Squirmy cat, BG #s cheat sheet

I just tested Howie for the first time tonight and it took forever as he squirmed so much. I tried gently sitting on him, wrapping him in a kitty burrito, etc. Any tips or recommendations to make this easier? I think I also hit the vein as he yelped a bit. He is so hungry and has no interest in helping his mom out! But when the vet demonstrated it earlier today, he sat still with no problems! Im also nervous trying to do this in the AM when I need to get off to work and trying to do a 12 hr curve.

Also, I’ve read so much and am getting confused on dosing with his pre-shot tests. Is there a cliff notes version Someone has of when I should give full doses, smaller doses, skip doses, etc? He is on Prozinc and I use the ReliOn meter. (I’m in the process of setting up my spreadsheet and signature.)

 

I find that "less is more" when it comes to holding down cats. Ideally you want Howie to sit still for you without having to restrain him. Some people still have to use burritos, others "kneel" over them with kitty between the knees. I think the majority of the time, people have a "spot" on a counter or wherever that kitty will sit/lay on for testing. My girl sat on my lap for tests. There's a lot of ways to do it. Is Howie a lap cat, or have a special spot he likes? I would practice either sitting him in your lap and giving pets then letting him go or giving him some attention in his special spot while messing with his ears until he's fine with you touching them. And always always give treats after! Even if you're just messing with the ears and then leaving. Food is key!

To start, no-shoot number is 200. The number will lower with more data but stick with 200 for now. You also want to stall feeding by 20 minutes if he is below 200, retest, and if he's over 200 you can shoot. If he's dropping, skip, if number stays the same, skip or token dose. Also note meter variance - a meter is allowed to be off up to 20%. So a 250 and 300 are considered the same.

Skip - no insulin
Full Dose - regular dose
Token Dose - 10-25% of regular dose. So for 6 units regular dose, give .60u to 1.5u

Also noticed in your spreadsheet you're going to be doing mini meals at +4 and +8. +4 is a good time but +8 is a little late in the cycle for mini meals, it will burn up the insulin faster and it won't last the full 12 hours. With Prozinc it's recommended to give a mini meal at +2 since that's when insulin usually kicks in.

 

THANK YOU FOR THE INFO AND RECOMMENDATIONS! MY VET THOUGHT MINI MEALS EVERY 4 HRS WAS GOOD. WHAT WOULD YOU RECOMMEND FOR ANOTHER MINI MEAL TIME BESIDES +2? SHOULD I DO +6? I USE AN AUTO FEEDER. THANKS!

 

You're welcome! We try to do mini meals before nadir (nadir is the lowest point of BG during the cycle). We don't know what Howie's nadir is yet since you don't have any mid-cycle tests in (I recommend doing +2, +4, +6 tests one day and +1, +3, +5, +7 the next, just to fill in the gaps for a while, then we can recognize Howie's specific pattern). You wouldn't have to get every single test in every day, this is just a guideline to get you started.

When Panic was on Prozinc I gave her mini meals at +2, +4, and +5. Her nadir was +6. Something similar for Howie should be fine until we find out his pattern.

 

LMAO Does your first post here bring back memories!!! Trouble passed away so many years ago but when I read theses "testing" stories it brings back all the frustration and tears! And look at me now I think back with loving and CRAZY moments in Troubles journey and it makes me laugh.
There will come a day when you will laugh too. I PROMISE.
Trouble absolutely HATED testing squirmy doesnt even begin to describe it. It took 2 of us. Every time you'd think we were trying to kill him, yet when we released him from our grasp? He purrred and rubbed up against us like ..."whats all the hub bub about?" Goofy cat!

Sorry to hijack this thread but I thought it important to say:
YOU ARE NOT ALONE. lol
You follow the good advice given here and it will make Howies journey so much easier for BOTH of you.

Yes it gets confusing (just keep asking questions)
Yes it gets frustrating (come here to vent because you will find the support you need)
Yes it garners tears (theres always an answer)
YES the tears will turn to joy (and we ALL will celebrate with you)

YOU CAN DO THIS!
jeanne

 

Thanks, Jeanne! Any other advice on how to get him to finally settle down as I don’t have anyone to help? This morning took 20 min and I about gave up. I don’t want him to only see me as the person who is going to poke his ear. Also, with how squirmy he is, I’m not getting the right spot on his ear. He yelps when I do get blood, so I know I’m doing it wrong. Thanks for all the help and encouragement!

 

I would recommend a give-up number, to prevent you and Howie from getting too stressed. I'd give up after two tries and give a treat.

Are you poking his ear free-hand or using a lancet device? I tried free-hand once and applied too much force and snagged her ear. I wasn't comfortable doing it again.
If you're using a lancet device I recommend checking the instructions it came with - there's usually different settings that apply more force. Go with the lowest setting possible, the higher settings are for when the ear gets tougher. I never did go beyond the lowest setting after a year.

Are you sure you're sticking with the very edge of the ear, and not closer to the middle? Hitting the vein will hurt a bit.

 

OMG, absolutely following this thread, it couldn't have come at a better time. My glucose meter arrived today and I tried to poke Douglas' ear but chickened out. Having slightly overwhelming feelings again as I did a few weeks back when I had to start administering the insulin. I know I'll get through it and @Howiesmom, you are in the best possible place for advice and support. I seriously don't know how I could've done these weeks without the support of this forum.

Watching thread though for tips and advice!

 

THIS is what I would do. Dont give up completely but maybe coax him with a treat to your testing spot. stop there give him the treat I would do that several times in the day (if you are lucky enough to be at home) Once he jumps up there without the coaxing give him the treat. Then do the ear warming thing repeat the treat thing Its called desensitizing. I know this flies in the face of the testing because you need to get them in but in the off times, try it. Hopefully there will be more advice to come on this!

 

The one thing to remember is Cats pick up on stress. If you go in stressed you both will be stressed. Some sing to their cats . Like a silly kids song Just to relax yourself and kitty will pick up on that.

I would hum as my singing voice isnt pleasant . I think maybe thats why Trouble still hated testing...my signing

 

I’m using the small lancets I saw from a video I saw posted here. They are a 30 gauge as I can’t find 26-28 gauge ones around where I live. I’m trying to get as close to the edge of the ear as I can. I heard you can do their paw pads, but that seems like it would really hurt.

 

Sometimes I still struggled with 30 gauge so that may be part of the problem. Did you not see any at your local Walmart? They're cream-colored.

 

Howie’s 3rd day of testing went better thanks to all your suggestions and finding another video on this site to watch! Tonight he was unusually calm and just sat there while I poked his ear. So not sure what that was about! However, when I went to give him his +2 snack, his ears are warm and pinker than normal. Should I be concerned? Anyone else’s kitties have that when first starting out with testing? The rest of his body feels ok. He did run a temp a couple weeks ago but they called it an unknown infection as everything checked out OK and they couldn’t find anything.

 

CONGRATULATIONS!
A cats ears are their thermal regulators. Nothing to be worried about . You are probably just helicoptering