Newbie introduction

Status
Not open for further replies.
JJPetlovr

JJPetlovr

Member Since 2014
Good morning,

My name is Julie and Flame is the reason I am here. Flame was diagnosed Tuesday, June 3rd. This week has been slowly transitioning his diet and trying to get the supplies together. I am lucky that I have never free fed. He still was a dry addict, even though he got wet morning and night, but I use to give him 1/4 cup of dry too. Poor guy still wants it, but.... anyway.

This morning is shot #1, 1 unit of Lantus. My biggest problem is getting a urine sample for the stick. I know I need to, but he must be bladder shy or something. He is just not using his box while I am around. I started his meds today, instead of yesterday, because I didn't want to not be home to monitor him. Poor guy is going to watched like a hawk today.

I have not purchased a glucometer yet. My Vet didn't think it was necessary and said the sticks should be just fine. But, from the look of the dry test strips, I think I may not have a choice. :-)

I am transitioning him onto Purina DM for now, but am considering Primal Raw as well. I welcome all thoughts on diet and well everything actually.

I have just started to look at some of the topics here. It was a crazy week for him to be diagnosed. 12 hour work days etc... but, I do foresee a weekend of perusing this board. Wow! Looks like so much excellent information!

Flame is 10 years old Orange and White Maine Coon/Tabby/mutt mix. He is 12 pounds, down from 15 pounds.

I want to thank you in advance. I know I will learn a lot here.

Thank you,

Julie
 
Welcome Julie and Flame!

Oliver would not pee when anyone was around. The way I finally got a sample was to get a clean box, fill it with aquarium gravel and leave him in the room with it. He couldn't not pee on a clean box :mrgreen: and the gravel wouldn't absorb the urine so I could sweep in and get a sample.

We do like urine testing for possible ketones but feel it is not very useful in managing diabetes . The sample you get has made its way through Flame's body, so it can't be used to tell you what his number is when you are ready to shoot and whether the dose you are planning is a good choice. So often here a cat throws a low number, out of the blue, and if the bean shot the usual amount, it would be a problem! We are firmly for home testing - treating our 4 legged babies with the same care we would our 2 legged ones. I think some vets figure they are throwing a lot at you at first - shots, hypo instructions, possible food changes etc - and they don't want to add one more thing. But we see hometesting as a way to get control of this disease, knowing exactly how the insulin is working for every cycle and whether we should make changes in doses. It gives you such a feeling of control to know what is going on with Flame - no need to guess if his behavior means something about his diabetes. You just get a test and know what is happening!

The other reason we like testing at home is that stress raises blood glucose levels and most cats are very stressed at the vet. So numbers gotten there may be higher than they would be at home, and the dose prescribed may be too high.

You don't need your vet's permission to test at home. We can teach you how and then, when it is time for a curve to be done at the vet, send him your numbers from home so he can see how the last few weeks have gone. Lots of members here share their numbers with their vets.
 
Thank you... Still no pee, so I am headed out to get a Glucometer. Poor guy, I hate to stick him, but I am sure no-one here loves that part, but I do see it as valuable information. :smile:
 
I have been researching here and it looks like a good choice is the ReliOn Confirm with the test strips and the 26 gauge Lancets? :-) I also have just spent the last 30 minutes watching the youtube videos while Flame is just hanging out on the couch. I have also sat down where I believe we will be doing the testing and giving him some of his beloved freeze dried chicken while messing with his ears. Now I am off to get the meter and supplies then all that will be left is to actually get the drop of blood. Yikes!
If I have missed something, I would love any and all pointers.

Thank you,

Julie
 
You'll probably need extra strips; I don't know if the ReliOn comes with some, but probably not many.

The only other important thing is a way to heat the ear. Either a rice sack (thinnish sock filled with rice, knotted and heated till very warm in the microwave) or an empty prescription bottle filled with very warm water. Ears seem to learn "how to bleed" so heating the capillaries at first fattens them up and gives you more blood to go for.
 
We share our glucose tests with a Google Drive spreadsheet so others may review the numbers and give us feedback. Instructions are here

Once you get your spreadsheet set up or when you look at someone else's signature link, this'll make more sense!

Understanding the spreadsheet/grid:

The colored headings at the top are the ranges of glucose values. They are color-coded to clue you in as to meaning.

Each day is 1 row. Each column stores different data for the day.

From left to right, you enter
the Date in the first column
the AMPS (morning pre-shot test) in the 2nd column
the Units given (turquoise column)

Then, there are 11 columns labeled +1 through +11
If you test at +5 (5 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +5 column
If you test at +7 (7 hours after the shot), you enter the test number in the +7 column
and so on.

