Home Glucose Curve

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SallyBrighton

SallyBrighton

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Hello - my cat was diagnosed in May of this year (she is 11) and I read a lot on here at the time. I am not home testing at the moment but think I might want to. The vets wants to do a 24hr glucose curve in the hospital, I want to suggest I do this at home. I have little knowledge of this, is it better to have the first one done by the vets? Ellie was put on 2 units a day (once a day) in May, went up to 3units about 2 weeks later. She responded well, behaviour, drinking, urination, coat. The vet said fructosamine test were good and within a good range (I realise home testing is better) anyway, we continued with this regime until October. new vet and a scheduled check of the fructosamine, it was much higher, I explained that no symptoms had presented and perhaps the insulin was passing its sell by date or another factor, so no increase in dose. She mentioned a curve then if we didnt see improvement. A few days later Ellie seemed to drink a little more and her coat a little oily, phoned the vet and she advised to increase to 4 units.

We returned a month later for another blood test and still not much reduction in glucose levels, at this point I thought something doesnt add up, anyway we increased to 5 units last Saturday. Ellie sleeping a lot and then last night, very restless and needy, trying to tell me something. 8am this morning (around 12 hrs after the shot we give in the evening) she had a hypo, the first and it was scary. Wobbling all over the place, seemed not to be able to see her bowl and very disorientated, she managed to eat with some help and a little lick of honey from my finger and she "came too". All day she has had a glazed look in her eye, but perked up around 5pm.

Waited for the vet to call who agreed it sounded like too much insulin that didn't correspond with fructosamine results and wants a blood glucose curve to see if twice a day injections would be better and would dose. Its christmas so we cant do this till 28th at the earliest (unless an emergency) She explained the sygomni (is that right?) rebound thing and perhaps Ellie was releasing the glucose despite having too much insulin and the curve would show when levels were high or low. I trust the vet in her approach - however I now feel we are way out of wack somewhere with Ellie, as genuinely she seemed fine and now not so great with higher insulin.

i am not overly keen on a hospital stay for her, the hospital is not in town, a half hour drive and she is not the calmest cat (part siamese and more like a dog and v attached to me - she is acting like a needy child at the moment :-) ) Anyway, i want to suggest to the vet that I do the curve myself, or at least try and consult the hospital over christmas (they are open) to decide dosage, otherwise we are guessing for a good few days. Any advice on how to do the test and where and how I can get the equipment would be great - I think the vet might have a tester I could borrow, i will ask tomorrow, although I feel sure she will encourage me just to send Ellie to the hospital.

Many thanks
Sally
 
I'm so sorry that you're going through this, but hometesting will be the best thing you can do. Hopefully you can avoid any hypos in the future, thankfully you had the honey.

This link provides information and videos on how to hometest.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

You can go to any pharmacy or even Walmart to get a glucometer. There are many good ones out there. One that sips the sample, uses a small amount of blood. Accu Check Aviva, Bayer Contour or the Walmart brand Relion which has affordable strips if don't want to scour the internet for best pricing or use ebay to get test strips.

What insulin are you using? You are going to the lower the dose after what happened, I assume?
 
Many thanks for the link. We are using Insuvet Protamine Zinc (although they may stop production in the UK soon - another problem) Yes, we have lowered the dose, the vet advised 4 instead of 5 tonight, but I gave 2! I was a bit worried to be honest and need to get the curve done. I will try the UK's high street pharmacy Boots and see if they have a machine. I forgot to say I am in the UK. Can cats suddenly change their insulin need radically? I mean what are the signs of possible remission? I think the answer will be, I will know when I start to home test.

Do you think home testing for the 24hr glucose curve is preferable to in the vets hospital? More accurate readings because less stressed? Thank you
 
I'm not speaking from experience here, but from what I've read, almost all kitties need twice-a-day dosing, simply because of how fast they metabolize insulin. And yes, hometesting would make a lot of sense and would save you the cost of an in-hospital curve that might not even give good information (because it might well be distorted by stress).

