Vet did BG curve today...

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DustBunnyMomma

DustBunnyMomma

Member Since 2016
My vet did her bg curve today and they said Dust Bunny was in the mid 200s and they dont recommend increasing her insulin. Im concerned my vet may not know what shes talking about.... everything that I have read says cats BG should be in the 60s and even when I tested my normal kitties i was in the 60s. Isnt mid 200s still high?
 
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What time do you usually shoot?....If you shoot now, is 6:30am a good time for you in the morning and can you continue to shoot at 6:30/6:30?
 
No....as long as you understand what numbers you want to be getting, it doesn't matter if you're using a human or pet meter. Kind of like if you understand the numbers on a thermometer, it doesn't matter if it's in fahrenheit or celcius

What WOULD help is for you to start using our spreadsheet program so we can see what kind of results you've been getting over time. It's a very valuable tool that we all really depend on

Here are Instructions on getting the FDMB spreadsheet...If you have any problems with it, just let us know!
 
WOOT!! I got it working. I will post her first one this evening when I do her PMPS. Any tips on what to do if something like this morning happens again though? I don't like missing a shot like that. She just would not come out and I can not be late for opening the store or I will get fired. I even tried opening a new can of food for her and she still would not come out. She really hates being woken up sometimes.
 
Other than starting earlier to find her so you have plenty of time, I'm not sure there's much you can do....I've never had that problem since shot time is also feeding time and China does NOT want to miss that!!

if under the couch is a favorite hiding place for her, I'd be blocking access to it any way I had to. It could be a lot worse ....for example if you DID give insulin and she went under the couch and went too low
 
That was a fear of mine too. Especially since that is right where she went when we got back from the vet. But I can see her when she is under there and if need be I can pick the couch up (its pretty light). She doesn't mind being tested or getting her shot but she hates early mornings lol
 
I agree lol. I hate mornings but I need to start doing more of them. Juggling my 50+ hr a week job and my kid was hard enough, so now with Dust Bunnys diabetes in the mix I have no down time!
 
DustBunnyMomma said:
What do you do with your kitties if you have to go out of town for the weekend?
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Most of us just take them with us....cats can really do better than we think they will on trips!!

But if you absolutely can't do that and you don't want your family to do it, your choices are more limited....You can board at a vet, but if they're not there 24/7, there won't be anybody to watch overnight....and vets are pretty bad about keeping the schedules and feeding routines that we want our cats to be on.

Another option is to hire someone to come to your home twice a day to give insulin and train them on how to test before shooting. There are lots of pet-sitting services out there...just do a Google search for "petsitters in (where you live)".....or maybe there's a vet tech at your vet that would be willing to come by?

No matter what, we usually suggest reducing the dose while we're away if we're not taking them with us. We don't know if they'll eat the same as when we're home, and it's better that they run a little higher for a few days than to run too low for a moment
 
I will be going away soon (for 4 days) and I just purchased the pet safe 5 autofeeder and my cat sitter is a godsend and she will be coming to my house 2 times a day to give spike his shots for the 4 days that I am away. Spike eats a little bit all during the day and so I am hoping the autofeeder works (I just got it and haven't started using it yet). My cat sitter has a diabetic cat at home whom she gives shots to, and she is a professional pet sitter (it's her full time job), so she has given lots of pets their medicine and insulin over the years. Thankfully, I really trust her. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have her to rely on.

I think you can find petsitters who are able to give medicine, meet with them and see if you get a good trusting vibe and also see if they can give you some of their client's phone numbers, as a work reference, so you can call them and ask about the petsitter you are considering.
Good luck.
 
@spike_kitty - Make sure that your pet sitter knows how to properly seat the feeder tray into the Petsafe 5 feeder. If it's not seated correctly it won't dispense the meals properly.

(Don't ask how I know this. :oops:)


Mogs
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I have this same fear as well. Although we just came back from a trip home to Canada before we started Carter on insulin.

