Newbies just saying hi! (and bg testing ?)

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EmilyandSophie

Member Since 2012
Hi everyone! Wanted to introduce myself and my cat Sophie. You are all a wealth of knowledge and we look forward to
getting to know you all.

Sophie (10 years old) was diagnosed last week. She is on Lantus (1u) twice a day. We got our glucometer last night and are trying (unsuccessfully) to test her bg. She is having none of it- just howling. The vet said I could bring her in and they would help me get started but I am trying to avoid stressing her further and getting a false high.

I tried using the rice filled sock which helped, but she is struggling too much for me to get the blood. Any tips on ways to relax her enough to get this done?
 
Hello Emily (and Sophie), and welcome to FDMB!

Well done, you, for starting hometesting! :smile: We all know how difficult it can be at first. Very few of us here, I suspect, managed to get a successful test the first time we tried. At first, you just don't feel like you have enough hands! And then there is that rather tricky matter of how your cat feels about the whole process, which is, of course, an entirely new experience and sensation for them. :roll:

There are very few nerve endings in the edge of the cat's ears so it shouldn't cause much discomfort. Sometimes cats just don't like to be held, or are alarmed by the sounds of the testing kit initially. But that usually passes.

My cat doesn't like to be held or restrained in any way, so I thought he'd be impossible to test. But I learned that I could test him while he chomped on a few cat treats: I set up the kit and then crumble a few cat treats, he starts eating them, then I scratch his head, then quickly prick his ear and get the test, then scratch his head some more. And we're done. But everyone has their own way of doing it, and you and your cat will work it out together.

It is important to reward your cat for each test, even an unsuccessful one. And they very quickly learn to associate testing with treats. Honestly! The treat-giving will be the most useful tool in getting your cat to accept being tested.

A tiny smidge of vaseline on the edge of the ear can help the blood to bead up and stop it disappearing into the fur.

And it's important too to press firmly on the test site afterwards with some cotton wool or tissue for a few seconds to reduce bruising.

Can you talk us through how you are trying to test Sophie? Then maybe folks here can give some specific pointers.

I'll find a link with some good pics and will post back here shortly. :smile:
 
Thank you so much for your response! It is so overwhelming right now. I know it will get better as she and I figure out what works for us.

I've tried a few things with her testing. First I tried sitting on the floor with her and holding her gently with my legs so I could use both hands but she ran away. 2nd attempt went a little better-I put her on the bathroom counter and wrapped one arm around her and used the other hand to attempt to prick her. I managed to prick her but. It deep enough to draw blood-just enough to make her mad.

After reading your tips-I'm wondering if I am drawing the process out too much? I have everything lined up and ready but maybe I just need to speed it up. Thank you for the pics-now I have an idea of what I'm looking for.

I'll try again soon! Thank you so much!
 
Also, be sure you're not using a lancet that is too fine. I started out with a 26 gauge lancet and bumped down to a 28 after Buster's ears learned to bleed a bit better. If you get the ones that are 30+ they can be too fine and go right through the ear.

Hang in there! You WILL find a way!
 
Success! I tried the vaseline this time and switched to a 26g lancet. She was not thrilled but there was no hissing this time. It can only get better from here on out.

Her bg was 231 but we use the aplhatrak (got it before I found this board). It looks like 230 on the alphatrak is about a 200 on human meters? Should I hold off on her next dose? She is due around 7:30. She had her last shot at 7:15 last night (1u).
 
What food are you feeding her Sophie? If it was a low carb canned food I would say better to be safe than sorry and expect a high number in the morning. However- if you are feeding dry food or canned food with gravy or grain in it I would say maybe drop it to .5u and keep at that level. Other Lantus users might have other advice I we are Levemir users and haven't ever used Lantus at all.

It helps us to give advice when we know what the number are- this spreadsheet has been designed for us to use- listing both cycles and having a remark section so we can list food, things that happen, anything we feel might be important-

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopi ... =6&t=18207

Welcome and I hope that you get all the answers you need.

Heather
 
I don't have specific dose advice, but it is best if you can find a dose you can safely administer twice a day. If that means reducing a bit, then so be it. In the beginning, I found myself giving a shot in the morning and then not feeling comfortable giving another shot in the evening because he seemed too low for my comfort level. Of course, his numbers bumped back up by morning again, as I hadn't given anything in the evening. I reduced the dose so I could feel comfortable at both dosing times. Whatever you decide, both doses should be the same.

As suggested, if you can post numbers folks will be better able to suggest proper dosing advice. You have some time to see if others respond with more specific numbers.

Congratulations on getting a successful test! It will only get easier from here! :thumbup
 
Congrats on getting started testing!

With Lantus, it's important to not just get a test before you shoot, you need to get at least one spot check toward the middle of the cycle. Lantus dosing is based on the lowest point of the cycle. Generally, if your pre-shot test is over 200, you're safe to shoot. (We shoot a bit lower, 150, on the Lantus board.)
 
Thanks everyone! I feel a million times better already. She is currently on dry k/d as she has kidney issues too, but we are in the process of switching to the wet k/d. Now that I have her first reading I will start her spreadsheet and go from there.

I really can't thank you all enough for your help.
 
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