New to PZI

Hi his AMPS was 135. I decided to hold off on insulin. He was low almost all night, in the 50's. He seems ok, ate ok this morning. I was up all night so I decided to not give insulin this morning and see how he does today. I will check in with you when I get home from work and see if you think I should give him the .2 this evening. I will update the ss before I go to work.
 
I won't be able to give Calvin his dose tonight because his sensor fell off again, and I don't have another one yet. This is the second one this week. I don't understand, the first one I put on was perfect, stayed on the full 2 weeks.
 
Oh man. That’s a shame. You really need to get up to speed on testing with a handheld meter. It’s really easy after you get the hang of it. When you have a Libre working, it’s a good time to practice. The Libre is often not reliable in lower numbers anyway, so we always encourage people to have a back up meter because when the Libre is making you panic telling you that your cat’s BG is LOW you can check it and find out what it really is and if you need to do anything or not. I’ve seen it many times.
 
Jennybags123! said:
I won't be able to give Calvin his dose tonight because his sensor fell off again, and I don't have another one yet. This is the second one this week. I don't understand, the first one I put on was perfect, stayed on the full 2 weeks.
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I hope you are not paying for new libres? Or can you re-place them on Calvin? I know they will refund/replace them if they fail, but I don’t know what happens if they fall off.
 
@Jennybags123!
As Suzanne mentioned you should try to start testing with a human meter
Here is the link for the meter and test strips so you don't have to search for them
Relion Premier Classic Meter at Walmart for 9 dollars
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-CLASSIC-Blood-Glucose-Monitoring-System/552134103

The tests strips are 17.88 for 100
https://www.walmart.com/ip/ReliOn-Premier-Blood-Glucose-Test-Strips-100-Count/575088197
At least if you need more test strips you can run into Walmart and pick them up or if you're running low you can just order them from Walmart


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
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6. As the ears sugar

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 10 or 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with
Here is a video one of our members made testing her her kitty
She's using a pet meter that has to be coded ,l, so just ignore that , with a human meter you don't have to code it.


I have always used a human meter
VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar
On her video don't ever use Neosporin
 
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Hi, I put a new sensor on Calvin and I'm waiting for the calibration to be completed. If it stays on I will check his BG at 6:45 and lyk what it is. I'm planning on .2 units if that seems appropriate to you? Ttys
 
I would still shoot something. Perhaps shoot 0.1 units. Draw the U-100 syringe to the .25 mark to get a 0.1 unit dose of ProZinc.
 
He just scratched the sensor off. I didn't shoot yet. I have absolutely no luck with trying to prick him for the Relion. I have to figure out something else. I'm not going to give him insulin when I don't know his BG. Thanks for the advice.
 
Also, will he eat more in an hour or two? Two TBSP doesn’t seem like a lot, but it is sufficient as long as he will eat some more food in an hour or two.
 
Yes she sent me the information. I appreciate the help, I just can't seem to get it to work. I won't give him any insulin until I can get a BG somehow.
 
There are lots of tips and tricks to get a blood drop. I told you before that I said I could never do it and that I cried a lot in frustration and felt like a failure.

Using a larger size lancet in the beginning and not the super/ultra fine ones can help. Hold the lancet at a 45 degree angle when you prick the ear. Warming the ear with something (pill bottle filled with warm water for example) can really help. Putting a bit of vaseline on the ear can help the blood drop to bead up better. Gently “milking” the ear after you prick it to kind of squeeze a little more blood out can help. If you have trouble holding everything and getting the tip of the test strip onto the drop of blood, you can scrape the blood drop onto the top of your thumb nail and test the drop from there.

You already have seen the photo of the area you are aiming for. I hope one of these tips can help.
 
Thanks for the info, I plan to keep trying. I have a new sensor on so I will post all updates on the ss. Hoping to have you look and see if you think he needs insulin this evening. I will be home around 6:45. I will scan him and lyk where he's at. I won't give insulin until I hear from you. So far he's in the 80's today. Thanks again!
 
Hi there! If he keeps in the greens like this, I would not give insulin tonight. Look at all that green. I hope the new Libre is giving us accurate numbers today. How did you get it on him? How will you keep him from scratching it off?
 
Hello! We are still in green, so no shot tonight. I had to have the vet put it on and Calvin is wearing a short sweater! He doesn't seem to mind, and when he tries to lick at the sensor, he licks the sweater and he stops. He's been eating well today and acting good. I hope the trend keeps going!
 
Oh my goodness, this is exciting. Please try to scan that Libre as often as you can. If he stays in green for two weeks we can say he is in remission. Maybe something wonderful has happened and he has gone on to be a diet-controlled diabetic. Keep up the low-carb food. Keep me posted, okay? :bighug:

Oh, and I know you don’t want to hear this, but please try to keep getting tests from his ear. You will still need to do a little monitoring if he does go into remission and it will be a skill you need.
 
Will do! I do have a question, and forgive me if you have previously answered this. I have read that 80 to 120 BG is considered normal for a cat. Why is it ok for a cat to be above 50? Isn't that too low? Are we just assuming that because the Libre isn't completely accurate or is it truly safe if that is a legit number? I worry that overnight he will start dropping because he won't be eating every couple of hours to keep him level. He was down to 61 earlier in the day.
 
Normal BG numbers for a cat are actually between about 50 and 100 (human meter.) They are rarely in blue, but the occasional blue after a meal may be possible. So a non-diabetic cat who takes no insulin will normally stay between those numbers. A non-diabetic cat will also be in the 40s at times. I have tested my own cats in the 40s many times. Don’t worry. Just scan the Libre, which is a human meter, and we will see where we go from there.
 
: 42120"]Ok I will, thanks[/QUOTE] Let me know if I did not understand your question. I will try to answer again! :) Keep checking on him. I am excited! I love to see our ProZinc kitties doing well!
 
I just don't understand why I see 80 to 120 as the standard for normal, for example when you search online. Who sets the standard for normal for cats?
 
So I'm questioning the " normal " levels because Calvin seems lethargic and has low energy. I noticed last night, he seems uninterested in playing, and doesn't want to leave the bed. I brought him food, which he ate, but then immediately he went back to sleep. This is not his normal behavior. I wonder if some cats do best at a slightly higher level. When he was in the 100s he seemed to behave normally.
 
Jennybags123! said:
Or is he just going through a period of adjustment?
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A lot of cats do behave strangely when they’re in normal numbers that their bodies are no longer used to. One of our moderators, Wendy, tells about how her cat used to hide under the bed when she was in green numbers. So there is that, but I am concerned if he is lethargic and not eating. That might warrant a trip to the vet. Something else could be going on.
 
Is he still acting like this today. His numbers are really good normal numbers. Look at all that green And he hasn’t had any insulin for about 9 days-except for that one night he had 1unit. So it’s not an insulin problem. The numbers he’s been having the last few days are just natural for him, apparently.
 
Yes he's very lethargic today. He has eaten everything that I have brought to him. He's just super tired and needy. Not like him. What about the "normal" levels? Do you have sources that I can use to understand your lower numbers as healthy and safe?
 
Jennybags123! said:
Yes he's very lethargic today. He has eaten everything that I have brought to him. He's just super tired and needy. Not like him. What about the "normal" levels? Do you have sources that I can use to understand your lower numbers as healthy and safe?
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Are you saying that you think his BG values today are not normal? That they are dangerously low? Too low? Without the influence of insulin? The Merck Veterinary Manual gives the “normal” reference interval for cat blood glucose as being between 60 and 120. That would be with blood obt by the vet and analyze either in house using a lab’s (e.g., IDEXX) equipment or by having the blood sent out to the lab
 
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