First home test trial = Fail

Gosh, this is harder than I thought it would be. I picked up the home test equipment yesterday, spent the rest of the afternoon and this morning reading all the home test posts I could find, and then finally got up the nerve to try it. Tried a couple of times to poke Lulu`s ear, no blood and a very unhappy kitty. Now when I walk towards her, she hides under a chair. I`ll try again tomorrow, poor Lulu , I hate this

 

I understand from a previous post that you are in Calgary, if you get really stuck you can PM me your phone number and I can see what I can do to help - I am also in Calgary and have been home testing for years!!

 

It helps to give a low carb treat every time you have a testing session. Freeze dried chicken or shrimp from PureBites goes over well with my cats.

 

Oh, don't lose heart.
Very few people manage to get a successful test the first time they try it.

I thought my kitty would be impossible to test but I managed to get him used to it in stages. I'd pop him up on my desk (our testing spot) and then give him a treat. Then I'd pop him on the desk and hold or massage his ear for a couple of seconds, and then give him a treat. Then I tried crumbling a few treats and while he was eating those I attempted a test, and he was OK with that! His mind was on those treats. Now he comes running when I rattle the test strip vial!

The test itself should not hurt the kitty at all. There are very few nerve endings in the outer edge of the ear. But it will be a new experience for the kitty, and for you.
Some people hold or restrain their kitties for tests. But I knew that was never going to work for us, so I use distraction instead. And the whole process is incredibly quick once you get the hang of it; it's over in a matter of seconds.

The most useful things I found were:
Most importantly: Make sure the kitty's ears are warm. Warm ears bleed much more easily than cold ones.
Massaging immediately below the prick site can 'milk' more blood out of the ear. I almost always do this.
It's important to put pressure against the underside of the ear. The lancet needs something to 'resist' otherwise it can push the ear away rather than prick it. Some folks use a little cotton wool or folded tissue against the inside of the ear. I use a finger tip (but sometimes manage to get a blood sample from myself this way...)
A teesny weensy smidge of vaseline on the outer edge of the ear can help the blood to 'bead up' rather than disappear into the fur.
Two ear pricks very close together can produce enough blood for a test when one ear prick might not be enough.

Kitties also pick up on our moods. The more relaxed we are, the more relaxed they are.

I don't know if you've seen this, but here's the FDMB page of hometesting info, tips and tricks:
Hometesting Links and Tips

And do consider taking up Alix's kind offer of assistance. Some people find it really useful to get some 'hands on' help.

You will find a way that works for you and Lulu. Honestly, you will. Just be patient with yourself.

Eliz

 

Thank you for your suggestions. I don`t know what I`d do without this fabulous board, everyone is so very helpful. I am going to try again today, using all your suggestions and see how it goes. Poor Lulu, over the past few weeks she`s gotten a complete blood test (venipuncture), 3 trips to the vet, needles by Mama twice (3x on Thursdays) daily, and now this. I know it`s all necessary but feel so bad, she doesn`t understand. Anyway, enough whining...
I will PM my number to Alix (thank you for your kind offer, Alix). I know we`ll get this done, it`s all for Lulu`s health <3

 

Yay!!! Success! I don`t know what I would do without you guys Followed your advice...bribed with treats, warmed her ear (rice in sock method), two sticks, got blood - result 21.1, 2 hours post injection. This means she needs an increase in dosage, right? She has a vet appointment on Friday for BG test, should I wait until after the appt to increase? Or maybe I'll just cancel that appt altogether. I am taking her completely off dry food today (all three of my cats are fine with canned food).

 

My first test resulted in a total meltdown on my part and cat the was looking at me as if to say "if you do that to me again, there's gonna be blood alright,YOURS". LOL. I'm glad you got the job done.

 

Panther has never given me an issue yet it'll get easier (we're newbies too)

 

Just another viewpoint- we started out trying the ear, and it was going OK, but not great. I had seen where some people were also using the upper paw pad on their front legs. For us, this has been a lifesaver. Maybe I'm just lucky, but my boy will let me hold him on his back and rub his neck. He throws his front legs back and stretches, and his Daddy is able to poke his pawpad. He rarely even flinches. The ear was just hard and it was so sad to see all the bruising and blood marks on his poor little ear. The paw pad has been incredible for us!

 

You don't adjust the dose based only one test result. As you are using Lantus, you need to test several times during the cycle to find the nadir (or low point in the cycle) - meaning how low does the BG go. After holding the same dose for 3-6 cycles, if there is little to no change, then adjust the dose. OR if there is a big change, adjust the dose accordingly.

I see in your signature that you are using dry food. That is another reason why you will see higher BG levels. You need to remove all dry food and only feed low carb canned or raw food. By low carb it's less than 10% carbs.... are you familiar with Dr. Lisa's food comparison chart? www.catinfo.org

Also read her site about her other reasons why dry food is not good diet for cats.

 

Thanks, Hillary, there is so much to learn, but we are getting better at BG testing, got two readings so far this morning. I did try feeding only canned food one day last week, but one of my kitties (don`t know if it was Lulu or one of the other two) ended up with the runs. So I`m slowly decreasing the dry and increasing the canned.

 

It's definitely a good idea to go slow with the food changes. One of the previous posts mentioned bruising on the ears. To avoid that, make sure you're holding a tissue or gauze pad on the tested spot for several seconds to make sure the bleeding stops. It doesn't take long and there won't be bruise. I hold a folded tissue under Mitz's ear when I poke and then fold the same tissue over the ear and hold it for 10 or 15 seconds.