Newbie needs Help

Diamond was diagnosed Wednesday. His BG was 489. He was extremely freaked out at the vet. So maybe his level was off a bit because of stress?? On Friday we did the urinalysis for confirmation. It was 250-500, Which seems like a huge range to me. I'm picking his lantus up on Monday. One unit twice a day. I bought a glucose meter and figured how to set it up last night. I'm stressing out!
Should I start testing him now? Or wait? How often should I test? What do the numbers mean? I'm trying to find the answers myself. There is so much info on this site (which is awesome) I'm having a hard time finding what I need at the moment to ease my mind.
I should mention I took all my cats off of dry food and making sure Diamond is getting low carb or no carb. I'll start with this batch of questions. Thanks

 

Hi and welcome! Deep breaths...this is all super overwhelming at first, but I promise it gets better! You'll be surprised how quickly this all becomes as routine as brushing your teeth. And there are lots of wonderful people who are here to help you at all hours. You are not alone in this!

In short, normal BG is between 50-120 on a human meter. Anything higher than that is too high. Anything lower than that is too low.

I would definitely start testing now. Just once or twice a day to start to get you and Diamond into the routine of it. Once you start insulin, you'll need to test before each shot, and when you can, you'll get tests here and there during the cycle. A cycle is the 12 hours between each shot.

Just a moment and I'll post the link with some videos of how to do the tests.

 

Here you go:
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hometesting-links-and-tips.287/

Please ask as many questions as you have, and don't be discouraged if the first test is a bit of a struggle. Some cats it's easy as pie. Others take a little time and practice. Mine was extra difficult at first, so I have lots of tips and tricks to overcome anything and everything, and everyone here has little things that have worked for them as we learned our own cats, and what works for each of us.

 

Hi there,

Here's another helpful forum sticky to help you learn to test. It has a really helpful diagram of where to find the testing 'sweet spot' on the ear:

Testing and injection tips

My top tips for testing (especially in the early days):

* Pick somewhere that has good lighting to do the testing.

* Smear a very thin film of Vaseline over the test site. This will help the blood sample bead up into a little droplet instead of wicking away into the fur.

* Warm the ear for quite a while before pricking with the lancet.

And always, always give Diamond lots of fuss, praise and treats after each test, whether successful or not!


Mogs
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Thank-you!

 

Here's a helpful video on behavioural training. The techniques may give you some ideas to help testing and giving injections to be a more positive experience for a kitty:

Counter-conditioning techniques

It can help to choose one specific place as a 'testing station'.

Freeze-dried protein treats (e.g. Pure Bites) are low carb and most kitties really like them.


Mogs
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I told my husband I’ll have to put a light in the basement stairwell. That is where he hangs out all day if he’s not hiding somewhere. It’s his most accessible spot.
He showed up as a kitten in my backyard. He was about 12 was old. I used play to get him closer to me. At the time there was another tomcat I was caring for and planned on bringing in the house (Norman). They really took to each other so when the time came I bought them both in. Needless to say, I’m the only one who he lets near. He will come by my husband when he comes out at night to come on the bed. He’s 6 yrs and one of my kids as never touched him.
What do I do if his BG numbers are good before I’m supposed to give insulin?

 

What a great video on the counter-conditioning! Definitely bookmarking that one!

 

My kitty was feral too! And same thing - I was the only one who could touch him prior to this diagnosis, but he has been gradually becoming accustomed to my cat sitter over this past year. You'll be surprised how sweet he'll become through all of this!

If his BG turns out to be good now that he's on low carb wet food, and at home when he's relaxed, then you won't need insulin. Most kitties who are diagnosed benefit from at least a little insulin support, but many do go into remission when properly cared for in these early days.

When you get your first test, post the number and folks can help guide you about next steps.

 

The general recommendation here for cats who don't yet have much BG data is not to give insulin if the preshot (PS) test is 200mg/dL or less. (For general info: As one gathers more BG data and depending on the insulin in use and the caregiver's availability to test then, over time, it may become possible to lower this 'no-shoot' limit.)

As Djamila says above, if you do get a reading of 200 or less, hold off on feeding and post here for a bit of help and guidance. Sometimes the forum can be a bit quiet so if you don't get a timely response then skip the dose and feed as normal for the rest of the cycle.

NB: It's important to check a kitty's urine for ketones (using Ketostix or similar urine test strips). Here are some more helpful links (more reading! ):

Testing your cat for ketones

Tips for collecting urine samples

Some kitties are more prone to developing ketones than others. If ever you need to skip an insulin dose it's advisable to also check urine for ketones at the earliest opportunity as a safety precaution.


Mogs
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