Newly diagnosed, scared witless and can't get blood

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ktkat1949

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Hello Everyone,
My name is Kate and my diabetic cat is Lotus. She was a stray that was abandon about 6 years ago by renters in
the neighbourhood. Last weekend she started to look off colour, hiding etc so I made a vet appt on Monday and the earliest I could get was Tues p.m. By Tues a.m. she was worse so I took her and left her as I had to go to the hospital for tests(!) When I got back the vet told me she had DKA and was diabetic. She was in the hospital for three days and then
came home on Thursday with two different kinds of antibiotics, a pain killer, insulin and all the other stuff that
goes with it. My father had had a glucose tester already so I was able to use that. She had to be medicated every 12
hours. She is on one unit every 12 hours of Lantin(I think that is what you call in the USA) Friday (holiday) she wasn't
eating. Back to the vet, gave her fluids and glucose testing which was pretty good and also appetite stimulant. She is eating and I was supposed to test her at 8.30 this morning it is now 11.30 and I cannot get any blood out of her ears. The
poor creature cries when I try to use the lancet and my hands are shaking so bad as I feel so awful. I have tried massage,
warming with 'hot water bottle' everything you all have suggested no luck. Should I try somewhere else like her paw
pads? I am terrified she is not doing well and I can't help her because I can't get any blood!
 
Keep trying, and give her a low carb or no carb treat after every attempt. You'll get there. She may be picking up on your stress. We'll keep helping you.
I would highly suggest that you go buy some ketone test strips and test her urine for ketones at every opportunity, at least everyday, for a while.
Hugs to you.
 
Welcome Kate and extra sweet Lotus!

First, BREATHE!! Deeeeep breath....

...another one....

NOW - we understand EXACTLY how you feel, we've all been there!! Right now, relax - take a break and do something different. Lotus will pick up on your stress making matters worse. I use a warm rice sock - thin sock with about 1/4c uncooked rice - heated in microwave for 15-20 seconds. Be sure it's not too hot!! Also, Lotus hasn't had time for her ears to 'learn' to bleed so you may have to try a few pokes or stroke/milk the ear to get it to bleed. You WILL get the hang of it - don't beat yourself up over it.

The insulin is 'Lantus', your vet started her on a good low dose. We also use Lantus. Here is a link to more information about it. This is the Lantus subforum - you'll see lots of links to information!

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9
Where are you located?

BIG HUG!
 
Step 1 Breathe!

You're doing the best you can.

If you are using the lancet pen, try free-handing with just the lancet - you'll be able to see better and thus have better aim. I found I had better control with just holding the lancet itself.

What size lancet do you have? A 26-27 gauge (thicker) lancet is usually more successful for beginners.

If you have a 30 or 31 gauge (very thin!), go ahead and aim for the vein itself. have a pice of tissue or a cotton ball, as nicking the vein may bleed profusely (why we don't generally use it). After the test, apply direct pressure to reduce bruising.

Warming the ear helps. A small sock with a quarter cup of rice, warmed in the microwave, tested on your wrist so not too hot, can help the blood vessels in the ears dilate. Alternatively, warm up a washcloth and put it in a plastic baggie, then use that to warm the ear.

Neosporin ointment (not cream) may be applied to the test area a few minutes before testing, then wiped off to test. The petroleum in it helps the blood bead up and the pain relief reduces the annoyance of testing.

Always use a low carb treat to reward after testing. Boiled chicken cubes are a favorite.
 
Hang in there - you'll get this down. I had a really hard time getting blood out of Robbie's ears when he was first DX - I found that massage the tips some before testing helps (warms them up and seems to get the blood to the surface) Robbie hated the warm rice sock so I stopped using it although the heat helped - I give him a small piece of chicken after each test (the 0 carb treats are a better idea but Robbie won't eat them) he now hears the click of the test strip canister and comes right over to me- he still shakes his head a lot and I often have to milk a second blood drop out - just keep working at it - I still freak out over how punched up his big Maine Coon ears are but I use some neosporin (with pain relief) and try to switch back and forth with left ear right ear.
DEEP breaths - and listen to the excellent advice you'll get from the people here - read as much of the information you find here and the more confident you get the easier it will be but every here knows that it's hard and upsetting so come here for support.
 
