Do I Start Insulin Before or After Switching to wet food?

Hi Everybody, Pepper's diagnosis was just confirmed a couple days ago after full blood work & urine test was done, then fructosamine test was 425 (I am in Canada)
From the initial but extensive research that I have already done, it seems obvious that I will need to get Pepper switched gradually but immediately to a wet food. She is 14 & has unfortunately never eaten anything but dry food her whole life. She is currently on Natural Balance Fat Cats which is a very good low calorie food with quality ingredients. She has lost weight on it, it has made her coat shiny, and she loves it, but she is still 6.2 kg.

The vet said she is working out a plan for Pepper & will want to see us sometime next week. It is causing me great anxiety that she mentioned wanting to switch Pepper to one of the Hill's DRY food diets for weight loss & also starting insulin. I think this vet does not realise that her dry food is one of the lowest calorie foods on the market....she seems really good about my doing her blood test at home, etc. but I absolutely do not want to put her on any Hill's food as it is so expensive & has lots of wheat & corn in it and if I must switch her food I think it would be better to switch her to Fancy Feast wet & see how that goes before starting insulin as I understand that once she is on wet food, she won't need as much insulin.
Wouldn't it be better get her switched to the wet food BEFORE starting insulin therapy? It seems like tricky business as it is without having to change the diet AND start insulin all at once.
I am so overwhelmed with all of this but mostly worried about butting heads with the vet. I would rather try to work with her, if possible, but how do say no to the Hill's without a big fuss?
Any advice would be most welcome. Thanks so much.

 

Welcome to FDMB - it's the best place you never thought you'd need.

Good job with already deciding to do testing at home. That is one of your most important tools to see what the insulin is doing inside the cat. Your question about starting dry "prescription food" and insulin at the same time is a good one. I would also be concerned about that especially after reading and learning that wet food is a much better choice for any cat but especially a diabetic. First of all , there is absolutely nothing "prescription" about Hill's. It is very high in carbs and more importantly it does not have the moisture a cat needs to keep them hydrated properly. We try to feed our diabetic kitties wet food that has less than 10% carbs. Fancy Feast is a perfectly acceptable and economical choice for a diabetic cat that many here feed to their kitties. When you make that switch from dry to wet food there can be a significant change in the blood glucose levels so frankly it is safer to do the switch before you begin insulin therapy. In fact "some" cats are diet controlled and don't need insulin at all. You might be one of those lucky ones that will just need to monitor to make sure that the BG readings are not rising out of the normal range. As for the prescription dry food that my vet tried to get me to buy, I told my vet that Radar refused to eat the Hills's and that was that. Have you taken a look at the food list prepared by Dr. Lisa Pierson, DVM? Here 's the link.

 

Thank-you for taking the time to reply and sending the food list link. I find it so upsetting that the vet wants to put Pepper on Hill's DRY food that it makes me extremely uneasy & worried about being able to trust her & work with her at all. I think I need a vet that would want Pepper on wet food! I just don't know what to do. There must be a wet food that would enable her to lose weight. I guess I just need the vet for the insulin script & will have to somehow work out her diet & blood testing & everything else myself.

 

Kim, it is best if you can to switch the food before starting insulin. If not you will need to home test diligently so you keep her safe.

As far as your vet, since Pepper is on dry currently, it's probably why the vet is suggesting it. To appease your vet for a while you can ask for the prescription DM wet food 1 or 2 cans to try. It is low carb I believe it's about 3%. Make sure it's the pate kind and not the shredded with gravy. Then if Pepper won't eat it you can say you tried.

 

You may be surprised....I was feeding my cats a high quality dry food when China was diagnosed.....I threw it out, switched everyone over to canned and the two civvies lost some much needed weight.....they were real chubs but getting rid of the dry was the best thing I ever did for their weight

 

Teasel's brother lost weight after I removed all dry food from the house. He eats the same low carb wet food as Teasel does and lost a kilogram in a year.

BTW - didn't you say you're in Ottawa? I am too and one of the first things my Ottawa vet said at Teasel's diagnosis is that he'd need to be on low carb wet food only.

