New Member - Newly diagnosed Cadmium Orange

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apollonia-artemisia

apollonia-artemisia

Member Since 2022
Hi everyone, my ESA Cadmium was diagnosed as of November 8th of this year (2022). He had increased thirst, increased urination, weight loss, and continued to eat just fine. Symptoms started around 4-6 weeks prior to diagnosis date and only increased in severity. If I remember correctly his labs from the vet said his blood glucose was 387 (give or take, was in the 300s for sure and was close to 400), had significant glucose in urine, no ketones and no signs of infection. He was prescribed ProZinc and I had my insulin injection demonstration on Wednesday, November 9th. Do not have a pet glucose meter yet as the vet wants to demonstrate how to use it once the kit arrives, since the clinic was out. I do have a couple older human meters, but have yet to have successfully test his blood glucose. Drew blood, just not enough!

He was initially prescribed 1 unit twice a day, but seemed like that was too much as he had a mild to moderate hypo event, which may have been due to me changing his diet from high protein dry food to only wet food due to no interest in his old food. Helped him pull through it using Tomlyn nutri-cal gel (which has a significant amount of corn syrup, carbs overall is 54.5% iirc), and an additional can of food. Consulted with vet over the phone the next day about his symptoms, dose was lowered to .5 units twice a day. He is more alert now and acting like himself, but might be having symptoms returning? I say "might" as his thirst and urine output is nowhere near as severe as it once was before insulin therapy but it's still elevated, but happens with a larger span of time in-between. Will consult with his vet tomorrow as we planned to talk after the weekend determine if he needs to go back up to 1 unit per dose.

My main worry is that this morning he showed that he regained some weight at 10 pounds (yay!), but this evening he weighed only 8 (boo!). Last year he was 11 pounds 9 ounces, initial vet appointment on Monday was 10 pounds 7 ounces, then Wednesday 9 pounds 7 ounces. The reason why my vet wanted me to put him on a low starting dose of insulin ASAP even without a glucose meter was to try and stabilize him as fast as possible to stop the rapid weight loss, as long as we closely monitored his symptoms. I'm very new to the world of feline diabetes, but not new to blood sugar quirkiness as I have non-diabetic hypoglycemia and my partner has diabetes. Appreciate any thoughts or advice, I'm just so scared of losing him
 
Welcome Apollonian and Cadmium sorry no one has responded back to you yet.
He's a very handsome boy
I assume you have ordered a pet meter , is the Alpha Trak 2?
The test strips are very expensive something like 54.00 for 50 and you go through them fast
You say you have some human meters at home, most of us use human meter because that's what our numbers are based on.
If you live in the US most of us use The Relion Premier Classic from Walmart
 
Sorry I was looking up the meter for you
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103
Relion Premier Classic Meter from Walmart it's 9 dollars
Be right back to finish writing

Test strips 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197

We don't increase the dose going by the pre shots AMPM and PMPS we adjust the dose by how low the insulin is dropping them.
We increase or decrease by 0.25 units.
I will give you the link to read about Prozinc read all the yellow stickys and especially the 2 dosing methods to choose one to follow, they will tell you when you need to increase or decrease the dose
What wet food are you feeding? Can you add that to your signature. When you decide what meter you will be using you need to add that to your signature and spreadsheet also.
Also the method you choose to follow
 
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Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Welcome Apollonian and Cadmium sorry no one has responded back to you yet.
He's a very handsome boy
I assume you have ordered a pet meter , is the Alpha Trak 2?
The test strips are very expensive something like 54.00 for 50 and you go through them fast
You say you have some human meters at home, most of us use human meter because that's what our numbers are based on.
If you live in the US most of us use The Relion Premier Classic from Walmart
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what the vet kit glucose meter will be, but I do know the startup kit is at no cost because he is newly diagnosed. The main concern is the future costs for the test strips Plus it's apparently going to take a month to get to the clinic!

I saw some other threads talking about how expensive the strips for the AlphaTrak 2 and how a lot of people in the thread use ReliOn!
Thankfully I had just enough to purchase one of the classics and 100 strips. They should be arriving sometime this week. Cadmium also only has half of his left ear, and hates it when his paws get touched. I'm just hoping his poor little right ear doesn't get too beat up from me testing his levels!
 
