Home testing

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Julie Berber

Julie Berber

Member Since 2017
What are some good home meters to use?? I am new to the whole diabetes. I would like to start home testing due to the trips to the vets seem to be doing more harm then good (45 min drive one way). I live in Tennessee. Nippet is a very young female cat (3 years old). She was diagnosed 1 month ago. Been on Vetsulin for about 3 weeks. With an increase of insulin from 4 units to 8 units a day at about 1 1/2 weeks ago after being diagnosed with DKA. She was not responding to the insulin at the time i brought her home. glucose levels went from 440 max (before any insulin) to 580 with insulin during the hospital stay. The vet felt she was too stressed to stay at the hospital. Now id like to know am i giving too much insulin. She seems to get really sleepy about an hour after i give her her night dose. She weighs just a hair under 6 lbs at this time. No she wasn't always this thin. Working on getting weight back on now that I've got her to eating again.
 
Testing at home will be tremendously helpful! A lot of members here use the Relion Confirm or Relion Micro meters, which are available at Wal-Mart. They're intended for human use, but they get the job done--a lot of the numbers you'll encounter this site are based on ranges for human meters, rather than for pet-specific ones like the AlphaTrak2.

Over the long term, the big cost is *not* the meter itself--it's the test strips! And the strips for the pet meters are much more expensive. You also generally can't just go out and buy them if you run out for some reason; you typically have to order them. The strips that work with the Relion meters are easy to find. (When I first read someone saying this, I thought, "Well, that won't be an issue for me--I always overprepare for things!" Nope. I was out buying test strips in the middle of the night when my kitty's numbers went too low and I needed to check him much more frequently than usual...)

I started out with an AlphaTrak2. It worked well, but wow, the strips became super-expensive, and I had to always keep in mind when reading here that people were usually talking about numbers for human meters rather than pet ones. I switched to a Relion Confirm meter and am finding that it works just fine.

One note about the Relion meters, if you look into that brand--you'll see a cheaper, older version--the "Prime" model. I wouldn't recommend getting that; it requires a larger blood sample to get a reading.
 
Many US folks use a Walmart ReliOn brand human meter because the test strips are much cheaper than those for a pet meter. The ReliOn Micro or Confirm need only a tiny blood drop to give a result. Many vets will want you to use a pet meter like the AlphaTrak but the strips are very expensive. Some people have a pet meter to do curves at home for the vet but use a human meter for day to day testing.

Human meters read lower than a pet meter but the difference is larger at high BG numbers and smaller at low numbers. The important thing to know, though, is the "take action" blood glucose number - it's 50 on a human meter and 68 on a pet meter. This is a heads up that BG is dropping into too low territory.

I can't say for sure that this is the case with Nippet but here's a common scenario we see here on FDMB:
  • kitty is diagnosed with diabetes and insulin dose is prescribed (often too high to start - 1 unit twice a day is often the best initial dose)
  • kitty is returned to vet a week or so later for a stay to do a full curve
  • kitty is stressed at the vet and BG is elevated
  • insulin dose is increased based on curve results not accounting for the stress-induced BG elevation
  • kitty is possibly on too high a dose of insulin now
  • too high dose is dropping BG at various times and kitty's counterregulatory responses kick in to prop up BG so BG is now elevated
  • next curve shows high numbers and dose is raised
  • self-protective BG elevation response is further exacerbated
  • and so on - until you have a kitty on a whopping dose of insulin.
 
Further thoughts: post DKA your kitty will be fragile. She needs calories and high enough carbs in her food to support enough insulin to keep ketones at bay. Good hydration is also important. Adding extra water to all wet food meals to make a sort of stew is one way to get fluid into her. She might need water syringed into her mouth too.
 
4 units is a crazy amount of insulin for any cat that's only been diagnosed a month.....8U is totally insane!!

I strongly suggest you grab a Relion Confirm or Micro meter, drop her dose down and start home testing as soon as possible.

Also, what are you feeding? It's very important to be on a low carb canned or raw diet (No kibble)

Vetsulin isn't usually a great insulin for cats, but even that should be started at no more than 1U twice a day and raised in .25 to .5 unit increments once testing shows you what kind of numbers you're getting
 
Also: BG that's elevated because of too high a dose of insulin is just as likely to set the scene for DKA as BG that's too high because of too low a dose or no dose of insulin.