Hello all and thanks for your advice. I am still trying to get blood with no results. She is eating Ok. I haven`t seen her
drink any water today but she could have done that when my back was turned. She is actually acting `normally` for the
first time in a week. This really is nerve racking. Her poor ear looks like a pin cushion and she is running away from me
and hiding under the bed and other furniture. tried the warm sock, tried the warm washcloth in plastic. If I wasn`t so bad
I would think she was deliberately withholding the blood from coming out. She doesn`t seem dehydrated but I haven`t
checked her gums. I had to laugh at the newly diagnosed cat`s letter to his Mum. That is exactly what is happening here. I keep wanting to smell her breath and touch her gums. By the way, I live in Victoria BC Canada. I have a one touch ultra mini testing device and I can`t find out what size the needles are. I keep trying it on myself to make sure it is working. My fingers are just as punctured as her ears.
Many thanks for your support
Kate and Lotus
 
ktkat1949 said:
I have a one touch ultra mini testing device and I can`t find out what size the needles are.
Click to expand...

http://www.walgreens.com/marketing/library/centers/diabetes/lancets.jsp

The OTU Mini meter comes with the Delica lancet which uses 33 guage lancets. 33 gauge is too thin to get any blood out from a cat. Use a lancet device that uses thicker guage lancets instead. Your local pharmacy should have several different brands of lancet devices and matching lancets. 28 gauge is a good size to use for most cats.
 
Thanks for the advice about needle size. I will try to get some bigger ones tomorrow. i did manage to get some blood
from her ear thanks to advice from BJM. I took the lancet out and just jabbed it where I thought it would be and got enough to a measurement. Now she has been eating all day including a few minutes before i took the blood and her reading was 17.7 (canadian) the vet said that I should be doing this before and after food and if it was over 15. I should give her 1 unit of
insulin. However, she never got any last night or this morning as I could not get the blood out of her. I am not sure what to
do. Any ideas? (I am told normal is between 5 and 8)Normally I would be giving her insulin at 8.30 a.m. and 8.30 p.m.
thanks again,
Kate
 
You can't "catch up" on an insulin dose all at once. If she is over 15 at shot time AND has eaten, it should be safe to give the 1 unit.

Always be very cautious about giving insulin if the cat does not eat. I'll note that some vets will fast a diabetic overnight before a surgical procedure and have a client give half the regular established dose ... but until you know how your cat regularly responds to insulin, think safety first.
 
The "sweet spot" photo really helped me figure out where to poke. Also, the ReliOn meter has been great because it uses such a tiny drop of blood.

Also, I use the lancet pen, and that makes things much easier, for me at least. I can't imagine having to judge the depth of a lancet by poking it into my cat's ear by hand! The pen makes it kind of idiot proof.

Hang in there! You will get this!
 
Well it is almost 8.45 or one hour and 45 minutes since my last glucose test and this time she is 17.0 which is down .7 so
I gave her the full one unit of insulin and a treat and all her other meds. Hopefully she will be well in the morning. I have
put food out for her and the rest of them (I have four indoors and two who insist on being outside all the time)and mixed
the wet food with more water so if she does eat anything she will get some liquid into her.What a day it has been! Overcooked my $30.00 Easter ham...will have to mix it with cream sauce and vegs to make it edible. Now I am looking at the others and wondering if I should check their glucose as well!!! the best thing was using the lancet free handed. Much easier. I hope when this is all over she will still be speaking to me. Thank you to everyone for all your help advice and encouragement. I swear I
could not have lasted the day out without your counsel.
Thank you, thank you thank you!
Kate
and Lotus
 
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