Home testing
About testing
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up
c2b8079a-b471-4fa6-ac36-9ac1c8d6dcca-jpeg.57072
fec17d29-5ab4-44a8-912b-3a91944c3954-jpeg.57073

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand
I find it better to see where I'm aiming

A video one of our members posted, she is using a pet meter ,strips too expensive plus you have to code it
A human meter is just fine, most of us use human meters ,that's what our numbers are based on


VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
 
Hi and welcome to the forum.
I’m glad you knew what to do when your kitty exhibited hypo symptoms. I would recommend you start using one of the human meters you already have if there is a hold up getting the ReliOn meter. You need to know what is happening with those BG ,numbers if he has already had a symptomatic hypo.
I am going to tag @FrostD and @Suzanne & Darcy as they can advice on using Prozinc. It may be a few hours before they are online.
I would testThe BG before every dose to ensure it is safe to give the dose. And I would test around +4 or +5 to see how low the dose is taking your kitty. Are you giving a good meal before the dose and them feeding some snacks during all the the cycles?
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Sorry I was looking up the meter for you
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103
Relion Premier Classic Meter from Walmart it's 9 dollars
Be right back to finish writing

Test strips 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197

We don't increase the dose going by the pre shots AMPM and PMPS we adjust the dose by how low the insulin is dropping them.
We increase or decrease by 0.25 units.
I will give you the link to read about Prozinc read all the yellow stickys and especially the 2 dosing methods to choose one to follow, they will tell you when you need to increase or decrease the dose
What wet food are you feeding? Can you add that to your signature. When you decide what meter you will be using you need to add that to your signature and spreadsheet also.
Also the method you choose to follow
Click to expand...
He used to be on Solid Gold Indigo Moon dry food, is now on Fancy Feast Chicken Paté Classic (or however it is currently worded). I believe the method we are using is start low go slow if I'm understanding it correctly? Basically we are trying to see if his pancreas "wakes back up" but don't want to overwhelm his system as its rather delicate. He is FIV+ and had a bad spinal infection in 2020.

The 1 unit dose was prescribed assuming he would still get some of the dry food. However I noticed that after multiple doses he was acting like the insulin was making him sick. He has a tendency to cling like velcro to me when he doesn't feel good, but you can tell it's really bad when he starts to hide. That was starting to happen, especially with the more severe episode he had before I spoke with the vet.

I'll add that info to my signature shortly!
 
Poor baby what happened to his ear, you can still test on that ear anywhere on the outer edge, believe me it doesn't hurt them.
What wet food are you feeding now , yes changing from feeding high carb dry food to wet food ( is it low carb) can drop the BG by 200 points
That's why it's so important to test every morning before feeding to be sure his number is safe enough to give insulin.
You need to withhold food 2 hours prior to testing because you don't want his BG to be food influenced. You can then feed him smaller meals throughout each 12 hour cycle. Maybe a tablespoon at +2 ( 2 hours after giving insulin) and at +4.
If his BG is dropping to low you will need to keep feeding him until it's a safe number
Same goes for the PMPS cycle
I am not a prozinc user but I will tag one for you, she will probably answer back tomorrow

Prozinc link
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/
 
apollonia-artemisia said:
He used to be on Solid Gold Indigo Moon dry food, is now on Fancy Feast Chicken Paté Classic (or however it is currently worded). I
Click to expand...
When you do the change over from dry to wet low carb food, you need to be monitoring closely as the BG can drop more than 100 points with the change over. Always good to do it slowly so that the dose can be adjusted as needed
I would never do the change over without testing if the cat was on insulin as it is too risky.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
Hi and welcome to the forum.
I’m glad you knew what to do when your kitty exhibited hypo symptoms. I would recommend you start using one of the human meters you already have if there is a hold up getting the ReliOn meter. You need to know what is happening with those BG ,numbers if he has already had a symptomatic hypo.
I am going to tag @FrostD and @Suzanne & Darcy as they can advice on using Prozinc. It may be a few hours before they are online.
I would testThe BG before every dose to ensure it is safe to give the dose. And I would test around +4 or +5 to see how low the dose is taking your kitty. Are you giving a good meal before the dose and them feeding some snacks during all the the cycles?
Click to expand...
I only give doses when I am confident in his appetite or capacity to finish his meal, and often will administer it while he is distracted by either the meal or a snack. I give treats as needed depending on how lethargic he acts/approaching a hypo event. I am trying to keep everything food related specifically linked to diabetes management! He enjoys bonito flakes (I saw someone recommend that as a good diabetic safe treat somewhere? dont remember where) and have been giving him a pinch whenever I attempt to test his glucose. Lots of praise and pets too!