If you decide to try twice-a-day dosing, it's not the same dose given twice as often but half that dose (or less) given each time, so that the daily amount is unchanged. From the hypo, it sounds like your total amount may be too high, so backing off may be a good idea. One unit per shot seems to be an often-mentioned starting point here. (I repeat: I am *not* speaking from experience but only from what I have read. My kitty is a transient diabetic and hasn't yet needed insulin shots. If others with experience giving insulin give you different advice, follow that!)
 
Doing the curve at home is better because you can avoid stress that may raise the BGs (blood glucose numbers). I'd get morning and evening pre shot BGs each day and spot checks, test the BG at different times during the day to see how they are doing.

I haven't had Kiki long, but if you look at my signature you should see a link to Kiki's spreadsheet, most of us on the board use this spreadsheet so we can see how our kitty is responding to insulin. I don't keep one for Tucker, but if you check other people's signature lines you'll see their spreadsheets and the notes they keep.

What type of food are your currently feeding?
 
Hi, thank you both for your responses. I am going to talk to the vet and suggest I give the testing a go myself to get the curve - I saw my previous vet do this and it looked fairly straight forward. Ellie is very good at allowing injections now, so hopefully this will become easy too and I will have better peace of mind as I am sure that the fructosamine results lately are not giving the correct picture.

Ellie is still on dried food, they did mention changing this, but as the diabetes looked stable for the first few months, we didnt take this step.
 
Canned food, or low carb, high protein can really make a difference in treating FD. A couple that I adopted went off insulin all together, others were able to acheive better regulation once the dry was removed.

Going forward, I'd look into the food, and possibly a new insulin. If the one you're using is not going to be available, there are other ones out there that may be really good for your kitty.
 
As far as I know, you do not need the vet's permission to test at home, nor to do a glucose curve. (UK folks, chime in here). I encourage you to be pro-active and do it.

Once you are home testing, pick a day, and beginning before the 1st insulin shot of the day, test, give food, then insulin, and test every 1-2 hours for the next 12 hours.

Put it in a nice table for the vet with 3 columns
time | glucose | observed behaviors (purring, playing peeing, pooping, preening [grooming])

Get it to the vet and share with us here.

Also, have you picked up ketone strips to check the urine? Those may be helpful to identify when the cat is headed toward ketoacidosis (burning fat and forming ketone bodies) and are available at many pharmacies and online.
 
I am half way there with the monitoring of her behaviour, toilet habits, water drinking and general mood, I keep a chart and exact times of insulin etc. My instinct says that twice a day would give better regulation and possibly staying lower at 3units as it was before, but being able to test will help determine this and any changes that are needed. She has been so well, its been a bit of a shock for the hypo to happen with the increased insulin AND apparent high readings. Definately makes sense to inject twice and test. I will be down the shops tomorrow for a tester - un-expected last minute xmas shop! thanks for all the advice
 
SallyBrighton said:
Many thanks for the link. We are using Insuvet Protamine Zinc (although they may stop production in the UK soon - another problem) Yes, we have lowered the dose, the vet advised 4 instead of 5 tonight, but I gave 2! I was a bit worried to be honest and need to get the curve done. I will try the UK's high street pharmacy Boots and see if they have a machine. I forgot to say I am in the UK. Can cats suddenly change their insulin need radically? I mean what are the signs of possible remission? I think the answer will be, I will know when I start to home test.

Do you think home testing for the 24hr glucose curve is preferable to in the vets hospital? More accurate readings because less stressed? Thank you
Click to expand...

Well, thank goodness you are here now.

Cats are dosed twice a day, and some even three times a day, but it is rare that a cat needs and is good on insulin once a day. So that vet was a little off with that dosing.
The dose itself is much too high because it's based on testing while your cat is stressed at the vet office. One of my cats tests higher at the vet office and another one actually tests much lower than normal when at the vet office.
Once you pick up a meter to test Ellie at home, you will see exactly what her BG numbers are when she is relaxed at home.
When I take a cat to the vet, I bring my own meter. I test before leaving home, when at the vet and when we get back home... big difference in the numbers.
You will likely find that Ellie has high BG numbers, so you will need to be checking for ketones. When you are picking up the meter for testing Ellie's BG, also ask at the pharmacy for KETOSTIX so that you can test Ellie's urine for ketones.
Here's some info for you:
Ketones
Pet Diabetes Wiki: Ketoacidosis


After one hypo, you were very smart to lower the dose. I wish I could say something on dose for you but I am not familiar with the insulin you are using. I am sure the others in the PZI group can help you there.

