to attempt to test on my own..

Any suggestions apart from the usual warm rice socks, soothing music or singing, hot water bottle, holding down, giving a treat, gentle stroking, wrapping in towel, firmly holding down between legs... etc. would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
Click to expand...
She put up a little bit of a fight in the beginning... Esp when it would take multiple tries. She was definitely more cooperative when she started associating the test with food. Then she would purr when she saw the kit. I always gave a bit of deli turkey or roast beef... Sometimes catnip. Those high carb treats can be substituted.... When cc was going low and I wanted to steer her up I once gave 4 temptations.... She zoomed up about 100 points in a matter of minutes. Lol. I was like ok... Overcorrection. And it became quite clear how I unknowingly ushered her into diabetes. (Smacks forehead)
 
Diana&Tom said:
You will be fine, Monica, really. But I had to smile about a tranquilliser for Josie! If you really think she needs calming, you could try Feliway, a plug-in thing that is supposed to be helpful to calm anxiety in cats (and maybe humans too, I don't know!!)

The cut-up facial wipes thing was just a progression for me from cotton wool and then folded-over tissue. The wipes are easier to warm under the tap and not too bulky.

One other thing - I'm sure this has been mentioned... do you give Josie a little treat after testing her? Many of us have a special store of goodies for just that purpose... it helps the cat to associate test time with something positive, a reward afterwards. Oh and reward yourself too (seriously) - chocolate, wine, cake, whatever... it helps a lot!!
Click to expand...

Yes we do reward her with tiny treats before during and after, I think that's why she is willing to put up with it these days..

And never mind rewarding myself, the tears of joy, relief and satisfaction of finally being able to do it by myself will be my greatest reward! :)
 
JanetNJ said:
She put up a little bit of a fight in the beginning... Esp when it would take multiple tries. She was definitely more cooperative when she started associating the test with food. Then she would purr when she saw the kit. I always gave a bit of deli turkey or roast beef... Sometimes catnip. Those high carb treats can be substituted.... When cc was going low and I wanted to steer her up I once gave 4 temptations.... She zoomed up about 100 points in a matter of minutes. Lol. I was like ok... Overcorrection. And it became quite clear how I unknowingly ushered her into diabetes. (Smacks forehead)
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:D:D
 
Monica Lewis said:
Yes we do reward her with tiny treats before during and after, I think that's why she is willing to put up with it these days..

And never mind rewarding myself, the tears of joy, relief and satisfaction of finally being able to do it by myself will be my greatest reward! :)
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Awwwwww! That's a cat mummy speaking!
And no need to be in awe of people here, Monica... it's what we do! We love cats, all cats, and we want the very best for them and their humans :-)
 
Monica Lewis said:
Thank you :) BG didn't go down much at +4, could be cos I gave her a favourite small carby treat to encourage her to eat? I won't make a habit of it!!

Janet I just watched your video of how to home test, you are sooo nice and smiley and with your chilled kitty you make it look so easy! :)

I watched several home testing videos now and all the cats look so mellow as if they were all on drugs putting up with it compare to my Josie!!!:banghead: She is not keen at all and fights sometimes but also purrs at the same time?! Weird!

I must admit I cannot test her on my own. She used to put up such a fight at the beginning but now we worked out that we are able to do it if I hold her cuddling which she likes and my husband does the poking and test which she puts up with most of the time. I tried to do it on my own a few times but she didn't like it and in 5 minutes I made about 6 holes in her poor ear whilst she kept moving.. I don't want to force or push it as I don't want to rock the boat now that we've been able to do it for a while together with my husband and got into a little routine. The problem is that most of the time my husband goes to bed around 9pm.. plus starting a new job tomorrow and won't be around daytime..
So that is something I still need to master somehow asap. One of the FDMB ladies really got angry with me for being unable to test on my own which didn't really help and only made me feel even more bad about it and more frustrated...

Was your cat always this easy to test?
Josie NEVER sits on our lap so always wants to jump off as soon as I try to get her there to attempt to test on my own..

Any suggestions apart from the usual warm rice socks, soothing music or singing, hot water bottle, holding down, giving a treat, gentle stroking, wrapping in towel, firmly holding down between legs... etc. would be greatly appreciated! Thank you
Click to expand...
When she's squirming try flicking the drop onto the back of your fingernail and test from there so you can let her go quicker. :)
 
Monica, I too have a cat who will not sit on my lap, hates to be held and god forbid if I ever tried to burrito her, she'd rip me to shreds. I thought I'd never be able to deal with her. What she loves is being brushed! So I initially used that as a lure to get her to a specific testing spot and brushies were her reward for co-operating. At this point in time, I can test my girl pretty much anywhere anytime and no treats or brushies are needed. Just a lot of lovey talk and head pets! The only issues I have with her are the occasional head shake particularly when her brother decides he needs to supervise the process!

If you can find something Josie really likes and use that to convince her that testing means good things are coming, it will help. And try your best not to get worked up before you test because our furkids pick up on our anxiety like little sponges. Go at testing with a CAN DO attitude and Josie will have confidence in you. If need be, do some dry runs on a stuffed toy so you can go through the testing steps smoothly and efficiently. I found initially I was fumbling around for stuff and my girl was getting distracted and impatient as a result. Once I got a rhythm worked out, things improved immensely.