Currently he gets one full can at 10:30am and have been splitting a second can for 6:30pm (his original dinner time before insulin therapy) and the second half given at 10:30pm so it can be with his second dose. I always make sure that he finishes the portion as close to completion as possible before letting him rest/do whatever he decides to do. When he drinks water or goes to the litter box though I do my best to observe him to see how those two aspects are doing!
 
Do you have any med and high carb wet food and some honey?
Such as

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart. Doesn't have to be Fancy Feast just an example about the med and high carb foods
And some honey in the house

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

Between 11% and 17% is medium carbs.

18% and over is high carb.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Do you have any med and high carb wet food and some honey?
Such as

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Beef Feast in Gravy 20% High Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Gourmet Chicken Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Turkey Feast in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Chicken and Beef in Gravy 15% Med Carbs

Good idea to mark the cans with magic marker how many carbs

Or any on the food chart. Doesn't have to be Fancy Feast just an example about the med and high carb foods
And some honey in the house

https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/dr-pierson-new-food-

Between 11% and 17% is medium carbs.

18% and over is high carb.
Click to expand...
Definitely have honey in the house for emergencies. The nutri-cal gel is very helpful for when its still mild though! Even if he doesn't enjoy it, lol.

His dry food is 42% protein and 17% carbs, have tried using it as a small treat for him but he seems currently burnt out on the stuff which is unfortunate.

Really really wish my vet emphasized the importance of testing his sugar instead of mentioning "oh you'll learn how to do that soon, it's a good idea" and just throw me into the deep end. I'm just glad that thanks to my experience with non-diabetic hypoglycemia (dx'd as a toddler, i believe mine is some form of fasting hypoglycemia?) and it being very similar in cats re: symptoms, I was able to recognize it quickly.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
When you do the change over from dry to wet low carb food, you need to be monitoring closely as the BG can drop more than 100 points with the change over. Always good to do it slowly so that the dose can be adjusted as needed
I would never do the change over without testing if the cat was on insulin as it is too risky.
Click to expand...
Learned this the hard way unfortunately. He just really wasn't interested in his old food :/ I wonder if he could tell it was making him feel bad.
 
apollonia-artemisia said:
Currently he gets one full can at 10:30am and have been splitting a second can for 6:30pm (his original dinner time before insulin therapy) and the second half given at 10:30pm so it can be with his second dose. I always make sure that he finishes the portion as close to completion as possible before letting him rest/do whatever he decides to do. When he drinks water or goes to the litter box though I do my best to observe him to see how those two aspects are doing!
Click to expand...
I would feed him a proper meal before both the doses am and pm….so a can both meals. Then I would split another can and give half during the am cycle and the other half during the pm cycle around about the +4 mark. If you want to give another small snack that is fine too.


apollonia-artemisia said:
give treats as needed depending on how lethargic he acts/approaching a hypo event
Click to expand...
I really think you need to be taking that guess work out of it and start hometesting the BG. By the time a cat is showing signs of a hypo they are very low. If you are testing you can see what the BG is doing and act accordingly by feeding a snack of low carb to keep the Bgfrom dropping too low. Or if it is already too low, you can give a high carb snack to prevent a hypo event from happening.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Poor baby what happened to his ear, you can still test on that ear anywhere on the outer edge, believe me it doesn't hurt them.
What wet food are you feeding now , yes changing from feeding high carb dry food to wet food ( is it low carb) can drop the BG by 200 points
That's why it's so important to test every morning before feeding to be sure his number is safe enough to give insulin.
You need to withhold food 2 hours prior to testing because you don't want his BG to be food influenced. You can then feed him smaller meals throughout each 12 hour cycle. Maybe a tablespoon at +2 ( 2 hours after giving insulin) and at +4.
If his BG is dropping to low you will need to keep feeding him until it's a safe number
Same goes for the PMPS cycle
I am not a prozinc user but I will tag one for you, she will probably answer back tomorrow

Prozinc link
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/forums/prozinc-pzi.24/
Click to expand...
He spent at least one MN winter on the streets, and we believe he lost it due to frostbite. During that time he also was infected with FIV, and has some scars. He's also irritable whenever I need to clean his ears, so maybe hes just trying to tell me "stop touching my ears!" lol
 
apollonia-artemisia said:
Currently he gets one full can at 10:30am and have been splitting a second can for 6:30pm (his original dinner time before insulin therapy) and the second half given at 10:30pm so it can be with his second dose
Click to expand...
I would definitely feed him again before 6:30 PM like I said most of us feed small snacks 2 or 3 times during each 12 hour cycle .It's easier on the pancrease.
Do you have the U-40 syringes with the half unit markings they make it much easier to adjust the dose,even though they can only be adjusted by half units it's much easier when you have to adjust by 0.25 units
If you don't have them I can tell you where you can buy them
 
