Poked the "Bear", myself,and my husband...

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popposgrl

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Okay, poking the ear of a cat is suicidal, at the very least, it is a death wish. Skye was complacent the first 3 times we tried. Although my husband lost it when Skye moved his head and I poked his hand...he left me to my devices and left the room. Skye wanted to go with Dad. I told him One more and then I'd quit. I did and forgot to use the cotton behind the ear to stop the lancet from getting me...sooooo, I gave Skye some treats, he refused them...he won't be bought...and he went to his hidey hole.
I warmed his ear with a washcloth in a baggie, put some petroleum jelly behind his ear, found the vein, and the rest is printed above. What am I doing wrong? I want to start his journal but I'm not sure WHEN to do the glucose test.
Some say WHILE they are eating, others say 2 hours AFTER they eat, but aren't you supposed to test BEFORE they eat to make sure they need the insulin shot??? I are sooooo confused!!! ;[
 
Well, at least you shared the pain. :-D

Sorry it wasn't successful. Let's try to figure it out. How long did you keep the washcloth next to his ear? Sometimes it takes a minute or more in the beginning. You might want to start with that step only. Warm his ear, treats, lots of praise and petting, maybe massaging the ear a bit and then let him go. Get him used to that first.

What size lancet? Where are you poking on the ear?

Did you give us your city/state to see if we had a member nearby? You might add it to your subject line today to see if anyone could come help.

You can shoot while eating, not poke. You want the number before food can influence it so it's poke, feed, shoot. Two hours after the shot is a good time to get the first cycle number - maybe that is what someone meant.
 
popposgrl said:
I'm not sure WHEN to do the glucose test.
Some say WHILE they are eating, others say 2 hours AFTER they eat, but aren't you supposed to test BEFORE they eat to make sure they need the insulin shot???[
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You always test before giving the insulin.

Some people test while their cat eats because the cat is less likely to notice the ear being fiddled with. Then, while the cat is still eating, give the insulin.

With Humulin N (if you are using that), it's a little different. You feed test the bg, feed half the food, wait about half an hour, test bg again if you want, give insulin and the rest of the food. Having some food in the stomach will soften the effect of the insulin.

Once your cat has gotten the insulin and been fed, you can test bg at any time you want. 2 hours after the insulin shot is a typical time to get a bg reading. Random bg testing gives you an idea of how the insulin and dose is working for your cat.

Here are the testing tips: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=287

I could never get the hot damp washcloth in baggie to work. Have you tried a rice sock? It works great. Take an old cotton stock, fill with about 1/4 cup of uncooked rice or dried beans/peas, knot close, heat in microwave until really really warm. Try 10 seconds and adjust the time as needed. Wrap the warm rice sock around the edge of the cat's ear for a mintue if possible. Then hold the sock inside the ear for support as you poke on the other side. The sock also prevents you from poking a finger.

Try a higher depth setting on the lancet device. Also try the clear "alternative testing cap" if your lancet device came with that. Pressing the lancet device firmly against the ear while you poke also helps.

You're not aiming for the vein, just the space beween the vein and the edge of the ear. If you hit the vein, no big deal. After you get the blood onto the test strip,apply a tissue to the ear and hold to stop the bleeding.
 
Although my husband lost it when Skye moved his head and I poked his hand...he left me to my devices and left the room.
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If this ever happens again, tell him "Hey, come back here!" Then test his blood, and tell him it's preventative medicine. :smile:

I had more luck using just the lancet freehand rather than the device. It just let me see things better. I used a cotton ball behind the ear, but never had to warm Bob's ears. His left ear always bled better than the right ear did too.

Carl
 
When I test, I take a washcloth and fold it in quarters so it's thick and that's what I hold behind her ear to avoid pricking myself. Then I have something to hold against the ear if it bleeds. I will put the lancet in the device but don't use the "shooter", more control that way. And I've held the lancet without even putting it in the device. Some days I get it on the first try, other times I have to poke and poke. You get used to it!
 
Well day 2 for poking and we got blood, just not enough. The meter kept reading error. So, I let him finish eating, gave him his shot and left him alone. I'll try again in two hours. I again offered treats but he is having none of it. Yeah, Mike's sense of humor needs some adjusting...lol, he's just worried the other 3 cats will come up sick...Skye is coming out of hiding slowly but surely. He woke me up again this morning and then came out at feeding time this afternoon. So maybe the insulin is starting to make him feel better.
Thank you for the link on shots, Squeem3, it looks helpful...
The lancet is pretty small, and I have it on the lowest setting. I'm using the Relion from Walmart. I know I can dial it up, but that seems unnecessary if I can get blood on the lower setting.
Right Carl, I'm holding a 10 pound bag of wiggling bones with claws and teeth and angry to boot and I'm going to entice my hubby back with "it's preventative..." heheheheh
 
Have you tried the meter on yourself (or DH) to be sure it is working right? Sometimes error messages are too little blood; sometimes too much. You can double poke if your lancets are small. Or massage the ear toward your "hole" to get the blood moving.