 

Hi Kim and Pepper and welcome.

The dilemma you face is quite common. While it's important to have a working relationship with your vet, don't let this one issue make you doubt your vet's abilities. Vets are brain washed into thinking there is something special about the so called prescription foods by the companies that make them. Most of a vets nutritional education is done by the big brands like Purina, Hills and Royal Canin. While the vet shouldn't be pushing dry food, she may, as suggested by Woodsywife, have recommended it because of Pepper's current diet.

If your experience with your vet has been positive up till now, there is no reason to let this food issue deteriorate that relationship. Quite frankly if your vet recommended home testing to you, she is much better than a lot of vets out there.

Like Chris' and Kris' kitties, my girl lost weight once she got onto a wet diet so if weight loss is the goal, wet food is the way to go.

 

My vet is wonderful for most things that my kitty needs and he's learned over the years that Radar is a wet food only kitty and it doesn't seem to be a problem in our ability to work together. He also commented recently that Radar is doing very well and I'm doing an excellent job of caring for him.

Please try not to worry about attempting to work out every thing you need to learn to give Pepper the best possible care so she starts to feel better. You are not alone. We here at FDMB are all in the same boat you are and we understand. There are many many people here who have lots of experience caring for diabetic cats and are very willing to share what they know. We are not vets but we live FD 24 hours a day 7 days a week and have learned a LOT of tips and tricks.

As for which wet food to give your little one... my experience is that it's an experiment that is led by the kitty. When we switched Radar over he was very much the boss of his food dishes. See what Pepper likes and start building her diet choices from there. The important thing is to keep the carbs below 10%. Although I do keep a range of carb choices in the house to use as needed depending on what Radar's numbers are that day. You will learn how your cat responds to the various levels of carbs as you feed and test to see what happens to her BG levels after feeding that particular food. This is great information to have as every cat may respond slightly differently and your goal is to "know thy cat".

 

I am in BC, actually, thanks. Everyone has been so helpful already. All this wealth of information is amazing but overwhelming...it makes me happy that there are so many diabetic kitties out there all over the world. Please bear with me as I am on Twitter but this forum is different! I never know when I should like or follow, I'm not sure how to quote or if I need to respond to each person individually....and I'm pretty sure just saying this stuff should be on a new thread?

 

No...unless this thread gets pretty long (and we'll suggest you start a new one when it does) or gets over a couple days old, it's probably best to just keep posting here so all the info is in one place

 

The most important thing is getting Pepper in better health. Don't worry about liking or quoting it will come in time.

Here people start a new thread everyday and link the previous day to it. If you have multiple ones in a day, it's hard to keep track of what's going on if a kitty is having a problem. You'll get the hang of it. It took me forever to learn how to link here and somewhat techy. And the spreadsheet I couldn't do on tablet so someone else had to do it and link it.

 

Thank-you Woodsywife! Very helpful information. Much appreciated.

 

Okay, instead of spending energy searching for a better, perfect vet, I will do my best to work with the one I have. It's so silly how worried I am about how she will react to my saying no Hill's.

 

Glad to hear this...good for your kitties! I suppose I will just start by selecting some different cans to see which ones Pepper will eat.

 

My cat lost quite a lot of weight when I switched him to canned only. I made the mistake though of switching him at the same time he was diagnosed and went on insulin. I wasn't home testing yet and was following the vets recommendation of dosage due to his high readings at the vet. He had a minor hypo within a week because the change in food had drastically dropped his BG levels and I didn't realize it yet. The vets office wanted him on Hills DM (I think that's the one for diabetics) but I refused and fed him something else.
They don't have to eat much of the dry food to put on weight so now I have the problem of getting my kitty to eat more of the canned food more frequently to get his calorie intake. He was a dry food addict at one time and I suppose he still is. Once a dry food addict, always a dry food addict. I rattle a bag and he thinks it's his kibble- still after many months of eating canned he still responds to a rattling bag thinking his dry food is back. I do give him a few pieces of Young Again dry food when he starts his unending anxiety chant and clawing the cupboard.