Here's a description of the rebound process we call bouncing:

Here's how it works:
  1. BG goes low OR lower than usual OR drops too quickly.
  2. Kitty's body panics and thinks there's danger (OMG! My BG is too low!).
  3. Complex physiologic processes take glycogen stored in the liver (I think of it as "bounce fuel"), convert it to glucose and dump it into the bloodstream to counteract the perceived dangerously low BG.
  4. These processes go into overdrive in kitties who are bounce prone and keep the BG propped up varying lengths of time (AKA bouncing).
  5. Bounce prone kitty repeats this until his body learns that healthy low numbers are safe. Some kitties are slow learners.
  6. Too high a dose of insulin can keep them bouncing over and over until the " bounce fuel" runs out and they crash - ie., have a hypo episode. That's why we worry so much about kitties that have had too high a starting dose prescribed by the vet and the owner isn't home testing.
 
Thank you all!! Now i feel just a little more overwhelmed... I've went to all the pet stores in my little town and no one carries a dang pet meter. Ill have to drive about an hour to see if i can find one in the bigger area. I do believe i can get a human one at Wally World (walmart). Could someone here help me with reading it? I'm now really worried about giving her the morning dose. My husband brought up that maybe we need a third opinion on this. First vet never found it. Just doped her up on steroids. 2nd vet found it but has her on a ridiculous amount of insulin after her DKA and 1st curve. He also told me she could be insulin resistance. He was wanting me to leave her on the 8 units a day until Sept 8th. Then do another curve. Also wanted me to leave her on the proplan DM wet and dry food. Well Nippet rather starve then eat that. So i bought some Instinct 95% rabbit and she devoured it. Then threw it up...... so i went back and got her more but in the kitten formula in Core and in Instinct Brands. Also got some classic Fancy Feast. She ate all of them and held them down. Shes dropped from 8 lbs 6oz to 5lbs 14oz just in the past 4 weeks. At this point ill feed her whatever to keep her alive and stop her from starving to death. This was a 11 or so lb cat just 4 months ago.

I'll reweigh her in the morning to see if any change since yesterdays weight. I'm beyond stressed about her. I don't think ive really slept in the pass 4 weeks. I'm so afraid I'll wake up and find her at the foot of my bed passed away.

Good news is today she does seem to have a lot more energy. For once in 4 weeks she actually came into the frontroom with the other 4 cats. She didnt play but she was walking around and jumped up on the couch. Seemed to be looking for something to get into.
 
It's a lot of info to absorb. Take it a little at a time. I wouldn't bother buying a pet meter -most of us use human meters and we can help you to understand it's readings.

Has she received two 8 unit doses of insulin today?
 
Julie Berber said:
Yes. She got 4U at 7am and again at 7pm.


Shes on 8 units a day (4 units in each injection )
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First thing tomorrow go buy a ReliOn Micro or Confirm meter at Walmart plus test strips. At this high a dose not testing BG before giving insulin is risky. There's a search bar in the upper right corner of this page. Do a search for how to test blood glucose and you'll get lots of info.
 
Julie Berber said:
I've went to all the pet stores in my little town and no one carries a dang pet meter.
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Don't bother.....most of us here use human meters and we're very good at it.....and with the amount most of us test (6-8 times a day or more), none of us can afford $1 per strip!! The human meters from WalMart are fine and it's what most of us use!!

Our protocols were also written with human meters in mind.....Pet meters haven't been around that long!! Vets were using human meters first too (before they figured out they could make some extra money selling strips for over $1 each)

The only numbers that are really important are the lows....Under 50 on a human meter is your "time to act"....it's under 68 on a pet meter. That just means if they drop below that number, you'll want to have some high carb foods in the house like Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers, as well as Karo, honey or syrup.

We will be there every step of the way with you! You don't have to learn it all in one night!! It was probably 5-6 months before I felt like I understood enough to make some of my own dosing decisions and I would still ask the "pro's" opinions before I actually changed anything with China! We're on year #5 now and going strong!!

I'd like to see you drop her back to 2U and test at least 4 times a day.....Always before shooting and at least once mid-cycle during the AM cycle and at least "before bed" on the PM cycle.

