Tip has taken a step back again with testing

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Cindy & Pets

Cindy & Pets

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So Tip has begun giving me troubles again with trying to test her. I'm not sure if it's her, me, or the lancet device that's at fault though, I suspect not her. But until I can get her tested again and a solid strategy, I've been giving her only 1 unit because her numbers have been ranging between 190-215 when I went between 1.5U-2U of Humulin N. I know, I should probably switch, but it really looks like it's working for her, is this where every cat is different comes in to play? Anyways, here's what I've been doing:

1. Find her where she is
2. Dab a little bit of neosporin on the ear I'm going to test, I try to switch back and forth, but she prefers her left ear over her right, so if her right ear isn't behaving right, I'll wipe off the neosporin and then switch to the left after a treat and pets to calm her back down.
3.Hold a very warm empty pill bottle filled with very warm water up to her ear
4. Once I can see the vein, despite being a black cat, it's starting to be easier for me to see it, I'm glad I have good glasses
5. I place the lancet device, loaded, on her ear, though I don't push as I'm afraid of pushing it down too hard and it hurting her more than it might.

And this is where I start having problems. I'm not sure what is going on here, but there's no blood, even if I milk the ear for as long as a few minutes. Is it that I'm still missing the vein even though I try to assure it's very close? Since she's a very difficult bleeder even with the ear warmed? Or is it the size of the bottle? It's very big round-wise, and shorter, not like the average pill bottle. She's also yet to take any treats I offer her right after I attempt to get her bG, success or not. As I want this to be a pleasant experience, but so far it has been very stressful to the both of us. I guess it doesn't help that it is getting very close to finals week for my college, so I'm naturally stressed out.

Is there something else I can try as a strategy?

EDIT: I tried again tonight, and this time she was on my bed, so I just tested her where she was at, and she did perfect. Does this mean I have to wait until she's relaxing on my bed? As that might not be possible....
 
5. I place the lancet device, loaded, on her ear, though I don't push as I'm afraid of pushing it down too hard and it hurting her more than it might.
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I think this is your problem. I am not sure what lancing device you are using, but the Bayer microlet one I use has an adjustable depth setting on the cap. I set it between the 1st and 2nd depth setting and I have to press firmly on the back of Scooter's ear while poking. Any higher of a depth and it will pierce his ear and hit my finger, but if I don't apply pressure, the ear just deflects the lancet. If you are afraid of the lancet hitting your finger, you can use a folded up paper towel or something behind her ear.
 
Ry & Scooter said:
5. I place the lancet device, loaded, on her ear, though I don't push as I'm afraid of pushing it down too hard and it hurting her more than it might.
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I think this is your problem. I am not sure what lancing device you are using, but the Bayer microlet one I use has an adjustable depth setting on the cap. I set it between the 1st and 2nd depth setting and I have to press firmly on the back of Scooter's ear while poking. Any higher of a depth and it will pierce his ear and hit my finger, but if I don't apply pressure, the ear just deflects the lancet. If you are afraid of the lancet hitting your finger, you can use a folded up paper towel or something behind her ear.
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Sorry, I should have specified, I'm using the device that comes with the Relion Ultima. I believe it's 30 gauge, ultra-thin lancets.
When I tried the smaller depth settings, it didn't even seem to come close to piercing the skin, even trying on myself. Which I'm thankfully no longer afraid of due to all the times I accidentally poked myself trying to get her ear, but completely missing. I'll still try the smaller depth settings tomorrow morning though to see if that helps. I'm also going to try to find something she might like better as a treat to help make it better as well, maybe different treats or something.
 
I use the Relion lancet pen but hate the Relion lancets, even after nearly two years of testing diabetic cats I can't get those stupid lancets to work. So what I do is use the Relion Lancet pen but I use Bayer lancets in it and I get blood everytime, if I switch up and use the Relion lancets it takes me 3-4 pokes to get a drop of blood. I don't think the lancets are long enough for the device. I also use the clear cap on the pen it doesn't allow me to set a depth but I have never gone through Musette's or Maxwell's ears with it and it does give me a better idea of exactly where I'm aiming the poke.