 

Yes, Pepper is a dry food addict as well! I have decided that switching her food at the same time as starting insulin would be just too much. I will talk to the vet about doing them one at a time as I am just not feeling comfortable about both at once. Thanks so much for this helpful information.

 

Good idea. I should have done that but I panicked when I found out he was diabetic and felt I needed to do something in a hurry. I know better now.

 

Kim, there is no reason for you to wait for the vet to change the diet. Why not get some FF Pates (other FF varieties are too high carb), Friskies or President's Choice Extra Meaty (see Canadian food chart for details) and get Pepper started on a low carb diet now? It will at least start to reduce her BG and if you happen to be one of very lucky folks, Pepper might be even be diet controlled.

 

Kim- my kitty did go to remission with the food change and losing a lot of his fat. I can't call him my butterball turkey anymore! Hope for the best in being diet controlled-or at least getting a much lower BG level.
I really wish vets would warn people about the dry food possibility of causing diabetes. I knew it wasn't the best food to give but I had no idea it could lead to diabetes so often.

 

Thanks, Linda...good idea...I will get a few different cans to experiment with & see if I can find something Pepper will eat.

 

Oh I know....how I wish I could go back in time with the knowledge I have now! I had no idea dry food was so bad until her diagnosis lead me to all of this research.

 

Thanks so very much for all your help so far. It's been a really emotional week filled with so much anxiety...I am struggling to stay strong for Pepper. You and the other kind people here have already been more help than you know. I got an email from the vet today & I just have a few more questions. The vet wants to:
1) put Pepper on glargine insulin
2) switch her to Hill's r/d diet, which as I have said here I am strongly not in favor of
3) give her cartrophen injections in her back legs as she has arthritis and/ or diabetic neuropathy

The vet wants to know:
1)if I have found a glucometer or if I want her to order me an alpha track starter kit for $85 canadian +tax
2) if I want a bottle of cartrophen to take home or if I would like her treatments done there.

Unfortunately I am on a tight budget and need to keep the costs as low as possible. Because of my own health problems, I am not currently working, but at least I have all the time in the world to devote to Pepper's health!

Okay, should I go for the alpha track or would it be better economically to get a human glucometer at wal-mart. I understand it's the test strips that are costly...are they a LOT more expensive for the alpha track?

As for cartrophen, I don't think I would feel comfortable giving her this myself and think it best to at least have the vet do it the first few times. Does anybody have experience with this drug? Please tell me if there is any danger to my kitty or potentially bad side effects. Could it really improve her mobility? She does not jump up anymore at all (she is almost 14 lbs) but just kinda climbs up with her claws or looks up at where she wants to go & meows.

Thanks to anybody who takes the time to reply!

 

This is a very good insulin for cats. The starting dose should be 1 unit twice a day. Many vets start at too high a dose and increase it too quickly by increments that are too large.

Nope! Low carb wet food is the way to go. You can feed Friskies and/or Fancy Feast pates and they're a lot more wallet friendly. No need to buy expensive prescription food.

If she has hind limb weakness because of diabetic neuropathy, Vitamin B12 (the methylcobalamin version) can help. You can likely find it in a health food store, just look for one with no added sugar. The dose is 3 mg daily.

This is a pet meter and it works very well. The test strips are extremely expensive so many of us choose to use a human meter. Even those test strips are expensive in Canada but less than half the cost of the AT strips. The human meter will read lower than the pet meter - more at high BG numbers and less at low numbers. We all understand human meter readings here.

I think this is quite pricey stuff. I'd try B12 first.

The biggest cost savings will be from you taking on your kitty's treatment instead of going to the vet and using a human meter to test. We have other money saving tips as well.

Well, my vet charges about $100 for a vial of 50 strips. I buy Freestyle Lite strips at Shoppers Drug Mart on Seniors' Day and get 20% off the usual price of $90 for 100 strips. The brings the cost down to $72 and there's no tax on that. I also collect Shoppers Optimum points on those purchases and periodically cash in points to buy test strips, etc.