With Vetsulin, it IS important that she eat a regular meal about 20-30 minutes before shooting, so you'll want to Test, Feed, wait 20-30 minutes and shoot.....If she's under 200, post for help before shooting until you have more data on how she reacts to both food and insulin.

We also have a spreadsheet that we all use that's really useful in helping us to help you. We'll want to see it before giving much in the way of dosing advice. Here are the Instructions on getting the FDMB spreadsheet

If you have any problems getting it set up, feel free to send me a private message...takes me about 30 seconds once I have some information from you. Just click on my name and choose "Start Conversation"

Also, if you look below our comments, you'll see our "Signatures"....it's great to have the information there so we don't have to keep asking the same questions over and over again. To get your Signature, go to your sign on name (top right side of the page) and there's a drop down menu....choose "Signature".....a new box will pop up for you to enter info into. We like to have:

Your name/Cats name, age, sex, date of diagnosis, type of insulin, type of meter, type of food, any other health problems? and a general location.....then you add the link to your spreadsheet (when you have it) and "Save"
 
Julie Berber said:
Unfortunately I cant get it first thing in the morning. But i will as soon as I'm off work tomorrow.
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Get the human meter. If your vet insists on a pet meter or you just like using the same meter as your vet you can order am alphatrak 2 on amazon... They have a good starter kit, but you would need extra test strips with it. The strips are $1 each for alphatrak which is why most stick with human meters.


When you go to the store you are looking for

1. Relion micro or confirm meter (not Prime as it takes too big of a sample) ($17)

2. 28 gauge lancets (the ones that come with the meter are 31 which is often too thin for a cats ears) ($4)

3. Box of 100 extra test strips ($36)

4. Cotton cosmetic rounds $3

5. Neosporin ointment with pain relief ($5)
 
Until you are testing I would lower the dose to 2 units.... 4 is higher than most cats ever need, so to shoot it blindly is dangerous.
 
First vet never found it. Just doped her up on steroids. 2nd vet found it but has her on a ridiculous amount of insulin after her DKA and 1st curve.[/QUOTE said:
Is she on steroids now? If so, that's why you're having trouble with regulation. Let me know and I'll tell you Tigger's story.
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I put her back on the 2 units this morning after she ate. I was told by the vet she MUST eat to receive her shot. So i have always made sure she eats. This was the problem I had and what made me bring her in early for the 1st Curve. She stopped eating the DM wet and DM dry foods. While she was there I asked them to test for the kenoacidosis. I received a call back later that day with a positive DKA and was told she was started on IV fluids. They were thinking she needed to stay for 5 to 7 days. While there, they kept upping her insulin from 4 units a day all the way up to 8 units a day because she was not responding to any amount. Finally they called me and wanted me to pick her up due to her BG still rising after only 3 days. Dr. West felt the stay was causing too much stress. He asked me to keep her on 8 units a day (4 in the AM and 4 in the PM) and do another curve on Sept 8th to find out if she is Insulin Resistant. Once home she still was not eating so I called the vet back and asked them what exactly were they feeding her for the 3 day stay and was told the only thing they got her to eat was Tuna......... I honestly felt robbed! Heck I could have done that at home and saved myself hundreds of dollars. Now she is eating the Core brand kitten, Instinct Kitten and High Protein formulas and Fancy Feast Classics. A list of safe foods would be AWESOME!!! I do have her on Can wet foods only now.

She received the Steroid Shot from a completely different Vet. I asked my husband to bring her in and he just picked one of the local vets that had seen her as a kitten back 3 years ago. Nippet was actually a foster kitten along with her mother and 3 siblings. I am a volunteer with the local Humane Society. I was asked to foster her family when they found the family locked in a kennel behind a church. We don't know how long this little family was back there. Someone happened to walk out behind the church to throw trash away and heard the mother meowing. They called the HS and then I was called to see if I had room to take them. I didn't but took them anyway. We do not have an animal shelter here for cats at all so the Humane Society takes on the full responsibility of cats alone. The few foster homes we have stay pretty much packed. But anyways, now all the others from the litter along with the mother have homes but it left Nippet with me. After a failed attempt on getting her Spayed, she ended up staying with me longer. Long story short, shes attached to everyone in the home. It would take a special person to adopt her and now with this, no one will want to take on this kind of responsibility. So I will do the best I can for her.


