Having trouble using home glucose test

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koloagirl

koloagirl

Member Since 2015
Aloha from Kaua'i.......

So, update on my Mochi cat - she went to the vet twice to have her blood glucose tested - she wouldn't eat and wouldn't cooperate and was very stressed, so the readings were not very accurate according to my vet - he then did a blood test that took the blood glucose readings from a few days back and they came back "fair" he said. She is currently getting 3 units of insulin twice a day.....he wants to get a accurate reading before changing it.

So now I have a home testing kit (the box says URS - 1G) of strips for Glucose in Urine. I understand how to use the strips I believe - but the issue is this: I have three indoor only cats - only one of them is diabetic - I have one large covered litterbox they all use. I bought a separate smaller litter pan and purchased some fish tank gravel which I rinsed well and am currently drying.

I'm not sure how I'm going to do this - I basically have to sit and wait for Mochi to head to the bathroom - somehow block off the other litterbox and then put down the one with the gravel in it for her to do her business in - then use the strips.

I have to do this twice a day - I've had the kit since last week, but just now finally have the items together to the point where she can use this - I guess I have to try to sit and watch her when I am home and try to catch her when she goes into the bathroom - I'm guessing then I place the strip down in the area that is wet from her urine and get a reading? Then I have to take out that gravel and the litter pan until her next trip to the potty?

I was hoping to get this "down" and get a good reading before my vet goes on vacation - but that is tomorrow, so that isn't going to happen - he does have a substitute vet for the 3 weeks he will be gone - I am hoping that we can get a decent reading before I have to leave on my own vacation a week from today. The good news is that I have hired a retired vet tech to stay in my house and take care of Mochi and the others....she is extremely good and I have no doubt will do a better job of injecting and giving Mochi her meds than my husband or I.

Any tips about this home testing? It is complicated by the fact we have 3 cats and I have to quickly block off the litter box and put down the pan for Mochi.........I appreciate any tips on this since I'm clueless.
 
Here are some more Urine Testing Tips...maybe one of them will work for you

Most cats will go potty soon after eating, so you might put him in the bathroom with the chosen litter box after eating and hope for some results.

We really strongly prefer blood glucose testing instead of urine testing because it's a LOT more exact...and it also totally solves your problem of waiting for Mochi to pee as well as wondering which box he's using. A quick poke to get a tiny blood drop from his ear and you'll know what his blood glucose is right then.

Urine glucose testing only tells you if there's glucose spilling over into the urine and how much and it's not very exact....blood glucose testing tells you what you really need to know...How Mochi is responding to the insulin right now...and will also keep him much safer from potential hypo's
 
Aloha from Kaua'i!

Well, our vet gave us the urine strips and not the blood glucose test - (URS-1G, Urine Test Strips for Glucose) so that is what I have at this point. He left today for vacation for 3 weeks and I called him and asked him what I should do since at that point I hadn't collected any urine in the separate litter box for Mochi - he said to increase her insulin to 4 units and continue to try to home test her urine....he has another vet coming in for him next week and I'm supposed to call him with the results of the urine strips - also I have to bring her in next Friday to the vet for her blood to be tested - I can't remember the name of the test, but it tests the blood glucose levels going back a few days - she had that once before.

Just about 15 minutes ago she went shi shi (pee) in the separate litter box, so we got a reading on the urine strip - it is high as the vet said it no doubt would be - but now I don't know what to do with that litter - do I completely dispose of it and start over with more aquarium gravel tomorrow - or can I scoop the wet section out and add a little more?

We leave one week from tonite for our vacation - but luckily our pet sitter is a very experienced vet tech and will be able to handle any medical needs Mochi has - better than my husband and I definitely!

Very difficult to have 3 indoor cats in a very small condo with one large litter box - keep an eye on Mochi for when she goes in there and block off the litter box and put down the one I want her to use - maybe now that she did it once, she will do it again - I'm supposed to test twice a day!

Getting this insulin amount correct is truly difficult!
 
fructosamine test....gives an "average" of where the numbers have been over about the past 2 weeks....the problem with it is that it can't tell you that on Monday, Kitty started at 400, dropped to 40 and was back at 400 at the end of the cycle....it'll say the average was 146 (which is great) but really isn't telling you the information you need to know.

Is your vet tech sitter willing to learn to home test using a blood glucose meter? It's just a quick poke to the edge of the ear to get a sample....that's how you will REALLY learn what's going on inside your cats body
 
If you're using aquarium gravel, you need to rinse it, let it dry and you can use it over and over again

I've always thought if I had to, I'd try putting a plastic bag over the litter so she could still get into her normal litter box, but the pee would collect on top of the plastic
 
Placing some plastic wrap crumpled up around the box perimeter may catch fresh urine, too.
 
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