As I said above, I'd try the B12 first. It can take months but many people find it reverses the hind limb weakness by a significant amount if not totally.

 

Since you're in Canada, you can't get the Relion meters that most of us in the states use. The AlphaTrak strips will run you about $1 EACH, so it's not affordable for most people, especially when you test at least 3-4 times a day (or more)

You can order the Bravo meter....it's got the cheapest strips in Canada I think

 

Purina DM dry is too high at 16-18% carbs. The Hills r/d wet and dry are even higher.

 

Everyone above has already answered your questions... I will just add these and also say that my costs went down significantly when I switched to using a human meter. The best way I have to peek inside the cat and see what the insulin is doing is to test. I would be so blind without my meter.

 

Actually here in Canada the AT2 strips are $2 each! The Bravo meter is the least expensive to use but it also needs a larger blood sample to test than some others. Doable but it will make it a bit more difficult to test at least in the beginning. The other point to keep in mind is that the strips have to be ordered online so you would need to make sure you always had a good supply on hand because they aren't readily available locally.

As for meters that are available in local stores, I believe Freestyle Lite strips are the cheapest available in Canada. There is a coupon on the website for a free meter. https://myfreestyle.ca/en/products/lite ...Just fudge the info as if Pepper is a human!

 

In Canada most pharmacies will give a free meter when buying the test strips. I am in Winnipeg and the best price I can get for human meter strips ( they all seem to be around the same price) is Shopper's Drug Mart when using the senior's discount..every Thursday here...with 20% off regular price. Free Style Lite strips cost me $71 and every 5 weeks or so you can also get a bonus $10 Shopper's card, which brings the cost down to $61/100.

 

This is exactly what I do. I also accumulate Shoppers Optimum points and periodically cash them in to cover the majority of the cost of my Freestyle Lite test strips/ lancets, etc.

 

Thanks for mentioning the Shopper's Optimim card. You need this to get the senior's discount and collecting the points can add up to some savings. You can't use the points on insulin, but for test strips, syringes, lancets etc they are good. I have reached my $170.00 value with points so I will get some more supplies on another senior's day

 

No, you can't cash in points on insulin but I think you can get points on it - must verify that.

 

I believe you get points on everything you buy. I know you get points on all prescriptions. I get my Levemir at Walmart because they are cheaper for me than Shopper's and I get my Walmart points on the insulin.

 

Awww....thanks! Such a big help!

 

Thank-you for the help & input! I am looking forward to getting Pepper better.

 

Well, I do have Shoppers Optimum, but am not quite a senior yet (senior cats should count) so looks like I will be going for the Free Style Lite.

 

If you have a friend or relative 55 or older they can do the strip shopping for you on Seniors' Day.

 

Good idea! And thanks for your input on the cartrophen ..I will look into the B12 as well....is it a pill I mix in with her food?

 

It's a pill that is (I think) tasteless and easily crushed into the food or dissolved in a little water.

 

Oh that sounds great. I will give it a try!

 

Hi, I picked up Pepper's insulin & most of her supplies today...I think I only still need to get urine testing strips, (as I have read here although vet never mentioned them) some low carb treats, polysporin, and B-12 from the healthfood store. Also will try to find a baby scale from Value Village or Craigslist. I got a couple FF cans to try - Turkey & Giblets Feast & Chicken Feast & some honey for an emergency. Did I miss anything?

I have Lantus with a starting dose of 1 unit every twelve hours.

I was all set to get the Freestyle Lite glucometer but the pharmacist recommended the GE 200 as the test strips are $59.99 for 100 (which seems good for Canada) so I got that & am reading the instruction booklet now.

The vet said to book an appointment with a technician to learn how to do the blood tests & give her the shots. I suppose putting Pepper through the stress of this is necessary as I am not sure it would be prudent to just try to get by with online videos & tutorials?

I will attempt at some point to do the spreadsheets you all have although I am not very techy & it still doesn't make sense to me but I will do more research.

Any comments and/or advice on any of the's things will be most welcome and much appreciated. Thank-you!