I can tell she feels a heck of a lot better this morning. She actually started playing with my shoe strings as I was getting ready for work. I really appreciate all the help and advise from everyone here. I have sent my husband to pick up the list of items that JanetNJ has listed and will start testing her at home once i get out of work. I hope she can pull through all this and become my little manic cat again that climbs the walls and gets into everything.
 
Julie Berber said:
I put her back on the 2 units this morning after she ate. I was told by the vet she MUST eat to receive her shot. So i have always made sure she eats. This was the problem I had and what made me bring her in early for the 1st Curve. She stopped eating the DM wet and DM dry foods. While she was there I asked them to test for the kenoacidosis. I received a call back later that day with a positive DKA and was told she was started on IV fluids. They were thinking she needed to stay for 5 to 7 days. While there, they kept upping her insulin from 4 units a day all the way up to 8 units a day because she was not responding to any amount. Finally they called me and wanted me to pick her up due to her BG still rising after only 3 days. Dr. West felt the stay was causing too much stress. He asked me to keep her on 8 units a day (4 in the AM and 4 in the PM) and do another curve on Sept 8th to find out if she is Insulin Resistant. Once home she still was not eating so I called the vet back and asked them what exactly were they feeding her for the 3 day stay and was told the only thing they got her to eat was Tuna......... I honestly felt robbed! Heck I could have done that at home and saved myself hundreds of dollars. Now she is eating the Core brand kitten, Instinct Kitten and High Protein formulas and Fancy Feast Classics. A list of safe foods would be AWESOME!!! I do have her on Can wet foods only now.

She received the Steroid Shot from a completely different Vet. I asked my husband to bring her in and he just picked one of the local vets that had seen her as a kitten back 3 years ago. Nippet was actually a foster kitten along with her mother and 3 siblings. I am a volunteer with the local Humane Society. I was asked to foster her family when they found the family locked in a kennel behind a church. We don't know how long this little family was back there. Someone happened to walk out behind the church to throw trash away and heard the mother meowing. They called the HS and then I was called to see if I had room to take them. I didn't but took them anyway. We do not have an animal shelter here for cats at all so the Humane Society takes on the full responsibility of cats alone. The few foster homes we have stay pretty much packed. But anyways, now all the others from the litter along with the mother have homes but it left Nippet with me. After a failed attempt on getting her Spayed, she ended up staying with me longer. Long story short, shes attached to everyone in the home. It would take a special person to adopt her and now with this, no one will want to take on this kind of responsibility. So I will do the best I can for her.


I can tell she feels a heck of a lot better this morning. She actually started playing with my shoe strings as I was getting ready for work. I really appreciate all the help and advise from everyone here. I have sent my husband to pick up the list of items that JanetNJ has listed and will start testing her at home once i get out of work. I hope she can pull through all this and become my little manic cat again that climbs the walls and gets into everything.
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You've done so much for her already. We can help you get her on track. It takes a village ... ;)
 
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You're doing GREAT! Grab the supplies (good shopping list!), feed the Fancy Feast classic if you want without worrying a ton about finding other safe food (it's low carb, she likes it, it's available at the same place where you'll be buying supplies, and she's not barfing it up), and get going with the home testing, which will give you tons more information to work with. The people here will help you interpret that information. Never hesitate to ask a question!!!

And yeah, that vet, wow...all she would eat was tuna and they didn't tell you that until AFTER 3 days had passed and you asked directly? That is not ok.

I'll check on the other wet foods you listed right now...
 
Is this the Instinct kitten food? upload_2017-8-30_12-55-24.png If so, it may be too high-carb. I don't see it on the food list we usually refer to, but I plugged in the numbers here: http://fnae.org/carbcalorie.html.

The Fancy Feast classics should be great; they're what tons of people here feed their diabetic kitties!

The Core kitten food looks ok to me; it's fairly low-carb, and it looks to be much higher-calorie than the Fancy Feast foods, which may be good if you're trying to help her gain weight.

The chart people generally refer to when evaluating foods is here: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-chart.174147/ At the beginning of the chart, there's a section that explains what values for protein, fat, and carbs are good to shoot for.

