?new at this. help with home testing

we tested liberty for the first time tonight with a relion meter and his number was 149. we are very new at this and im not sure how this number compares with the readings our vet gets with her alphatrak.hes supposed to get his shot in a couple hours but im not sure if this is a low reading?

 

Hi Brittany and welcome to the best place for you and sweet Liberty. Loving folks with more expertise than I possess will be along shortly. And yeah for u for home testing . What insulin is Liberty on ???

 

What insulin are you using?

We usually tell people who are new and don't have any test data that if they get a Pre-shot test under 200, they should skip the shot....the other option (if very close) would be to stall, don't feed and test again in 20-30 minutes to see if the number has risen to a number you're comfortable shooting (and post for help during that 20-30 minutes too!)

 

prozinc, 1 unit every 12 hours

 

Also it would be good to go to your thread title and place a question icon at the first of it...draws more eyes that way.

 

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when he went to the vet this morning his bg was 445

 

Fantastic! Chris&China to the rescue .....you are in awesome hands , Brittany !!!

 

The problem with testing at the vet is that the cat is under stress and that can add up to 200 points!

If your next shot isn't due for a couple of hours, I'd make sure he doesn't get anything to eat for those 2 hours and test again about 30 minutes before shot time and post again with the number

They can go up fast at the end of the cycle so it's important to know if he's still dropping or if he starts to come up by then

 

ok i will do that. thank you!
how close is the number from the human meter to one meant for pets?

 

Here's the thread from last night: http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/is-corn-syrup-ok-to-give.171587/

 

The numbers are usually fairly close. There is more difference usually at low numbers as in the 30s or 40s. The high number at the vet is exactly why it is so important to test at home, so kudos to you for testing. It truly is the best way for you to manage your cat's diabetes, and this really is a disease that is best managed with a lot of data, hopefully shared with your vet. I encourage you to get a spreadsheet started and enter your data. You can share the link with your vet as well.

 

im just concerned too that 149 is too low to give him a shot at if it doesn't change in the next 2 hours.

 

Since you are using Prozinc, you do not shoot any number under 200. Come to the Prozinc forum and read the stickies. @Sue and Oliver (GA) @Rachel and @Kris & Teasel can help you with dosing.

 

I agree. If it's still low 2 hours from now you should probably skip it. Once you've got a lot of data (hopefully on the spreadsheet we use here) you can try other things but you're not there yet.

 

i just went on the prozinc page and im confused as to when i should be testing. should it be before or after i feed him? or how much time in between feeding, testing, and giving him a shot?

 

Make sure to read this one
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/...prozinc-pzi-insulin-for-diabetic-cats.164995/
It took me several reads and lots of questions before things started to sink in, so ask, ask, ask!
You always want to get a test before you shoot. Make sure Liberty has not eaten for two hours before the test. Then feed, and give the shot if his BG is over 200. Sue, Kris & Rachel will be happy to help you if you have questions about dosing.

 

ok thats making more sense. i was just getting so confused. so much new information! thank you

 

It is confusing at first, but I promise it will get easier. Read all you can and ask lots of questions-there are no stupid questions! When is your shot due?

 

around 9

 

What time zone is that?
If you set up your signature, you can put info such as type and amount of insulin, time zone, what your feeding, what meter you're using, etc. and we won't have to ask you whenever you need help.

 

c

central and ok i will do that

 

we just retested him and his bg is 261

 

I would sincerely suggest you throw together a Hypo Kit, quickly and have it at hand and recognize the signs.

 

we do have one but his bg is going up since 2 hours ago

 

What was his BG number this AM? Was 149 the lowest he went all day? I see he's now at 261. Post the info I asked for and I might be able to suggest a dose.

 

when he was at the vet it was 445. 149 was the lowest hes been all day but that was 2 hours ago and now hes at 261

 

and 445 was at the vets this morning

 

So that number might be higher because of vet stress. Are you approaching 12 hours since the AM dose was given? Did he eat in the 2 hours before you got that BG of 261? If it's almost 12 hours since the AM dose and the 261 was not food influenced then you could give 1 unit again tonight. Can you do another BG test at, say, 3 hours after the PM shot?

 

he didnt eat in those 2 hours but i just tested him again and it says 204 and i didnt give a shot so its kind of throwing me off. but yes its been about 12 hours since his morning shot

 

Do you have half unit marks on your insulin syringe? If you do, you could be conservative tonight and give only 0.5 unit of ProZinc. You need to start a testing routine and I recommend you set up a spreadsheet of the type we use here. All members can see it and that's how we're able to give advice. The instructions for the spreadsheet are on the main page where all forums are listed. It's in the "Suggestions and Tech Support " forum.