First Home-testing on BoBo tonight – A few questions

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Chrystelle & BoBo

Chrystelle & BoBo

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Hello everyone,

I think I’ve done more reading on here than in my college books this week! - Lot’s & Lot’s to learn & I’m more than ready!

Even though BoBo has not been officially put on insulin – I believe that it is important to start home-testing (So we can see where his BG levels are at).

I picked up a monitor at Walgreens this afternoon (For now, it’s the Walgreens brand, but I will be sure to pick up a good one when pay day comes)

As much of reading as I’ve done, I should have found information on this – But I still want to ask:
When should I do my first home-test? Before or After meals? What’s a good time span…30 minutes?

Also, I’m sure there is a chart floating around on here that indicates what BoBo’s glucose level should be at… Does anyone have such a chart handy? Since he was 374 on Monday… could we be hopeful for the 200-300 range? (Can’t wait until I know & understand all of the important stuff!)

-On a side note: Since BoBo has an UTI, we started him on antibiotics on Wed. … Since then, he’s been kind of lethargic, sleeping a lot, (Still eating & drinking & peeing though!)… But could this antibiotic make him feel a little under the weather?

Thank-You =)
You’ve all been so wonderful!
-Chrystelle & BoBo
 
AFAIK, the Walgreen's monitor should be fine. I wouldn't bother picking up another monitor unless there's some problem using it (needs too much blood, test strips too expensive, etc). All glucometers sold in the US are regulated by the FDA and have to fall within a certain tolerance level on testing.

You should do your test before meals; eating can cause a food spike (increased BG levels), and you'd like as close to a 'natural' number as possible.

You can find some BG guidelines here but, honestly, your best choice would be to post your numbers here and ask for guidance.

The UTI can spike BG levels, because it's a source of both infection and pain. It certainly *could* be making Bobo feel under the weather. However, are you testing for ketones? Ketones are a not-common side effect of unregulated / under-regulated diabetes, and one of the possible symtoms is lethargy. You can read up on ketones here.

You can test for ketones using ketostix, which you should be able to find in the diabetes section of your local pharmacy (some folks report their pharmacies keep them behind the counter, although I've always found them in the aisle). You stick the ketostix in fresh urine; if the stick changes colour, some ketones are present. Low levels of ketones may be treatable at home; high levels of ketones may require hospitalisation at a 24-hour care facility.

BTW, which antibiotic are you on?
 
Hi guys, don't think I've had the chance to welcome you here yet. I'm so glad you are hometesting, it's sooo important in treating and controlling our little sugarbabies!

I don't know about anyone else on this site, but since mocha is on insulin, this is our routine. We get up and at 7:45 a.m. we test mochas morning numbers (AMPS, a.m. pre shot) then she has about 15 minutes or so to eat the food in her bowl. Most of the time shes done far earlier then this, but we don't want to rush her. She doesn't like that. At 8:00 we give her the insulin shot and she is good to go. Since peter works I stay home to take care of mocha and monitor her throughout the day. Generally speaking mocha will have small snacks throughout the day because that is best for her pancreas to try and heal itself. She usually eats a small amount of wet cat food every 2-3 hours. At 7:45 p.m. we test her and then she gets about 15 minutes after testing to eat her dinner, then it's shot time. She does also get fed through the night, about every 2 hours with her autofeeder, that was a lifesaver for us!

I should also add in that we try to remove mochas food from her for about 2 hours prior to both night and morning test times, that way we know we are not getting a food spike number.

As far as what number range your kitty should be in, there are better experience people here to help with that. We have been blessed with a cat that could care less if she is ever regulated on insulin therefor her numbers are all over the board.
 
JJ & Gwyn,

I haven’t been testing for Ketones yet, but I did picked up the ketostix today too… Just need to get home (still at work for a few more hours).
The vet put us on Amoxicillin (pink in color) 0.5 ml once a day for 10 days.
As soon as I can test his BG – I will certainly post it here & ask for guidance.

Thank-You =)
 
Hi again!

