New to board, when is best time to test blood?

Status
Not open for further replies.
V

vibeskat

Member Since 2013
I am wondering, when is the best time to test blood, before or after a meal? I asked my vet and she didn't give a specific recommendation. I have one test strip left. Yesterday my cat wasn't eating well due to the heat. I tested her yesterday and she clocked in at 88, vet said don't give insulin.

Today she is eating and I would like to use my last test strip to see if I need to give her insulin tonight. Should I test her before or after eating?
 
You should always test just before you give insulin as you don't want to give insulin when she is too low. For newbies that's under 200.

We also recommend a couple of other tests during the day to keep an eye to see how low she is going, since its that low number you use to adjust dose, but the time of those tests depends on what insulin you are using.. What insulin is it?

And when did you get the 88? How long after the shot?

Wendy
 
Thanks for replying to my question.

She is on Lantis, getting half a unit twice a day.

I went ahead and tested about half an hour after eating since I hadn't had a reply and was getting nervous.

She was at 86 this evening so I did not give insulin tonight. This means she's missed 4 doses.

Yesterday when she didn't eat in the morning I decided at the last minute not to give insulin before going to work, since I wouldn't be home all day to see if she went low. When I got home in the evening and she didn't eat again I tested and got the 88 reading, no insulin since the previous evening around 10:30 pm. Yesterday she hardly ate anything. I skipped that dose after calling the vet's office.

Today she's been eating ok so I thought she probably wouldn't be low. She looks like she's feeling better today than yesterday, seems alert.

I'm out of test strips and lancets so will see if the pharmacy will let me purchase them without a prescription otherwise I will have to wait until Monday to get a prescription. I'm leaning towards not giving insulin if I can't test first.

Also, spent a bunch of time tonight reading the FAQs etc. on this site.

Should I test for ketones? My vet hasn't talked about that at all. Someone gave me some test strips when she heard my cat has diabetes but I didn't know what to do with them.
 
She was at 86 this evening so I did not give insulin tonight. This means she's missed 4 doses.
Click to expand...

She has missed 4 doses in a row and is at 86? It doesnt sound like she needs insulin quite yet. I would definately not shoot her until you can get more test strips.

Did you change the diet or anything after she was diagnosed? Is she eating today?

Wendy
 
Thanks for your help.

She's been on insulin for a couple of months, started at 1 unit twice daily and went to half twice daily.

The food stayed pretty much the same, using Friskies pate flavors and Fancy Feast pate also. She has stopped eating dry food on her own.

Found out I can get test strips without a prescription so I'm on my way to get more right now.

Also, considering possible false low reading from my Freestyle Lite meter, what the vet uses, so I got the same thing. I see now that some people have issues with false readings on this meter. We did compare meters at the vet and mine read slightly higher than the vet's meter, same model.

Today she ate some, about average at breakfast. She's not been a huge eater lately and I have to coax her to eat throughout the day.

After testing again if she's still low I'll wait until I can talk to my vet on Monday before giving insulin.
 
Aarg. My local drugstore is out of the lancets for Frestyle Lite.

Also, found out I may be able to get a significant discount on the test strips with a card that I got with the meter, but I need a prescription to get the discount.

Will I be putting her in danger if I skip insulin today and consult my vet tomorrow? She is acting normal, looks ok.
 
The freestyle lite isnt a reliable meter for cats - is unreliable at anything over 200 - it says numbers over 200 are lower than they actually are.

What country are you in? You will need to get a better meter and we can recommend.

Given her numbers are so low, I would not shoot until you get new strips!

Wendy
 
My vet called me back tonight. She agreed not to shoot until I get test strips. Also, we both thought she might not need insulin. I'm going to get the strips tomorrow at a different drug store and test several times in the next few days to see where she's at.

I looked at the boards for meter recommendations and thought maybe the Arkray GlucoCard Vital would be good to get. Until I can get the new meter will use the one I have.

I'm in the US.

Thanks again for your input.
 
The Arkray Glucocard 01 has interchangeable test strips with the Relion Confirm and Relion Micro.