I have a professional pet sitter that can do diabetic injections but I haven't yet asked about doing BG tests. Pet sitters are limited around here, it's a small town. Although I don't see myself going on any vacations any time soon lol probably the only one will be when we move back to Canada!
 
i guess I can look into a pet sitter. My landlord is really psycho about people knowing our address (she lives upstairs). She thinks people are tracking her and all up in her business... Trying to move asap:rolleyes:
 
If we can't bring Snick with us we make sure to be home for shot time. Our family lives about 2 hrs away. As for camping, we purchased a small tent trailer with hook-ups and a generator. We have only been camping once with her last summer but it went very well! In the event we need to go far away we are thinking about training my sil to give shots. We will have to barracade half the house so Snick can't hide, but oh well...lol
 
Im going to start searching for a sitter tuesday when im off work and hopefully i can find one and have him/her over a few times before hand since dust bunny is super super shy around new people. She even freaked when my bf watched me test her... so picky about her people.
 
Critter Mom said:
@spike_kitty - Make sure that your pet sitter knows how to properly seat the feeder tray into the Petsafe 5 feeder. If it's not seated correctly it won't dispense the meals properly.

(Don't ask how I know this. :oops:)


Mogs
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how do you know if it's seated correctly? I just pressed the manual feed button and it moved just fine, but that is with the top open, so I hope it works???? I am using it for the first time tonight, I hope it moves and doesn't get stuck??? have you had many problems with it not seated correctly? I'm worried that spike won't get his 2 night time feedings b/c it won't move correctly or isn't seated correctly. I'll be out of the house for about 8 hours. I will of course feed him just before I leave the house.

Also, I noticed it's not the best engineering b/c the space for the ice pack will only cover one feeding section at a time. I know other's on this post said to freeze food ahead of time and let it thaw, so I will try that next time.
thanks,
 
@spike_kitty -

Yep. Seat the tray till you feel it sit in properly then press the button to make sure it rotates the compartments to the feeding position correctly, then close the lid. I agree with you about the design shortcomings re the ice pack.


Mogs
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DustBunnyMomma said:
My vet did her bg curve today and they said Dust Bunny was in the mid 200s and they dont recommend increasing her insulin. Im concerned my vet may not know what shes talking about.... everything that I have read says cats BG should be in the 60s and even when I tested my normal kitties i was in the 60s. Isnt mid 200s still high?
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It's better to start a new thread if you have a new question if your original is more than a few days old

You're right...We like our cats to be between 50-120 on a human meter. Most vets suggest higher numbers for safety reasons, but if you home test, it's safe to get them into those better numbers which increase the chances of your cat going into remission

Are you home testing??

Without seeing a spreadsheet and knowing how Dust Bunny is doing, we really can't help much, but one thing that's very important to remember is that when our cats are tested at the vets, they're under a lot of stress which makes their blood glucose numbers go higher than they'd be at home when they're relaxed
 
Chris & China said:
It's better to start a new thread if you have a new question if your original is more than a few days old

You're right...We like our cats to be between 50-120 on a human meter. Most vets suggest higher numbers for safety reasons, but if you home test, it's safe to get them into those better numbers which increase the chances of your cat going into remission

Are you home testing??

Without seeing a spreadsheet and knowing how Dust Bunny is doing, we really can't help much, but one thing that's very important to remember is that when our cats are tested at the vets, they're under a lot of stress which makes their blood glucose numbers go higher than they'd be at home when they're relaxed
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I am... her SS is in my signature.
 
Can you start getting some tests in at other times instead of only Pre-shot tests? We need to know how Dust Bunny is responding and the only way to do that is to get tests in at other times

If at all possible, a mid-cycle test (between +5 and +7) on the AM cycle and always a "before bed" test at night will help. Most cats go lower at night too, so getting a test before bed is for safety (in case you need to set an alarm to get up later)

We've seen cats that went from 400 to 40 and back to 400 in one cycle....without getting some tests in mid-cycle, it might look like they needed an increase in dose, when in fact, they needed a decrease!

