? Help with BG testing

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Catcrzymom

Catcrzymom

Member Since 2016
I am new to doing the testing at home. We are using the VetGluco meter and strips. When the tech showed me how to use this in the office she did the test on Garfields paw and had no problem. I tried yesterday to do the test on his paw and he was very uncooperative. Plus I couldn't get any blood from the paw area. After 3 tries I let him go. We were both frustrated. This morning my husband tried getting it from his paw and had no success either. So he gave up.
I have watched some of the videos here on doing the bg test. So I tried using his ear this afternoon and he made it difficult to do it. I tried 3-4 times and he kept moving so I couldn't get any blood on the strip. I finally got some blood on the strip and got a reading of 88. How do I know if it's an accurate reading? I was thinking maybe I should try again later today but not sure what to do. I did give him a treat and rubbed his head after I got that blood.
I feel so lost trying to figure out this testing and how to read the meter.
I massaged his ear to warm it up, talked to him and tried to calm him down. I'm so upset I can't get him to cooperate. Any suggestions?
 
Often, massaging the ear won't get it sufficiently warm -for a kitty new to testing. You'll want it to feel almost hot to the touch. Many people use a small microwavable rice sock or a pill bottle/film canister filled with warm water (test on your wrist first!).

If he moves around a lot- once the drop has formed, catch it on top of your fingernail and then transfer to the meter.

The calmer and more matter-of-fact you can be about the testing procedure the better. They sense our anxiety and feed on it.

If you can get him more comfortable with his ears being touched, it can help. Rub/scratch/hold his ears often and give a treat without testing. This will help with positive association and soon enough he'll be begging to get tested.

How long after his shot was the 88 reading?
 
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Andy & Pimp said:
Often, massaging the ear won't get it sufficiently warm -for a kitty new to testing. You'll want it to feel almost hot to the touch. Many people use a small microwavable rice sock or a pill bottle/film canister filled with warm water (test on your wrist first!).

If he moves around a lot- once the drop has formed, catch it on top of your fingernail and then transfer to the meter.

The calmer and more matter-of-fact you can be about the testing procedure the better. They sense our anxiety and feed on it.

If you can get him more comfortable with his ears being touched, it can help. Rub/scratch/hold his ears often and give a treat without testing. This will help with positive association and soon enough he'll be begging to get tested.

How long after his shot was the 88 reading?
Click to expand...
His shot was at 8am and I tested him at 1pm so that's 5 hours.
 
Home testing does take some practice that's for sure. If you want to try the paw pads again, try rubbing the foot a little before you poke. Then use a pumping motion to draw the blood.
 
Catcrzymom said:
His shot was at 8am and I tested him at 1pm so that's 5 hours.
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ok...I'm not experienced with vetsulin, but I think that's a little bit lower than we'd like to see them on that particular insulin. Do you think you can test and post the number here before his shot tonight?
 
Can you tell us if your glucometer is calibrated to read close to lab equipment (i.e. calibrated for animal use)?

I am not familiar with your meter but I use an Alphatrak pet glucometer. I aim to always keep my cat's blood glucose level ABOVE 70. (FDMB general recommendation is to keep BG above 68 mg/dL on Alphatrak). If she were to go below 70 I would intervene with more carbohydrates to bring her levels back up into safer numbers.

In case you've not found it yet, here is a link to our Hypo Guide. Study this document, print out a copy and leave it somewhere easy to find so that you can lay your hand on it quickly should an emergency arise. Also, here is a link to a forum sticky with useful things to include in your hypo toolbox.

My Saoirse was initially treated with Caninsulin. It's the same as Vetsulin, just a different brand name (I'm in the UK). Typically Caninsulin drops blood glucose fairly hard and fast in the early part of the cycle. If my cat were getting to 88 I would speak with my vet about reducing the dose slightly so that she would not go quite so low in order to allow a bit more of a safety buffer. Other members may offer you different suggestions.

I strongly recommend you get the following tests as soon as you can manage it:

AM Preshot (AMPS) - Test 30 minutes before injection time and then feed Garfield.

AM +3 - 3 hours after AM dose of insulin.

AM +5 - 5 hours after AM dose of insulin.

AM +7 - 7 hours after AM dose of insulin. (Caninsulin contains two forms of insulin and the peak effect of the second form (crystalline) is intended to kick in around this time).


PM Preshot - Test 30 minutes before evening injection is due and then feed Garfield.

PM +3 - 3 hours after PM dose of insulin.

PM +5 - 5 hours after PM dose of insulin.


