Ziggy: Taking care of diabetic cat in a new home

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Natalie and Ziggy said:
The shots have been going well until recently, and Ziggy has always been cooperative (he comes running when I take out the syringe and doesn’t seem to mind the shot at all). It’s just that sometimes the skin I gather up for the shot is too loose and the needle just goes through and comes out the other side, rather than going into him. It’s hard to describe.

I’m the kind of person who gets worse at something the more I do it. :nailbiting:
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Natalie , you are doing fantastic ! It’s only been one week ! Practice ( and patience) makes perfect in this Sugar Dance !! Sending prayers and hugs :bighug::bighug::bighug:
 
I tried my best, but it was another fur shot tonight... I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I did everything you said, Kris (& Teasel), and I triple-checked to make sure the needle was in the right spot, but when I checked afterward, the insulin was all over his fur. I don't know why I can't do it any more. It was so easy before.

I'll have to call my dad and ask him to remind me how he did it, because I'm just not getting it. :(

I mean, I could be wrong. The needle went in and didn't come out the other side. It's just that when I felt underneath him afterward, there was a little moisture. His blood sugars have been stable, too.
 
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Please don't be so hard on yourself. When Max was first getting his shots for the first week i had more fur shots then good ones. Calm down take your time. Your trying to hard. It will come together. It's just so hard in the beginning. You can do this. Your a great sugar kitty mom.
 
I'm sorry. I just get frustrated when I really focus on getting something right and it still doesn't work, especially when I've had no trouble with it at all before.

I'll try it again tomorrow morning!

EDIT: I've been doing some reading around. It could be that I'm just pulling the needle out too quickly? Whatever moisture I do feel is just a very small amount.
 
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Natalie and Ziggy said:
I'm sorry. I just get frustrated when I really focus on getting something right and it still doesn't work, especially when I've had no trouble with it at all before.

I'll try it again tomorrow morning!
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Please don't say your sorry. You are trying so hard. I wish I was near you to help. I remember how I felt also. I have faith in you. New day tomorrow.
 
Natalie and Ziggy said:
I'm sorry. I just get frustrated when I really focus on getting something right and it still doesn't work, especially when I've had no trouble with it at all before.

I'll try it again tomorrow morning!

EDIT: I've been doing some reading around. It could be that I'm just pulling the needle out too quickly? Whatever moisture I do feel is just a very small amount.
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You'll get it. Maybe try a few practice shots with a capped syringe - pulling up the tent, feeling for its door, etc. Pay close attention to each step to see where you might be getting muddled or stressed.
 
I think most people here had similar issues in the beginning with furshots. It'll get easier once Ziggy starts to put on weight. My cat Pepper has become much easier to give insulin to now that she has some pudge, but I still get some furshots.

My one vet had suggested shaving a patch of fur off. I'm not sure if anyone here has tried it, but might be worth asking your vet if you're still having trouble by the next appointment.
 
Was just thinking about the fur shave idea . It really helped me ...you are dealing only with pulling up skin and not fur too .
 
Another option is to forget the "tent method" and try the "Wrist roll" method.

It's kind of hard to explain, but you basically just grab some fur between your thumb and forefinger and then "roll" your wrist to gently pull the skin away from the muscle (sounds worse than it is)...where the fur "breaks", just insert the needle (at about a 45 degree angle) and shoot.

Here's a picture that might help explain
China skin roll with circle.png
 
I am so glad to see that you got your kitty home with you. I've only been doing this for two months, but I can assure you, it does get better. And easier after you do it consistently and get the practice. When my kitty gets jumpy before testing time (she knows she will get fed after), I shut the door, make sure I have the good lamps on and let her lay on the bed for a few minutes. Sometimes I pet and comb her (she likes that), and then she chills. I use cotton balls too, which don't absorb all of the blood immediately, so sometimes when I've gotten a drop of blood and Jaxa is twitchy I get it on the cotton or my finger right away and can test from there before she smears it.

Whatever you do, you know your kitty best and I have confidence that you will figure out the best way to do this for him.
 
The shot went well this morning. Looks like I’ll be ready to do a curve today.

Ziggy’s not done eating his breakfast yet, though. Should I remove it so that he’ll have no food two hours prior to the next test, or will he be fine if I leave it there?

Oh wait, that only goes for pre-shot tests. I think I’ve got it now.
 