Everyone is using the Google spreadsheet as it's something that everyone can access online and be able to help you with reading and deciphering your recorded BG numbers.
I am not sure but this may be the current instructions to get set up:
Spreadsheet setup instructions
There is no need to do anything special for your vet; I print out a copy of my ss and take it with me on every vet visit so that they can see how the testing is going and how Shadoe and Oliver are doing.



DRY food replaced with low carb wet food will help alot in lowering the BG numbers for Ellie.
Here are some food links for you:
Binky’s Food Lists
Feeding Your Cat: Know The Basics of Feline Nutrition
I am not sure is there are any foods on the lists that are available in your area, but I know there was a list around that had foods in UK; maybe someone has it to give to you.

Be sure to ask all the questions you have and someone will be able to answer.
 
Thanks Gayle, I am getting a little confused though. I am trying to get hold of a meter today so that I can start to try testing over the christmas holidays as this seems the only way of getting the true picture of Ellies BG ups and downs and subsequent need for insulin and the amount. I was a bit concerned to read she may have ketones? I understood this to be in very poor regulation and Hyperglycemic. If the fructosamine tests (average of BG over a week) show low moderate regulation from the vets perspective, surely the liklihood of her going into very high levels is low? Its just that I had not considered this swing as well as the hypo one happening all in one day for her!

Although the home testing will help with all this, its the holidays and somehow my mind was just focusing on the one thing, a response to the hypo and the underlying reason, not that she was the other way? I was guessing this was unlikely at the moment as if anything the readings at the vet were probably too high or were the somogyi effect? So I am a little confused now :smile:

Off to try and find a meter, Ellie is more herself today, I gave only 2 units last night and will continue this until I test (vet said stay at the 4 units) I am feeling I would rather have her BG's up than too low for a few days while I work this out - its all a bit difficult as she has been so well. Guess, I have been lucky so far.
Sally
 
Regarding the ketones, many people test but get negative results. It's better to test and get negative than to find out too late that there were ketones and you did not know until very late. The thing about testing is that you want to catch if there is just a trace and sort of nip the problem in the bud. I have tested my cats when their numbers are high, but have always had negative readings. BUT, better safe than sorry.

The meter you get is just any regular blood glucose meter that you can usually pick up at any pharmacy - one that humans use. Just ask the pharmacist for KETOSTIX and you also want to pick up a meter, plus test strips and lancets for it.
I use Bayer Contour, but also have OneTouch meters as backup and also a Precision Xtra. Many in the US have Relion meters as they are good and the strips for testing are very inexpensive when compared to the other meters' strips.

You are right to want to stick with numbers too high than too low until you can test at least, and know if Ellie's dose is too high or too low. I think quite often, cats are more sensitive to insulin after hypo incidents, so just watch her closely.
 
Hello again - well, I have the meter and done my research, watched as many you tube videos on ear pricks and now I cant get the cat to let me come near her! I am very frustrated. Any tips please? She was the same when injections were started, huffing (literally) a big defensive keep away from me. I tried when she was lovely and relaxed, tried on the table where she jumps up to get her injection (with the help of a promised treat!). I just tried sitting calmly next to her and playing with her ears, all ok until she senses something new happening - she tried to bite me! She is not a lap cat, except for her own choosing and very very alert to the slightest change in anything (part siamese). I really really really want to get some readings to give even a small curve to see how the insulin is acting......any ideas gratefully received. I want to avoid a 24hr vets visit which is the alternative, the vet was really happy for me to try at home.
 
