New user, questions/info

Status
Not open for further replies.
B

Barb & Mr. Frog

Member Since 2013
Hello,
My name is Barb, my cat that was diagnosed as diabetic is Frog (13yo male dsh 11.6lbs, scary he used to be 16 :( ). He was diagnosed 3-30-13 (based on blood at the vet office, 310) and they put him on ProZinc 1unit 2x/day. The vet sold me some apparently not so wonderful food (purina DM) ..... but he won't eat it anyway, so Im scrambling to find foods he will consistently take... this is a challenge because some days, even the food I offered in the morning which he eats will sometimes be refused at the later meal (even when its a fresh can) I sometimes have had to open 3 or 4 different kinds before I find one he will take (it's not a total loss.. I have alot of other cats too)..The vet recommended Iams if he wouldn't eat that DM crap ..... but on the list Iams looks like a NONO to me?.. anyway, clearly he is not regulated or even anything close to it yet, as I am still seeing many symptoms ... dilated pupils, excessive thirst/urination, demanding food in between shots.

My vet strongly recommended against home testing, but based on what I've been reading here, I've become convinced that home testing is absolutely going to be necessary..... so I bought a meter (relion confirm... hope its decent, they said I can't return it)etc. ..... I tested last night but probably at the wrong time? I'm so confused about so many things, I think my head is spinning. His sugar was 307 last night right after his meal so I went ahead with the shot. My main question as of this moment is ... is testing necessary when they have the obvious signs, (mentioned above)? First shot today I didn't test (doing 8 and 8, he had symptoms) And... when should I be testing at this point? pre-food, after food (if so how long) ... does feeding in between screw up the process?

I feel so certain the 1u/x2 is not enough..... it is helping, he is better than a week ago, but still until I take him back in two weeks do I just leave the dosing alone and let the vet adjust it?

How do I handle the hunger in between? He is so insistent, telling me 'I need food NOW mom' ..... I don't know how I can just say no when his meal time is 6 or more hours away, especially when sometimes he eats only half a can.

A couple more incidental questions, and I'm sure there will be more that I'm not thinking of at the moment, but .. Ketones? I bought some strips but they're only for ketones, they didn't have the ones that do glucose too, should I GET some of the other kind? If so, does it need to be the Ketodiastix? There is another brand that is MUCH cheaper for seeming the same thing, does brand matter? And how often do I need to check his urine if it shows no ketones (did one test, and it was negative) Lastly, I would love to do the spreadsheet ... but I have no clue what all the columns mean, or what information needs to be put in.

I'm sorry if this post is too rambling, I'm feeling very overwhelmed lately.

Barb
 
Welcome to FDMB! This is truly a wonderful place to get help, information, and support. It's completely normal to feel overwhelmed at this point. It does get better -- really! I can help you with some of your general questions. I'm not a Prozinc user so I will leave your questions about the insulin you're using to a member who's better versed in using Prozinc.

Many vets are not supportive of home testing. Personally, I don't understand their position. I doubt that if their infant had diabetes that they would continue to get help from a pediatrician that told them to not test their child. Insulin is a potent medication and I would want to know that it was safe to give a shot. The rationale is the same for all of our kitties.

For all insulin, getting a test prior to administering a shot is very important. As Frog gets better regulated and is responding to insulin, he should show few symptoms. As a result, if all you're basing whether to give a shot on is observing symptoms, you could end up skipping shots when, in fact, you still need to be shooting. My cat doesn't have any observable symptoms but still requires insulin.

You definitely want to test prior to every shot. It's the only way to know if it's safe to give a shot. In addition, with Prozinc, your dosing is largely based on your pre-shot numbers and doses are adjusted based on this information. So, the pre-shot test is doubly important. For now, you probably should not shoot if your pre-shot test is under 200. Food can cause numbers to rise -- we refer to this as a "food spike." It's generally advised to not feed 2 hours prior to your shot. You may want to start collecting test data so you know how Frog is responding to Prozinc. If you can, testing every 3 hours will help you to see when insulin onset and nadir (i.e., the lowest point in the cycle) fall and what kind of duration you see on this insulin. Other than doing this kind of mini-curve, getting random spot checks can be helpful.