She'll continue to feel so much better as she eats more, so I'm really glad you've found things she likes! We try not to let them eat for 2 hours before their pre-shot tests (which happen 12 hours apart, one morning and one evening)--food temporarily raises their blood glucose numbers and might make it seem like it's safe to give a shot when it really isn't.

Hope this helps. More-experienced members, please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this!
 
Squeakycats said:
Is this the kitten food? If so, it may be too high-carb. I don't see it on the food list we usually refer to, but I plugged in the numbers here: http://fnae.org/carbcalorie.html.
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Yes, I was trying ANYTHING and EVERYTHING just to get her to eat again when she dropped under 6 lbs. I even got the 95% Rabbit Instinct (which is freaking high as all get out at $1.79 on sale for a 3 oz can). But she threw that one up. So i went for items (didn't have a list at the time) I thought were higher in vitamins and such. So I grabbed kitten. Before all this, she was on average 11 to 12 lb cat. in less then 4 months shes lost half her body weight with 2.4 lbs in just the last 4 weeks. I do believe I'll blame that on the Vet with his DM foods that she didn't like...
 
It is SO scary that she lost so much weight! And blaming the vet seems completely fair--surely the vet knows how bad it is for cats not to eat?????

What flavors does she like best? Does she like the "pate" texture, the chunky kind, or the stuff that's actually shreds of meat? I've tried pretty much every canned cat food on earth, due to having a cat who is both picky and allergic to poultry, so I might be able to recommend some things that are highly palatable.
 
I mean, I hate to insult a vet I don't know, but everything you've described suggests a truly astonishing level of incompetence--and a lack of respect for you as someone who wants to be involved in your cat's health!
 
Squeakycats said:
I mean, I hate to insult a vet I don't know, but everything you've described suggests a truly astonishing level of incompetence--and a lack of respect for you as someone who wants to be involved in your cat's health!
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Oh I agree with you. I have used this Vet for over 10 years. He's always done me right. But I feel his "extra" help / New Vets and over booked is causing some major errors. I'm now into the $1000.00 or more in the last month on her and I still don't know anymore.

This is why I came onto the net to see if I could find answers. I just feel like something else is going on and i'm going in circles at the vets. There had to be other people out there going through what I am going through.
 
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Ok. Nippets first test read 526 on a ReliOn Confirm. This is before eating and before her PM dose. Will retest after she's ate and her shot. How soon should i retest after dose?
 
Julie Berber said:
Ok. Nippets first test read 526 on a ReliOn Confirm. This is before eating and before her PM dose. Will retest after she's ate and her shot. How soon should i retest after dose?
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It won't kick in for about 2 hours. I'd probably try to catch a 4 or 5. Vetsulin usually peeks about 5 hours after. (4-6)
 
JanetNJ said:
Good job getting that first test!
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Thank you. Wasn't hard at all once i watched the above videos. Took 2 people to get it though. She didnt want to sit still at all..

Am I taking it if it was 6pm when i tested, she ate right after, and i just shot 2U at 645pm, i need to retest at 1145pm?
 
Julie Berber said:
Thank you. Wasn't hard at all once i watched the above videos. Took 2 people to get it though. She didnt want to sit still at all..

Am I taking it if it was 6pm when i tested, she ate right after, and i just shot 2U at 645pm, i need to retest at 1145pm?
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That's when you expect the lowest BG to happen but it can float around between +4 and +6 hours after the shot. Your goal right now is to gather basic data so you can learn her patterns. Give some thought to setting up a spreadsheet like we use here. It's viewable by all members and we refer to it before giving dose advice.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
 
Kris & Teasel said:
Give some thought to setting up a spreadsheet like we use here. It's viewable by all members and we refer to it before giving dose advice.
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Setting the spreadsheet now. Trying to understand it though. Amps means her score before any insulin and in the AM. Same with PMps. U=units and the +# is for testing after dose per hour?
 
Julie Berber said:
Setting the spreadsheet now. Trying to understand it though. Amps means her score before any insulin and in the AM. Same with PMps. U=units and the +# is for testing after dose per hour?
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Yes. So like the +4 would mean four hours after the shot. We do it that way rather than times because we are in all different time zone.
 