P.S to my post above, I have never "restrained" her and presume anything like this will cause stress and defeat the object of a "natural" BG reading. But maybe gentle restraint? Any ideas, holding her scruff? Sooooo frustrating
 
A couple gentle restraints would be taking a large bath towel or a small blanket and turning her into a kitty burrito, basically just wrap her up so that only her head is exposed. Another trick is to use the famous clothes pin trick, it is basically sticking a row of clothes pins down her scruff like a mohawk, to simulate the way a mother cat holds her kittens. At our house this is called the kitty off button approach. :) The clothes pins work great on my two semi-feral girls when we need to treat them for anything.

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang.
 
Thanks for the blanket tip, I will try that later when she has stopped being on red alert every time I go near her. I need to chill out again before I try. What do you mean about the pins, holding the blanket together?
 
wow - thanks for the link. I am a Shiatsu practitioner, so very interested in the mention of the pegs activating pressure points.
 
I have never used it but others say it works great. And after you get the testing down, and give her a treat each time, you can take off the clothespins.
 
I managed to get Ellie wrapped in a blanket and sitting on my partners lap and then I attempted to prick the ear, she flinched and growled. I think I may have to take her to the vet for them to show me how to do the prick - i have lost confidence now. I am sure that I was trying in the right area and I had my finger and a towel on the other side of the ear where I was applying pressure, no blood even! I withdraw as soon as her ear curled up and she growled - is this a usual response? I am sure my nervousness has foiled the possible success now :sad:
 
What size lancet are you using? Are you heating the ear first?

Here is where to poke: Where to poke

Sometimes if you find the capillaries running off the vein and put a small smear of vaseline there, you know right where to poke, and it helps the blood bead up.

Are you using the lancet device? It helped me to take off the clear cap.

You can give the treats while poking. My DH fed Oliver treats while I poked, at first. Soon, he was wiling to wait until after the poke for the treat.

If your vet can't help, you can post your city and state. We may have a member who lives nearby who could come help the first time.
 
Hello again, I have just checked the box and the lancets are Glucoject 30g 0.315mm . I grabbed the first meter I could on Christmas Eve and it came with lancets and test strips. I decided against the lancet pen as I thought the click would freak the cat out, would you advise this being more efficient? If you can explain the settings that would be great - the instructions are a little confusing, it seems you can set the depth to "puncture" with?? Anyway, the cat is very cross with me now, but I will give it one more go before I give up for today and take her to the vet for them to show me how tomorrow. I just read somewhere it is good to prick at a 45degree angle and not straight down, I didnt do this :oops:

I am living in the UK, another member has sent me an email and I have written to ask for her advice, but I dont think she lives near me. I really appreciate the replies to my messages - when we first started injecting it was horrific, then all of a sudden easy, so I believe you when you say it will get easier, its just so stressfull at the beginning.
 
Might need some in the UK to answer the lancet question. Here you get 25-26 gauge for new diabetics because it makes a bigger hole. You could probably call and ask the druggist.

Yes, the angle is a good idea. You might make the depth setting toward the deepest the first few times. Be sure you have something behind the ear to poke against so you don't poke through to your finger. We liked a little makeup sponge, others like a folded kleenix, some leave the rice sack back there.

It really does get easier. Once you feel confident, and the cat is awaiting the treats, and you have the way that works best for you down pat - it becomes routine. But very few people get blood the very first time. It took us a whole weekend of poking poor Oliver's ears before we got a drop. But he was not part Siamese and he was patient with us. :mrgreen: The heating the ear with the rice sack was vital to our success.
 
Thanks Sue, I will persevere and try not to give up! confused_cat Siamese are very picky and attached to owners and she really really is giving me the evil eye - she has always forgiven me thus far, but will probably give me the cold shoulder for weeks though. Fingers crossed.
 
There are many tricks and it just takes a little experimenting for different cat/person combination. Some are:
1. heat the ear with the rice sack or small medicine bottle with hot water
2. massage ear b4 trying
3. 'milk' the ear after poking - especially if you can see the tiniest bead of blood
4. freehand poke using just the lancet
5. use a needle to poke the ear - have to use a thick one to make a larger hole (my vet and techs use this - didn't work at all for me!)
6. shave a little area on the ear so that you can see the right spot and the blood bead
7. put a little tiny smear of vaseline to help the blood bead up and not disperse into the hair
8. hold something firm behind the ear to poke against
9. poke as though you mean it - not annoying little pricks

If you go through, it doesn't really matter as you get both sides when you hold pressure after a successful poke. I use a cotton make up removal pad and fold it over the ear and hold for a few seconds.