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apollonia-artemisia said:
His dry food is 42% protein and 17% carbs, have tried using it as a small treat for him but he seems currently burnt out on the stuff which is unfortunate
Click to expand...
It is much better to give a high carb wet food than a dry high carb snack to bring the BGs up higher.

apollonia-artemisia said:
Really really wish my vet emphasized the importance of testing his sugar instead of mentioning "oh you'll learn how to do that soon, it's a good idea" and just throw me into the deep end
Click to expand...
This is very common for vets to not encourage hometesting which is such a shame as it is so important and I am sure saves many cats lives.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I would feed him a proper meal before both the doses am and pm….so a can both meals. Then I would split another can and give half during the am cycle and the other half during the pm cycle around about the +4 mark. If you want to give another small snack that is fine too.



I really think you need to be taking that guess work out of it and start hometesting the BG. By the time a cat is showing signs of a hypo they are very low. If you are testing you can see what the BG is doing and act accordingly by feeding a snack of low carb to keep the Bgfrom dropping too low. Or if it is already too low, you can give a high carb snack to prevent a hypo event from happening.
Click to expand...
I understand the importance of testing blood glucose, especially when insulin is involved. The meters that are a better fit (as in take less blood to have a result) are on their way, but I am trying with the ones I do have. I'm still learning how to best treat him and how to get a successful blood glucose test result bc I haven't tested a cat before, only myself. Please keep in mind his diagnosis was only made 6 days ago and I'm collecting all the supplies to best help him when I'm disabled and have incredibly limited income because I'm in the middle of applying for social security disability. As is, I only get $203 in cash benefits a month from the state.

I will try that suggestion regarding the food though, that sounds like a better fit for him.
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
I would definitely feed him again before 6:30 PM like I said most of us feed small snacks 2 or 3 times during each 12 hour cycle .It's easier on the pancrease.
Do you have the U-40 syringes with the half unit markings they make it much easier to adjust the dose,even though they can only be adjusted by half units it's much easier when you have to adjust by 0.25 units
If you don't have them I can tell you where you can buy them
Click to expand...
I do have U-40 syringes! Was able to get them during the insulin training on Wednesday. Another snack option he will have in the future once I can get my hands on more is some of his favorite churu tubes, often times they can be clamped shut with a toothpaste saver or snack clip (or even just a bulldog clip) to be split into multiple smaller snacks. It's essentially a meat slurry, but I'll want to look up their carb content to keep an eye on things.

However, for future reference in case I can't make it to the vet or order the syringes off of chewy, what are your recommendations of where to get more?
 
apollonia-artemisia said:
I do have U-40 syringes! Was able to get them during the insulin training on Wednesday. Another snack option he will have in the future once I can get my hands on more is some of his favorite churu tubes, often times they can be clamped shut with a toothpaste saver or snack clip (or even just a bulldog clip) to be split into multiple smaller snacks. It's essentially a meat slurry, but I'll want to look up their carb content to keep an eye on things.

However, for future reference in case I can't make it to the vet or order the syringes off of chewy, what are your recommendations of where to get more?
Click to expand...
Are the syringes half unit markings here's a pic
30-unit-insulin-syringe-markings.jpg
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Are the syringes half unit markings here's a pic
30-unit-insulin-syringe-markings.jpg
Click to expand...
They are half unit markings for sure. I can take a look at them more in depth after I get some sleep, bc they are very tiny and have a lot more space between the increments.

Good news though, I went to go check on him (he has a little space to himself to keep track of water intake and litter box usage when we are asleep) and for the first time in a good while he has a lot of energy! Even though it's 4am!
 
apollonia-artemisia said:
Please keep in mind his diagnosis was only made 6 days ago and I'm collecting all the supplies to best help him when I'm disabled and have incredibly limited income because I'm in the middle of applying for social security disability. As is, I only get $203 in cash benefits a month from the state.
Click to expand...