Don't give up. You'll get it!
 
What gauge lancet?

Beginners tend to have more luck with the 27-28 gauge lancets, which are thicker.

A dab of neosporin ointment (not cream) with pain relief a few minutes before testing helps reduce the annoyance of being pricked. WIpe off well before testing.

I found that free-hand use of the lancet, with a sort of wrist roll movement to prick the ear seemed to work well when I was testing Spitzer.
 
I'm D-O-N-E!!

I am done putting Skye through purgatory!! I have been unable to get enough blood for the meter to read. He has an abscess under one ear and his eye is almost completely shut. We are on week 2 of Clyndomiacin and I'm beginning to wonder if my Vet knows what she's doing!! She wants to remove a tooth when the abscess is done...which is fine with me, but meanwhile poor Skye looks like he was in a bar brawl and he lost!!! He is still in the 300's and in 3 units twice a day...his back legs look pitiful and he's not grooming himself, so I'm taking a warm washrag and wiping him down, especially the ear as it keeps leaking fluid. He is just a bag of bones!! I have drops that need to go into his ears twice a day...it just seems like I wake him up to beat him up, although for the last two days he has come looking for me to feed him...and my husband is letting him go outside and Mike sits outside with him for about an hour. I don't know...
 
Hey Sue.
I'm in Middleburg, Florida. I'm just in a funk. I'll get over it soon enough. Skye is just such a great cat and he doesn't complain when I'm beating him up, just looks at me...sigh...I am just confused as to when I should get a bg, when to give him his insulin(now I give it 30 minutes after he eats) and then you read in here and people are giving as the cat eats? So, confusion reigns.
I got a Relion meter and the lancets are 24, but the cardboard reader that you put the blood on is very tiny. which is what my problem is. Skye bleeds very nicely for me but getting it on the little itty bitty spot and in meter is something else.
How often should I get a bg? Skye is on 3 units of ProZinc twice a day. Plus the infection, poor baby...
 
Where is Middleburg close to?

People give insulin when they are eating if they are likely to flinch or be difficult about the shot. If they are afraid the cat might not eat or might vomit, then feeding before or near the shot is more important. Insulin and food work together, so it is good to have food on board along with the insulin.

You should get a number before each shot to be sure it is safe to give the amount you are planning on. For example, if he is under 200, wait 20 minutes without feeding and retest. We give newbies the 200 cut off to keep the cat safe at lower numbers. Then if you can get a number around 6 hours after the shot, that should give you an idea of how low the insulin is taking him.
 
can i ask what you mean by getting it on the itty bitty spot and in the meter?

i ask because you shouldn't have to get it "on" the itty bitty spot. you should just be able to lay the strip in the blood drop, wherever the "spot" is on the strip, and it should suck the blood right into the strip.

i know back in the day you had to actually dribble your blood onto a certain spot on the test strip and it had to fill the spot in order to get a good reading but the strips/meters have come along way since then and they actually just have to touch blood and they suck it into the strip. i think it was here a while back that someone was having trouble getting readings and we figured out they were trying to use the strips like the older meters so just want to make sure on that part just in case that could be the problem?

i'll look around and see if i can help find anyone near you to help just in case
 
popposgrl said:
Hey Sue.
I'm in Middleburg, Florida. I'm just in a funk. I'll get over it soon enough. Skye is just such a great cat and he doesn't complain when I'm beating him up, just looks at me...sigh...I am just confused as to when I should get a bg, when to give him his insulin(now I give it 30 minutes after he eats) and then you read in here and people are giving as the cat eats? So, confusion reigns.
I got a Relion meter and the lancets are 24, but the cardboard reader that you put the blood on is very tiny. which is what my problem is. Skye bleeds very nicely for me but getting it on the little itty bitty spot and in meter is something else.
How often should I get a bg? Skye is on 3 units of ProZinc twice a day. Plus the infection, poor baby...
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I am in Jacksonville and can show you how to hometest if you need help.
 
has anyone heard from her? or have a way to contact her? she apparently hasn't been back online since the latest posts on this thread from what i hear.
 
Cindy + Mousie said:
has anyone heard from her? or have a way to contact her? she apparently hasn't been back online since the latest posts on this thread from what i hear.
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Sorry!! I was in the hospital, just got out Friday. Having issues with a surgery I had in March. Skye is on different antibiotics since he had his teeth cleaned and one removed. He still looks like someone beat him up and he's been on this new meds for 7 days, you think there would be an improvement??? I haven't tested him since I got home, but Mike(Daddy) did really well with him...so I vote for him to continue..
Things continue as usual, Skye won't eat treats, but loves butter, so after testing and shoving a pill down his throat and stuffing ear drops in his left ear and giving him his shot, I give him a small blob of butter...that's okay isn't it???

Again, sorry to worry everyone....
 
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