You also aren't aiming for the vein, you are aiming between the vein and the edge of the ear any further in and it hurts more plus if you hit the vein you will know it, it will bleed buckets. You also want to firmly back the ear with something I just use Musette's rice sock since I no longer use it from warming her ears, since her ears pretty much bleed on command now.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Bigger lancets and firm pressing may help you. The Bayer Microlet lancets are 25g and they are great for ear pokes. :smile:
 
I can look in to getting the bayer microlets. I think I might have some from when I had a bayer contour that just kind of died on me. No matter the strip it tossed weird errors, but I'm pretty sure I didn't used all the lancets. So should I just keep the Relion lancets for emergency use? Or what am I going to do with the rest of them since I bought it not that long ago? I think I'll try using the clear cap that came with it then go on a hunt for the leftover bayer microlet's if that doesn't work.
 
With black ears, get a hand held or in this case teeth held flashlight - and use it as a spotlight - It helped me to see what I was doing when testing Maui, so much so, that I could have the lights off and just use the flashlight and I could see.

Also, have you ever tried free handing the poking and not using the device? I found those devices too much trouble and for me it was just easier to take control and hold the lancet and poke her. When free handing, hold the lancet at a 45 degree upward angle, like this:

101_0669.jpg


and put something behind the ear, other than your finger, so if you pierce and not poke you don't poke yourself.
 
I do have a flashlight for those times when it's really hard to see. Should I use it at all times?
Yes, I have tried free-handing it and it just made her struggle more causing me ot poke her harder than needed, hurting her. I've also tried using it with the device cap off as it helped stabilize my shaky hands a bit more.

I've mostly been using the pill bottle full of very warm water as my backing as it's a solid object and I figure it's as good as something softer, like cotton or a folded paper towel. And even if I don't get blood, just in case, I put pressure on the spot to prevent any possible bruising. That's what I'm supposed to do, right?
 
Sayania: The way I test my wiggle-butt, Pumbaa, is sit at the kitchen table/cat feeding table, with Pumbaa on my lap facing the table, and some canned sardines (packed in water, no salt) right in front of his face. He's so busy chowing down on the sardines he doesn't even pay attention to me poking his ear! And he's not even a lap cat!

The canned sardines I get at the grocery store (Beach Cliff brand). And he only gets enough to keep him occupied during the testing...like about the size of the top joint of my little finger.

Also, I've free-handed the lancet from the beginning because I didn't want the noise to become a negative factor in the testing. I also feel like I have more control just using the lancet. I use a folded-over cotton square behind the ear, to protect me from pricks and to make sure that the ear is firm for the poke.

Hope any of this helps you with Tip!
 
Boo, for whatever weird reason, loves chewing on transparent tape. So I took apart the plastic tape casing, removed the pointy metal 'lip' that cuts the tape, and put it back together. I let him sniff and chew on it while I'm poking his ear, lol. (I also use a roll of bandage tape over my finger behind the ear; that helps me get a firmer poke and takes up any excess blood from the rear side of the ear.)
 
Heh, alright, those are some good ideas, I'll find something that she can't resist then(unfortunately I don't think sardines will work, she turns her nose up at every cat food I give her that has fish in it). But all of these are great ideas, thanks everyone. I'll try each idea. One of them is bound to work for her.

I'm also really hoping things will get easier once finals stress is over because then I won't accidentally transfer that stress to her, making her even more wiggly. I have a feeling that might be a part of it.
 
Sayania: If Tip doesn't like fish, try some of the Stella & Chewy's freeze dried raw foods. They are way too pricey to feed as regular food, but my cats love them, crumbled up and mixed with water, for a treat. Also very high in protein and low in carbs. You could put one on a saucer, crumbled, add some water, and keep Tip occupied during the testing.

And you're right..when I'm not stressing about the testing, Pumbaa isn't either. :)
 
Also, if you can do a half-decent 'fake purr' sound, this is also a great time to put it to work; cats tend to relax instinctively when they hear purring. Boo's dad uses this method, to pretty good effect.
 