Until Frog is getting consistently better numbers, it's likely he's going to be hungry much of the time. The way diabetes works, this makes sense. When numbers are high, food is metabolized and there isn't sufficient insulin to help the end product of metabolism (i.e., glucose) get into the cells. As a result, the glucose is floating around in the blood stream. Once you get to a dose that lowers blood glucose (BG), then more glucose will get into the cells and Frog's appetite will begin to diminish. What many of us do for this reason as well as to not overwhelm a pancreas that's trying to heal, is to break the 12-hour insulin cycle's food into several small meals that you can feed over the course of several hours. (Rather than give one big meal, you end up feeding several small meals.)

There are two kinds of strips that test for ketones. If you are testing blood glucose, you really don't need Ketodiastix (the strips that test both for urinary ketones and glucose). Testing blood glucose is far more reliable than testing urinary glucose. Using Ketostix (the ones that test for urinary ketones only) is sufficient.

The columns on the spreadsheet mean the following:
  • AMPS/PMPS - your AM or your PM pre-shot test numbers
  • U = the units of insulin your giving (i.e., the dose)
  • +1, +2, etc. = the hours from when you shoot. So, your +6 is the test result at 6 hours after you gave your shot during either the AM or PM cycle. Because we're all in different time zones, it's more helpful to talk in +time than the actual hour of the day where you live.
 
Your post is not rambling. Believe me, we all know exactly how it feels. It is completely overwhelming and frightening. What I can tell you is that it gets better, lots better. The more you learn, the more confident you get and the better you feel. Keep reading and asking questions. We are all paying it forward for help we received when we were scared.

You are doing everything right. You have changed the food. You are right to be careful about the carbs and check first. Have you seen this site by a vet? http://www.catinfo.org She has wonderful ideas about transitioning cats to wet low carb food. You have a good insulin. And best of all, you are testing at home! The reason we test is to be sure that the dose we are planning to give is safe for the number our cat has that am or pm. And it varies! So yes, it is very important. One of the new prozinc users, whose cat was showing 300-400 for that last week, showed up with a 230 for a preshot. She needed to reduce. The other time you want to get a number is midcycle. We want to know how well the dose is working - how low the dose is taking the cat. Sometimes the preshots can be higher but the midcycle is very low and the cat is rebounding: Rebound

Diabetic cats are literally starving. Their bodies are not using the food effectively and they are hungry all the time. We generally suggest that you do feed more than you did before. You might also add a little hot water and mix it up like gravy so he thinks he is getting more. Or feed smaller meals more often. How much does he weigh? Is he overweight? How much is he eating daily?

The vet question is harder. Lots of people here change the dose without their vet. Since yours has supported your testing at home and seems to be up to date on most issues, you might send your vet the numbers as you get them and ask for input. The problem is that the vet is not available 24/7 like this forum is. (We have people from around the world.) So sometimes you may need to get dose guidance here, not from the vet. We have a spreadsheet that is invaluable, when you want advice from us or from your vet, or for you to watch trends and patterns. The directions are here:

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

It's a little tricky. If you have trouble, I'd be glad to set it up for you.

You can do this. We are here to help.
 
OK, first calm down, take a deep breath, hold it, then let it out. do this a few times ok.

Regarding food, you want to feed a food he likes that is less than 10% (my preference is 5% or less) - have you seen this food chart that Dr. Lisa put together that gives you the carb count of different foods.

http://www.catinfo.org -- look up Protein/Fat/Carbs Chart on right side of page


You absolutely DO NOT need to feed prescription food. Prescription food is very expensive, many cats do not like it and it is not any better quality than what you can buy in the store by following the food chart. Fancy feast, Friskies are also made by Purina and their low carb options are just fine to use.