You can always learn to freehand the lancet. Just hold it in your hand, at about a 45 degree angle and poke.

She may be trying to go off the insulin. Pancreas may be healed. Or close to it.
 
I'm waiting for my vet to send the prescription to the drug store.

Sorry, my name is Kathy and I live in Chicago.

My cat's name is Kona (which I think means lovely or pretty in Hawaiian).

She seems more alert since I've stopped the insulin. I'm hoping that she might be able to go off the insulin. I will get the strips today and then plan to do several test today and tomorrow and see where she's at without the insulin. If she in the normal range we may be able to take her off the insulin.

Thanks so much for your help.
 
Thanks read through the ear testing tips. I think I am calm enough but it takes several tries to get the blood.

I waited all day and the vet didn't have time to phone in the prescription. Finally she said come by and she gave me 4 test strips and lancets since we use the same meter.

Just checked Kona and she's at 106, not high enough to give insulin. Maybe she will not need it.

I am going to continue testing and the vet said she'd write out the prescription and I can pick it up tomorrow and take it to the drug store myself. Arrg. This shouldn't be this difficult to get a few test strips.
 
She might not need it.. keep testing every day and if she stays 40-130 then she is officially OTJ. If she creeps up again though lets discuss.

let us know how she gets on

Wendy
 
The only thing you need a prescription for, from your vet is for the insulin, and maybe the insulin syringes if Illinois requires that.

You want 3/10 cc, 5/16" or 1/2" needles, 29-31 gauge, 1/2 unit markings on the barrel of the insulin syringe.

You can buy test strips at any drugstore that carries that brand. And has them in stock. :o
 
I have a discount card from Freestyle and might be able to get the strips for $15 if I have a prescription, rather than $50.

My vet gave me 4 test strips and lancets to hold me over and I will try to get the prescription filled tomorrow.

Good news today she was 106 at 6:30 p.m. and 98 at 11:30 p.m.

We're both hoping she might not need insulin. I'm planning to continue testing.

Thanks for all the advice.
 
Gotcha! So if you have a prescription for the insulin, the test strips cost you less, correct?

Remember what Wendy said
Wendy&Tiggy said:
The freestyle lite isnt a reliable meter for cats - is unreliable at anything over 200 - it says numbers over 200 are lower than they actually are.
Click to expand...

As long as the numbers stay in the low ranges they have been, you should be ok to use that meter. Let's hope for that.
 
Yes, the test strips are half price with the discount card from freestyle. I know that I need to get a better meter. So far her numbers are pretty low.

She's been off insulin for 5 days and her highest reading was 113. This morning she was at 103. Crossing fingers that she won't need to continue with insulin. I'm continuing to check a couple times a day and will do that for a few more days, then probably go down to testing once a day for awhile.
 
Test at what we would think of as her normal pre-shot times, even though you are not giving her a shot. Then report the numbers. AMBG is a AM test without insulin. PMBG is an evening test without insulin.

List the numbers here and we can follow along. We like to see the majority of the numbers be below 100. If we can get Kona there, she would be a diet controlled kitty, in remission. What we call OTJ (off-the-juice, insulin being the juice).

14 days total, with most of those numbers below 100. If she is over 100, we have you give her a bit of food and test again in 3 hours. Food raises the BG, so if her body is producing insulin, the number should go down after a meal.

Here are the instructions for an OTJ trial:
  • Test at your normal AMPS and PMPS times. Feed multiple small meals throughout the day as much as possible (small meals are less likely to overwhelm a newly functioning pancreas). The morning test is now called the AMBG. The evening test is now called the PMBG.
  • If your cat is green (0-99 human meter) at your normal test times, no need to test further until the next "PS" time, just feed small meals and go about your day. If the numbers are blue (100-199 human meter), feed a small meal and test again after about 3 hours. Food raises BG's. So if the number is lower 3-4 hours after a meal, then the pancreas is working!
  • After 2 weeks, if everything is looking good, we have a party! And boy, do we party hearty. :cool:

Sometimes, the trial doesn't work the first time and we have to give a little more support by starting the cat with a tiny dose of insulin again. I had to do that with Wink. We simply start the cat back on a tiny dose of insulin to support the pancreas with healing for a bit longer. Our goal is a strong remission and it's better to be safe now then sorry later that you rushed it. With just a little more time we will probably get that strong remission we are looking for.
 