@ Vidya: Really? I never knew that at all, I guess it's more reason to practice my cat imitation to entertain my younger siblings. :lol:

@ Suze?(Pumbaa?):
I found one about half an hour away, and I don't really want to make the trip when I don't have the money to pick them up. I think the chicken would be lovely, whenever I give her the friskies chicken canned food(usually switch between pate and filet depending on how much of which the pet store I go to has in stock) she goes crazy. But about how much are they? Or does that vary from place to place?
 
okay I'm going to out myself as the crazy cat lady....I sing to Musette when it is testing time...I made up a song that is just for when we test, mostly because in the beginning she hated the sound of the lancet pen...So it goes like this..."She's my sugar pie, honey bunch, cotton candy kitty cat, who is going to give me a pretty green number to post on her wall." :lol: :lol: But I found that she likes the sound of my voice ...Lord knows why since I can't carry a tune in a paper bag, but it also in the beginning helped to keep me upbeat so she stayed happy because I sounded happy.

Musette was not a very nice girl when I first adopted her and there were many times in those early days I was very grateful that she was already declawed in the front or I would have needed a blood tranfusion. She would growl, bite and try to take my hand off. But if I sounded happy and relaxed she became happy and relaxed...now she comes looking for me if I'm running late on a test time. She also comes running the moment I start into her song.

If she likes chicken....How about just getting some chicken and boiling it up for her, then you can dice it up and give her a few tiny bites as a testing treat.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
I've noticed too that if I sound happy, and if I smile, and come to Tip kind of a happy calm, she doesn't struggle as much, but doesn't struggle at all when she's on my bed. That one I can't figure out why.

Err, sorry if this is kind of silly...but is there a specific process to boiling up the chicken? As I've never had chicken due to a food allergy to poultry(weird just like my kitties. XD I think I raised them well).
 
Sayania said:
@ Suze?(Pumbaa?):
I found one about half an hour away, and I don't really want to make the trip when I don't have the money to pick them up. I think the chicken would be lovely, whenever I give her the friskies chicken canned food(usually switch between pate and filet depending on how much of which the pet store I go to has in stock) she goes crazy. But about how much are they? Or does that vary from place to place?
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I'm Suze...Pumbaa is the cat. :)

If I remember correctly, a bag of the freeze dried Stella & Chewy's was about $22. Like I said, way too pricey for regular food. I think tins of Beluga caviar would be cheaper! :lol:

You will think of some high-protein, low-carb, affordable treat that Tip won't be able to resist during test times, which will reduce stress for both of you. I cook chicken (countertop convection oven) for my drooler and myself, regularly, and the cats love this as a treat, too! You just can't spice it up like you would for yourself. Boiling chicken is fine, but it loses so many nutrients that way, I have stopped boiling chicken for my pets. One slice of roast beef from the deli might last you days, if that is what Tip would consider a high-quality treat during test time, and distract her from the testing.

While Mel might be able to calm Musette down with her singing, I think that my singing would drive all of my animals to hide in the furthest reaches of the house, and hijack my computer to post on Craig's List, looking for new owners. haha_smiley
 
My only question with that is will she start wanting more and more 'human' food? As when she wants something, she lets the world know in the most annoying way possible. And if that's the case, I really don't want to stir that up in her. That's my only concern with giving her those kinds of food, even if just as a treat.

Oh dear, that IS expensive. Hopefully I will, as I know the current treats I have for them are definitely not low-carb, so it's probably a good thing that she refuses them now. Used to love them though. I'll shop around for something. OH! Thought! Today while I was picking up some more pet food, I saw these Friskies Gravy bag food. I'll have to look in to those, as Tip seems to have always been a Purina/Friskies type of cat when it comes to food and treats. So hopefully those would be a hit as treats if they're low-carb and high-protein that is.

:lol: I'm sure your singing isn't that bad.
 
Human food isn't bad as treats if it's low sodium and doesn't contain carbs/garlic/etc. And if Tip only gets this "treat" during testing times, she will associate this high-value food item as a positive thing that is only given during testing times, and she will, hopefully, learn to look forward to testing times. Bribery works in my house! *LOL*

Oh yes, my singing is that bad. *LOL*
 
Yes, I'm just concerned if she'll drive the house nuts because once she gets a taste for something she likes, and if she doesn't get it right when she wants it, she's much like a siren. So I'm afraid she'll be like that if she loves human food enough to do that. And do you have a link to Janet & Binky's food list? I can't seem to find it. I want to check on the....the....friskies gravy sensations. It looks like something she'd like, and if it'd fit as a good treat, it isn't that expensive, it was about $7 for 24 3oz packs.
 
