Using a Relion Prime we were able to get our first successful home test tonight. He was 150 PMPS. This is our very first test. He was just diagnosed on Thursday and we were told to dose 1 unit ProZinc and immediate diet change (FF pate). Should I do the full 1 unit (which I did give him this morning) or drop him to half? I don't have a nadir yet so I'm not sure what his numbers look like at their lowest and that scares me. And we use to free feed so he is definitely struggling to switch to just 2 big meals a day. He is 13# and only eating just over half a can of FF for each meal.
We suggest not giving insulin if they're under 200 at first, but what you can do is stall, DON'T feed, wait 30 minutes and test again and see if his numbers come up. If the numbers come up without the influence of food, it's usually safe to shoot. Have you fed him yet?
Yes. I already fed him And based on OUR stress levels (DH and I) I don't think testing again was going to happen tonight. He really didn't eat much though so I feel okay with not dosing and checking again in the morning.
This isn't necessary at all, although a lot of vets still say it is! It's actually better for the pancreas to deal with multiple small meals instead of 2 big ones. Just like humans are told to eat frequent small meals instead of 3 big ones! It helps keep the blood glucose more stable. Most of us feed 4-6 times a day. The only time we restrict food is for the 2 hours immediately before AMPS and PMPS so we get a test result that's not influenced by food. I'm sure Pete will be a lot happier if he gets more frequent meals too!
Does he get a special treat when you test? (or try to test?) Here's some hints I wrote up on testing. It can be really helpful to establish a routine with testing. Pick one spot that you want your "testing spot" to be (I like the kitchen counter because it's got good light and it's at a good height....it also already blocked 2 escape routes due to the wall and the backsplash) It can be anywhere though...a rug on the floor, a table, a particular spot on the couch...wherever is good for you. Take him there as many times a day as you can and just give his ears a quick rub and then he gets a yummy (low carb) treat.Most cats aren't objecting so much with the poking..it's the fooling with their ears they don't like, but once they're desensitized to it and learn to associate a certain place with the treats, they usually start to come when they're called! Or even when they hear us opening the test kit! You also have to remember...you're not poking him to hurt him...you're testing him to keep him safe and understand what's going on inside his body. There's just nothing better than truly understanding what's going on inside your kitty's body and with this disease, the more knowledge you have, the more power you have against it. The edges of the ears have very few pain receptors, so it really doesn't hurt them. Also, if you're nervous and tense, it's going to make your kitty nervous and tense too. As silly as it might seem, try singing! It forces you to use a different part of your brain! It's also important to make sure his ear is warm. A small sock filled with a little rice and microwaved or a small pill bottle filled with warm water (check temp against your wrist like you would a baby bottle) works well For new kitties, using a heavier gauge lancet is also really helpful. A 25-28 gauge lancet pokes a bigger "hole" than a 31-33 gauge lancet does, so look for "Alternate Site testing" lancets that are usually a lower number Finding the right "treat" will be a great help too! Freeze dried chicken, bonito flakes, little pieces of baked chicken...whatever low carb treat you can find that he really enjoys will help him to associate the testing with the treat! China's Achilles heel was baked chicken, so I'd bake a piece, chop it into bite sized pieces, put some in the refrigerator and freeze the rest to use as needed. It didn't take long for her to come any time I picked up the meter!
Congrats on the successful home test! That was the hardest part for us to grasp, but Gato does beautifully with practice. With this being his first home test and it being at 150, holding off on a shot tonight may be best. As you're not sure how his body processes the the insulin and what his nadir differential is. I will echo @Chris & China (GA) , feed as many small meals as kitty would like! I would be pretty grumpy if I went from being an all day snacker to just two meals. Prior to going on wet, were you on dry food? A lot of kitties see a significant drop in BG from diet change alone, so the dosing may need to be adjusted accordingly.
I think we determined that the problem was not being firm enough on both sides of his ear. We probably tried 15 times and only got him with the lancet 3 times, and 2 of those just were tiny amounts of blood. I was almost successful this morning but he shook his head right as I put the strip up to the blood so it didn't have enough to register. Tonight we either missed the ear by being too close to the edge or not enough pressure to actually get a small puncture. I question if the lancet pen and lancets are really working properly together. Until now he has been on dry food his whole life but always enjoyed canned food as a treat. Your comment about the diet change is exactly why I wanted to start home testing. But for now I have skipped tonight's dose and will leave the leftovers out for him to eat when he's ready.
Yes, but it's a treat we've never had before so I don't think he is loving it. I will try some chicken tomorrow! I really think there might be a compatibility issue with the lancet pen and lancets. According to the box they are compatible, but I practiced on myself first and at the lower depth it didn't get my finger at all. So we spent a lot of time getting everything in place then we'd click the pen and I don't think the lancet even touched the cat half the time!
A lot of us don't use the device at all....we just freehand the lancet. I never liked the device because I couldn't see where I was poking! Once I started freehanding, I quickly learned where to poke, how hard to poke, and what angle to poke at!
I prefer freehand as well. It allows me to be more precise, and I was always worried the depression of a pen would startle him. Using a flashlight on the back of the ear also helped me figure out the right spot to poke, especially as our boy has dark fur on his outer ear which makes it hard to see. We either poach plain chicken breasts or cook them sous vide, then dice and freeze them in quarter cup portions. That way we can take out a bag per werk to thaw and have on hand. Our guy loves it!
All good advice here about the lancer device . I’ve never used it. Try poking freehand. It’s much easier. Since you say he used be a dry food kitty, I assume you have taken away dry food altogether? If that is the case, be very careful and make sure you get those AMPs and PMPS tests before giving insulin. The food switch can have a huge effect on BG levels and sometimes kitty’s can be regulated on just that switch alone. I don’t know what his numbers were at the vet when he was diagnosed but a 150 @ 12 hrs after insulin is a nice number. I hope you are one of the lucky ones to get results with just the food switch!!!
Your video is what made me feel confident that I could do it at home! Thank you for posting! I got it on the first try this time! I think the trick was getting the right pressure behind the ear. He is 175 this morning. I teach online from home and heard him get into the dog's bowl (contraband dry dog food!) and got a few pieces before I could stop him about an hour ago so I feel really happy with his numbers again this morning. I'm so thankful I didn't just mindlessly listen to the vet and shoot like they recommended! I will be skipping insulin again this morning and leaving the whole can out for him to eat throughout the day. I can't thank you all enough!
Look at that lovely green number last night! I would suggest that you keep testing for a few more days to make sure his numbers stay in the greens like that. And thank goodness you didn't just keep following your vet's advice!
I know! Thanks for checking up on us I called the vet and gave her all the details earlier. She told me she was pleased with everything we were doing and to just keep her informed. She claims they don't encourage home testing right away because they don't want to overwhelm people. I hope my experience makes her reconsider! I couldn't get enough blood this morning but plan to check again in a bit.
