NicolaiX (Cuda's Dad)
Member Since 2023
This is only my 2nd post, but I just wanted to share a small success I had with Cuda tonight.
Background: Getting him to adjust to hometests has been extremely difficult. He always hated any blood testing at the vet, and he can't stand people touching his ears. When we learned he had FD, one of the 1st questions my partner and I asked was: "do we need to use a glucometer for him like a human would?" Unfortunately, the vet said that it really wasn't necessary for us to buy a glucometer for Cuda; just take him in for regular check-ups. My partner & I were both skeptical of this, so we ordered one anyway & tried to research how to use it on our own. We struggled & couldn't quite get ourselves to do it again after we messed up the 1st attempt. Then, he had a hypo seizure & it was terrifying. But that taught us how important hometesting is. I don't want that happening to our poor little guy again. I think we both panicked a lot after that. As a result, we started forcing the blood tests. We weren't aggressive about it or anything, but I think Cuda could tell we were stressed & we weren't giving him the space he needed to adjust to getting tested regularly. The biggest mistake happened one night when I was home alone with Cuda & I noticed he was twitching a lot & he seemed to be acting a bit unusual. I was very nervous about the possibility that he could have a hypo, so I forced a test on him. It turned out he was fine, but he was very upset with me. After that, he would not let me or my partner near his ears & he even started getting a little more nervous about his insulin shots, despite never being bothered by them before.
Small Success Story: After doing more research on how to introduce hometesting, I started trying to practice with him again, but slower. I got him used to getting picked up, placed on the end of our bed, and having his ear rubbed while he ate his favorite treat. After doing it a few times, I was able to move on to doing a mock bloodtest, where I got all the supplies ready & did everything, except pricking his ear & using the meter. He did very well with it yesterday, so today, I finally did the real thing and he did so well! I'm so proud of him! He only tried to escape when I was trying to milk the ear, but he calmed down pretty fast when I gave him some treat. The only restraining I had to do was lightly pressing on his lower back and putting my hand on his side to press him against me. The treats really did most of the work of convincing him to put up with it. He really didn't want me to do any aftercare on the ear, but I managed to hold the cotton on for a little bit before his kitty timer was depleted. Unfortunately, the meter didn't register a reading, even though it did soak up some blood. I think it just wasn't enough because the droplet was pretty tiny. I figure that was either because he pulled away, and the blood dried up a bit before I could test it, and/or the lancet may be too small. Regardless, I'm just so happy that he was able to do it without losing his mind, and it only took less than a week of practice. I hope he can repeat it, but I'm going to continue to move at his pace to the best of my abilities.
Background: Getting him to adjust to hometests has been extremely difficult. He always hated any blood testing at the vet, and he can't stand people touching his ears. When we learned he had FD, one of the 1st questions my partner and I asked was: "do we need to use a glucometer for him like a human would?" Unfortunately, the vet said that it really wasn't necessary for us to buy a glucometer for Cuda; just take him in for regular check-ups. My partner & I were both skeptical of this, so we ordered one anyway & tried to research how to use it on our own. We struggled & couldn't quite get ourselves to do it again after we messed up the 1st attempt. Then, he had a hypo seizure & it was terrifying. But that taught us how important hometesting is. I don't want that happening to our poor little guy again. I think we both panicked a lot after that. As a result, we started forcing the blood tests. We weren't aggressive about it or anything, but I think Cuda could tell we were stressed & we weren't giving him the space he needed to adjust to getting tested regularly. The biggest mistake happened one night when I was home alone with Cuda & I noticed he was twitching a lot & he seemed to be acting a bit unusual. I was very nervous about the possibility that he could have a hypo, so I forced a test on him. It turned out he was fine, but he was very upset with me. After that, he would not let me or my partner near his ears & he even started getting a little more nervous about his insulin shots, despite never being bothered by them before.
Small Success Story: After doing more research on how to introduce hometesting, I started trying to practice with him again, but slower. I got him used to getting picked up, placed on the end of our bed, and having his ear rubbed while he ate his favorite treat. After doing it a few times, I was able to move on to doing a mock bloodtest, where I got all the supplies ready & did everything, except pricking his ear & using the meter. He did very well with it yesterday, so today, I finally did the real thing and he did so well! I'm so proud of him! He only tried to escape when I was trying to milk the ear, but he calmed down pretty fast when I gave him some treat. The only restraining I had to do was lightly pressing on his lower back and putting my hand on his side to press him against me. The treats really did most of the work of convincing him to put up with it. He really didn't want me to do any aftercare on the ear, but I managed to hold the cotton on for a little bit before his kitty timer was depleted. Unfortunately, the meter didn't register a reading, even though it did soak up some blood. I think it just wasn't enough because the droplet was pretty tiny. I figure that was either because he pulled away, and the blood dried up a bit before I could test it, and/or the lancet may be too small. Regardless, I'm just so happy that he was able to do it without losing his mind, and it only took less than a week of practice. I hope he can repeat it, but I'm going to continue to move at his pace to the best of my abilities.
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