New to home glucose testing

Status
Not open for further replies.
SarahD

SarahD

Member Since 2015
Hello!

My cat Archie was diagnosed in November with diabetes and is currently on Prozinc 1 unit 2x/day. He started at 3 units 2x/day so his dose has dropped quite a bit. I was doing glucose curves at the vet but I just acquired my own glucose meter and would like to now do them at home. Much cheaper...and more accurate I hear :). I was given a demo at the vet but I remember there was info on here before about how to home test And posting spreadsheets and stuff. Can someone point me in the right direction so I can get started?
Thank you!
Sarah
 
Welcome.

Most of us here test or cats blood glucose at home using a human meter. We test before each shot and periodically between shots. We record our reading and other info in a spreadsheet. See:http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...te-a-ss-and-link-it-in-your-signature.130337/
What are you feeding? A low-carb canned is best. No reason for a prescription food. Here is a list of commercial low-carb canned

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/shortcut-shopping-list-all-8-or-less-updated.117688/

Here is a link to home testing blood sugarshttp://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/
 
Ya my friend gave me a pet one cause her cat had passed away. AlphaTRAK. I read it's quite pricey for the strips compared to the human ones. I'm in Ontario, Canada too...so I'm guessing even more expensive than the states! Well...still cheaper than at the vet. He's eating purina Dm. Mostly wet and some dry kibble of the Dm at lunch. He needs 3 feedings/day...I don't know how he'd manage just 2 :)
Thank you for the info!
 
SarahD said:
Ya my friend gave me a pet one cause her cat had passed away. AlphaTRAK. I read it's quite pricey for the strips compared to the human ones. I'm in Ontario, Canada too...so I'm guessing even more expensive than the states! Well...still cheaper than at the vet. He's eating purina Dm. Mostly wet and some dry kibble of the Dm at lunch. He needs 3 feedings/day...I don't know how he'd manage just 2 :)
Thank you for the info!
Click to expand...

The dry DM is too high in carbs for diabetic cats. The canned is ok, it is just very expensive compared to the commerical alternatives like Fancy Feast that is nearly identical in nutritional content. I would recommend that you stop feeding the dry and only feed the canned. However, you'll want to make sure you're testing when you remove the dry food because it can dramatically reduce insulin need or even cause some cats to go into remission. That means the insulin dose you're giving now may be too high once the dry food is removed.

Smaller, more frequent feedings are actually better for diabetic cats because it keeps their blood sugar more level throughout the day. Mine eat 4x a day--every six hours. When I'm not home to feed them at their mid-day meal, I freeze the portion of canned food and use an auto feeder to release it at lunch time. If your cat isn't food crazy like mine, you can even try leaving the canned food out for him to nibble on with some extra water, or leaving the frozen portion out for him to eat when it thaws. :-)
 
Hello Sarah. Welcome, glad you are willing to learn and you vets seems to encourage you. My Smokey eats every 3-3.5 because of vomiting and diabetes. The auto feeder is a time as well as mind saver. Using frozen food portions also comes in handy. These suggestions came from people here. You will do fine and your kitty will feel better soon.
 
Hi Sarah. I use an AT meter and get my strips from Glen Shields Pet Pharmacy in Concord. They will deliver anywhere in Canada for a small fee. The strips for the AT meter are only available through pet pharmacies or perhaps through your vet so it's important to make sure you always have a supply on hand. They cost a little more than double the average priced human strips. I did a quick comparison calculation based on Glen Shields prices and Walmart's prices for human strips.

AT Strips - 2 tests per day ~ $93.00/month
- 3 tests per day ~ $139.00/month
​
Average Human strips - 2 tests per day ~ $45.00/month
- 3 tests per day ~ $72.00/month
​
Not sure how the AT prices compare to vet curve prices but I'm betting they're not far off if you do pre-shot and periodic mid cycle testing.

The pet meter is fine but so is a human one and all the reference numbers in the documentation on this forum are based on human meter readings unless otherwise specified. Pet meters read higher than human meters so this is important information to note.

Sometimes you can pick up a free human meter when you buy the strips so if you decide to use a human meter, you won't necessarily incur any additional costs. If you do decide to use a human meter, I strongly suggest you make sure your vet is aware especially if they use the AT meter, to avoid any confusion on their part.
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Hi Sarah. I use an AT meter and get my strips from Glen Shields Pet Pharmacy in Concord. They will deliver anywhere in Canada for a small fee. The strips for the AT meter are only available through pet pharmacies or perhaps through your vet so it's important to make sure you always have a supply on hand. They cost a little more than double the average priced human strips. I did a quick comparison calculation based on Glen Shields prices and Walmart's prices for human strips.

