testing for Ketones

Discussion in 'Prozinc / PZI' started by Tina and Gracie (GA), Feb 18, 2018.

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  1. Tina and Gracie (GA)

    Tina and Gracie (GA) Member

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    Dec 27, 2017
    Over the last few days I have read some very sad posts regarding DKA, and Gracie will be tested, as I know it is painful. I want to give her the best life I can.

    Gracie has never tested positive; however, this does not mean she never will. I have testing strips and she does not like it when I try to catch urine. In fact she growls--something I have never heard her do before trying to test.

    I am totally willing to buy the blood testing kit, as I'm assuming I wouldn't need to test daily. Is this the best option, or are there other techniques I could try.
     
  2. Djamila

    Djamila Well-Known Member

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    Aug 1, 2015
    I think it depends on you and your kitty. Sam doesn't mind me sticking the strip under his bum when he pees. He even lifts his butt for me when he sees what I'm doing. So for me, the test strips work fine - I can usually tell when he's headed to the litter box, so I can always get a test on the day I want it. I tested him weekly when he was in lower numbers, and a couple of times/week when he is in higher numbers. When he's having a pancreatitis flare his appetite goes down and odds of getting ketones goes up, so I test him daily.

    I think if a cat is more private about their litter box use, or if the bean's schedule doesn't work with the cat's litter box schedule, then the meter is definitely the way to go. Even if you tested every single day (which isn't necessary), it would come out to $365 over the course of the year. A DKA episode can cost $2,ooo-$5,000 easily, so you'd still be money ahead.

    So it's just a matter of what works best for the cat and the human involved.

    And you are absolutely right - DKA is the by far far far the leading cause of death for our extra-sweet kitties. The urgency of appropriate care in this regard cannot be emphasized enough. Thanks for bringing this up!
     
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  3. Olive & Paula

    Olive & Paula Well-Known Member

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    Sep 6, 2015
    You can use aquarium gravel in a clean pan. Then you can rinse and reuse again. Also some put plastic wrap over litter and make a little well in it.

    I just order the blood ketone meter. Like you Love hasn't had DKA, but since she is newly diagnosed and so far the dose isn't making headway I worry about DKA.
     
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  4. Squeaky and KT (GA)

    Squeaky and KT (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Jul 19, 2011
    If you keep doing it like you are, she'll very likely finally realize you're not doing anything bad and will stop that. KT, my first sugarboy, lifted his butt when I told him to 'pee on my stick'... :) When we adopted Dakota, he was very private with his litterbox habits. I started just walking to the room door looking elsewhere and walking away. After a few days, I'd walk to the box edge then walk away. Within about 3 weeks, he'd 'pee on my stick' too...

    Aquarium gravel is a good one, plastic wrap just under top of litter works, you can also softly ball up small pieces of plastic wrap in the top litter layer - if cat pees on any of the pieces, enough urine to test will likely be caught in some of the folds.

    Blood ketone meter works fine too!
     
  5. Tina and Gracie (GA)

    Tina and Gracie (GA) Member

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    Dec 27, 2017
    You have Sam trained well!! Which test strips do you use? I'm guessing they are all the same.

    Is the meter just faster? I know I requires more blood.
     
  6. Tina and Gracie (GA)

    Tina and Gracie (GA) Member

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    Dec 27, 2017
    I think I'm going to keep trying. Although if she really prefers to be left alone--I'll buy the meter.
     
  7. StephG

    StephG Well-Known Member

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    Sep 8, 2016
    I'm so going to try this! Chuck doesn't dig to pee unless there's plastic wrap down. Then he pulls it out of the box or to the other side and pees where he normally does.
     
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  8. Squeaky and KT (GA)

    Squeaky and KT (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Jul 19, 2011
    Ketones do show faster in blood than in urine.
     
  9. Tina and Gracie (GA)

    Tina and Gracie (GA) Member

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    Dec 27, 2017
    Can anyone provide me with a link for the correct monitor to buy? The one recommended on the FDMB site through Hock's Pharmacy is no longer active.
    I looked on Amazon and I find some, but I'd ideally like the one that tests for BG and Ketones at the same time.
     
  10. StephG

    StephG Well-Known Member

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    Sep 8, 2016
    I shared a link on Chloe's thread, #19 I believe. The ketone and blood strips were both available at Walmart but the I only found online.
    Here's a kit with meter and 10 strips for $50

    https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product...MIv7ra_NCm2QIVGa_ICh0GIAVYEAkYASABEgJnLfD_BwE
    Extra strips are $19 for ten
    https://www.adwdiabetes.com/product/3398/nova-max-plus-ketone-test-strips

    I order syringes from adw diabetes so I know they're a reliable company.
    Here is a link to one of them: $28 for the meter
    http://www.familyotc.com/mobile/pro...79e0a2&gdfms=EF4DE61C409941EA96896151B29408F5
    Here's a link to the strips: $20 for ten strips at Walmart.
    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Precisio...0702&wl11=online&wl12=162293700&wl13=&veh=sem

    There might be cheaper ones out there.
     
    Last edited: Feb 18, 2018
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  11. Tina and Gracie (GA)

    Tina and Gracie (GA) Member

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  12. StephG

    StephG Well-Known Member

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    I added the links to my reply. :)
     
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  13. Tina and Gracie (GA)

    Tina and Gracie (GA) Member

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    Thank you! Some of these threads get long.
     
  14. Rachel

    Rachel Well-Known Member

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    Aug 25, 2013
    I'm so glad you're going to test for ketones! It's very important...DKA is treatable, especially with early detection and vigilance of the bean. We generally recommend the blood meter once a cat has gone DKA before as ketones do show up earlier in blood than in urine...but of course you can get the blood meter if you want! I probably would have ended up going that way myself in time as it was just easier to get blood than to get urine while working. :)
     
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  15. Becky & Baby Girl GA

    Becky & Baby Girl GA Well-Known Member

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    Sep 15, 2017
    Baby urinates straight back since her UTI & diabetes dx! Does anyone else have a cat that pees this way? I wonder if she had the UTI so badly that it messed up her peepee’er.? Anyway it’s a perfect stream to stick a test strip in! I’m fast & wave it like a flag & voila! But honestly I wonder why she pees as if she’s marking territory. My grandkids lived here for awhile & my other cat Lizzie was also going through breast cancer. The vet said it was possibly a marking territory type thing? Anyone else have this in a female kitty. Non squat, perches on litter box - straight back pee?!?
     
  16. Tina and Gracie (GA)

    Tina and Gracie (GA) Member

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    Dec 27, 2017
    Cat's do weird things--hard to say. Gracie doesn't do that, but if I'm using clay litter she sometimes go through phases where if there is any old #1 or #2 in the box she goes just outside of it. She hasn't done this in a long time. I thought for sure it was UTI back then but she was tested. If I'm home I scoop 2x a day.
    The territory thing makes sense though. The good thing is, is you are able to test for ketones!
     
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  17. srk4cats

    srk4cats Well-Known Member

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    Jan 19, 2017
    Chloe does that, but not in the litter box. I think she is marking her territory. Most times, she does it in the dustpan on the floor, which makes it really easy to get ketone tests.
     
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