Im just adding the link to yesterdays day for you, so others can view back, since a lot of info was exchanged:
http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=16882&p=167606#p167606

have you decided what insulin you might try?
I'll try to answer a bit here,

when on insulin, we do a preshot number at breakfast time, and at dinner time (usually 12 hours apart)
for example, AMPS: that is your first test of the day, then feed....depending on the number you may have to test at +1, one hour after shot...or usually a +3 test (3 hours after shot) will give you an idea whats happening, with insulin,,,,

without insulin, you'll also get an idea if the low carb wet food diet is helping lower numbers.

example: my kitty is diet controlled now, no more insulin, so if he gave me a 95 at breakfast time, I feed, then come back and test three hours later, and I see his little pancreas working well as his number drops back down to say...75.

ideallly non diabetic range is from as low as 40 up to 120..when u create a spreadsheet you'll see the colour ranges match up with the BG numbers.
Those are already set up for you once u begin a spreadsheet.

It may help u to look around and click on some spreadsheets (example: see mine in our signature) dont freak out on how much testing I did - I got addicted :lol:
but lots of data is good to have and eventually you will start to see how insulin is working on your kitty.

Not everyone tests this much, preshots are a must and a couple of spotchecks in between are fine too, plus evening checks...if you work you can do curves on your days off or weekends.

home testing does have its challenges, it is important to keep calm and focused, or your kitty will sense your nerves and get all squirmy and fussy...offering a low carb treat is usually a good idea to keep them happy....ears heal very easily, soon enough some cats come to their testing area and wait for their test, plus a treat too I assume :lol:

hmmm, anitbiotics, not sure about, I'll let someone else help with that.

hope that helps!
 
Crystelle
I am so impressed that you are starting to hometest without giving Bobo insulin.
I hope Ronnie's (Luna's) ss did not freak you out. :lol: :lol:
Yes she was one testaholic, lol.
Okay if you look at Max's I was better but still crazy. I think many of us here are.
Knowledge is power and when you learn the ups and downs, it makes getting our kitties better
that much easier.

If you want to play around and record what you are doing, here is the link to set up a spreadsheet:

Creating a Spreadsheet

Now of course you are not giving insulin but you can use the "units" column as your guide for when food was given. AMPS means the morning number, pre shot. Since you are not giving insulin yet, you can call it AMBG (morning blood glucose) Pm is the same just night time.

When Max was doing his trial off insulin I tested him at his normal shot time (no feed within 2 hours) and then I would test around 3 hours later to see if the pancreas brought his numbers down.
Keep asking questions and post Bobo's numbers so we can see ow he does.
 
The Walgreens monitor is fine, I used that for a long time, the True Trak.

Where do you live, just general area, I'm wondering if heat is making your cat tired, mine are, we're in Connecticut.

But, please do use the ketone strips and check the urine for ketones as was mentioned, lethargy is a symptom. But the ABs could also be playing a role. Now that you are going to start home testing, you'll be able to figure out pretty quickly how your kitty is feeling. Don't be nervous, give your kitty a treat after you poke the ear and make this a bonding experience.

It's almost Tucker's test time and he's already sitting here by my side waiting. He loves our special one on one time. The ear poke doesn't phase him, he just wants his freeze dried chicken treat :)
 
Ronnie & Luna:
The insulin of choice would be Lantus
Thanks for the advice on home-testing... All of the information really helps!!
I have looked over some spreadsheets – Lots of information! I’m sure I’ll begin to understand everything in time.

Randi & Max:
I’m trying to be strong about home-testing...
Thanks for including the spreadsheet link! I’ll be working on getting mine set up very soon.

Tuckers mom:
I live in Rockford, Illinois - & it’s been very humid around here, but we usually keep our air conditioning on until the sun goes down. (our basement is fully finished too, so we let our kitties stay downstairs most of the time)
-All day I’ve been trying to work up the courage to poke... It’s very hard & scary (being this is the first time).
It’s been about 40 minutes since BoBo ate his Fancy Feast. I’m going to gather up everything I need & work towards doing his first test.
I will let everyone know how it goes =)
Thank-You
 
I'm going to be the voice of dissension - the true track meter, well I don't trust it. I used it at first too and got such wacky readings that made no sense and couldn't figure out. I eventually returned the meter and strip container to walgreens for a refund. Oh and the strips are really expensive.

So, if you're looking for a reliable inexpensive meter and strips - try the one sold at Walmart - called Relion. I haven't used it, many here have and like it.

It's just my two cents on the subject .

Of course, what really counts is that you are learning to home test and will soon be a pro! So, congrats!
 
Just chiming in –

Tried BoBo’s first testing about an hour ago… it was unsuccessful.