I can tag @Chris & China (GA)
Hi Chris his kitty is on Prozinc don't know if you can help him :bighug::bighug:
 
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apollonia-artemisia said:
I understand the importance of testing blood glucose, especially when insulin is involved. The meters that are a better fit (as in take less blood to have a result) are on their way, but I am trying with the ones I do have. I'm still learning how to best treat him and how to get a successful blood glucose test result bc I haven't tested a cat before, only myself. Please keep in mind his diagnosis was only made 6 days ago and I'm collecting all the supplies to best help him when I'm disabled and have incredibly limited income because I'm in the middle of applying for social security disability. As is, I only get $203 in cash benefits a month from the state.

I will try that suggestion regarding the food though, that sounds like a better fit for him.
Click to expand...
I think you are doing a great job with him. I know how hard it can be financially with a diabetic kitty. It will get better once everything settles down. The first few weeks are always expensive. I know this is all very new for you and it does take time to learn what to do.
Cadmium Orange is lucky to have you.
 
Bron and Sheba (GA) said:
I think you are doing a great job with him. I know how hard it can be financially with a diabetic kitty. It will get better once everything settles down. The first few weeks are always expensive. I know this is all very new for you and it does take time to learn what to do.
Cadmium Orange is lucky to have you.
Click to expand...
Thank you He does seem to be doing better, just want to fully confirm that he's on the path to recovery with his vet.... Practice makes perfect when it comes to the glucose tests, but I'm getting better at it the more I attempt. When I checked on him earlier, he gave me a good scolding because he wanted attention right then and there! It's comforting to see his personality start to come back.
 
Welcome!

I won't belabor the testing thing, but for now I think the 0.5U is a good idea. It can take up to 2 weeks for diet change to fully shake out, so it's possible 0.5U may end up too much as well.


Once you're able to get some tests in - especially in the +4 to +6 range as Bron mentioned - we'll be able to tell very quickly what to do with dose.
 
apollonia-artemisia said:
To follow up on this, they are the needles that come in the ProZinc diabetes care kit. They are 3/10 cc 29 gauge x 1/2" U-40 syringes with 1/2 unit markings. They are designed for low doses according to the label, and are for 12 units or less!
Click to expand...
These are the ones you want to use for Prozinc ,I never hea d of a prozinc diabetes Care kit before. They go up to 30 units
 
I see in your signature you have Kitty Spreadsheet ( still figuring out how it works )
Here
About the spreadsheet
AMPS - means AM Pre Shot the first test you take in the AM ,you need to withhold food 2 hours before testing so it's not food influenced

Units is where you would put how much insulin you gave
+1 is one hour after giving insulin if you were to test then that's where you enter his _BG number
+2 two hours after giving insulin. ditto
+3 and so on until you get to PMPS - PM pre shot withhold food 2 hours before testing

+1 same as you do for AM cycle

We don't give times because we are all in different time zones that's why we use the + numbers



You can look at any members spreadsheet to see what it looks like, it's at the end of everyone's signature just tap on it
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
These are the ones you want to use for Prozinc ,I never hea d of a prozinc diabetes Care kit before. They go up to 30 units
Click to expand...
The kit looks like this:
upload_2022-11-14_13-30-37.png

Comes with 100 syringes and the box is a sharps disposal box as well as storage for the needle packs! Seems like it ranges in price from $40-60
 

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That price is crazy, 40 to 60 bucks!
The ones I gave you the link for are the same ones for 19 bucks for 100, you are paying for the container
https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/18553/ulticare-u40-pet-29g-3-10cc-1-2in-half-unit

After you are done using those call ADW Diabetes tell them what you want and they will ask you for your vets name and phone number and they will contact them for a prescription to fax over, give your vets office a heads up and make sure you tell them to give you some refills , then you can just go to ADW website and order them or you can call them
@apollonia-artemisia
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Most syringes do require a prescription
Click to expand...
But there are some you can purchase out of pocket for a relatively low price or wholesale, the main tricky part is the needles and Unfortunately there is no pet insurance that would be willing to help cover Cadmium's expenses due to his FIV+ status. What has been helping is CareCredit if I need more time to collect money and just trying to pay it as soon as I possibly can.
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
That price is crazy, The ones I gave you the link for are the same ones for 19 bucks for 100, you are paying for the container
Click to expand...
I wouldn't even say it's the container, it's most likely the branding. Most sharps disposal containers are much cheaper. I don't think I paid that much at my vets office, but will likely go with your link for future purchases!
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
I see you have on your spreadsheet Contour Next EZ Meter, how much are you paying for those test strips and how many, also you need to add the meter to your signature that's the first thing members look at
@apollonia-artemisia
Click to expand...
It is just an old meter that we had on hand, it'll be changed once the meter for him arrives. As I mentioned before, we have access to meters because my partner has diabetes and I have non-diabetic hypoglycemia, if I remember correctly it's fasting hypoglycemia.
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
So which one will you be using the Contour or the Relion Premier Classic?
Click to expand...
He will be using the Premier classic once it is delivered later this week. The one listed is an old one that my partner no longer uses, but it takes a significant amount of blood to get a result. I do not recommend it. It's part of why I haven't had a successful test yet. AccuChek (my meter) takes a lot less blood, but I do not know how expensive those strips are out of pocket.
 