 

If you haven't opened the box for the GE glucometer you might want to re-think it f possible. Looks like it takes a blood sample of at least 2.5 times larger than the Freestyle meter. Sorry but I think you may find it at the very least very frustrating to use. It's is definitely going to make testing harder than it needs to be.

 

Uh-Oh! It says the minimum blood sample size is 0.75 uL ....is that a large sample? I did ask the pharmacist & he said that a tiny sample is all it needs!

 

Unfortunately, the pharmacist is misinformed. The sample size for the GE meter is 2.5 times larger than that needed for the Freestyle meter. I'd take it back and tell him/her they misinformed you. You want a meter that needs 0.3 to 0.5uL max. Anything larger is likely just going to frustrate the daylights out of you and Pepper.

Your list looks pretty complete. Make sure the urine strips are for ketones as there are strips for sugar and you don't need those when using a meter. You may want to get some lower gauge lancets especially if you keep the GE glucometer. The ones that come with the meters these days are often 30 (that's the gauge with the GE meter to 33 gauge which makes it harder to get a good sample. 26 to 28 gauge lancets are recommended at least in the beginning. As kitty learns to bleed better you might find the higher gauge are fine. Freestyle comes with 28 gauge lancets.

 

I will try to take this glucometer back. So bummed out that I screwed up already. Thanks very much for responding so promptly.

 

Don't worry. FD is such a steep and complicated issue to learn. If you take it back, look for 0.3 blood size drop. Or 0.5 is the next one. You definitely don't want to go over the 0.5 size. There will be times it's hard to get no matter what you do.

 

Don't beat yourself up. This is all new stuff to you so how could you know? The pharmacist is quite honestly not up on meters as most do not need that big a sample anymore. While that sample size would have, some time ago, been considered small, it isn't these days. I think he/she made the recommendation based on price rather than practicality and that would be fine for people but not so much for our kitties.

 

I returned it & got the Freestyle Lite! They were nice about it. Thanks SO much for your help! I can only imagine the amount of anguish you have saved Pepper & me from having. Big hug!

 

Just paying it forward! So glad they didn't give you a hassle!

 

Lots of good suggestions for you from others.

I get my Freestyle Lite strips off Ebay. For 150 or 200 of them, you can get them for $0.40 each on a good transaction. That's U.S. currency. Seems like everytime I go back to Seattle someone slips me a Canadian quarter in with the change. I don't know if is part of the currency in Seattle or if they are just trying to get rid of it.

Anyhow. Kudos to you for ramping up on Diabetes and taking care of your kitteh. You'll be an expert in no time.

 

Hi, thanks for the much needed words of encouragement! So glad I switched to the Freestyle Lite - looks like some better deals online for the strips (even with the exchange) that I will check out. Going back to vet on Tuesday for a lesson on how to test BG & give her the shots & in the meantime trying to get Pepper to eat some wet foods - not so easy for a long time kibble addict - but I will keep trying

 

No problem. Little (orange) Dude is a kibble addict too. He's not a sugar cat though. Leo (sugar cat), always waits for us to walk away so he can sneak some of the kibble. I know how hard that conversion from kibble to soft food can be. Maybe you can start out Pepper with the holy grail CHIKN! Everybody loves it here. Then you could wean her off it slowly with Fancy Feast or other pedestrian wet foods.

 

Hello,

A Pepper update..could use some further advice & last minute instructions please!

She will eat the Fancy Feast Chicken Feast can in two sittings - she'll eat half for breakfast & then if I put the other half in the fridge & warm it in a saucepan later & hand feed it to her she will eat it! ☺ So if I can get her to eat one can a day with about half the amount of kibble she was previously on, would that be a good start?

I am starting the Lantus 1 unit 2x day tomorrow!
We were at the vet tonight for an insulin testing & shooting demonstration...Pepper has lost some weight in the 15 days since we were there...from 13.84 lbs to 13.13 I think. Only had 4 cans of wet food so it isn't that!