Ok, I'm working on this.

My vet suggested testing at various times during the day on several days.

I will try to test twice daily.

So far have been testing once a day because I have trouble getting the blood from the ear. It is stressful for her.

Today she was 85 between meals at 7:30 pm (I'm assuming S.O. gave her evening meal at her usual 4:00). I gave a small snack of Fancy Feast classic afterward.

I am feeding her many meals a day, basically whenever she seems hungry, not too large as she doesn't eat that much at once.
 
sounds good! Keep us posted if you would like, please. We like to know what's going on and cheer you on.
 
I am also new to the forum (10 days) and I also started with the FreeStyle Lite meter. I just wanted to verify what everyone states on this forum. FreeStyle will give you false low numbers.
I just switched to the Glucocard Vital and I can absolutely verify that the FreeStyle reads 10 - 40 points LOWER than the Glucocoard (in the 50 - 225 range), meaning that the FreeStyle will give you lower numbers than actual BG.
I have verified this with the cat and also tested myself and my husband several times with both meters and the same blood sample. Numbers below 100 are also inaccurate (I once tested 89 on FreeStyle but it was actually 97 on Glucocoard). As for my sweet Mr.Cat, he showed 189 this morning on FreeStyle but Glucocard showed him at 229). So....... it seems that the higher the BG, the more inaccurate FreeStyle becomes.

If you are under 100, Freestyle may show only 10-15 points below actual BG. This isn't too bad since anything under 100 is definitely a no-shoot reading for cats anyway. If you are over 230, I don't know how inaccurate FreeStyle reads because Mr.Cat has never read higher than 231 on any meter.

Either way, I am loving the Glucocard (same accuracy and strips as Relion). Got it on Amazon for $15, including lance pen and 10 strips.

Good luck to you and Kona and I hope she stays OTJ!!
Jess
 
I'm wondering, as long as Kona is staying low can I stick with the Freestyle Lite meter and use up the test strips I bought? (even at half price they were $40)
My meter tested higher than the same brand meter my vet has when we were in the 80 range.
 
I tested tonight at her regular evening time for insulin, PMBG 69 before feeding.

S.O. says it's ok to order a new meter. I am looking at Arkray GlucoCard Vital Blood Glucose Meter Kit from ADW American Diabetes Wholesale.com, don't like to shop at WalMart and there isn't one near me. Is that the right meter? .5 microliter blood sample size.
 
Arkray Glucocard 01 or Glucocard mini take a smaller 0.3 microliter blood drop. I recommend those over the Arkray Vital for that simple fact.
 
Thanks, glad I asked about the meter before ordering.

I was not able to get a AMBG because I could not get blood! I poked about 15 times and then gave up. I guess I should revisit the tips for blood testing. I thought I knew what I was doing but not having any luck. I don't have a microwave, warmed her ears with my hands. Tried both ears! Arrgh.
 
I don't have a microwave either. I did a vigorous rubbing of Wink's ears. Fortunately he loves to have his ears played with and scrunched! ;-)

I was tough sometimes in the winter to get that blood flowing in his ears. I knew I had rubbed the ears enough when I could see that vein standing up just a little bit.
 
vibeskat said:
85 PMBG at 9 pm. I really wish I could get a morning reading. I'll try again tomorrow morning.
Click to expand...
It will come. The home testing can take time to get good at it. Give it a week or two and you'll be a pro.
 
Congratulations! You're 2/3 of the way through an OTJ trial! With testing twice a day, AM and PM for 14 days of numbers between 40-130 and you can consider you cat to no longer need insulin for now. She'll be considered to still be a diabetic, but a diet controlled diabetic like my foster cat Wink.

Please, we'd love to have a daily update. So we can cheer you on.


