tiny bit hypo??

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kristen & man

kristen & man

Member Since 2012
My cat, Man, is a 17 lb, 11 year old mainecoon. Im worried that he might be having a tiny bit of a hypo, and i dont know if its worth some corn syrup..Im in the middle of doing his first curve and the syrup might not even be necessary and we are NOT liking the ear prick every 2 hours. Man got diagnosed 2 weeks ago. We started lantus, at 2 units 2x a day, 8 days ago. I admit that I just couldnt get the blood testing situation down and have been relying on observation. today is his doing his first curve, and so far the numbers have been:
AMPS 110
1 unit
+3 78
+5 76
When I did this last test, he was sleeping on the couch and when I woke him he looked at me as though he was just sleepy, but his head was kind of twitching..I was hoping it was just him being traumatized by the needle pricks and subconsciously trying to avoid it? I gave him snacks after the test, which he ate like normal, than he jumped off the couch and went and ate some food from his bowl before coming back to the living room and laying down again. his head seems to have stopped twitching, and now he's sleeping on the floor peacefully..

Im using a Contour Next EZ glucose monitor. When I was at the vet I had them do a GC test with their alphatrak and it was 30mg higher than my results.

Should I leave him be for now and see how his BG is in 2 more hours, or one hour, or do I put syrup in his mouth just in case?

This site has been immensely helpful for me! THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR COMPASSION AND KNOWLEDGE! Your support here for us newbies is so wonderful!!
 
76 isn't a hypo, that's usually under 40. I would keep watching him though, not sure what the twitching was, was he flicking his ears after the prick?. I will see if I can get some experts to have a look.
 
Wendy is right that 76 is a safe number and he's just been nice and flat for two hours. He's coming up on his mid cycle. I wouldn't give him any syrup. If you want to feed him a couple tsps of low carb food and test him in one hour, that would be fine.

Sometimes they twitch their ears in response to the poking. I'd look for more obvious signs of hypos like glazed look, staggering, breathing rate increased, they can become more agitated, ravenous etc. here is some info on Hypos.

Let us know how he's doing when you retest or before then if he's acting odd.
 
In the past 2 days I got quite concerned after staying up all night reading about lantus and its delayed onset, and it made me weary of using more than 1 unit x2 a day. So I skipped his shot yesterday morning because i was worried he wouldnt have enough food to counter the initial onset of the lantus while i was at work. i gave him 1 unit last night. his pmps was 87mg, and now in retrospect, I dont think I should have given him that shot. Honestly, Im just trying to learn fast enough to avoid a hypo! When he got diagnosed, I switched him from C/D dry food to Merrick cowboy cookout canned food. He started the lantus and the diet change practically at the same time. I know the 2 changes can have a drastic effect on his glucose so I think im not going to give him more than one unit at a time and ONLY after I do a PS test. The testing is something Im just starting now because its been really hard to get the blood sample, but I just cant continue dosing him blindfolded.
 
Good for you for testing! That shouldn't be a hypo unless its a bad test. That happens with not enough blood or a bad strip, which is not common. The alphatrak is 30 points higher than a human meter and a waste of money (we used one for a long time :roll: ). On a human meter, normal cat blood glucose is 50 to 120 and the cat is usually ok even down to 40.
Liz
 
He wasnt twitching his ears, it was more like his neck was twitching his head, and his stare seemed dreamy...I will keep my eye on him and will post results after his next test. Thank you so much for your quick replies!
 
I think it's fantastic you are measuring, ESP since the switch to canned, it's critical.

You may well be seeing the effects of the switch to canned food already. And a good idea to switch to one unit especially with these numbers. You have seven hours till PMPS right? Maybe pop over to the tight regulation forum and read the sticky on shooting and handling low numbers. His theoretical nadir (low point) is in an hour so I would measure at +6 but also +8 because t does vary.

Hopefully he will get used to the testing but it always helps to give a low carb (freeze dried chicken is good) treat after. I usually wait till my boys are calm and sleepy if I can.
 
Just tested him for his +6 and it was 74. I think he's ok, hopefully his +8 will be good too. I had one other concern. Whenever I pet his head/neck from his ears and down, he has become sensitive to the touch, in that he'll go to scratch(kind of like when you pet a dogs sweet pot and he starts air scratching). I was wondering if its an injection site situation? I honestly give him his insulin wherever i can grab some skin, usually on his ribs or scruff area. Im trying not to be a HYPOchondriac, but this is some daunting stuff! Thanks again for your kind words and support!
 
Poor man...his ears are lined with little red spots..he just wont stay still long enough for me to put pressure after i get my blood sample.. Its getting easier every time though!
 
Have you tried putting neosporin w/ pain relief on his ears after the pokes? That can help.

Carl
 
Sounds like he doesn't like the feeling of the shots. I rotate the injection site around the cats body, the sides top left, bottom left, top right and bottom right. Some people let the syringe sit out of the fridge with the insulin in it for a few minutes to warm up before giving the injection which might help.

