Confused

Status
Not open for further replies.
Indigo

Indigo

Member Since 2018
According to the sticker that I read all the time in the prozinc forum, the no shoot number is 225 but you might consider raising to 250 ... hypo starts at 69 mg/dL and below.
This is for alphatrak bg monitor.

OK now here lies the confusion.
Yesterday and today Jackson has not had his insulin, he’s not eating. Somewhat revolting against the wet food and or the flavor and or the brand you know cats. ECID

So this morning was no change, he was given his 6 AM feeding of 1/2 can of Dave’s cat food, sampled it, and proceeded on with his day. Now he has missed three doses of insulin at this point this morning. So I have a essential tremors, And it’s just been two days since I got everything and needed to test his BG. So I whipped out my test kit, check the sweet spot picture, and proceed to test his BG for the first time.

Its 86 ... ???
Should I retest him? do I need to do a test solution first, I have Alphatrak strips as well as insulinx strips
I used insulinx.
 
To make sure I understood correctly, you have not given insulin in a day and a half (3 doses) and his glucose is at 86 on an AlphaTrak? That is awesome. So, if it is shot time and you are asking what to do, don't give a shot, obviously. You could test again, perhaps with an AT strip just to confirm the result.

How much has he eaten in the last couple of days? He HAS to eat.
 
He eats for times a day 6 AM Half can 11 AM quarter can 3 PM quarter can 6 PM half can.

I haven’t been giving him his insulin because his main meals at 6 AM and 6 PM he’s being finicky about so basically he’s eating a half a can a day.
Maybe a whole can A day but that small compared to what he normally eats according to his schedule above.
 
This is literally the first time I have tested him... I took a blood sample used an insulinx strip and his reading was 86 .... when I bought the meter I was told to keep tapping the C button until the number 38 appears for use with insulin ex strips. Should I maybe re-test?
 
A few possibilities that I see:

1) If this is your first time using the meter, it's possible that it's defective. If you're unsure, you can bring it to the vet and they can compare yours vs theirs.

2) Is the meter set up for those particular strips? I've only used AlphaTrak strips on my AT meter, and there's even been variation within different batches of strips (different codes).

3) It also could be a bogus reading - this can happen from time to time. A retest won't really hurt and can (mostly) rule out this possibility.

4) If this is a correct reading after having been off insulin for a few cycles, that is fantastic news - possibly a sign of remission.

Either way, definitely don't dose him with a reading like that.
And to second what FurBabiesMama said - he does need to eat. Was he eating well initially, or has he always had a small appetite?
 
He was diagnosed in November 12 this year 2018. He went on low-carb wet food, he revolted against the food initially and eventually had his first curve as a result of his revolting. His blood sugar was high I don’t recall the number but I can pull his sheets. He was given IV fluids for dehydration and we were told to administer Prozinc. His appetite always been pretty good but we are in the process of changing cat food because he’s back in the process of revolting. He can be pretty steadfast when he doesn’t appreciate what flavor or texture is in his dish. He’s eating Dave’s cat food but we are quickly becoming limited on the flavors that he enjoys but generally he’s a good eater
 
Tried to get test using the other strip tried four times can’t put my cat through that got an error all four times
 
It's likely not enough blood- either drop too small, or pulling away before it sips enough to do the reading. The screen will change when it begins calculating, and you can remove the strip from the blood at that time. I've had it happen if I twitch too, and it sips unevenly.
 
You might also test your own blood (if you know about what it should be) to see if the meter is way off. I use the Alphatrak with Insulinx strips with no problem, code 38 same as AT strips. My BG on a human meter is around 100 plus or minus, so about 120 on the AT means the meter is working. Just a thought! Also, I too have a tremor. I find it easiest to scrape the blood drop off the ear with a clean thumbnail, then hold that to the test strip in the meter for a reading. Good luck, it gets easier!
 
Molly and Sammy said:
You might also test your own blood (if you know about what it should be) to see if the meter is way off. I use the Alphatrak with Insulinx strips with no problem, code 38 same as AT strips. My BG on a human meter is around 100 plus or minus, so about 120 on the AT means the meter is working. Just a thought! Also, I too have a tremor. I find it easiest to scrape the blood drop off the ear with a clean thumbnail, then hold that to the test strip in the meter for a reading. Good luck, it gets easier!
Click to expand...
That’s great advice, and I appreciate it more than you can imagine. Holding my hand with the test strip and the meter Pointed at his ear is so difficult I am totally going to try that
 
AlphaTrak strips and InsulinX strips don't sip blood into a channel as some human meters do. You need to place one of the black dots directly on the blood droplet. If you aren't getting enough blood or having trouble sticking him, try warming his ear a little. You can hold a warm washcloth to his ear or warm a sock. There's a lot of ways to warm the area. What worked best for me was to hold a cotton disk such as a make-up remover against the underside of the ear as I poked. So the ear was sandwiched between my thumb and lancet on top and the cotton pad under. I used a folded napkin when I didn't have cotton.

Using InsulinX strips at 38 worked great for me. Do you have some of the test solution that came with the meter? You could test it the meter and strips that way.

I'm hoping your kitty is responding well to the food change and regulating himself. When they are in better numbers, they may be less hungry than when their numbers are high. If you can get a feeling for how many calories he's eating, it may help you determine if he's getting enough. I think the goal is 20 to 30 calories per pound of desired weight. So a 10 lb cat should get 200 to 300 calories a day.

Good luck!
 
Indigo said:
That’s great advice, and I appreciate it more than you can imagine. Holding my hand with the test strip and the meter Pointed at his ear is so difficult I am totally going to try that
Click to expand...
I am so glad it helped! Stress makes my tremor worse, so by the time I got the meter and strip to Sammy's ear it was very bad. Now I am more relaxed about the whole process, which of course helps my fur buddy.When someone figures out how to make shooting insulin with a tremor easier, we'll be set! Actually, I'm finally being pretty consistently successful with that, practice helps!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top