Good luck. Post what you have tried and others will have suggestions that I haven't rememberd.
 
Awww you are getting the famous meezer evil eye...know it well have 3 meezers here myself, thank God none of them are diabetic.

One trick I found that worked well for me is the lancet pen but with the cap off, so I was sort of free handing it and then using the spring loaded action of the lancet pen so I didn't chicken out and pull the poke. It does get easier as it goes along and meezers are smart, once she figures out there is a treat at the end of it all she will be begging you for a test...lol. Seriously it does get easier and as goofy as it sounds their ears do "learn" to bleed.

Also experiement at little bit on the spot, for us the best place is just a little above that double flap of skin near the base of the ear. Also don't worry if you go all the way through the ear, that is pretty normal especially in the beginning. Biggest thing I think right now is not to let her get use to being able to back you off with a growl, don't get bite, but be firm and confident. She will pick up on your emotions, if you are nervous or scared she will be too.

Again sounds crazy but sometimes it really helps to talk them through it, tell her what you are going to do, why you need to do it and that if she will allow it there is a yummy treat waiting for her.

You can do this, really you can. And not getting blood the first few times is also completely normal, your doing great so far. Very soon I'm sure you will be one of the proud card carrying members of the Vampire Club. :-D

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
 
Hooray Hooray I was successfull - shaking like a leaf now :lol: Cat relaxed a little more, I massaged and as mentioned, this time I was gentle but sure with the prick, last time I think I did "poke" - also it is around 4hrs since her insulin, so I imagine that she was less grumpy/hungry as the main purpose at the moment is to get a curve to see when the insulin is most active - anyway I am relieved, I didnt like it much though. More blood than I thought - the meter only needs .5. Hope my luck and confidence increases - thank you for all the tips - I am going to get vasaline tomorrow. The towel around her seemed to help and I hope she will soon see this routine is OK - I gave her a small treat after, whilst she wagged her tail furiously confused_cat Hooray for me - I have a little more faith in doing this, i know it will prove invaluable to her health and wellbeing in the long run
 
MommaOfMuse said:
Awww you are getting the famous meezer evil eye...know it well have 3 meezers here myself, thank God none of them are diabetic.

One trick I found that worked well for me is the lancet pen but with the cap off, so I was sort of free handing it and then using the spring loaded action of the lancet pen so I didn't chicken out and pull the poke. It does get easier as it goes along and meezers are smart, once she figures out there is a treat at the end of it all she will be begging you for a test...lol. Seriously it does get easier and as goofy as it sounds their ears do "learn" to bleed.

Also experiement at little bit on the spot, for us the best place is just a little above that double flap of skin near the base of the ear. Also don't worry if you go all the way through the ear, that is pretty normal especially in the beginning. Biggest thing I think right now is not to let her get use to being able to back you off with a growl, don't get bite, but be firm and confident. She will pick up on your emotions, if you are nervous or scared she will be too.

Again sounds crazy but sometimes it really helps to talk them through it, tell her what you are going to do, why you need to do it and that if she will allow it there is a yummy treat waiting for her.

You can do this, really you can. And not getting blood the first few times is also completely normal, your doing great so far. Very soon I'm sure you will be one of the proud card carrying members of the Vampire Club. :-D

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
Click to expand...