I don't feel entirely confident with the fur pinching & "tenting" & the way I'm supposed to hold my fingers on the plunger (like a dart, not like a cigarette?...) & the degree of the angle - 45% ? how I can't just push the plunger but rather have to pull & then push to make sure I didn't get a blood vessel....my hands & fingers felt big & bumbling and I had terrible anxiety but luckily my boyfriend (whose late father was diabetic) was there & said it didn't seem as bad as he thought it would be!
To me it seems so unnecessarily complicated!
I am giving the first shot tomorrow morning before my B/F goes to work so he can help with the first ahot. The vet perscribed cartridges for a Lantus pen, but said to use syringes...is that unusual?

The vet wants me to do a curve in one week. How often should I test daily prior to that? Once before each shot?

The ear pick blood testing didn't look too hard. The technician said she has never had to warm the ear to get blood & Pepper bleed enough right away with a bit of a squeeze! I'm glad I won't need a warm bag of rice because I don't have a microwave. We used my new Freestyle light gluometer -which has no coding required- & Pepper got 15.5 which the vet tech said was not so bad for an unregulated diabetic....hope 1 unit won't be too much.

Sorry this is so long...oh dear....thanks so much in advance to anyone who takes the time to reply...your experience is so very appreciated!

 

This is totally unnecessary.....the needles on insulin syringes are so tiny that it's almost impossible to get into a vein without trying really hard.

This is totally normal!! We all use regular U100 insulin syringes and pull the insulin from the cartridge/pen

You always test before shooting to make sure they're high enough for insulin at all.....and if you can, get a test somewhere mid-cycle on the AM cycle and always a "before bed" test on the PM cycle.....most cats go lower at night so it's really important to get that test to make sure he'll be safe overnight.

If you need to, you can also use a small pill bottle filled with warm water (test against your wrist to make sure it's not too hot) or you can run a washcloth under warm water and put it into a baggie (to keep the water out of the blood sample)

 

Thanks, Chris....big help. Wow! Four blood tests a day even before I do the curve. The vet tech never bothered to tell me to do this...yikes. I will just record it all in a book until I do more research to figure out how to do a spread sheet.

 

You don't need to squeeze the ear and really shouldn't as it could lead to bruising. You can massage the ear from the head up toward the poke spot to encourage a blood bead. You can also put a very light skim of Vaseline on the spot you intend to poke to keep the blood from spreading out into the fur.

On the food front, it's hard to say as it really depends on Pepper's size and calorie needs. If she needs to gain some weight you can feed a little more than you think would be normal for her because diabetics are always hungry and cannot utilize the food they consume efficiently.

Good luck with your first shot this morning! You'll be fine.

 

Oh dear, I will be careful not to squeeze, I don't want to bruise her! I will try the vasoline, too.
Thanks for your comments. I helps so much just knowing that I can come here to talk about Pepper where I know that somebody who cares will be and have good advice. Something I don't even feel so sure of when I go to the vet.

 

Oh man I did not know that! Ive definitely been squeezing and I feel bad I've probably been bruising my poor kitty's ears this whole time! Thanks for sharing that.

 

The first shot did not go well! My boyfriend had already fed Pepper when he woke me up to help with the shot. I said I'd been planning to test & was thrown off. He reminded me that the vet technician had said we don't have to test for the first week! I told him I thought he understood I was going to test anyway & he kept saying how unnecessary it was & that I should get used to giving the shots first. While we were arguing, Pepper hid. Then he said maybe he should give the shots because he feels confident & I am too nervous. We have been together for six years & he used to give his Dad insulin shots sometimes but Pepper has been with me 14 yrs & is my cat. I felt rushed & panicked....it was awful.
Eventually, he ended up holding the fur & I gave the shot but I didn't even feel it really go in but I assume it did. I need to feel confident with each step & go slow but his attitude is just get it done is the way to gain confidence. I know I worry too much but I felt like a dismal failure! I don't wan't us to fight over this as I know it's bad for Pepper...I just don't know what to do. I feel impaired by my anxiety. Should I let him give the shots if he agrees to let me test first?
Please help. Any advice desperately needed & most welcome! Thank-you.