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Natalie and Ziggy said:
The shot went well this morning. Looks like I’ll be ready to do a curve today.

Ziggy’s not done eating his breakfast yet, though. Should I remove it so that he’ll have no food two hours prior to the next test, or will he be fine if I leave it there?

Oh wait, that only goes for pre-shot tests. I think I’ve got it now.
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We usually say that on a curve day you can let the kitty eat normally so you see how the dose works in your regular routine. I'm glad you got the shot done with no problem today. :)
 
Testing's been going well. Ziggy knows now to stay put while I get his blood, but this last time he seemed a little fed up with getting poked (and he's been spending most of the day under my bed). I must've hit his vein because he got a huge bead of blood on his ear. Right when I was about to get it on the strip, he flicked his ear and sent blood spatter all over the corner of the kitchen. :nailbiting: I cleaned him up and stanched the bleeding. The edges of his ears are covered with black marks from the shots (sometimes I hit the vein by accident, which makes getting the sample very easy, but I don't want to hurt him or cause an infection).

His numbers for that test were very high. It wouldn't surprise me if the stress of that test inflated them a bit. Will keep going!
 
It helps to give a treat/reward after every stick. I found that antiseptic ointment with pain relief helps too. Hang in there, you have come so far already. Very proud of you!
 
Applied a little bit of neosporin to his ear after this last test. He was totally calm and patient throughout the whole process. I'm so glad he's so cooperative with these things! It just takes him a little time. His numbers were much lower than the last test.

He's been lounging around doing nothing all day. No begging for food or anything. That's more like his old self, before his diagnosis, so in a way it's comforting to see that. Then again, he could just be exhausted because I keep waking him up to stab his ears.

I would do full curves more often because I like to see how his sugars rise and fall throughout the day, but it would be way too expensive. I think I'm halfway through my strip bottle and I had a lot of expenses at the beginning of the month. Doing everything I can to make room in my monthly paycheck for Ziggy, because he's worth it :cat:

EDIT: I've retroactively updated Ziggy's spreadsheet with feeding times.
 
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Natalie and Ziggy said:
Applied a little bit of neosporin to his ear after this last test. He was totally calm and patient throughout the whole process. I'm so glad he's so cooperative with these things! It just takes him a little time. His numbers were much lower than the last test.

He's been lounging around doing nothing all day. No begging for food or anything. That's more like his old self, before his diagnosis, so in a way it's comforting to see that. Then again, he could just be exhausted because I keep waking him up to stab his ears.

I would do full curves more often because I like to see how his sugars rise and fall throughout the day, but it would be way too expensive. I think I'm halfway through my strip bottle and I had a lot of expenses at the beginning of the month. Doing everything I can to make room in my monthly paycheck for Ziggy, because he's worth it :cat:
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All sounds good. Rather than even mini curves, when you can, test at different times. Pretty soon you will get an idea of overall how he’s doing. For example, test at +3 and 5 one day and +4 and 6 another ot just a +5. Now you see why we suggest the human meter. I used to buy them on eBay, sometimes multiple bottles on auction for a great price. You just have to watch the expiration date and make sure they are not opened and in the original box. I found For Max a +1 never told me much. I’d do a +2.5.
 
I think this curve indicates that a small dose increase to 2.25 u is in order. Do your best to eyeball it. Making a reference syringe with coloured water drawn up to your best estimate of 2.25 u will help with consistency.
 
Good point. For safety's sake give the 2 u for another couple of days to see what happens. There's other PS data at this dose and those numbers are high. Vetsulin is an in and out insulin so today's numbers do indicate a dose that's a bit low.
 
I do not tent to give the insulin shot. I part Ty's fur on the side of his chest or flank and inject there. Bit like parting the fur when giving a liquid dose of Frontline etc. Ty is not a long haired cat though.

For the B12 shots I do tent as the needle is mighty long. I know what you mean about a shoot through the tent Natalie. My first B12 shot , it went straight through the tent and I gave myself a B12 boost.
 
The curve is done! Ziggy was so patient today, and the two shots went well. For the PM shot, I upped his dose to 2.25 U, and took two more tests 2 and 4 hours after that shot. But now that I think of it, maybe I should've kept on with 2.0 U for the rest of the curve...?

I'll try to integrate a before-bed test into our routine from now on.
 
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