Ha ha - sounds like you have met my cat! That is exactly what she is like and a challenge when we come head to head - I won over my fear and I guess she did too and you are so right about her figuring out the treat thing, I hope she will cotton on very soon. The first test done, now just have to set my alarm clock and try all over again in a couple of hours - its midnight here in the UK. I will be Soooooo proud if I can get enough readings for at least an idea of a curve to discuss the insulin dose with the vet (she had a hypo - well I am pretty sure it was, last thursday - despite her fructosamine results being high and us increasing the insulin dose - I had a feeling something wasnt right with this pattern as she seemed so great in herself - anyway I reduced the insulin amount after the hypo last week and now determined to get a curve to see where and when she is high and low as this must be whats happening - the vet and I agree on this) thank you so much for your encouragement
 
Sue and Oliver said:
Hooray! :RAHCAT :RAHCAT Welcome to the Vampire Club! Secret handshake arriving later in the mail :mrgreen:

So what is your number?
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Thank you :razz:

The reading was 8.7 mmol/L (I think this is around150 in US mg/dl) I have no idea how to intepret the numbers at the moment, but I think this is looking ok for 5hrs post insulin, I really hoped to get the readings before the injection, but hey, I got one now, I will attempt to continue to get a curve. Ellie is currently only injected once a day at 6.30pm
 
This is a nice number. That should be close to the nadir (mid way in cycle) Can we talk you into halving the dose and giving it twice a day?

Sure glad you reduced the dose!
 
I hope it is good :-D +5 hrs since the shot. When first diagnosed the vet suggested the onset action of the insulin (Insuvet Protamine Zinc) was about 5hrs and peak was 12hrs. We shall see if this happens - I do believe this is about right as the hypo last week occurred around +13hrs.

As I say, the fructosamine tests the vet did in the last month showed high and we have increased by 2 units in the last 2 months to 5 - so the vet said it could be somogyi rebound? Anyway my gut said reduce more than the vet said after last weeks event - so I am back giving 3 units once a day and will review this once I get this curve and start to build a picture - I am very new at intepreting things :smile:

Need some sleep to be ready for the next nerve racking attempt
 
Sue and Oliver said:
This is a nice number. That should be close to the nadir (mid way in cycle) Can we talk you into halving the dose and giving it twice a day?

Sure glad you reduced the dose!
Click to expand...

I think this will almost definately what I will do and then I will tackle changing the food (currently still on dry) now that (fingers crossed) I can check her, I will feel more confident to adjust this as well
 
Great idea to move to low carb. Just be prepared for a big change. When we switched from dry to wet. Oliver went down 100 points overnight.
 
Just for your reference, my non-diabetic cats always test 4.5. I tested them when I first started testing my diabetic because I thought that my meter was broken - it only ever said high 20s. Alas, it was correct.
 
:RAHCAT Woohoo Welcome to the Vampire Club :RAHCAT

Yes, one step at a time, get the testing down then start with the diet switch and like Sue already said, be prepared for a big drop. Might even get lucky and get her diet controlled. That first number was really nice for a fairly new dxed kitty still on dry food. ( FYI it translates to about 157 US). Now that you got your first test out of the way...go give yourself a treat for being an awesome mom. party_cat

Mel, Max & The Fur Gang
 
Thank you for all your encouragement, guidance and positive vibes. Alas, the beginners luck wore off after my first success. My partner and I got up at 2am, 4am, 6am and then gave up at 8am. Ellie was just terrified and I chickened out each time I tried to prick the ear. I think the technique was fine, as in the wrapped blanket, the equipment nearby, holding the ear etc. She growled, hissed, yelped and went rigid and I ended up not being firm enough and "going for it" stressed me and stressed cat :YMSIGH:

I tired so hard to at least get a reading around the time I thought the nadir would be and then hoped to get one just before the shot later today. I decided to leave her be for today, she got to the point of not eating, running from both my partner and I - despite us being as calm and chatting to her as possible (well, at least inbetween and at the start of our attempts!)

My vet is not in work until after the holidays, I think I may need to take her in and have some BG's done in the day (not the overnight 24hr stay). She seems well, maybe drinking a little more since I dropped the dose after the hypo last week, although I obviously dont know how high she is going, they said it wasnt urgent to continue trying to do the curve right now, so i will wait to speak with my vet next week. Very very disappointed at my lack of backbone - the restraining necessary was getting to me a bit, with the insulin injections, it only took a couple of stressy times and she was fine (she doesnt need restraining - she eats a little while injected and doesnt even notice - with the ear, she needs to be still and it just isnt happening without my emotions getting in the way when she growls)

Oh dear, is owner "failure" common?
 