As far as how much food to give and when, when a diabetic is unregulated their food need is much higher than normal. To give you an example - when Maui learned to eat canned food, she could eat 2-3 cans of Fancy Feast (6-9 ounces of food) at one time 2-3 times a day. As she became regulated, her food needs dropped to about 2 cans per day.

You can feed meals, even several small meals throughout the day. The point here is you want to make sure there is food in the cat before injecting insulin and by feeding several mini/small meals, you can keep a more even Bg level. If your cat is a grazer, then you can put out one, two cans of food and let him eat as normal.

About home testing! Yes, it is vital to home test - at a minimum test before giving insulin, and then get spot tests in during the cycle. With Prozinc, I would suggest getting spot tests in 2, 5, 7 hours after the insulin injection. (in our lingo that would be +2, +5, +7).

The reason for getting spot tests in, is you want to see what happens to the blood glucose (BG) levels and when it drops the lowest (nadir). Why do you want to see how low he will go, because by gathering this information and putting it into a spreadsheet format, it will help to know if/when the insulin should be adjusted.

Here is a link to setting up a spreadsheet.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=18207

Another reason for home testing and spot testing, is to keep your cat safe. For new people we suggest that if the BG is under 200 to NOT shoot insulin. Why, when you are new and just starting out, you do not know what may happen and how low the BG will go, so a safe shoot/no shoot range is if under 200 do not shoot.

Does that mean, you won't ever not shoot - NO. It just means, in the beginning as you build the spreadsheet, get comfortable with home testing, you do what is best to keep the cat safe.

To give you an example of another new person who did not realize and gave insulin when the cat was 56 BG - read this thread and you will understand why we have a safe shoot/no shoot number - viewtopic.php?f=28&t=92699

And it doesn't matter that the cat is on a different insulin. This can happen with any insulin.

We also recommend when starting insulin, no matter the type, to use the start low, go slow approach - meaning start by giving 1 unit or less two times a day and slowly over time and with home testing, adjust the insulin according. And when you adjust to do so with 1/2 or even 1/4 unit increments. NEVER increase 1 full unit at a time. Why - you could skip the ideal dose and possibly the cat could hypo.
 
Hi and welcome to FDMB.

The Relion Confirm is a good meter and inexpensive to use. I have been using the Relion meters for years for caring for four diabetic cats and have been very please with them.

You are right hometesting in necessary. Unfortunately many vets do not support it just be cause they think that either 1) it is to complicated for the pet owners 2) they don't want the owners to change the dose without their permission. They are wrong in both cases. Fortunately, my vet is one that has always encouraged hometesting.

You want to test before every shot. We recommend that you test first, feed and then give insulin several minutes later. You want to test first because food will affect the glucose levels. So by testing first you get an accurate BG reading. After feeding, you want to wait several minutes before giving insulin to make sure your cat eats all of the food and also does not get sick. You never want to give insulin on an emply stomach.

You do not want to feed prescription food. If you have not explored the Health Links yet, http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=14 I suggest that you do. In addition to a link to a food list, you will find additional info you will need to know. On the food list, you want to look for foods that are less than 10% carbs, preferably canned or raw food. Dry food is high in carbs and will make it difficult to manage your cat's diabetes. Many of us feed our cats Friskies or Fancy Feast - just avoid foods with gravy if possible. Pate flavors usually have less carbs.

With hometesting you need to know your "don't shoot" number. For newbies, we recommend using 200 as your don't shoot number. If the meter reads less than 200, skip the dose until the next dosing time. Your next reading will most likely be considerably higher, but don't worry, that is normal. The reason that we use a "don't shoot" number, is to prevent hypoglycemia. If the cat's BG levels drop too low, that could be very dangerous and potentially deadly for your cat.

Keep a spreadsheet of your readings. After a few days we can help you determine if you need to adjust your dose.
 