It'd also be great if you could go ahead and fill out some more information for your signature, like Your name/cats name, age, sex, date of diagnosis, type of insulin, type of meter, type of food, any other health problems? and maybe a general idea of where you live if you like. That way we don't have to keep asking the same questions over and over again or scroll back through multiple posts to find out the information we need to know.
 
Chris & China said:
Can you start getting some tests in at other times instead of only Pre-shot tests?
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I unfortunately cant get good mid cycle tests because of work. I leave for work right after her AM and tonight I didn't get home until 8 (I do her shots at 9). I am off this Friday and Saturday so I should be able to get some mid cycles then. I have just switched her to friskys canned food. I got the pate verity pack from sams club. I was looking over your spreadsheet and Im pretty sure I need to be a better note taker lol.


I fixed my signature. Let me know if it needs anymore improvements. Also, its awesome that you're from Missouri too.
 
Signature looks good...thanks!

It's great that you have a couple days off soon....It'll help since you can't get mid-cycles most days for you to go ahead and do a curve on the days you can. Testing every 2 hours for 12 hours or every 3 hours for 18 hours, but it also makes it even more important that you get at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle

Since most cats do go lower at night, it's just really a good idea to grab that test before calling it a night so IF she happens to be dropping quickly, you can set an alarm to get another test in later. We do want to keep her safe!

I love her name by the way..So cute!!

Looks like we're not all that far from each other! I live in Versailles, and come to Columbia about once a month to go to the pain clinic at Boone Hospital.
 
Chris & China said:
Signature looks good...thanks!

It's great that you have a couple days off soon....It'll help since you can't get mid-cycles most days for you to go ahead and do a curve on the days you can. Testing every 2 hours for 12 hours or every 3 hours for 18 hours, but it also makes it even more important that you get at least a "before bed" test on the PM cycle

Since most cats do go lower at night, it's just really a good idea to grab that test before calling it a night so IF she happens to be dropping quickly, you can set an alarm to get another test in later. We do want to keep her safe!

I love her name by the way..So cute!!

Looks like we're not all that far from each other! I live in Versailles, and come to Columbia about once a month to go to the pain clinic at Boone Hospital.
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I will try to get more tests between when I get home and when I go to bed. I got off a bit early today but had to run errands (for work) and ofc when I went to another store I was asked to work again tonight... ugh. Basically doing an open to close with only about a 2 hr break so there probably won't be a PMPS tonight since the BF will be doing her shot.

I think I am going to do the 3 hrs for 18 hrs on friday since she is still getting used to me poking her ear. Also, is it normal for one side to not be good for testing? On her right ear I almost never can get enough blood for a test.

Maybe next time you're in town we can do lunch or something. I would LOVE to have someone in RL that I can talk about this stuff with that actually knows what they are talking about.
 
DustBunnyMomma said:
is it normal for one side to not be good for testing? On her right ear I almost never can get enough blood for a test.
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Absolutely normal.....China's left ear is her bleeder....I'd have better luck getting blood from a turnip than her right ear. A lot of cats are "one-earred" like that

DustBunnyMomma said:
Maybe next time you're in town we can do lunch or something. I would LOVE to have someone in RL that I can talk about this stuff with that actually knows what they are talking about.
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Sounds like fun!!
 
Chris & China said:
Absolutely normal.....China's left ear is her bleeder....I'd have better luck getting blood from a turnip than her right ear. A lot of cats are "one-earred" like that
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good to know! Im always worried about my Lucky and Dust Bunny since they are my rescues. I told Dust Bunny on her diagnosis day that she just had to out do Lucky in expenses. (Lucky is an amputee that I found with a severe infection).
 
So tonight I barely poked the edge of her left ear and she bled alot more than normal.... It was in the right spot but it was way more than normal. I looked with a light and it doesnt seem to be bruising or anything. Has me a bit worried tho.
 
It can depend a lot on where the little capillaries are and how often you've poked in the same place

As you poke more and more, new capillaries grow in and make it easier to get blood. I think I could just look at China's ear hard and it'd bleed at this point
 
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