Yes, it is. Don't get discouraged and don't give up! I think you are right, if you just decide this is something that has to be done, and do it, you will be successful.

A motivating factor will be that you can't get into the vet over the holiday and you need to keep her safe. Your situation is a moving target - you have had a hypo and aren't sure how much insulin to give......You need home test results. Not so much a complete curve, but a number before each shot so you know it is safe to give insulin. As we have said, the curves at the vet are not helpful if they are influenced by stress. And your kitty seems to be one that would be stressed at the vet.

So - put on your big girl pants and do this! :mrgreen:
 
Hi - I am attempting to understand all of the variables with diabetes and am very confused. Could you explain why you think i need to check if it is safe to give the insulin - I thought I understood that the hypo was probably due to the increased insulin dose and that going back to what it was before would be ok - as Ellie is drinking a bit more than usual I understood that if anything she would be a little hyper. Of course I cannot be sure, the query is why were the fructosamine tests high and the increased insulin too much? I wasnt worried that she may need even LESS insulin.

I am now a little worried that this IS an emergency or at least a precarious position, I thought it was un-stable but not that I will do harm if I dont test today and give insulin. I realise there is always a chance of things changing rapidly and that BG's are the best way . I thought I was dealing with too much of a jump of insulin, not that it should be drastically reduced (due to fructosamine being really high)

Please forgive my lack of understanding
 
I prefer to think of the experience not so much as a failure as a learning experience. It seems that you and your kitty have both learned - she has certainly learned that growling intimidates you.

Another technique that works for some people is to start the process by telling her exactly what you are doing and why. It might sound funny, but it has helped lots of 'couples'. Get your supplies all ready, and then begin. Something like "We are going to take a sample now because it is extremely important for your health that we know this information. We will wrap you safely in a warm towel and hold you for a few moments while I ..." I'm sure that you get the idea.

And I love the 'big girl pants'! I'm sure they fit you beautifully.
 
Thanks again for your encouragement to be brave and the reminder of how useful this is for the health of my cat. I think I am losing my motivation as I dont really know what would be good or bad or what highs and lows mean. As a first step I was trying to get the readings to then discuss what this meant with my vet in view of the recent history of a low and high fructosamine readings. I wasnt thinking of adjusting the insulin again myself, I am more confused about the best thing to do and my motivations than ever.

Ellie has intimidated me :oops: despite me talking to her in the way described, my motivation and confidence isn't high at the moment, the more I read, the more I feel a little lost
 
Maybe stepping back for a minute will help. Is she still your kittly? Does she use her litter box, purr when cuddled, clean her face after eating, and maybe play a bit? This is what is important. The fact that she has a treatable disease is secondary to the fact that she is your kitty.

Reagrding testing and giving insulin - she has this disease, and insulin is the treatment (along with other management like food, weight, etc). So, then we tackle the best way to treat the disease. She is on insulin (good), you know about home testing and your vet is supportive (good), and you have researched diet (good). Now it is fine tuning the variables. This is what home testing and monitoring her bg does. You have been on a steep learning curve, and so has she. It just happens that she has learned a trick at this little bump on the curve b4 you did. Don't fret - watch her behaviour and if its normal for her, then worry about testing later. Cuddle and play for a bit and remind her that you still love her - even if she has learned a trick!
 
We don't like to give insulin until we have a number, so we know it is safe to give the amount we are planning on. Lots of kitties suddenly throw a lower number than usual and require less than the usual dose. Some kitties suddenly run high and you need to be ready to deal with that. The vet who posts here compares giving insulin without testing like driving down the freeway with a bag over your head!

Not trying to scare you. We are just big advocates of home testing and are urging you to get it done. When you have numbers, you can come on and get advice on dosage. When your vet is back, you can call him and ask for guidance, based on the numbers you get at home.