Wow, you guys are amazing... This is alot of good information, for which I am very grateful. I will definitely start testing each time then, tho he was very unhappy with the first time... I had seen a tip (I think maybe on here? Unsure) about neosporin + pain relief on the ear pretest to help keep the blood from dispersing into the fur... I tried that, but maybe I did it wrong? Is there a specific method to it? He was very displeased with me after the first test, I sure hope he gets over that, it would break my heart if he ends up hating me. (he was born in my lap 13 years ago, saying goodbye will not be easy, so I'd rather make sure its as far away as possible!)

Thank you all so much for the support, I have a feeling I'll be needing it alot.

Barb
 
Frog won't hate you for testing! There are a few tips that can help with home testing. I'm sure others will add to the list.

  • Many people find using a rice sock helpful. You put some uncooked rice in an all cotton (or wool -- just no synthetics) and heat it for a few seconds in the microwave. You then warm Frog's ear with the sock. The warmth can help to get the ear to bleed better.
  • Make sure you are using a wider gauge lancet. The lower the number, the wider the gauge. Using a 28 or 29 gauge lancet will make it easier for you to get blood with fewer pokes. Once the capillary bed in Frog's ear has had a chance to develop, you can switch to a thinner gauge lancet.
  • You need to be calm when you test. If you're feeling stressed, Frog will pick up on your stress.
  • There is one critically important aspect to testing -- treats. Every time you test, regardless of whether the test is successful, Frog gets a treat. These should be low or no carb treats (e.g., freeze dried chicken, cooked chicken, jerky style treats -- although make sure they are manufactured in places other than China since the products from China have been recalled, or whatever Frog likes as long as it's not a high carb, crunchy treat). Lots of praise and affection is good to give with treats, as well. You want testing to be associated with a positive reinforcement (like food or affection).
  • Some people like using a lancing device; others prefer to freehand the poke. If you're using a lancing device, make sure you have it set deep enough that you can draw blood the first time.
  • If you have to poke multiple times to get blood, try to poke as close to the same spot as possible. If you can have 2 small droplets that combine into one, it may mean you don't have to poke too many times to get a drop big enough for your meter.
 
While you are working to get him regulated, testing for ketones is important. Ketones are a by-product of fat breakdown for calories. Too many may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a potentially fatal complication of unregulated diabetes which almost always requires very expensive hospitalization. Urine ketone levels accumulate over several hours.

See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for ways to use them, plus some other observations which help monitor health.
 
Welcome!! My cat Jupiter was diagnosed 3-14-13. I have learned so much from this board - and I am still learning. You will come across so many questions you want to ask - and this is the perfect place to get answers. There are so many knowledgeable members here who are always willing to help you.

I originally bought the relion confirm - I think its a great meter to start with - I absolutely love it. I also have the relion prime (was forced to buy it when walmart was out of the confirm test strips for a week) and the test strips are much cheaper but I find it a little harder to use - so I really think you picked a great meter to start with. I was really worried about hurting Jupiter when I pricked his ears and I felt really bad about it at first. Call me crazy, but I wanted to know how it felt- so I actually tested myself. It made me feel so much better about testing Jupiter because it really doesnt hurt. I use the freeze dried chicken as a treat for Jupiter - he lays there still and lets me test his BG because he is excited to get his treat afterwards. I think finding a consistent spot to test your cat will help. (I put Jupiter on the desk and say lay down and he will usually lay down and start purring and wait for me to test him, then I give him a treat and pet him)

Jupiter is also a very picky eater - Some days I will have to try 3 or 4 flavors of food before he will eat - Luckily my other cats dont mind eating the flavors that Jupiter doesnt want to eat that day. I also bought some cheap containers to store food in - that way if he doesnt like the flavor at that moment - he may want it later or the next day - and this way I am not wasting the food.

Just know this - you are not alone - you are part of the family here at FDMB now - and there will always be someone here to help you and answer all of your questions. I really hope knowing this helps you feel a little less overwhelmed - I know it sure helped me. It does get easier - it just takes a little time and practice.
 