AT Strips - 2 tests per day ~ $93.00/month
- 3 tests per day ~ $139.00/month
​
Average Human strips - 2 tests per day ~ $45.00/month
- 3 tests per day ~ $72.00/month
​
Not sure how the AT prices compare to vet curve prices but I'm betting they're not far off if you do pre-shot and periodic mid cycle testing.

The pet meter is fine but so is a human one and all the reference numbers in the documentation on this forum are based on human meter readings unless otherwise specified. Pet meters read higher than human meters so this is important information to note.

Sometimes you can pick up a free human meter when you buy the strips so if you decide to use a human meter, you won't necessarily incur any additional costs. If you do decide to use a human meter, I strongly suggest you make sure your vet is aware especially if they use the AT meter, to avoid any confusion on their part.
Click to expand...

Wow...human strips are WAY cheaper! What human meter can you get for free here in Canada that you suggest?

One other question...are the fancy feast pates here in the canada the same as in the states? If I can get away from the expensive DM food that would be ideal!
 
Julia & Bandit said:
The dry DM is too high in carbs for diabetic cats. The canned is ok, it is just very expensive compared to the commerical alternatives like Fancy Feast that is nearly identical in nutritional content. I would recommend that you stop feeding the dry and only feed the canned. However, you'll want to make sure you're testing when you remove the dry food because it can dramatically reduce insulin need or even cause some cats to go into remission. That means the insulin dose you're giving now may be too high once the dry food is removed.

Smaller, more frequent feedings are actually better for diabetic cats because it keeps their blood sugar more level throughout the day. Mine eat 4x a day--every six hours. When I'm not home to feed them at their mid-day meal, I freeze the portion of canned food and use an auto feeder to release it at lunch time. If your cat isn't food crazy like mine, you can even try leaving the canned food out for him to nibble on with some extra water, or leaving the frozen portion out for him to eat when it thaws. :)
Click to expand...

Love the frozen food idea...however I have another cat who would just go and gobble all of Archies food up.
 
I'm not sure who is giving meters away just now but if you check the websites for Bayer, One Touch and Abbott, they have meters frequently used by folks here and usually have at least one meter available for free with a strip purchase. The strips for many of the meters from these companies fall into the same price range I used in my comparison. I'd check the strips prices and then choose which free meter to go for. Sometimes you have to fill out a form and you'll just have to "fudge' the information to make it look like a human will be using the meter. :woot: Other sites, provide a coupon you can take to the pharmacy. There is another free meter available in Canada with very inexpensive strips however, it is only available online here so again, you'd need to make sure you always have an ample supply of strips on hand. They deliver and have free shipping for orders over $150.00 so if you stock up, you don't incur that additional cost.

You can definitely avoid the expensive DM food. I believe the FF pates are exactly the same here as in the US. If you check out the packaging, FF here, is imported from the US. Friskies has some different formulations/varieties available in the US so those would definitely have to be checked. There is also a brand from Loblaws that one of our members was using and her kitty is now in remission. She put together an amazing spreadsheet with carb levels for Canadian brands which has some other options for you to try.
 
Thank you so much for the info! I actually have a bunch of those presidents choice canned food sitting in my cupboard. My other cat ate them but sadly he passed away just before Christmas due to cancer :(
Is it safe to just swap out the purina Dm canned to another canned food right away? So to the fancy feast or presidents choice? Right now Archie gets 1/2-3/4 can of purina Dm per day (I split into 2...morning and night) plus 1/4 cup of the dry purina Dm kibble (I do this at lunch). I guess I would just calculate how many calories that is and check over the new canned food calories to make sure I give the same amount?
 
As far as switching out the Pres Choice or FF for the wet Purina DM, there may not be too much of a carb difference although I believe some of the PRes CHoice are a bit lower in carbs. My bigger concern is that the Purina DM dry is a lot higher in carbs so when removing the dry food from the mix, you should be home testing because lowering the carb content in the diet can have a dramatic effect in some cats and lower insulin requirements. Without home testing, removing the dry food suddenly can lead to hypoglycemia so I would get the testing down pat before doing a complete removal of the dry food. Do you know what Archie's ideal weight is? Calories should be based on ideal weight (lean body weight) and activity level. I know there is a formula posted here on the forum but I can't find it just now. Hopefully someone else will chime in while I look for it.
 