:RAHCAT Go Kona, Go! All the way to OTJ! :RAHCAT
 
How cute, love the cheering kitties.

Kona says thanks for the words of encouragement.

I will continue to update you and continue testing for the 2 week period.

Thanks again for all the advice, it's been very helpful.
 
Today is day 12 without insulin! I was happy to get AMBG 85. I think she's going to be in remission. She really hates to be tested and I have more trouble in the morning so getting the am test was good.
 
Kona has 2 more days,
before those lazy days lounging in the shade.

Congratulations on day 12!

Soon Kona! No peeking ahead to the party menu!
 

Attachments

  • OTJ day 12 small.jpg
    OTJ day 12 small.jpg
    13.3 KB · Views: 4,348
Kona's PMBG today 77. Found out S.O. gave her a snack of fancy feast about an hour before testing so that may have made her a bit lower. Still she's only been over 100 twice in the last week, both am readings. I think she's doing well.
 
Today is day 14 without insulin.

Kona's PMBG is 79.

The highest reading she has had in the past week was 103. The highest reading since off insulin was 115. Lowest reading was 69.

I have managed to test once a day. Can I stop daily testing and go to a weekly schedule of testing?

She seems like she's doing really well, more energetic than when she was on insulin. She's eating ok, many small meals a day.
 
That's it, tomorrow she is officially OTJ!!!

Tips to stay otj

1. Never feed dry - not even treats. If you change wet food types, be 100% sure the new food is also low carb and same low carb % as your current food. Some cats are very carb sensitive and an increase from 3-6% to 8-10% can spike the BG’s. Don’t feed if you aren’t sure!
2. Weigh every 2 weeks to 1 month to watch for weight changes. Too much of a weight gain can cause loss of remission.
3. Measure blood once a week, indefinitely. You want to catch a relapse quickly.
4. No steroids or oral meds with sugar - remind your vet whenever giving you any medication. Always double check.
5. Monitor food intake, peeing and drinking. If increasing, a sign of losing remission.
6. Regular vet checks for infection such as dental , ear or UTI. And get them treated quick!

If she does fall out of remission you need to be more aggressive and resolve issues/ back on insulin as soon as possible as the window for a second remission is tight if any.


Wendy
 
Ok, I will test weekly. Plans are to keep her on her current diet.

I will need to get a scale.

Thanks for all of your help.
 
Digital baby scale - try Craigslist, 2nd hand mom to be shops, and our shopping partner Amazon.
 
Kona you made it all the way,
And today you are officially OTJ!

:RAHCAT Yeah, Kona, congratulations! You made it to the falls! Hope your stay here is long and fun. Say hi to Wink for me. He should be hanging out there somewhere.

Party time! Here's the cake, only low carb of course. ;-)


Take out menu for the party
Italian Beef - from Johnnie's with hot giardiniera.

Chicago style THIN "cracker crust" Pizza from Villa Nova in Stickney IL, and "Stuffed" pizza from Giordano's

All those wonderful Mexican Foods Raspberry Guacamole and Topolobampo Tortilla Soup, Frontera Ceviche, Enchiladas Potosinas, Grilled Tatume Squash, Woodland Mushroom Enchiladas from Frontera Grill, and Quesa Fundido, Taquitos De Pollo, Ensalada Pina Colada Con Langosta, Pato En Manchamanteles, and some Salsa Habanera for those how like it spicy from Sol De Mexico

INDIAN food!!!!!!!!! from Devon Avenue at Khan's BBQ, Usmaniya, Sabri Nehari

Hot dogs- Chicago style

Cheese plate from Pastoral on N. Broadway.

Jabarito's from La Cocina Boricua and La Bomba

And how about some dessert's from the Middle Eastern Bakery and Grocery on W. Foster Ave and Terzo Piano's goat milk cheesecake to go with our home made peach and ginger ice creams and fresh raspberry and fresh blueberry sorbets.

Let's dance folks! Kona made it to OTJ!
 

Attachments

  • bday1_cat mouse cake small.jpg
    bday1_cat mouse cake small.jpg
    13.5 KB · Views: 4,177
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top