Since your vet will not be available for the next few days, the best way for you to feel comfortable with your kitty's health is to test. Then you will have an idea of where your kitty is. Very, very general guideline would be 200- 300 okay for beginning diabetic. 300-400 fairly high. Under 200 you would want to consider waiting before giving insulin or give a reduced dose. 50 and under is very low and may require your intervention. Does that help?
 
Hi Sally,

I know that home tesing can be very frustrating but try to hang in there since is is very difficult to optimally manage a diabetic cat without it.

When you get a chance, please take a look at my Diabetes page -including the STOP sign section - and the Feeding Your Cat page below for an explanation of why dry food is an unhealthy diet for cats.
 
Just-As-Appy said:
Maybe stepping back for a minute will help. Is she still your kittly? Does she use her litter box, purr when cuddled, clean her face after eating, and maybe play a bit? This is what is important. The fact that she has a treatable disease is secondary to the fact that she is your kitty.

Reagrding testing and giving insulin - she has this disease, and insulin is the treatment (along with other management like food, weight, etc). So, then we tackle the best way to treat the disease. She is on insulin (good), you know about home testing and your vet is supportive (good), and you have researched diet (good). Now it is fine tuning the variables. This is what home testing and monitoring her bg does. You have been on a steep learning curve, and so has she. It just happens that she has learned a trick at this little bump on the curve b4 you did. Don't fret - watch her behaviour and if its normal for her, then worry about testing later. Cuddle and play for a bit and remind her that you still love her - even if she has learned a trick!
Click to expand...



Wow - thank you, I WAS getting a little heady there - yes, she still uses the litter box, has a wet nose, plays, purrs, rubs noses and looks graceful when she cleans, interacts and comes (after some snooty thinking about it) when I call her from the other end of the room. Her trust is back again this evening and it feels good, the glucose meter is still out on the side :smile:
 
Sue and Oliver said:
We don't like to give insulin until we have a number, so we know it is safe to give the amount we are planning on. Lots of kitties suddenly throw a lower number than usual and require less than the usual dose. Some kitties suddenly run high and you need to be ready to deal with that. The vet who posts here compares giving insulin without testing like driving down the freeway with a bag over your head!

Not trying to scare you. We are just big advocates of home testing and are urging you to get it done. When you have numbers, you can come on and get advice on dosage. When your vet is back, you can call him and ask for guidance, based on the numbers you get at home.

Since your vet will not be available for the next few days, the best way for you to feel comfortable with your kitty's health is to test. Then you will have an idea of where your kitty is. Very, very general guideline would be 200- 300 okay for beginning diabetic. 300-400 fairly high. Under 200 you would want to consider waiting before giving insulin or give a reduced dose. 50 and under is very low and may require your intervention. Does that help?
Click to expand...


I really appreciate what you are saying and do understand and believe in this protocol which makes it all the harder when I want to do the right thing. I have called the vets office, they have a 24hr 365day a year hospital and someone is going to call me back, I may be able to talk things through with a vet before next week. Thanks for the numbers and pointing out that cats can suddenly go high and then low, I didnt really appreciate that this can happen at random and perhaps for no obvious or long term reason, that it perhaps is a one off. I have been struggling with a puzzle to try and fix and reading this has made me realise that it is not a static situation with clear answers - especially if you want to tightly regulate the ups and downs of your cat. Thanks again
 
Lisa dvm said:
Hi Sally,

I know that home tesing can be very frustrating but try to hang in there since is is very difficult to optimally manage a diabetic cat without it.

When you get a chance, please take a look at my Diabetes page -including the STOP sign section - and the Feeding Your Cat page below for an explanation of why dry food is an unhealthy diet for cats.
Click to expand...


Thank you for your message, I am still hoping I will get the hang of testing, especially as I really want to change the food and remove the dry food altogether and have taken on board that this can make a very big difference to the Blood Glucose in a short space of time, so would want to monitor this closely. Christmas/New Year and up and down cat is not a good combination for an inexperienced owner who is perhaps in semi-denial of her cat having diabetes in a way. 7 months of no obvious problems and suddenly a hypo - kind of freaked me out into a whole new learning curve - which you have all been through.
 
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