Julie Berber said:
How do i get the spreadsheet to link to my signature? I tried to place it in the URL but its not hyperlinking. Its just giving the whole thing. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...FttjiyiL4eBibitKMgx-OwX9xhk/edit?usp=drivesdk

Think i missed a step somewhere... i am adding this from a android.
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So you can either put that whole link in your signature just the way it is, or write something like Nippet's ss, highlight that, click on the icon with the little chain, and insert the link to your ss
 
Hi Julie,
The folks who have found you have offered all excellent advice! So I don't have more to add right now, except to say, you are doing GREAT!
My diagnosing vet also charged me a grand and fed my Fabby Chicken sausages while she was there. I felt so betrayed. I also did get a second opinion after about a month once I had collected my own shot data. My new vet LOVES that I test at home, use my spreadsheet, understand the carb/food relationship, and understand the term "bouncing" in regards to glucose. When she got excited about my spreadsheet when I showed her on my phone, I knew she was the one.
Fabby also had a 4 pound drop in 4 months right before her diagnosis.

So keep testing, keep learning, and keep feeding that baby! In the beginning it is overwhelming! But you are handling this like a champ! Hang in there, and I promise the routine gets easier, (and cheaper). Sending hugs!
 
Julie Berber said:
Took 2 people to get it though. She didnt want to sit still at all..
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Here's something I wrote up for others that needed help with testing...maybe it'll help you too! (substitute "her" for "him"...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 him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he 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 him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his 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 his 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.

When you're first starting, it's also important to use a lower gauge lancet, like 25-28 gauge. Most of the "lancet devices" come with 33 gauge lancets and they are just too tiny to start with. The bigger lancets (that are lower numbers) make a bigger "hole". As you poke more and more, the ears will grow new capillaries and will be easier and easier to get blood from...we call it "learning to bleed"

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!

Congratulations on your first test of many!! Welcome to the Vampire Club!!
vampire smiley .jpg
 
I am also adding some of her last blood work. Still working on it. Maybe someone with more experience can have a look and tell me if I'm missing something. Her blood work is all over the place..
 
281 BG after 4 hours of her Vetsulin dose of 2.0 Units. Should i keep her at 2.0 for a few days to let her get use to it, or move her up. Now i wish i knew what the 8 units a day was doing.
 
AlphaCat said:
Hi Julie,
fed my Fabby Chicken sausages while she was there. I felt so betrayed.
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:eek: Had a similar instance when I took my boy to one of the old Vet's when I thought he might have a UTI. Tech went to give him some Temptation treats and wondered why I told her not to :facepalm:. Those things are for hypo kits! lol
 
Julie Berber said:
Should i keep her at 2.0 for a few days
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That's a drop of over 50% which is what we usually expect with Vetsulin

I'd hold the 2U for now and let's gather some data.....if you can maybe get a +6 or +7 tonight (if you happen to be up or can get up easily with an alarm) it will be helpful .....we also need to learn what kind of duration she gets out of it since Vetsulin usually wears off too soon ....but some cats do OK on it too
 
Hold at the two for another two days.... Please enter the numbers you get into the ss...


We want to see how this lower dose hopefully reduces the bouncing and potentially lowers the preshot numbers.
 
You are doing great! I didn't have the best vet starting out either with Zeke. He tried talking me out of home testing and was raising his does too fast too. Zeke started out being an 18 pound kitty and he dropped to under 12 pounds at one point! He felt like a skeleton with skin he was so skinny. He has finally filled back out, and though he isn't the weight he was before, he doesn't feel underweight anymore so we are happy with his current weight of 13.4 pounds. As your kitty starts getting better numbers, it will help him start gaining the weight back.
 
Julie,
Now may be a good time to look up and familiarize yourself with the diabetic term bouncing.
When watching the glucose numbers and trends it's going to look a bit like a roller coaster. The thing is, the lower you go real fast, the higher you go at your AMPM & PMPS. So the goal with insulin is actually to lower the AMPS & PMPS numbers slowly by lowering the mid cycle numbers (without going too low to cause bouncing).
That's why you don't want to bump up to more insulin when you are getting a 50% drop mid cycle.
This also shows your kitty is not resistant to insulin, but that in fact the dose was raised too quickly. I'm so glad you came here to learn more because your vet was setting your kitty up for failure with their lack of experience.
I am so very glad you learned to home test and take the reigns. Your cat is already better for it!
 
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