Ok, so on the ketone testing then, how often? Once per day enough? Does it matter what time of day, or just whenever I can get a good sample?

I just tried to test him (at +4 since I didn't test pre-shot) but it didn't go as well as it did last night, I poked him four times and got no blood at all :( Now hes really mad at me, I did give him treats, but I can tell he is still annoyed... I'm going to try again at +5 I guess?

And... just to make sure I understand correctly..... its OK to give him food throughout the day, but limit the amount? Or give him whatever he wants until the sugar is more regulated? The vet told me not to feed in between shots at all :?

Thanks again.
 
Hi Barb,

so glad you found the forum!

Yes, ok for food through the day - smaller, more frequent meals are preferred as they will help his pancreas heal.
He will be hungry if he's not regulated so he can eat more than a non-diabetic cat at the moment.

If you feed and then test within 2 hours, you may have a reading with a food spike. So make sure you don't feed 2 hours before a pre-shot test (amps and pmps) as that will give an inflated number and could cause you to shoot when you shouldn't.
 
Ok, so on the ketone testing then, how often? Once per day enough? Does it matter what time of day, or just whenever I can get a good sample?
Click to expand...

once a day is fine - and of course whenever you can get a sample.

I just tried to test him (at +4 since I didn't test pre-shot) but it didn't go as well as it did last night, I poked him four times and got no blood at all :( Now hes really mad at me, I did give him treats, but I can tell he is still annoyed... I'm going to try again at +5 I guess?
Click to expand...

patience grasshopper - sometimes the ears just don't want to bleed - always give a treat, whether you are successful or not, this way he associates testing with treats and it becomes positive experience.

you may want to try the other ear, make sure ear is warm, etc....


And... just to make sure I understand correctly..... its OK to give him food throughout the day, but limit the amount? Or give him whatever he wants until the sugar is more regulated? The vet told me not to feed in between shots at all :?
Click to expand...

the vet is wrong - he will need more food until his BG's get regulated, then his need will drop. feed him as much as he wants and it is ok to break it up into small meals throughout the day.

think about human diabetics - they eat to control their bg's and many eat several meals throughout the day to avoid huge rises and drops. it's the same with cats - just no potato chips for the cat..... ;-)
 
Ok, that makes sense, thank you again.


edit.. but now, Im wondering does the time of eating affect the testing at all? Do I test after food, before?
 
when doing the pre- shot test - it is suggested that food be removed 2 hours before the test - this way you get a true reading and not one with food in system.

other tests it doesn't matter when you feed.

and usually the order is test, feed, shoot
 
Barb, the only time I have trouble testing Jupiter and not getting enough blood is when his ears arent warm enough. I put some dry rice in a sock, knot the top of the sock, then microwave it for 20-30 seconds. Hold that on the ear until the ear is warm - and then try to test. I use a lancing device (some people prefer to do it without the device - depends what works best for you). I hold a cotton round underneath the part of the ear I am going to poke - and that way I can firmly press the lancing device against his ear. These are just a few tips you can try - and see if they help you. If you are still having problems after trying a few different ways, I am sure there are other people here that may be able to give you a few of the tips and tricks they use.
 
Ok, well the meter did come with a device, and I can see how to use it, but I am unsure of what depth to set it to, should I just assume the shallowest depth would be best since cat ears are so thin? Also, lancets... Ive been using one per attempt..... which means several pokes at the rate things are going today :? But... is that bad? Should I be using a new one each poke? I was trying without the device because someone had mentioned a 45 degree angle, and I dont see how I can do that with the device.
 
with the device - start with the deepest setting - you may find that removing the cap will help you better too,

using one lancet per test is fine-you don't need to use a different lancet for each poke -
 
To help clarify.

The lancet pen is not used at an angle. Place lancet pen vertically against the cats ear. Trigger device. It's really quick.

If you are freehanding the lancet, a 45 degree angle helps.

It is individual preference on weather to use the lancet device or to freehand. 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.