apollonia-artemisia said:
It is just an old meter that we had on hand, it'll be changed once the meter for him arrives. As I mentioned before, we have access to meters because my partner has diabetes and I have non-diabetic hypoglycemia, if I remember correctly it's fasting hypoglycemia.

He will be using the Premier classic once it is delivered later this week. The one listed is an old one that my partner no longer uses, but it takes a significant amount of blood to get a result. I do not recommend it. It's part of why I haven't had a successful test yet. AccuChek (my meter) takes a lot less blood, but I do not know how expensive those strips are out of pocket.
Click to expand...
Got ya :cat:
Make sure you have 26 or 28 gauge lancets
When you get the Relion just make sure you add it to your signature and on your spreadsheet
Oh you can even give him just plain boiled chicken for a treat if you want to ,
 
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Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Got ya :cat:
Make sure you have 26 or 28 gauge lancets
When you get the Relion just make sure you add it to your signature and on your spreadsheet
Oh you can even give him just plain boiled chicken for a treat if you want to ,
Click to expand...
My lancets are 28 gauge! Also I got my first successful at home glucose test!! I had to use my AccuChek Guide Me to do it, but at +6 it was 360. He did eat his first half of lunch starting at +4 but didnt fully finish it until around +5. It came up as 360.
I feel like the number is a bit artificially high from eating but not entirely sure by how much? But hey! Little victories! I was able to test him!! :woot:

I have noticed that he's still pretty sleepy today, and only really wants to hang out where its warm. He is very alert when awoken and is reacting more to toys again. Earlier he was enjoying a silvervine stick! Will discuss all this with vet as soon as I can.
EDIT: Fixed times, got confused bc of daylight savings!
 
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Great job you got your first test , I don't know if you should have raised the dose back to 1 unit last night, I'm going to tag a few members for you about it
But great job getting those tests
 
apollonia-artemisia said:
My lancets are 28 gauge! Also I got my first successful at home glucose test!! I had to use my AccuChek Guide Me to do it, but at +6 it was 360. He did eat his first half of lunch starting at +4 but didnt fully finish it until around +5. It came up as 360.
I feel like the number is a bit artificially high from eating but not entirely sure by how much? But hey! Little victories! I was able to test him!! :woot:

I have noticed that he's still pretty sleepy today, and only really wants to hang out where its warm. He is very alert when awoken and is reacting more to toys again. Earlier he was enjoying a silvervine stick! Will discuss all this with vet as soon as I can.
EDIT: Fixed times, got confused bc of daylight savings!
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@FrostD

@Suzanne & Darcy

@Bron and Sheba (GA)

Melissa please see your suggestions you gave in your post #29
And my response to him post #46
 
Diane Tyler's Mom said:
Great job you got your first test , I don't know if you should have raised the dose back to 1 unit last night, I'm going to tag a few members for you about it
But great job getting those tests
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I did so because of a care plan I discussed with my vet, all of his symptoms started returning as if he had no insulin at all. He responded well to it this time. My partner thinks he might have been feeling ill due to not being initially used to insulin as a whole, and that he might have needed to taper on. I could not officially confirm if the episode he had was a hypo via blood test after all, but based on his symptoms it seemed like it. Plus, it may have been my fault as I did also unfortunately give that second dose that started the episode a little early, so I'm doing my best to keep it exactly 12hr apart.
 
FrostD said:
It could be a bounce from a low number. Whichever dose you choose, hold it at least 3 more days to give a possible bounce time to clear.
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That's the plan! I held his previous dose of 0.5 for 3 days, and his diabetes symptoms started returning. His sugars also were very very high, higher than his initial evaluation. Vet told me that if his symptoms returned I should have his dose return to 1 unit. He's doing a lot better so far, I'm out at a doctor's appointment and haven't updated his sheet but two doses in and no problems seen. Checked on him lots and lots to ensure he was responding well.
Thanks everyone for helping me!!
 
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