You will be fine. Practice makes perfect! :D
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Monica, I too have a cat who will not sit on my lap, hates to be held and god forbid if I ever tried to burrito her, she'd rip me to shreds. I thought I'd never be able to deal with her. What she loves is being brushed! So I initially used that as a lure to get her to a specific testing spot and brushies were her reward for co-operating. At this point in time, I can test my girl pretty much anywhere anytime and no treats or brushies are needed. Just a lot of lovey talk and head pets! The only issues I have with her are the occasional head shake particularly when her brother decides he needs to supervise the process!

If you can find something Josie really likes and use that to convince her that testing means good things are coming, it will help. And try your best not to get worked up before you test because our furkids pick up on our anxiety like little sponges. Go at testing with a CAN DO attitude and Josie will have confidence in you. If need be, do some dry runs on a stuffed toy so you can go through the testing steps smoothly and efficiently. I found initially I was fumbling around for stuff and my girl was getting distracted and impatient as a result. Once I got a rhythm worked out, things improved immensely.

You will be fine. Practice makes perfect! :D
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That is brilliant that you found something like that as a reward and works well for you both!

Josie tries to scratch my eyeballs out when I try to brush her so I had to give up on that a long time ago... :)

I think you're right, the secret is in speed and I've been doing it together with my husband for a while now so I know all the prep and ready for action stuff. I think I struggle with the poking bit as I am so squeamish and don't want to poke too hard. That's why I have to do it over and over again until Josie loses patience...

Will work on finding an great incentive and will get cracking at it myself again! Thanks so much for encouraging!
 
Monica, I maybe blind but I didn't notice anyone mentioning the size of the lancets you are using. If they came with the meter, they may well be 31 or even 33 gauge and that may be part of your problem. If you can get some 28 gauge lancets (lower number means thicker needle) you may find your pokes are more successful first time.

Sounds like you are squeamish of hurting your little one which I can empathize with. As embarrassing as it is for me to admit this, I'm a retired R.N. and my hand shook so bad for the first few tests because I was so afraid of hurting my furkid! Josie doesn't feel much of anything when you poke her. There are very few nerve endings in her ear and she doesn't experience anything like you would if you poked your finger. Her agitation is from the new process and having to succumb to handling she is not used to rather than any pain. It will get better!:bighug:
 
Monica Lewis said:
Thank you Anthony, today is looking promising getting back to normal..

Luckily she's eating enough so I'm able to give her the 0.5unit Caninsulin. I think sticking with the lower dosage started to curb those bounces..fingers crossed we are finally on the right dosage path....

How are you and Shelley getting on? Nice blue and green numbers on your spreadsheet btw :)
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Hi Monica, pleased to hear things are settling down. Shelley is in some low numbers, 11 to 12 without insulin today. Just trying too decide whether to give a little or none?
 
Anthony Morgan said:
Hi Monica, pleased to hear things are settling down. Shelley is in some low numbers, 11 to 12 without insulin today. Just trying too decide whether to give a little or none?
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Sorry Anthony just seen your message.. 10.6 that's such a great pmps! Are you doing the sliding scale then? I wouldn't have the confidence to advise you about dosage myself but I know that since I've been sticking with the same lower dose for a few days now Josie's numbers been more consistent without the bounce dance..
 
Yes that is a borderline number for pre-shot, but almost too low to shoot so best to stay safe... I'd wait an hour and test again, see what direction she's going in.
 
Monica Lewis said:
Sorry Anthony just seen your message.. 10.6 that's such a great pmps! Are you doing the sliding scale then? I wouldn't have the confidence to advise you about dosage myself but I know that since I've been sticking with the same lower dose for a few days now Josie's numbers been more consistent without the bounce dance..
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Hi Monica,
I was advised to use 1.0u consistently by my vet but after a few shots, Shelley's numbers dropped lower and it didn't feel safe to inject 1.0u. So it looks like 0.5u may be appropriate but I don't know if the vet will agree.
Thanks for replying!
 
Anthony Morgan said:
Hi Monica,
I was advised to use 1.0u consistently by my vet but after a few shots, Shelley's numbers dropped lower and it didn't feel safe to inject 1.0u. So it looks like 0.5u may be appropriate but I don't know if the vet will agree.
Thanks for replying!
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This is exactly the dilemma isn't it - do what the vet says (ie dose consistently) or reduce the dose when a pre-shot number is low... surely the vet wouldn't say it was ok to give the usual amount of insulin if the cat was borderline unshootable and prone to hypos... this is exactly where home-testing is essential as it allows you to make your own informed decisions.
 
Well the vet goes for consistent dosage which is understandable, mine says the same but when ps numbers are borderline low I would personally go for the safer option ( which is the adjusted lower dosage) and use that to explain the vet why you made that decision..
 
Anthony Morgan said:
I would hope the vet would support this way of thinking, I daren't inject 1.0 u at these levels.
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Sometimes we just have to do what feels right to us, whatever the vet might say. Maybe next time you see the vet you could ask - what dose do you give if Shelley is around 10..? Would be very interesting to hear the vet's response!
 
Anthony Morgan said:
I would hope the vet would support this way of thinking, I daren't inject 1.0 u at these levels.
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If your vet is compassionate and cares about your cat's wellbeing without taking risks they would have to see your reasons and support your decision. Besides the ultimate responsibility lies with you so the final decision is yours at the end of the day.
I would go with my gut feeling and whatever feels right. And the safest option. That always helps me to make up my mind.
 
Diana&Tom said:
Sometimes we just have to do what feels right to us, whatever the vet might say. Maybe next time you see the vet you could ask - what dose do you give if Shelley is around 10..? Would be very interesting to hear the vet's response!
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Diana one of us could take a break here as we are both saying the same things here at the same time!! :D
 
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