Found it.....

13.6 X ideal lean body weight in lbs. +70 = calories required per day.

You can up this slightly (20%) if kitty is unregulated or needs to gain some weight taking into account whether kitty is a very active hyper cat or a die hard couch potato. Splitting the daily food allowance up into several smaller meals is also highly recommended.
 
Hi Sarah,

Such a cute avatar picture!

I'm sad to hear about your other little kitty. :( Between your loss and also Archie's diabetes diagnosis to contend with you've had quite a lot on your plate. I hope we can help things to get better for you and Archie.

Following on from Larry's home testing link, there's another forum sticky that I also found quite helpful when I was learning to test; here's the link:

Testing and injection tips

The above link has a really helpful diagram showing you where the testing 'sweet spot' is on a kitty's ear.


Mogs
.
 
Critter Mom said:
Hi Sarah,

Such a cute avatar picture!

I'm sad to hear about your other little kitty. :( Between your loss and also Archie's diabetes diagnosis to contend with you've had quite a lot on your plate. I hope we can help things to get better for you and Archie.

Following on from Larry's home testing link, there's another forum sticky that I also found quite helpful when I was learning to test; here's the link:

Testing and injection tips

The above link has a really helpful diagram showing you where the testing 'sweet spot' is on a kitty's ear.


Mogs
.
Click to expand...

Yes..it was a lot to take in all at once. After Monte died Archie also became quite depressed. I ended up adopting a new cat a couple weeks ago...very laid back 5 year old boy and I've already noticed the difference in Archie. He is so much more himself again again and the two of them get along! So happy...I don't think he could have handled a kitten and well surprisingly my 7 year old, daughter is afraid of kittens.. Lol! Thinks they bite hard :). That made my life easier as I wanted an older cat anyways. :)
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Found it.....

13.6 X ideal lean body weight in lbs. +70 = calories required per day.

You can up this slightly (20%) if kitty is unregulated or needs to gain some weight taking into account whether kitty is a very active hyper cat or a die hard couch potato. Splitting the daily food allowance up into several smaller meals is also highly recommended.
Click to expand...

Perfect thanks! Yes..he's about 13 lbs right now but he is a big boy to begin with. The vet told me 224 cal/day total.
 
SarahD said:
my 7 year old, daughter is afraid of kittens.. Lol! Thinks they bite hard :)
Click to expand...
And she thinks right! ;) :D They're not much fun either when you're wearing shorts and they decide your bare leg is gonna make an excellent tree substitute ...

Our little ones definitely grieve. Saoirse was never ever quite the same after we lost her brother, Amadán (two weeks shy of their third birthday). I'm glad to hear that Archie's new pal has cheered him up and that they get along so well. :)


Mogs
.
 
SarahD said:
Love the frozen food idea...however I have another cat who would just go and gobble all of Archies food up.
Click to expand...

Yup, I've dealt with the same issue. Before my cat Gabby passed away a few years ago, Bandit would run and eat all her food if I wasn't standing there. Now that we've adopted a younger cat that is MORE food crazy than Bandit (I didn't think that was possible), we have the same issue again.

Here was how we solved the problem. For a while after we adopted Orpheus, I put him and his feeder in a seperate room from Bandit while I was at work. It got him used to associating the feeder noise with meal time.

You also want to make sure the portion size is small enough so that the slower cat can eat it all in one sitting, preferably by gobbling it down relatively quickly. Towards the end of Gabby's life when she got picky with food that meant sometimes meant feeding 6x a day, but 4x a day works with Bandit and Orpheus and it worked for Bandit and Gabby when she was healthy.

When I wanted to stop seperating the cats while I was gone, I started feeding the cats every meal (including when I'm there) at opposite ends of the kitchen. So that they automatically run to their "spot" at meal time. I also put their feeders in their "spot". So even if I'm not standing there, they each run and start gobbling at a different feeder (set to go off at the same time). Orpheus tends to finish a little earlier than Bandit and then runs over to try and finish his food, but Bandit holds his ground enough where all Orpheus really gets by the time he gets there is crumbs.

It's worth it to try and figure out a solution. The dry food is really not good for diabetics for many reasons and can present problems with regulating your cat.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top