BG testing

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by Jazmom, Sep 20, 2017.

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  1. Jazmom

    Jazmom New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2017
    My cat is newly diagnosed with dm. Should I skip the vets wave testing and do my own bg testing at home? How often will I have to test when first starting injections? Will my cat have side effects at first? I feel lost
     
  2. Amanda and a Loudogg

    Amanda and a Loudogg Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2017
    Hiya Jazmom! Welcome! I completely understand where you are coming from. My buddy Lou was diagnosed in June 2017 and I will admit that the first week after was one of the worst of my life. Thankfully, both Lou and I acclimated rather quickly, considering. At-home BG monitoring is absolutely essential, and it ends up making testing or curves at the vet completely unnecessary. While the choice of glucometer is up to you, I know many here use human glucometers. There are pet meters as well (Alphatrak), but both the meter and the strips are silly expensive (e.g. $50 for 50 strips). I personally use a Contour Next meter and I get my strips off of Ebay. I know many folks here will use a Relion brand meter from Walmart, as both the meter and strips are really inexpensive. One note of advice I would try to make sure the amount of blood required for the meter is as small as possible (0.3 uL is the smallest I believe).

    As far as testing, you should absolutely be testing minimum twice a day: prior to the am shot (we call it the am preshot or AMPS), and prior to your pm shot (PMPS). These shots let you know what your kitty's BG is prior to dosing the insulin so that you know the dose you are going to give will be safe (not make them go hypo). We will also try to get midrange tests during the day/night as well to see how your kitty is reacting to the insulin. Loudogg is currently on Vetsulin, which usually peaks between 4-6 hours after his insulin shot (we note this time as +4, +5, +6, which means however many hours after the shot: +4 = 4 hours after the shot, etc.), so I will try to at least get a test within that 4-6 hour window to see how low the dose is taking him. I work 10-hour days during the week, so I test before bed and then get most of my daytime midrange tests on my days off.

    So long story short (too late! :p), pick up your choice of meter. You will need the meter, lancets, strips, and I get cotton rounds (located in the nail polish section) to hold behind the ear. You can find further information about at-home glucose monitoring at the FAQ page. If you have any other questions or issues, feel free to post and we'd be happy to help you out!
     
  3. Amanda and a Loudogg

    Amanda and a Loudogg Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2017
    Also, once you start to hometest, most here enter our values into a spreadsheet template. It's color-coded and a wonderful way to track how your kitty is doing. It's also great for us to review in case you have any questions. Go here for the instructions on how to set up your spreadsheet (the template you use will depend on where you live and what kind of meter you are using. We also have a section to help you understand your spreadsheet, located here. You will need a gmail email address to set this up. If you have any questions or need assistance, let us know!
     
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