I think I finally got the hang of testing blood

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Merry

Merry

Member Since 2014
Every morning and evening I dread testing the blood. The other day I actually had my little guy in a headlock. Yesterday I just did my breathing, read more from people who know what they are doing on this site, and just relaxed. I waited until Bubba was just hanging out on the bed, I put the alcohol on both his ears( just in case I had to go in again), talked to him, cuddled a little, got all the supplies ready, cuddled some more, and just did it, no fuss, no muss, he was seemingly unaware of what I had done, I felt so good. It worked again this morning. I'm so glad I found this site.
 
Agree with Deb - no need for alcohol. I started doing that too (thinking that it would help make it clean and sterile) but then I accidentally poked myself and wiped it with alcohol. Yeoweeee, it stung and to think I was putting it on his little ears...poor thing. After that, I didn't use alcohol again. :smile:
 
if you want you can get some polysporin with pain medication in it and put it on after you do the test. I bought it and don't use anything and within time you will have Bubba jumping up and wanting to get tested since he'll know he gets treats!!
 
Merry, I was wondering if you "published" Bubba's spreadsheet? I tried to look at it, but it says I don't have permission. I think that is something you have to change.

So glad you've got the hang of the ear pokes. There are still some times when I am nervous about what the number will be, and that makes it hard on my Dimitri. It
really helps calming ourselves first.
 
If you go back into google docs and find your spreadsheet, you need to update the Share options to " anyone with the link". That will give us read only access to the SS(spreadsheet).

Once you do that change, we should be able to see what is going on with the BG (blood glucose) levels.
 
Thank you, I went back and changed it on Google, I think now anyone with the link can view his spreadsheet. These numbers are after eating, he eats 2 cans a day of Hills MD and he eats all day and night. I am so glad I found this site. Sometimes I think people can't understand what we go through and the advice and support offered here is amazing.
 
If that is AFTER eating, then the numbers will be even lower before he eats. Good thing you are not giving any insulin to Bubba for now as those numbers you are getting are too low for beginners to shoot the insulin. Once you know your cat better, you may shoot those lower numbers.

For now, we strongly recommend you do not give insulin if the numbers are <200 mg/dL. You should wait and not feed and test again in 20-30 minutes to see if the numbers are rising or falling. If falling, better to skip the shot. If rising, and you are home to monitor, then you might give the full dose. You can also choose to give a token dose, like half the normal dose.

You can always post here and ask for help if you are in doubt.

One of our sayings is "Better too high for a day, than too low for a moment." If you are ever unsure of giving the dose, and don't get a timely response here or from your vet, it's better to skip the shot to keep your kitty safe.

Looking at your SS, yes we can access it now, it looks to me like you are getting some great normal range numbers, 40-120 mg/dL. You may be headed for remission if your kitty keeps up these great BG (blood glucose) readings for 14 days.

Go Bubba Go! :RAHCAT
 
Thank you Deb & Wink
I didn't see this post before I posted my concerns in a new topic. I haven't been giving him the insulin, I wasn't sure if these numbers would be considered too low for him. Its a little confusing. "too low for normal cats but good for diabetics". I don't know, do you think I should check a little later? What is the number on the Relion where I should get nervous and start with the honey on the gums?
 
"too low for normal cats but good for diabetics".
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It's not that the numbers you have been getting are too low for normal cats. I test my civies (non-diabetic cats) regularly and they test in the 40-80 range normally. That is normal. Anything between 40-120 is a normal BG range. It is true that the 40-120 range is wonderful for a diabetic kitty on or off insulin.

IF Bubba was still on insulin, then we like to recommend that you intervene first with some high carb food, a gravy type for example, if the numbers drop below 50. If the numbers are in the 40's with a human meter, then you want to feed first, wait 20-30 minutes and retest. You want to see a rising number. It depends on where you are in the insulin cycle (a cycle being 12 hours) as to what you need to do to intervene.

What is the number on the Relion where I should get nervous and start with the honey on the gums?
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Rubbing syrup of some type on the gums is usually only needed if the numbers are in the 30's or lower and your cat won't eat. Usually, you can add a drop or two of syrup to a tiny amount of food, 1 teaspoon and feed that to raise the numbers.

As long as Bubba is not getting any insulin, no need to intervene with syrup. He is in a safe BG range and can not hypo if he is not getting insulin.

Wendy&Neko gave you some great information in your new post. I would have said the same thing,

Wendy&Neko said:
Bubba's numbers today are in the normal blood glucose range for cats. I would continue to not give insulin and test him twice a day before meals as you have been. If he continues numbers like this after 14 days without shots, we consider cats to be in remission. :cool: If his numbers creep up above 120, then post for advice about restarting insulin.
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Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you. I've been having major problems accessing the message board.
 
Thank you Deb & Wink, Yeah last night I had a hard time getting on too, either it was a pain to get on or I was being knocked off.
I really appreciate you taking the time to go over things. There are just so many things to consider, so much information.
So if there is no risk really of his blood dropping really low because I haven't given him insulin, is it necessary then to check his blood in between the morning and evening checks?
 
Mid-day checks will show you how he is handling food
- ex about 2 hours after eating there is usually a food-related rise based on the amount eaten. Mini-meals can temper this reaction some.
 
My diabetic boy Wink has been diet controlled for 13 months now.

I test him if he is not looking or acting right. Perhaps he has stopped playing in the evenings or stopped purring. Then I want to test in the AM and PM, about 12 hours apart to see how he is doing. If his BG levels are over 100, I'll then also test at +3 to +4 to see if his BG levels have gone down again after the +2 hour food spike. If the BG's have gone down after the food spike, I know his pancreas is working well and he is still diet controlled.
 
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