couple questions about home testing

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cayenne

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So I think you all have convinced me I need to test my kitty's glucose at home and I have a glucometer. I have a few questions, though.

Do you recommend using the ear or the paw? I've read here that both can be used but it seems like the ear is what most people do. Is that correct? Do cats care?

What is the normal range for blood sugars in cats? Is it different than in humans?

On my glucometer, after you get the blood sample, it asks you if it is before or after a meal and you have to select one. I would test her before a meal, right? And push that button?

How do I know how to adjust her insulin based on the results? I'm guessing that's something I would work out with my vet? He thinks testing her at home is unnecessary so I'm not sure he's going to be very helpful. Maybe I need a new vet but I mostly like him and I live in a very small town so I don't have many options. One of the other vets here in town I know I don't like because I went there once and found them very rude and there were others things I thought he did not do correctly.

Thanks a bunch.

Cayenne
 
Wonderful that you have decided to test at home. You will be amazed at the feeling of control you get with knowing exactly how the insulin is working. We all have our little tricks to help, so be sure to ask. It is the rare newbie that gets it on the first try so don't be discouraged.

We used the ear and had good success - after trying for an entire weekend to get blood. It may depend on whether your kitty has sensitive paws or ears. Oliver would never let us touch his feet. The ear can be easier because you don't have to worry about whether it is clean, clear of litter, etc.

Here are the general guidelines for blood sugars in cats:


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 do think cats off insulin on this site tend to run between 40 -90 when normalized, but every cat is different....

Yes, test before she eats. I am guessing your meter keeps track of the readings and wants that info. You will probably want to start a spreadsheet to keep track. It is a great tool, color coded to show you easily what is happening. Here are the directions: Setting up a spreadsheet If you have trouble, just ask.

We can help with doses, if your vet is not interested. Lots of people manage it without input, just sending the spreadsheet to the vet every now and then to show progress. You do want to keep a relationship with him as it is a small town, so he can help in an emergency or with routine stuff. The first rule is, as a newbie, do not shoot if your kitty is 200 or under.
 
cayenne said:
Do you recommend using the ear or the paw? I've read here that both can be used but it seems like the ear is what most people do. Is that correct? Do cats care?
Click to expand...

Either works. The ear is the easiest for most people to grab a hold of. People use the paw pad if their cat's ears just won't give blood.

cayenne said:
What is the normal range for blood sugars in cats? Is it different than in humans?
Click to expand...

Normal non-diabet range can be anywhere from 60 to 150 mg/dl but this is a very general range. Some non-diabetics even have bgs in the 30s and 40s. Other non-diabetic cats may have slightly higher bg levels and this is just normal for them.

You want to keep your diabetic cat's bg levels in the approximate 60 to 150 mg/dl range for as much as the time as possible with insulin and diet, and hopefully one day, on diet alone.


cayenne said:
On my glucometer, after you get the blood sample, it asks you if it is before or after a meal and you have to select one. I would test her before a meal, right? And push that button?
Click to expand...

What meter are you using? It sounds like you have a fancy meter with a lot of bells and whistles that aren't needed at all for a diabetic cat. A basic meter that give a bg reading is all you need (examples: ReliOn, OneTouch Mini, AccuChek Aviva).

cayenne said:
How do I know how to adjust her insulin based on the results? I'm guessing that's something I would work out with my vet?
Click to expand...

Keep track of your cat's bg levels. Most people here use a spreadsheet template on Google. There are instructions on how to set one up over on the Tech board.

Many people share their spreadsheet with their vet and work out insulin doses from that. The link to your Google spreadsheet can be emailed to the vet.
 
Wonderful that you are going to be testing at home! The fact that I was home testing probably saved my newly adopted diabetic kitty's life. He went off insulin very quickly and had I not tested him I could have very well killed him since I didn't know him well enough to be able to catch early signs of hypo.

That being said, most of us test the ear. We have lots of tricks to get kitty to sit still for it so just ask. I know with my guy I can't restrain him or the fight is on. So I just cuddle with him on our bed, use a rice sock to warm up his ears, warming the ears helps to get the blood flowing. I use a rice sock (thinnish sock filled about 2/3 with plain white rice, nuke in microwave for about 15 secs.). Then we poke and test. Max doesn't care at all since he gets a yummy treat right afterwards. In case you are wondering, Max's ears are just as lovely as the first day I saw him, so you aren't going to hurt his ears either.

I feel your pain, I'm also in a small town with 3 vet clinics. One I love, but they also admit they don't much about diabetes in felines, but they are learning, with the help of Max and myself. the two others I wouldn't take a rock to. As one can't be bothered with small animals unless they are show animals. The other almost killed two of my cats when they were taken in for a simple neuter. So my advice there is find a vet you can work with and like for the routine stuff and emergencies, and teach them about diabetes. :-D I simply email my spreadsheet to mine, they have yet to actually lay eyes on Max. They know he exists and get reports on his overall BGs but since he came to me neutered and UTD on shots I have had no reason to physically take him in.

Mel & Max
 
Thanks for the input so far.

The meter I have is a Bayer Contour. I want to use it since I already have it and money is tight right now. I'd buy something simpler and cheaper if I had to buy a new one but this was given to me and it was brand new and has hardly been used - my partner uses it to check his blood sugar once in a while as he's on meds that can increase it.

Thanks for the info about normal glucose ranges. Last time we were at the vet her level was 211 and he thought that was fine but it sounds like it was really a bit high. So I'm assuming if I test it and it's 211 she might need a little more insulin than she's been getting?

I will definitely make a spreadsheet. I know how to do that.

Should she be getting insulin twice a day? Right now the vet has her getting it only in the mornings.

And how often must I check her sugar? Every time I am ready to give insulin?

Cayenne
 
At the very least you will want to test her before her shots, and better if you can do it before she eats. Once you get the hang of it, you will want to catch some mid-cycles and eventually run a curve (testing every 2 hours) that will help decide when to raise or lower her dosage.

I would be surprised that you'll get the same reading as at the vet, because of vet stress. She maybe much lower at home. Even my most laid back civie will throw high numbers at the vet's and he loves his vet, just hates the car ride and the barking dogs.

She also should really be getting insulin twice a day, cats metabolize insulin much faster than we humans do. Since I don't know your insulin I can't give you much help on dosage.

Mel & Max
 
Yes, she should be getting it twice a day. Insulin only lasts 12 in the vast majority of cats. Giving it once a day means they are in okay numbers for 12 hours, then high for 12 hours - like a roller coaster. How much insulin are you giving? What kind?

211 at the vet is not a bad number at all - at the vet. Usually kitties are stressed there with the strange noises, smells and people. Some cats here test 100 points lower at home than at the vet. That's why we hometest, so we have real numbers to react to.

Yes, you check every time before you give a shot to make sure it is safe to give insulin. And you need to check mid cycle to make sure that she is not going too low and to see how the insulin is working.
 
She is currently using ProZinc, only half a unit once a day. She started on one unit once a day and after a couple months the vet decreased to just half. I know that's not much. Would she need the same amount twice a day do you think?

I also do her injection at the same time I feed her in the morning (I feed her twice a day, 12 hours apart) so it would be easy to test her right before that. She's really good about the injection so helpfully she'd be good about the testing too.

Cayenne
 
That is a nice low dose - it's just the once a day thing. Let's see what kind of numbers you get. Post after your first tests, be sure to tell people you are presently giving .5 units of PZI once a day. If you end up needing to give the .25 unit, we can help you get other needles that will make it easier to see.

If you can't get blood, come on and tell us what worked and what is not working. We all have little tricks that helped us.
 
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