the diabetic journey...

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Momosaurus

Momosaurus

Member Since 2016
hello again! My 10 year old tabby, miles purry davis (aka bug), was diagnosed with diabetes in late November. The vet felt like he was right on the border so we started with prescription wet food (Purina DM), in hopes that would make a difference, but unfortunately his numbers stayed the same. He has only been on insulin for 3 weeks and it has not been easy for either of us. He started on one unit of ProZinc once a day and the first few days of injections were a dream... he didn't seem to even notice. That quickly passed and it has become increasingly difficult to administer his injections which he now gets twice a day. This weekend I took his blood sugar levels at home and his numbers were the highest they had ever been, after being on one unit twice a day for a week. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Any tips on insulin injection or at home blood sugar monitoring would be greatly appreciated. I don't seem to have a light touch when pricking his ear and I wouldn't be surprised if he starts hiding from me after what we went through this weekend.
 
Momosaurus said:
hello again! My 10 year old tabby, miles purry davis (aka bug), was diagnosed with diabetes in late November. The vet felt like he was right on the border so we started with prescription wet food (Purina DM), in hopes that would make a difference, but unfortunately his numbers stayed the same. He has only been on insulin for 3 weeks and it has not been easy for either of us. He started on one unit of ProZinc once a day and the first few days of injections were a dream... he didn't seem to even notice. That quickly passed and it has become increasingly difficult to administer his injections which he now gets twice a day. This weekend I took his blood sugar levels at home and his numbers were the highest they had ever been, after being on one unit twice a day for a week. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Any tips on insulin injection or at home blood sugar monitoring would be greatly appreciated. I don't seem to have a light touch when pricking his ear and I wouldn't be surprised if he starts hiding from me after what we went through this weekend.
Click to expand...
Hi and welcome!
It takes some time to figure out the right touch and routine .... you will get there.
Many people warm the ear with a warm rice filled sock and also a thin layer of a salve like neosporin or even vaseline --they have some with lidocane as well for numbing the area and the salve will help the blood form to a bubble. I personally use free hand to prick the ear. It is a good idea to give a special treat after so kitty will associate it with the treat.
When I first started I was aiming for the vein :eek:
Here is a picture of where you want to aim that will cause the least discomfort-
laur_danny_famoussweetspot.jpg
 
Also 3 weeks is not that long but if you think it is not working well for you (setting up a spreadsheet will help the experts here in the forum to guide you)
You may want to consider a different insulin such as lantus or levimer.
I was using pro zinc for a while and it did not last long enough in my kittys system--lantus has been a better choice for us.
 
Could you post some of your kitty's numbers for us? It might help us to help you understand why he might be cranky about the injections.

In the meantime here are some :bighug::bighug::bighug: for you.


Mogs
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jayla-n-Drevon said:
Hi and welcome!
It takes some time to figure out the right touch and routine .... you will get there.
Many people warm the ear with a warm rice filled sock and also a thin layer of a salve like neosporin or even vaseline --they have some with lidocane as well for numbing the area and the salve will help the blood form to a bubble. I personally use free hand to prick the ear. It is a good idea to give a special treat after so kitty will associate it with the treat.
When I first started I was aiming for the vein :eek:
Here is a picture of where you want to aim that will cause the least discomfort-
View attachment 19454
Click to expand...

Thanks so much, that is super helpful! I have also been aiming for the vein which is why he probably yelps and for some reason his left ear doesn't produce as much blood as his right. I have noticed that there is some bruising from earlier pricking which I know happens. Any advice on if it's OK to use that area still?
 
Critter Mom said:
Could you post some of your kitty's numbers for us? It might help us to help you understand why he might be cranky about the injections.

In the meantime here are some :bighug::bighug::bighug: for you.


Mogs
.
Click to expand...

Thank you, you are too kind!!! 3 weeks is definitely not a long time, but it feels a lot longer than that! I don't have his numbers handy from pre-insulin, but the 1st batch of readings I did which was a week after he was on the one unit once a day was 254 (6 hours after injection), 288 (12 hours after injection), and 308 (24 hours after the injection). The 2nd batch of readings I did after 8 days on one unit twice a day was (325 6 hours after injection) & 405 (12 hours after injection, before 2nd one). I decided to give him half a unit twice a day yesterday and take readings 369 (6 hours after and he had just eaten) and 314 (12 hours after 1st injection).
 
Momosaurus said:
for some reason his left ear doesn't produce as much blood as his right.
Click to expand...

Many cats bleed better in one ear than the other. I can just look at China's left ear and it'll bleed, but I'd have better luck getting blood from a stone than her right ear

It does get easier though...as you poke more and more, new capillaries will grow into the "sweet spot" area and make it easier to get blood.

Momosaurus said:
I have noticed that there is some bruising from earlier pricking which I know happens. Any advice on if it's OK to use that area still?
Click to expand...

Yes, you can use the same area, but if it's bruised, it might be more sensitive. Try moving up or down a little from the bruised area (you can actually poke anywhere along either edge on either side of the ears...doesn't matter where the blood comes from...the front, the back or either side...as long as you get that precious drop!)

sweet spot alternate.PNG
There are 2 "edges".....you can poke along either. I think people see the picture we post most and kind of forget there's more area you can poke if you need to
 
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Try alternating between ears for each test.

It helps to support the underside of the ear when doing the poke with either a cotton pad or a 1" strip of folded kitchen paper. After the poke fold the ear support over the test area and apply gentle pressure for 20-30 seconds to stem the blood flow and reduce any potential bruising. As the testing continues more capillaries develop in the test zones and it becomes easier to get a blood sample.

Emotionally it is tricky during the early days of testing, but it does get better. Promise. :bighug:


Mogs
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For us we only test Drevons left ear--I have no idea why but for the left ear he doesn't flinch --the right ear:confused::confused:
The more you get comfortable so will your kitty-we test often and now (after a long time) we have it down with no bruising etc...
This is the ear we test anywhere from 3-10 times a day....
dre ear.jpeg
 
Join the club!!
I'm four weeks in and have the jabs down now (after a very rocky start during which I had lots of support and reassurance from the lovely people on here!) but the ear pricking is a disaster ATM!! Xx
 
I wanted to thank everyone for their suggestions :bighug: - we had a much easier time this weekend with the spot glucose testing... the vaseline was super helpful and I felt like I had been let in on a secret knowing where the "sweet spot" was!!! I did have a question about filling in the spreadsheet. I think it would be super helpful to keep track of all of his numbers and share that, but I wasn't totally sure how to fill it out. I may have missed the instructions somewhere but would appreciate any guidance. His readings this weekend were still on the high side; 1st reading (373) 12 hours after last injection from previous day, 2nd reading (310) 6 hours after 1st injection (1 unit), 3rd reading (349) 12 hours after 1st injection right before his 2nd injection of 1 unit. Is it common for their numbers to increase after starting insulin? I am just having a hard time understanding why his numbers have gotten higher since he started insulin. My vet's explanation was that he was further along in the disease than we had originally thought and I am waiting to hear back from her after these latest readings.
 
Thank you!!! I didn't know what Amps & Pmps meant :cat:

His numbers were lower when he was on one unit once a day. He is currently on one unit twice a day and the vet just called and she wants to increase to two units twice a day and then re-evaluate in 7-10days based on his numbers.
 
You might try reducing the dose to 0.5 units every 12 hours if his numbers were better. If you decide to try that, be sure to test for ketones and monitor carefully.

Sometimes too much insulin can look like too little. It's hard to know until you try.

If you decide to raise, I would not raise by a whole unit, but rather by 0.5.
 
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