 

I think you need to sit down with BF and have a heart to heart talk about how precious Pepper is to you and that you want to make sure you keep her safe and insist that she is tested before all shots no ifs and or buts. Point out that his Dad tested before getting insulin so why would you not test the cat? If he resists, ask him if he'd give insulin to a human baby without knowing it was safe to do so. I'm betting the answer will be a resounding NO!

Now take some deep breathes and try to remember this is new stuff for all of you and nothing horrible is going to happen if you didn't get all the insulin into Pepper and she wasn't tested before hand. This is a learning curve and you need to be as patient with yourself and BF as you are with Pepper.

It's up to you how you want to handle the shots but if you have the advantage of having two in your household who can/do give shots, just make sure you keep a record somewhere so that a second shot doesn't get given or shots are not missed because someone assumed the other gave it. Clear communication is key to ensuring Pepper's safety.

Sometimes you will feel skin resistance when you inject and sometimes not so much. That doesn't mean the insulin didn't go in so never ever give a second shot. Check for any wet fur after you inject but don't massage the injection site. Just lightly run your hand over the area to see if there is any wetness. If you detect some wetness, note it on your SS as possible furshot (FS) so that you will know it may gave been a partial shot if Pepper's BG seems off that cycle.

More deep breathing......

 

Thanks so much, Linda. It feels like Pepper is dealing with all of this much better than I am! I will make a nice dinner & we will have a talk with Ron tonight. He thinks I am doing too much research & that it is overwhelming me. I think I am overwhelmed, but not because of the research.
If I can manage to test her 4 hrs or 6 hrs after the shot, will I be able to tell by the number if it was given successfully?
Do you think I should have let them shave some fur so I can see better that it is going in? The syringe feels so small & foreign & extremely uncomfortable to me.

 

This can be very overwhelming in the beginning and usually is. But that will pass, you will get into a routine and it will all become second nature. I hope your chat goes well. I like the buttering up BF with a good dinner! Nice touch!

In the ideal world the answer would be yes but sometimes there are other things that are influencing the numbers like bounces or pilfering food, seeing a squirrel out the window etc. that could send a number or even a cycle off. So if the fur has a little patch of wet, a fur shot may be the likely reason for off numbers but if there was just a teensy drop on the fur, it could be a partial fur shot or just a drop didn't go in or even some residual insulin from around the barrel top. Wipe the edge of the barrel just under the needle with a Kleenex or paper towel before shooting to avoid this last possibility. You'll never know for absolute sure but it's nice to have a clue there to remind you so you don't rush doing dose increases when a fur shot may be the culprit for off numbers.

You can always get a grapefruit and practice poking it with used syringes to get more used to the feel of the syringe in your hand. And the skin on a grapefruit mimics, to some degree, the resistance you MAY feel when injecting. Nurse's training trick! You can shave a small patch if you think that would help. I'm sure Pepper won't care!

 

I will try the grapefruit and just get more comfortable getting the tiny dose into the tiny syringe.!
Well, managed to test and got 9.7 - about exactlt 4 hrs after her shot. That means the shot was probably good I hope. Now I'm worried that I poked her too hard & perhaps should use the Lansing device after all. I used a warm washcloth in a baggie first. I feel so bad - she kinda cried out! It is hard to see her ears as they are black but I aimed for the very edge & had no trouble getting blood. I put pressure on & Vasoline but perhaps I need polysporin. How do I know if I poked too hard?

 

She'll forgive you! I know all too well how difficult it can be to see a blood bead on those dark ears! True confessions: Just tested my girl and she flinched which happens very very rarely but it does happen even to a seasoned veteran who BTW used the lancing device. If you do decide to go that route, take the cap off the device otherwise you won't get anywhere near the ear with the needle point and you can't see what you are doing and hold it at a 45 to 60 degree angle to the ear to prevent going through. Even if you go right through the ear, a little pressure on the poke spots to stem the bleeding and prevent bruising should be all that is needed.