I like being able to see things better with these old eyes so bright light and freehanding helped me to see better where I was poking.
 
Ok so .. deepest setting and dial it back if it punctures his ear? Sounds scary :(

At this point, Im gonna give him a lil break and just love on him a bit and try again at shot time, but Ill try with the device next time, and I dont have any cotton socks or rice at this time, so I've been just massaging his ear until it was real warm and the first night it worked like a charm..... apparently the ears are onto my trick tho, so Ill get some socks and rice when I get to shop probably tomorrow I hope. Thanks for caring!


Edit: Also, the test strip I took out several hours ago, and haven't gotten blood to use, I assume I should just toss it and use a new one by this point? I didn't want to put it back in the box after I had taken it out and handled it. How long out is too long, in general?
 
It helps to have something behind his ear to poke against. Some people like folded kleenix; we used a small make up sponge. Instead of the rice sack, you can take an empty prescription bottle and fill it with very warm water and put it on his ear. (It makes a good surface to poke against also.) In the beginning, lots of cats need very warm ears for the blood to fill the capillaries. After you have been testing a while, they bleed much easier and often without warming. The test strip is only good for a couple seconds or at most minutes, depending on the strips you are using. It won't work so should be tossed.
 
Hello and welcome to the board!

Everyone has given a lot of good advice so far - I just have two things to add

1. Relion sell ketone test strips in Walmart too - reasonably priced. Test for ketones if he is over 300, or if he is acting odd, or you can smell nail varnish remover from him (bad sign = go to ER now). Otherwise at least twice a week.

2. many of us here feed the Fancy feast classic pates, friskies pates or Wellness grain free varieties.

3. Here are some more testing tips all in one handy place: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13c_CPZVKz27fD_6aVbsguadJKvjSrSAkD7flgPPhEag/pub. I would also spend time massaging his ears and giving him treats - just to get him used to it - and not always when you are poking him/ Let us know if you need help setting up the spreadsheet.

Wendy
 
:sad: I took the cover off of the lancing device so that I could see and it did go right thru :( But, I did get blood this time at least ... and urine, ketones were negative, but bg is 407 (last food 3hrs prior)... I am assuming it is fine to go ahead and give him his regular shot since I don't have enough data on his responses yet to alter the dosage. I'm going to go thru the food list tonight and make a shopping list of things he can have and try to get him eating more like regular... he seems VERY pleased with being fed on demand, but pretty mad about the ear warming/poking. Hopefully in the end he will understand.


Edit: Oh, about the massaging ears/giving treats at other times, Im confused, I thought I was supposed to reserve the treats ONLY for the shots/testing, so that he looks forward to it ? And I've already been doing the massaging, but now hes being very suspicious of me, lol.
 
Edit: Oh, about the massaging ears/giving treats at other times, Im confused, I thought I was supposed to reserve the treats ONLY for the shots/testing, so that he looks forward to it ? And I've already been doing the massaging, but now hes being very suspicious of me, lol.
Click to expand...

Your training him to come eagerly for the poking and testing. You're only beginning to hometest so warming/massaging the ears to get him used to that and then letting him get a treat is step one in the process. Step two is the warming, poke, treat.

Before you know it, you will have him trained to come for his test just by shaking the bag of treats and saying 'test and treat Frog ' Reserve treats for only BG tests and insulin shots and he will be waiting on his testing spot to get that treat.


p.s. If you would edit your user control panel, profile, edit signature and type in something like this, it would show up at the end of your posts:

Barb & Frog
Meter: Relion confirm
Prozinc

Saves us having to find this info buried somewhere in the thread.
 
Hi Barb,
Just another welcome from me! Everyone has given you lots of wonderful information. Don't worry...your cat won't hate you and it will get easier! I think (and hope) you'll be amazed at quickly it becomes routine. Also, this message board is full of dedicated and experienced caregivers and you will never have to go it alone.

Best wishes!!!