Gravy is a no-no for a diabetic as it will contain starch to make the gravy which is pure carbs. And oh do I know about siren cats as I am owned by 3 siamese.

Here is the link to Binky's List http://binkyspage.tripod.com/canfood.html
You need to stay under 10% (third column) carbs and most of us have found that below 7% works the best for a diabetic.
Here is also a link to low carb commercial treats that are okay for a diabetic http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9172

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Ah, alright, that's what I wasn't sure of. I'm glad you can relate, how do you stay sane with that many?

Alright, thanks so much. I've got them bookmarked so I can look at them tomorrow morning as it's shortly after midnight for me and hopefully there'll be something on one of those two lists that she likes.
 
for the testing I simply put my cat on a homemade cat tree which is basically a stairway leading to a table covered with carpet. That "table" is just the right height (I noticed at the vet, that the exam table is the exact same height). So I see the top of her head, but I dont have to lean over her to do the testing.

Here's the little routine (in case it might help) :
Once I have all the material needed (and I mean ALL material : lancet, glucometer with a strip inside, but not completely inserted so I can just press it in when it's the right time, treats, a little sterile gauze, sock full of hot rice, one slightly moist cotton wool that I place behind her ear to press the lancet on)... all that kit is ready in a plate next to my cat! Then let her lay her down on the table, talk to her and pet her. Once she is purring, I use the sock to warm her ear and keep on talking to her, petting ect, then press the strip in the glucometer, remove the sock, place the cotton wool behind her hear, apply good pressure with the lancet, prick and test, then hold her ear with the sterile gauze a little bit to stop the bleeding. I swear she thinks i'm petting her ear the whole time cuz she asks for more if I leave right after!
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The whole thread from where that post comes from is about home testing:
viewtopic.php?f=28&t=67693#p736376
 
Sayania said:
how do you stay sane with that many?
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Who ever said I was sane... :lol: There are days like this morning that I swear my house is like living in a daycare for 2 year olds.. :lol: Someone screaming because they aren't getting what they want quickly enough, someone else picking on someone, and a couple others fighting over a favorite toy. :roll: But then they all pile on my lap and purr and it is all worth it.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Thanks for the link to the topic. It's brought up a question, as it seems I've got the problem solved, I found and tried the bayer microlets and they worked first try, she didn't move or anything. I was so proud. :) She was loving the attention I gave her after. Anyways, the question is, should I test pre food? Or after food? I've been testing after food as that's when she's calmest.

@MommaofMuse(Mel?):
:lol: Thankfully my all(one is an outdoor cat, strong as an ox, I swear!) but Tip are way too lazy to complain about anything unless they REALLY want something.
 
You want to test prefood because food will naturally raise BGs which is why a lot of us put their treats in front of their faces while we test so they aren't insistant about getting to food.

Glad the Bayer microlets worked well for you, yeah I hate those Relion lancets the last box of those I bought I keep for emergencies and keep defaulting back to the Bayer lancets, they seem longer and sharper. I love the device because it is fairly quiet but the lancets are a nightmare.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
Okay, I'll try to start testing before food. And....slightly unrelated, but is there an easy way to switch Tip's non-diabetic sister over to canned food? She's overweight, and I really don't want to risk her becoming diabetic as well. She absolutely refuses to touch the stuff no matter what I try to make it appealing to her.

I'm glad to. It took 2 tries this morning, but that's because I didn't realize I didn't push the strip in to the meter far enough for the meter to recognize it until after I had it suck up the blood, whoops! 2nd try worked well, but I think I accidentally hit the vein a little because she bled a bit more than needed, so I'll need to work some on my aiming. I don't think I'll be buying the relion lancets again.
 
With here you can try transitioning slowly...start out with a mixture of 75% dry to 25% canned and then slowly increase the wet while decreasing the dry.

Some of them it just takes a lot of convincing that the wet food is really food...I got lucky my bunch thought they hit paydirt when we adopted Maxwell and went over to all canned.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
I can really mix the two together? I'm willing to try that, especially since it'd give me a chance to slowly get rid of the rest of the dry and be done with it. She's the only one left. :)

I was surprised how well Tip took to the canned stuff. I set a bowl of it down and she went straight towards that even though she had been on dry for her whole life(she's currently 11)!
 
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