 

Ok. Still trying to exhale....yikes, I just hate to make her bleed...poor thing. Thanks so much for being here. You're amazing!

 

Here's another thing you can do: next time you're filling a syringe, expel a drop onto a tissue and smell it. There's a very distinct, strong Bandaid-like smell to insulin. I often sniff the injection area fur on my guy to see if I can smell insulin there. I also run my fingers lightly over the fur. If there's no moisture and no smell you probably don't have a fur shot.

 

Thank-you for this tip! Need all help I can get!
I have a question about the lancets & lancet pen....what are the advantages & disadvantages of using the pen? Some seem to like it & some don't. The first test I just used the lanset without the pen & no problem but worried I poked too hard. Is the pen more consistent? And how would I know if I want 1,2, 3, 4, or 5?
Sorry if this is silly question - I couldn't find much on here about this. Thanks.

 

I free hand with the lancet placed in the device as a holder. I wrap Teasel's ear tautly around my index finger on one hand, hold the lancet close and at a slight angle with the other and then give a quick, short jab. That usually works. I still have the odd poke that has to be repeated or I hit the little vein and it's bit messy but I like that I can see exactly where the lancet will enter. Yes, I've gone through his ear more than once but it heals over.

Having a calm, businesslike attitude helps a lot.

 

Not a silly question at all! I use the lancing device with the cap on 2. When I first started I used 3 but mine only goes to 4. It's totally personal preference but for me it's easier and I'm too scared to free hand it because it just didn't feel right. Also I worried about poking through, although if this happens a few times its ok. I do think its consistent, but you would probably be just as consistent free handing once you got used to it. Before I tested it on the cat I pricked my own finger with it because I didn't totally get how it worked. To me it looked like the needle wasn't long enough and couldn't possibly poke through the top, but it definitely does! At first its a little hard to tell where it stuck (my cat has black ears too) but you start to see how it works over time and it really becomes second nature. A lot of people say the clicking noise right next to the ear bothers some cats but I'm fortunate my cat doesn't care. Do whatever you're comfortable with and works for you.

 

Thank-you, Case. It helps me a lot to hear other's experiences. I will try using the device next time just to see how it feels. Oh boy ...I just can't wait until my anxiety subsides & this becomes easier!!

 

A calm business like attitude....that sounds like the best advice ever & I am totally working on it. Trying to give the shot this morning I was a great example of what NOT to do.

 

You don't have to figure out your own spreadsheet! We have one we all use that's color coded to help see the "patterns of action" we look for

Instructions on Getting the FDMB spreadsheet

If you have any problems, feel free to send me a private message by clicking on my name and choosing "Start Conversation"....it takes about 30 seconds to set up once I have some information from you

 

Oh that's awesome, thank-you Chris
So grateful for everybody's help!

 

Just reading through the thread and obviously you are being well taken care of by everyone! I just wanted to stop by and add my own hugs to the conversation.

I remember the first week after Lou was diagnosed, especially the first few days were the hardest of my life. I researched until I thought my eyeballs would bleed, but it ultimately helped me feel more comfortable (I always say: Knowledge is Power). The first time I gave my buddy Lou an insulin shot I burst into tears, with body-wracking sobs and everything. I think I scared him silly, haha. I really struggled for a couple of shots afterwards trying to figure out the setting that would work best for us (I tried holding him down on the floor, sneaking in with food, sneaking in when he was sitting next to me on the couch, and finally settled with him in my lap). I was positive this would never work and this guy that I rescued would hate me forever. Thankfully, we have a routine and we've never been closer. Slowly but surely, I have seen him flourish and return to the crazy, wacky Loudogg I know and love. So I know exactly where you're coming from, but it will get better. It's just a matter of getting your routine and confidence down.

 

Awwww....that's so kinof you! You all here are just the nicest, most caring people anywhere ...I am blown away. I survived the first day of testing & shots but not very gracefully! There was blood, sweat & tears, panic & anxiety. It is so much extremely challenging stuff to deal with all at once but it is inspiring & heartwarming to hear your stories & words of encouragement. Thanks so much.