The reason for checking mid-cycle during day and evening cycles is that many cats run lower at night. If a daytime dose is dropping Garfield to 88 then for safety you need to determine whether the current dose may be taking him even lower during the night time cycle.

This is my two penn'orth based on my experience of using Caninsulin to treat my cat. Other members may offer you different suggestions.



Mogs
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Just checked the specs on your GlucoPet meter (curiosity of a cat here!:)) and it requires a large blood drop in comparison to the AlphaTrak2 pet meter and many if not most human glucometers. Your meter requires a 1.0uL whereas many meters now require only 0.3ul. It appears you would have got error code 3 if the blood sample was too small so that suggests your meter will not read unless it gets a sufficient sample. So if you have the meter set on the correct code for your vial of strips and you used the Check strip to check the meter and it produced a reading in the expected range, it seems reasonable to assume your reading was accurate.

It looks like the strips for the GlucoPet, like the AT strips, have been validated against animal lab values.
 
@MrWorfMen's Mom -

Linda, can you have a gander at the validation page for the GlucoPet, please? In particular, look at the comparison of GlucoPet and Freestyle monitors. When the Freestyle gave a value of 55, the GlucoPet value was 96. I am concerned that the Alphatrak nomimal hypo threshold value of 68 may be too low for a GlucoPet user to use as a guide as to when a cat is running too low. I'd welcome your thoughts on this.


Mogs
.
 
@Critter Mom @Andy & Pimp I'd have to agree with you both. I have no idea how old that online documentation is though because the AccuCheck Advantage does not appear to be available in the US anymore. Is it possible this comparison was done back when the Freestyle's were supposedly reading low (although I thought that was at higher reading)? And the Advantage meter looks to be reading even lower! I'd agree that 90-100 looks to be a better alert range for that meter based on the info available online. Might be a good idea to check with the vet who recommended the meter or the manufacturer to get a firm number because I find it strange that it produces a LO reading at 33 which is about 1/2 of that we use for the AT meter if both are supposed to be using pet lab values as their baselines.

ETA just looked at my AT manual and it produces a LO reading at 20.
 
Looking at the differences in those two LO warnings on the meters, I am surprised both of them are that low and really surprised the AT one is even lower than the GlucoPet given the human meter comparison chart. Definitely suggest getting some firmer guidelines from the vet or manufacturer!
 
Ok. I'm really confused now. I have no clue what all this means. The kit I got from the vet, is called Henry Schein Animal health Vet GlucoGauge. Test strips are also Vet GlucoGauge test strips 25 to a jar.
When I purchased it new from the vet the only thing they showed me was how to put the test strip in the meter, where to put the blood and to watch for the bg number.
I feel like my head is spinning right now with all this.
I feed Garfield a can at 7am. He gets 1st insulin at 8am. I usually feed him another half can of Fancy Feast around noon and 5 pm. He gets another half can at 7pm, his second insulin at 8pm and the remaining half can right after his insulin. He gets a total of 4 cans of Fancy Feast classic chicken a day. When we first started he was eating Purina DM can and got 2 cans a day. When we finished the DM we decided to go with Fancy Feast and the vet said Garfield could have a total of 4 cans a day, and it was ok to split them up through the day. I give him a couple treats which are the PureBits freeze dried chicken ones I read about here on the site. This is the schedule we are currently on. He is eating well, drinking good, and is looking better and more alert than when he was first diagnosed on the 7th.
 
Catcrzymom said:
I feel like my head is spinning right now with all this.
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Sorry, we hijacked your thread a bit with information that was over your head. Should've seen that coming.

Looks like we're looking at the wrong meter, we want the GlucoGauge not the GlucoPet.

@Catcrzymom we're trying to make sure we understand the readings on your particular meter. Most of the reference numbers here are for human meters, and it makes it a bit more challenging.
 
Catcrzymom said:
I am new to doing the testing at home. We are using the VetGluco meter and strips. When the tech showed me how to use this in the office she did the test on Garfields paw and had no problem. I tried yesterday to do the test on his paw and he was very uncooperative. Plus I couldn't get any blood from the paw area. After 3 tries I let him go. We were both frustrated. This morning my husband tried getting it from his paw and had no success either. So he gave up.
I have watched some of the videos here on doing the bg test. So I tried using his ear this afternoon and he made it difficult to do it. I tried 3-4 times and he kept moving so I couldn't get any blood on the strip. I finally got some blood on the strip and got a reading of 88. How do I know if it's an accurate reading? I was thinking maybe I should try again later today but not sure what to do. I did give him a treat and rubbed his head after I got that blood.
I feel so lost trying to figure out this testing and how to read the meter.
I massaged his ear to warm it up, talked to him and tried to calm him down. I'm so upset I can't get him to cooperate. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Don't be discouraged - it took me three separate tries (each "try" being a series of unsuccessful pokes). When I did get my first successful blood drop, my sugarcat, Joshi, shook her head and blood drop went flying in oblivion. I wanted to cry. :banghead:

You'll get into a routine. Believe it or not, Garfield may even come running to you when it's time for his tests. All I have to do is unzip the glucometer case and Joshi magically shows up. Of course, the complete lavishing of attention and subsequent treat afterword probably helps. ;)

Learning how to interpret numbers takes time too. Joshi was diagnosed St the beginning of December 2015, so I'm still learning and asking questions.
 
It's this one, right?
V056198.gif
 
My humble apologies for creating new confusion or adding to any existing. :( Found it here but you have to sign in and it doesn't look like there would necessarily be much in the way of documentation! Can't find much in the way of documentation on the site. Looks like this is mostly for purchase purposes.

@Andy & Pimp Looks like you beat me to it!
 
Well, I would think it safe to assume that it is calibrated to match closely to lab values, like the AT. I still think 90 is a good low threshold for vetsulin. Possibly higher.
 
Since we have now determined as a result of my booboo:arghh: that all pet meters may not read the same, I think it's best to try to confirm before drawing the line in the sand!
@Catcrzymom Do you have a manual for the meter? If so, check the manual for what reading would display a "LO" on the screen to warn of very low glucose. There should also be a section that tells you when the reading is considered low, high, and normal ranges. If you find it, we'd love to have that information for future reference.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Since we have now determined as a result of my booboo:arghh: that all pet meters may not read the same, I think it's best to try to confirm before drawing the line in the sand!
@Catcrzymom Do you have a manual for the meter? If so, check the manual for what reading would display a "LO" on the screen to warn of very low glucose. There should also be a section that tells you when the reading is considered low, high, and normal ranges. If you find it, we'd love to have that information for future reference.
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I will get the manual and start looking for the info.
 
Here's what the manual said
LO= bg is lower than 20mg
HI= bg is higher than 750mg
E-5 = test strip cannot be identified
E-6= battery power is too low to operate
This system displays messages when there are problems with the test strip, with the meter, or when blood glucose levels are lower than 20mg or higher than 750mg.

This is all the manual says about the levels.
 
:bighug:Husband said since I'm all stressed over this (Xanax moment) that we will wait and do test in the morning. I am seriously considering calling the vet tomorrow and letting them know I don't feel that I was given enough instruction or information on doing this test.
So for tonight we will finish his feeding and do his last insulin shot. We will watch him for any signs of hypoglycemia. We have the chart on the the fridge.
Hope and pray tomorrow is a better day. This frazzled kitty mom is going to get some much needed rest now.
Will check the board for any updates. Thank you everyone, and sorry I'm such a wimp at this. I have health issues myself, Fibromyalgia, CFS, Panic/Anxiety and RA. So having too much come at me at once throws me into panic attacks and Fibro/RA relapses. Thank you for your patience and kindness. It's VERY much appreciated.
 
Catcrzymom said:
:bighug:Husband said since I'm all stressed over this (Xanax moment) that we will wait and do test in the morning. I am seriously considering calling the vet tomorrow and letting them know I don't feel that I was given enough instruction or information on doing this test.
So for tonight we will finish his feeding and do his last insulin shot. We will watch him for any signs of hypoglycemia. We have the chart on the the fridge.
Click to expand...
Brain damage can occur before you see symptoms.
If you haven't shot yet tonight, I might suggest a smaller dose. That 88 reading today was awfully low for vetsulin. (regardless of the meter being used)

Good idea on calling the vet about the meter and what numbers you're looking for. Make sure you ask what # is considered hypogylcemic, and what she considers a "safe" range for a kitty on insulin.
 
Catcrzymom said:
:bighug:Husband said since I'm all stressed over this (Xanax moment) that we will wait and do test in the morning. I am seriously considering calling the vet tomorrow and letting them know I don't feel that I was given enough instruction or information on doing this test.
So for tonight we will finish his feeding and do his last insulin shot. We will watch him for any signs of hypoglycemia. We have the chart on the the fridge.
Hope and pray tomorrow is a better day. This frazzled kitty mom is going to get some much needed rest now.
Will check the board for any updates. Thank you everyone, and sorry I'm such a wimp at this. I have health issues myself, Fibromyalgia, CFS, Panic/Anxiety and RA. So having too much come at me at once throws me into panic attacks and Fibro/RA relapses. Thank you for your patience and kindness. It's VERY much appreciated.
Click to expand...

