A lot of those FF pates are about 4 percent carbs so still very low carb. Anything under ten percent is still low carb.
You use both ears and you alternate them and move a little bit up and down the outer edge of the ear so that you aren’t poking the same place each time (this may be easier said than done when you’re still new to testing.). It really should not damage his ear. Hold the lancet at a 45 degree angle and try not to go all the way through the ear. I tested my cat many times a day and it never did damage to his ear.
Thank you to all of that!
You can also use a pill bottle or a small glass bottle filled with really warm water. Just hold it there until the ear feels warm. Soon hopefully you won’t even need to use it because his ears will bleed more easily.
I think at this point in the high numbers you can feed him. I hope you did! Good morning! It’s so good to see him in the 400s instead of black. He probably went lower than that last night— maybe into the 300s.Got it! He's so unimpressed with me today.
I did update it and it was 425. The earlier test was unreadable, meaning it was over 600.
Is he allowed to eat a little more than his normal 2nd dinner meal? He's acting hungry, and I get why.
But does the extra food harm or help him? I definitely don't want to harm him any more than he's already got going.
Thank you for all your kind words and help today.
Good morning! I have him his usual 2nd dinner around 10pm. Time to start the day all over again. Wooh! I'll test him before breakfast & enter it after I'm done with their morning feedings. Down to 7 cats now, but still takes a while.
Tell me about it (I have even more!) I also take care of several feral colonies. And you have raccoons?
I've had up to 13 permanent members before. I do cat rescue on my own and adopt out whoever I can, but always get left with either the elderly or ones with medical conditions no one seems to want. Last year was a bad year for us. Lost 4 seniors in a 7 month timeframe. One had HT, severe ibd, and bone marrow cancer got that sweety in the end. Another actually had his kidney failure reversed! Only to get a blood clot after a year. Then another favorite had lived with small cell lymphoma gi for 4yrs successfully on chemo once a week, ibd, and recently diagnosed with HT, but skin cancer got her. And then out of the blue a couple months after her, another had congestive heart failure. So it REALLY would've been nice to have a while in between crises. But I'm sure you know all about that with your work too.
Those high numbers are frustrating to see but your cat is on insulin and the right diet. You just haven't found the right insulin dose yet. Dose increases are made slowly.
Oh I can't get a new vet, and in truth wouldn't want one. As I said, she's not a specialist. But I rely on her for all the others.Any lancet that is 26 gauge or so in size will work. You can use the ones for Human diabetics. Any pharmacy sells them or look online. Buy the matching device if you prefer.
How long to hold the warm rice sock on the ear depends on how warm the sock is and your cat's ear. Try at least 30 seconds before poking. Hold the sock under the ear so you have a firm surface to poke against. If there's no blood, warm the ear up longer. If the sock isn't warm enough, rewarm it for a second or two longer next time.
Is the Libre meter not an option?
There are meters that test for both blood glucose and ketones but the test strips are really pricey. If you just can't get urine for testing, then buy a combo meter.
Have patience
You can ignore the vet's advice about everything food related (when to feed, how many meals daily, what to feed, etc). Do not ever feel bad for agreeing to disagree with the vet. You know what's best for your cat. You've said that your vet isn't experienced with diabetes. Just use the vet for check ups and vaccinations and prescriptions. Take the advice of FDMB members for insulin dosing and share the spreadsheet with the vet. If you need to get a new vet, don't feel guilty about hurting the vet's feelings or anything.
I have. I think I'm getting better at it.
I can't get to my desktop where the spread sheet is at the moment, but at the +6, it is 505.
The ReliOn Premier Classic is perfectly good.Oh I can't get a new vet, and in truth wouldn't want one. As I said, she's not a specialist. But I rely on her for all the others.
But will do as your said, and take the advice given here first. Like last night, the doc said 2, but Suzanne suggested 1.5. I went with the 1.5.
She also suggested a blood ketone test. I was thinking of ordering one, and that I could just use that occasionally right after I get a drop of blood with glucose meter. I'm looking at buying a human meter to test him, since my current pet one costs $1 per strip. Read Relion is a good one, but they have so many kinds. And I tried looking it up here, but haven't found it yet. How do you convert numbers? I know the numbers my cat should be getting on the Pet Test meter, but no clue about what is good, bad, or in between with a human one. How do you figure that?
Thanks!
I hope you are not buying your inhalers in the U.S. — way too expensive. I buy mine from a pharmacy in Vanuatu or sometimes from a pharmacy in Canada. It’s a huge savings.
He doesn't act frantic. Just always seems ready for more. But will that make his sugar numbers go up? Is that why you generally don't feed them after the +6? That's going to be bad if my boys nadir is only +4, right? I can't stop feeding him between 11:30 & 7:30.
Ha! For now. Thanks!
Whoops! Just saw you posted to some of those as I wrote this. Sorry. Reading nowHe doesn't act frantic. Just always seems ready for more. But will that make his sugar numbers go up? Is that why you generally don't feed them after the +6? That's going to be bad if my boys nadir is only +4, right? I can't stop feeding him between 11:30 & 7:30.
And those numbers. At 505 and never dipping into even the 300's, does that mean he will not do well on the 1.5 units either? Or does it take time? I thought I read somewhere that Prozinc didn't need to build up in the system to work. I know nothing still, about insulin;so not sure.
Also question on the human meters. At $1 a stick, it's going to get costly quick. I read many user Relion. Does it matter which (of the many) model you get? Do they require a lot of blood, as I usually only get so much. And how do you know what is a good number and what's a bad? As they're calibrated for human use, how do you figure it all out for cats?
I'm going to look into a blood ketone tester. Do they require a lot of blood? I figured might have a chance of just doing it right after the glucose test to see.
I think that's it?
I had mine removed many years ago. But they were tested frequently. 