KJ
 
Ok, altered my sig. Thank you, I'll get the spreadsheet linked soon too.

I have a couple more questions, One, most importantly, should I be avoiding the injection site for petting/massaging? If so, for how long? Seems as if petting/rubbing the area might cause the insulin to be absorbed too quickly? Second thing, I need to buy more syringes, but I am unsure what type to buy, the ones the vet gave me say 1/2 cc, 1/2inch, 29g u40, is that correct? I saw some comments about using u100 syringes because of better markings, but the prozinc website specifically says to use ONLY the u40 so input would be helpful. Thanks again !
 
Would it be awful of me to not test for a couple days until I get him into that routine? Up until now he hasn't been giving me any trouble holding still for the shot, but today (presumably because of the awful puncture thru the ear yesterday) he wouldn't hold still at all. I can see this going very poorly if I can't get him to trust me. His one ear is red and inflamed, I put some pain relief neosporin on it, and I just massaged and gave his treats, I'd like to continue doing that for a couple days both to let the ear heal a bit, and to let him forget it a little bit at least. His dose seems very low to me, supported by the high readings the two times I did get blood..... I do recognize that testing is extremely important, and it is a little scary to me thinking to not do it, but the vet intended me to be doing this without testing at ALL until the next visit, so I feel like now is a good time to address his feelings and get him comfortable with the process first.
 
Kay Passa, caregiver for Michelangelo did this wonderful writeup on Ear Testing Psychology. I added it to my favorites so I can add a URL to someones post and they can read it. Here is the link: https://sites.google.com/site/michelangeloprofilefdmb/feline-diabetes/ear-testing-psychology.

Why don't you read this writeup by Kpassa and see what you might like to try differently.

You don't have a spreadsheet set up yet so it's impossible for me to advise on skipping the pre-shot testing. You could list the tests you have gotten in your post like this:

4/5 AMPS xxx
+4 xxx
+6
PMPS xxx

4/6 AMPS didn't get
+4 xxx
PMPS xxx

Replacing the xxx with your actual numbers. This would help us.

I will say a couple of things about skipping the pre-shot test. If you have switched from a higher carb food to a lower carb food, the BG numbers can drop dramatically. Happened to me with Wink. I was weaning him off high carb dry food to low carb wet food and he hypoed, even though I was cutting down on the dose. I know now I should have been cutting the dose even more than I was.

If your cat for some reason is not eating enough, the BG numbers can drop. I would want to test to be safe and not overdose. Once the insulin is in, you can't take it back out again.

I would never feel comfortable doing that but there are plenty of people who never home test and are always shooting blind. You are the caregiver for your cat so the final decision is up to you.
 
You can only do what you can do. I'd keep taking him to the testing spot, warm his ears and give him a treat, even if you aren't going to poke. You want him to associate the spot and warming with something he likes. Re the shot, we always gave it when Oliver's nose was deep into his breakfast and dinner and he didn't seem to notice.

The difficult thing would be if you have changed recently to wet low carb. That can change the numbers downward. You are giving one unit?

You are poking on the edge of the ear, right? You can alternate ears to minimize bruising and hold the spot for several seconds after the test.

If you want, I can set up your spreadsheet for you.
 
Make sure you move the testing sites around a little bit, swap ears, etc.

The Neospoin ointment w/ pain relief may be applied a few minutes before testing, and then wiped off to test. It helps the blood bead up as well as reducing the annoyance of testing.

It you spend some time fiddling with the ears and treating, in addition to the times you test and treat, it may help him learn that ear fiddling = treats and make it easier to do.

While you are working to get him regulated, you need to check for ketones, which are a by-product of fat breakdown. Too many ketones may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), an expensive to treat, potentially fatal, complication of diabetes. Urine test strips such as Ketostix may be purchased at most pharmacies in the diabetic care section or from behind the counter. See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for tips on how to use them.
 