Halfway across the page is the column for PMPS (evening pre-shot)
To the right is another turquoise column for Units given at the evening shot.

There is second set of columns labeled +1 through +11
If you snag a before bed test at +3, you enter the test number in the +3 column.

We separate day and night numbers like that because many cats go lower at night.

It is merely a grid for storing the info; no math required.
 
All meters sold in the US must read within + or - 20% of what a lab would get.

All human meters read approximately 30-40% lower than pet-specific meters. We do not adjust the readings from human meters; we ask you to note in you signature what meter you are using.

We have reference values for human meters, so that is not an issue in most cases. Many of us in the US like the WalMart ReliOn Confirm, Confirm Micro, or Prime meters. If you're not a fan of WalMart, you can to our shopping partner Americal Diabetes Wholesale and purchase the Arkray Glucocard 01 or 01 Mini which are the unbranded version of the Confirm models made by Arkray USA.

Comparing a human glucometer to a pet-specific glucometer is like reading temperature in Celsius vs Fahrenheit. Both are correct. You just need to know the reference ranges to interpret what the numbers mean.

[Glucose reference ranges are unsubstantiated and have been removed by Moderator]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *​
Examples of using the chart:

Ex. You are a new insulin user and you test your cat before giving insulin. The test is 300. It probably is safe to give insulin.

Ex. You are an established user of Lantus, following the Tight Regulation protocol. You've tested around +5 to +7 to spot the nadir. It is 200 mg/dL. You probably need to increase the dose, following the instructions for the protocol.

Ex. Your cat is acting funny. The eyes are a bit dilated. You are concerned and test the glucose. The number is 35 mg/dL. ACK! The cat may be in a hypoglycemic state. You quickly follow the HYPO protocol linked in the glucose reference values chart. (which we really, really, suggest you print out and post on your refrigerator.)
 
Finally, see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for additionaly assessments you can make to evaluate your cat. In particular, note info on urine ketone testing and dehydrations checks.
 
Hi Julie and extra sweet Flame and welcome aboard the message board.

Looks like you've done a lot of reading already and are set to learn to home test.

Have you seen these two links?

The how to's of testing

Ear Testing Psychology

Please let us know if you have any questions. Lots of day to day experience with managing feline diabetes here.
 
BJM WOW!!! I m going to have to read that through a few times to get all that amazing info. :smile: I really appreciate that in depth information. There is a lot to digest with this stuff.

I failed miserably on our first attempt at gathering blood, but got pre-dinner reading of 255 on my ReliOn Confirm. I gave him his 1 unit of Lantus while he is eating. If I can get the blood as easily as I can give him his shot... :o

Sue and Oliver, thank you for offering the list.

Thank you also Deb and Wink for the links.

I am going to stop looking for tonight. I am really crazed with information overload.

I never did get a wet urine test strip today. Good grief.

I will be back here tomorrow figuring out the spreadsheet and deciphering the other information.

Thank you and good night,

Julie and Flame
 
We have a few metaphors:

Its a process, not an event.
Or
Its a marathon, not a sprint.
Or
Its a sugar dance and it takes a while to learn the steps.
 
Hi Julie and extra sweet Flame! Welcome to FDMB!

You've already gotten great info so I just wanted to say hello. Great job getting the test in. Welcome to the vampire club. :-D

There's a lot to I earn at first but it becomes second nature before you know it!
 
Thank you for all of your wonderful information this weekend.

Flame and I are getting better at the ear sticks. I think he may still be running high, but am so very concerned with Hypo, that I would rather he run high than too low.

My Vet is out of town this week, she felt really bad about it, so, I am just going to stick with the current dosage until I get a chance to speak with her again. It has been slowly coming down. I would not be able to live with myself if I upped the dosage and something happened after I left for work.

I am going to look into the spreadsheet next weekend. It sounds like a great tool.

Again, thank you and I know this is going to be an amazing place to learn how to best take care of my sweet Flame.

Julie :-)
 
Its OK to proceed with caution - better too high for a day, than too low for a moment.

While you work on tweaking the insulin dose, it would be prudent to check for ketones. Ketones form as a by-product of fat breakdown for calories. Too many ketones may indicate diabetic ketoacidosis, a potentially fatal and expensive to treat complication of diabetes. You can test for these with urine test strips. See my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for some tips on how to collect the specimen.
 
Here are some more urine catching tips. Usually I can just lift Mikey's tail and get it on the ketostix, but sometimes he isn't so cooperative. :lol: When that happens, the one that works best for me is plastic wrap.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top