If you warm his ears up a bit (massage or warm washcloth or something), you will find it easier to get blood. Also try some neosporin on the wound after you have taken blood to aid healing. I also shine a small flashlight through the ear to see the sweet spot and veins etc.
 
Oh thank you:) He's my main man! I have been putting neosporin on his ears and using a rice sock! I think the neosporin is super helpful for the blood beading up, the rice sock has helped too, but we dont like the smell of the rice(I think i got the wrong kind because the rice actually cooked itself and burned a hole through the sock(it's a thin sock) after six 30 second rounds in the microwave) It's a learning process! Im just so glad to have all of your experiences to learn from, early in the game.
 
Yeah i was never sure if the rice was supposed to be raw or cooked ;) . maybe the warm washcloth would work better?

We could help more if you come over to the tight regulation forum, but that's your decision. That way we can watch his BG levels on a daily basis and advise if necessary. You would need to set up a spreadsheet and post daily (or we worry!) as well as test at least three times a day (pre shot and nadir) but that's up to you.
 
A friend made us a flax seed bag. That smells a little better. Be sure to give a treat after every test, that will help Man's attitude. I also pet Zener a lot and blow on his ear to warm it up. He likes the petting and tolerates the gentle blowing.
Liz
 
kristen & man said:
(I think i got the wrong kind because the rice actually cooked itself and burned a hole through the sock(it's a thin sock) after six 30 second rounds in the microwave) It's a learning process!
Click to expand...

Hi Kristen - I'm sorry and I hope you don't feel bad, but I had to laugh when you said this! We use uncooked, regular, rice (not the 1-minute kind) in a sock, and it's an old sock so the material is rather thin. I've been using the same sock for about 5 months now. I like Liz's flax seed bag.. I didn't think of using something that smelled nice!

Good luck and welcome!
Lisa & Leo
 
Or try a little less tim, start w/15 seconds. #0 and the rice was always too hot w/ our microwave too. Also i put a second sock over the first. you can just take tat one off to wash it.
 
Ann & Tess said:
Or try a little less tim, start w/15 seconds. #0 and the rice was always too hot w/ our microwave too. Also i put a second sock over the first. you can just take tat one off to wash it.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh, good idea Ann! I was thinking the sock was well past needing a wash, and I didn't think of that! Yeah, I only put mine in for about 10-15 seconds, but it depends on the amount of rice in the sock, maybe, and also the strength of the microwave. I put it on my cheek to feel how warm it is before I use it.
 
Yeah, I should have realized that a steaming sock, is a cooking sock :lol: I dont think putting anything near his head after our recent curve experience is going to be very welcomed..I hope I didnt traumatize him too bad, but it took quite a few ear pricks to get a solid sample without him flicking his ear, not getting enough of a blood drop or the monitor giving me an error code. I got 5 tests that day, then i just felt like it would be inhumane to try and get anymore blood from my little turnip.. cat(2)_steam
I think the blowing on his ear to heat it up is the next technique ill try. Im giving him a day off from the testing, his sweet spots on both ears are covered in tiny prick bruises and they seem to be itchy. Im hoping more neosporin will help him. Thanks for all of your idea's and supportive words. The fmdb is such an invaluable resource!
 
Also, what sized lancets are you using? You should start out with 26-28 gauge lancets until the ears learn to bleed. If you are using the finer gauges for humans, they will go right through the ear. I have also learned to look for the bezel'd side of the lancet (thanks Marje!) and try to poke that in at a 45 degree angle which seems to work better for me. It does get easier, believe it or not! You're doing great!!

Happy New Year!!
 
Kristen,
I feel for you, I knew here to but these folks are so very nice. Let me tell you the drama I've had with my Emmy. You know how sometimes you can pet a cat's ears, I always like to they are so soft, well this cat NEVER liked her ears touch not even when she was little....she hates it. It was so hard to get a reading at first, I've learned some tricks that have worked for me.

First, when your starting off....try to only get a reading when your cat is sleepy, like he's napping, don't try when they are in play mode, it didn't fair well for me, it was like I flipped the attack switch.

Second, my cat was always too concerned with the smell of the heated rice sock and would let me put it on her so, I got myself and empty child proof advil or vitamin bottle and I fill that with hot water from tap, not too hot. It works well b/c it's cylindrical her ear fits around it naturally.

Third, I have two lancers, when I know I need a reading now and her ears are cold, and she's already irritated with me(curve days,) I use the thicker one, I get in and get out. When her ears are warm I use the really thin one.

It WILL get easier, I promise, you may not think it will, but it does. Cats are great at adapting to there environment. Treat him every time you check his sugar, and when he sits all nice and doesn't fight you, go crazy with praise, cats are so smart they will do what works for them. Eventually he'll understand what you want him to do. My cat and it hasn't been that long actually waits for the second beep on the meter now as I hold her ear to apply pressure to it, lol she knows after the second beep she gets a treat.

So Hang in there, it will get easier.
 
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