Just wanted to say thank you again for all the help, and I've updated my sig to have the ss... although I'm not testing for a couple days, just doing all the things I *would* do, everything except the poke, to get him conditioned and ready to accept the poking in trade for treats.
 
Hey Barb! I've been reading your thread and looks like you've had a ton of information to absorb in a very short period of time, not to mention the stress of trying to learn to home test. My Munchkin has been a diabetic kitty for a couple years and I still am overwhelmed sometimes. But, the other FDMB members are right when they say it gets easier with time. You may have had enough of members' stories to last a lifetime, but I want to tell you about one more. If today is one of those overwhelming days, just skip this, but maybe read it later?

When Munchkin was diagnosed, our vet encouraged us to try home testing but didn't put a lot of emphasis on it. We switched foods from dry to low-carb wet, just like we were supposed to. And, we gave the insulin shots, just like the vet instructed. But, home testing was a bust. It had both my husband and I in tears and shaking, literally shaking. It. Was. Horrible. We had tried home testing, and then we gave up and then we soldiered on with what we could do: wet food and insulin shots. Our plan worked okay in the short-term, but for us it was not a good long-term plan.

I'm a new member here at FDMB (just found them). I knew the home testing was important, but didn't want to go through that again. Uugh! But, the members here are pretty great, and then I poked about the site a bit and found out how much I didn't know, even after two years of treating Munchkin's diabetes. So, we decided to try home testing, again. Wendy&Tiggy sent you the link earlier in this thread to a page of testing tips and a member sent that link to me too - I never knew any of that stuff! But, it is very handy info to have and it made a big difference for us.

We've only been trying to home test again for about a week. The bigger gauge lancets worked waaay better than the super thin ones, and Munchkin didn't notice a difference. There were several times we tried to test, but failed. But, then it worked once, and then we bombed, and then it worked again. :roll: I tried heating Munchkin's ears with the medicine bottle - he hated it, but I actually got blood! That never happened before. I tried wrapping him in the kitty burrito - he hated that too, and escaped. I'd get blood, and then lose it in all his ear fur, then he'd later rub up against something - oh, there's that blood I was looking for. Gross! He'd get too excited for treats (or dinner) and wouldn't be still. I'd poke all the way through his ear (actually still doing that sometimes, oops) and poke my finger too, then we'd both be bleeding. Good grief!

But, then one time he heard the zipper on his meter case being unzipped, and he came trotting out to sit in front of me - ready for more treats but out of poking range - but he came! :shock: I'd been giving him tons of treats, whether we got a successful test or not, just for him putting up with me fumbling about. Maybe there was hope for us!

I had last Saturday free and decided to use it as a "no pressure" testing day. (I got the idea after reading KPassa's "cat testing psychology"; Deb&Wink posted a link to it on this thread.) I fiddled with his ears a bunch and gave treats for him putting up with it. (Kinda similar to what you are doing over a couple of days, conditioning him, right?) Then I tried to test whenever Munchkin was relaxed & chilling, or in a cuddly mood, just whatever moment felt like a good moment for his moods. There is so much pressure to get a test right before giving a shot and feeding, and then if it isn't successful, then what?! But some no pressure testing at whatever times was just the ticket for us. If he didn't want to cooperate with testing, that was fine. If he did cooperate, great! Every successful test was just that - a success! And, each successful test was a learning experience for both of us and one step closer to a routine.

He still gives me a wary eye when I pull the meter out sometimes, but he just wants those treats too bad to stay away. :smile: Such a big difference and it has only been one week! We are still struggling a little, but like you said - I know the home testing is extremely important. And, we just can't give up again. In just one weeks' time I've been so, so thankful that I tested a couple times. I don't regret getting Munchkin all riled and upset in order to learn how to test, not after some of the readings I got.

Barb, I hope you decide to keep trying. I completely understand wanting to give up. I did give up - for two years, but it was not the best plan. You just have to find what works for you and Frog. That's the ticket - finding what works for the two of you.

(Sorry, that is really long, and sorry, but I just don't know what I would cut out.)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top