That first week, I practically had a meltdown just trying to figure out the right foods to feed. It is very overwhelming at first. Take deep breath, get your rest, and learn the basics first.The finer points will come to you as you go. Garfield is very lucky to have a good caregiver like you. :cat:
 
Andy & Pimp said:
Brain damage can occur before you see symptoms.
If you haven't shot yet tonight, I might suggest a smaller dose. That 88 reading today was awfully low for vetsulin. (regardless of the meter being used)

Good idea on calling the vet about the meter and what numbers you're looking for. Make sure you ask what # is considered hypogylcemic, and what she considers a "safe" range for a kitty on insulin.
Click to expand...
Husband already gave the insulin dose for tonight. So far Garfield is active, asking for treats. Hubby said he will sleep in living room tonight to monitor Garfield. I had him watch the videos on doing the bg testing on paw or ear. He said he will do it in the morning. I will keep everyone updated. Thank you!
 
Here's something I wrote up for others that needed help with testing...maybe it'll help you too! (substitute "him" for "her"....LOL)

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take her there as many times a day as you can and just give her ears a quick rub and then she gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking her to hurt her...you're testing her to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside her body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure her ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
 
I haven't read through every one of these comments but I'll tell you how I've been doing it since I only starting testing Diego two days ago. I made a rice sock and I put it in the microwave for a minute and 15 seconds. It's really warm at that point. I pick him up and put him next to me or I'll lay down on the bed and put him on top of me, and rub his ear with the sock. I don't hold it directly on his ear because it's quite warm and I don't want the heat to burn him. I'll alternate petting his ear with it and holding it directly on the ear for just a few seconds. I sing to him also while I do this for a few minutes. The ear should be really warm at this point. I get my cotton ball, hold it under his ear, and then take the lancet and do the poke. If the ear has been warmed long enough, you should get more than enough blood to do the test. It will readily come out when you increase the blood flow to that area as opposed to trying to poke a cold ear. Keep in mind that cartilage tissue already has a limited blood supply, so aim right near the outer edge of that prominent vein.

The entire time I'm talking sweetly to him and loving him up. This should be a bonding experience. The first couple of times he minded a little bit when I did the poke but now not so much. Follow up with lots of kisses.
 
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Ok I checked my AT meter numbers against yours and it seems the two meters do have matching numbers. So if Garfield only got to 88 today, he was in good shape. Your warning of low glucose number would be 68, the same as we use for the AT meter. As long as Garfield has eaten as he usually would pre shot and everything else about him seem status quo (which it sounds like it is) you should be fine. You could leave out a bit of food for him overnight to make sure he has something to snack on if need be because sometimes our kitties go lower at night than they do during the day. If you can get a test, about 3 hours post shot, it will give you a good idea of how Garfield is handling the insulin at this dose.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Ok I checked my AT meter numbers against yours and it seems the two meters do have matching numbers. So if Garfield only got to 88 today, he was in good shape. Your warning of low glucose number would be 68, the same as we use for the AT meter. As long as Garfield has eaten as he usually would pre shot and everything else about him seem status quo (which it sounds like it is) you should be fine. You could leave out a bit of food for him overnight to make sure he has something to snack on if need be because sometimes our kitties go lower at night than they do during the day. If you can get a test, about 3 hours post shot, it will give you a good idea of how Garfield is handling the insulin at this dose.
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Thank you very much for this information. I will give it a try in the morning!
 
Chris & China said:
Here's something I wrote up for others that needed help with testing...maybe it'll help you too! (substitute "him" for "her"....LOL)

It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take her there as many times a day as you can and just give her ears a quick rub and then she gets a yummy (low carb) treat. Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit!

You also have to remember...you're not poking her to hurt her...you're testing her to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside her body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain!

It's also important to make sure her ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well

Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
Click to expand...
Thank you for the great information and tips! I appreciate it very much! :)
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
If you can get a test, about 3 hours post shot, it will give you a good idea of how Garfield is handling the insulin at this dose.
Click to expand...
@Catcrzymom When I suggested testing 3 hours after his shot, I meant to do so tonight. Kitties have a habit of going lower at night and while Garfield was fine today at 88, he could go lower over night and right now you don't have any history to tell you how much lower he might go. Until you understand how the insulin is working for him, it would be advisable to stick with a low warning of 90. Leaving food out will help but if I was you, I'd try to get a test in just to have that extra safety check tonight.
 
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