I know this can’t be done overnight…I will try, try, try again… but this is all very overwhelming… and my optimistic levels are fading quickly. (Perhaps, I’m just upset, because I couldn’t get any blood)

I rubbed his ear…made sure it was warm, used the lancet, poked (He let out a little cry – So, it made me feel bad) still tried to rub & find any trace of blood – nonetheless, no blood tonight.

Although it was unsuccessful, I still gave him praise & a tiny treat.

*Crossing fingers* for the next time.
 
You did good, you gave him his treat, keep doing that and he will associate poke time with treat time.

I work some spay/neuter clinics for ferals. We ear tip the ferals that are altered so others wont catch them again and try to alter them again. I've been told by the vets that they don't have the nerves in the ear like we think, it's practically painless.

So, you really did good, tomorrow, breathe deep and know that you are another step closer to getting the hometesting down. Get some rest and go enjoy your Bobo, give him some chin scratches from all of us :)
 
Welcome to the board, Chrystelle.

Once you start shooting and testing, definitely post over on the Lantus board- there's LOTS of great advice to be had over there! viewforum.php?f=9

The first few threads there will be very helpful for you. Specifically, the first four that say "Sticky". It's a crash course in Lantus.

Good luck with everything, and DON"T HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS!
 
Hi there.

I had a very difficult time testing because Calliope was NOT cooperative. One of the best things I did was to rub a bit of vaseline on her ear before testing. It caused the blood to bead up, so it was easy for me to see it, especially if I had to milk her ear a bit to get enough to test.

It's so awkward when you first start testing and kitties can detect our nervousness. You won't hurt BoBo. It's hurt me more than Calliope. Calliope was just a drama queen.

A good treat to give if you can find them, is Halo Liv a Little Treats. Calliope loved those. All my cats go nuts over them. I don't have them around here, so I ordered them. Find the cheapest price. I believe The cheapest I've found is wholesalesupplementstore.com. They are good for FD kitties.

My Snuggles had a UTI, recently, and didn't do well on the antibiotic. He was lethargic as you describe. I think his tummy bothered him a bit. I gave him 1/4 tablet of Pepcid AC. Many folks give probiotics, I believe. If there are no ketones, and I hope you are testing for those, soon, then it may be that BoBo has a tummy ache from the AB. You might want to ask your vet about that. I had to change the med for Snugs.

You're doing so great, by the way!
 
One of the best meters around is one of the cheapest too - its available only at Walmart and its called the Relion Micro. The meter is about $12 and the strips are around $23 for 50. They have great customer service too, every single time I've called Relion to get more free control solution (used to make sure each new package of strips is working as intended) no matter what time of the day I called I got great service. Always picked the phone up in 5 rings or less, always an english as their first language human being on the other line, always friendly, always efficent and the control solution always went out the next day and arrived quickly. The one time I had a package of test strips that tested wonky they answered that phonecall just as professionally - a packet of new strips was on its way immediately, free of course, and a pre-paid mailer to send the bad batch back so they could test it.

When Yittle was on Lantus we could go through anywhere from 2-14 strips a day. It was really great not having to worry about the cost of the strips when I was using so many (curves or dose decreases on Lantus etc).
 
Hi Chrystelle,

I'm new around these parts, too, and very new to home testing. I just wanted to second the ReliOn meter from Walmart. We have the Micro and it's really easy to use. The test strips are fairly inexpensive as well. I think the whole set up (lancets, meter, test strips) cost us under $35.

Also, just to let you know I bawled the first time I had to prick Blanco's ear. It really broke my heart and, of course, the fact that I was upset sent him into a freak out, too. Anyway, we're two weeks into this and he's practically used to it now. He still gets a little squirmy in the process, but it does get easier. Good luck and hang in there!
 
Rubbing the ear may not be enough. (It sounds like that is what you did.) Especially in the beginning, some kitties' ears need to be very warm to get that blood flowing. Make a rice sack out of a thinnish sock filled with raw rice. Warm it until very warm in the microwave. Hold it next to his ear for 15- 30 seconds. Do you sure have the sweet spot? Put a flashlight behind his ear to find the little capillaries that run off the vein toward the edge of the ear. Mark where you want to poke with a dab of vaseline. It helped us to have something behind the ear to poke against. We used a small makeup sponge.

Don't give up. We spent an entire weekend poking poor Oliver before we got a drop. But once you get it, it is such a feeling of relief that now you have some control over this thing.
 
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