I am back /need answers.

Kak123

Kak123

Member
I was gone for awhile now I am back and want to begin Wizards home testing. I had a few questions that were answered before but can not find them anymore. Some of my concerns are? I work all day and I am concerned about testing his blood I feed around 6:30am and give insulin then also. My sister feeds him throughout the day when he asks for food. I return home around 5pm and feed if he wants it he gets his second dose of insulin at 6:30pm. What about testing his blood ? how long do I wait after he eats? Also what about feeding over night? he free feeds and I always let food out at night. Can I leave wet food out over night? Also is it really difficult to test the blood in the ear. I am nervous about starting the testing that is one of the reasons I have not started.
 
Kak123 said:
Also is it really difficult to test the blood in the ear. I am nervous about starting the testing that is one of the reasons I have not started.
Click to expand...
I think most people find this intimidating to begin with, so you are definitely not alone. Neither of my cats took naturally to it. They came around, though. They knew they got to eat after so, they both got to where they would come for testing when it was time. Frank had his own little table where he got tested and ate. He was more focused on getting food than anything we were doing, but he'd come jump right up on the table. Boozle comes, but he still acts a little put off when we test. We give him a nice brush while he eats and he gets over it. If you have issues, just keep at it and offer a reward, even if you don't get a good test. In my opinion, you kinda have to have a sense of humor about it. If you are anxious, they will feel that and react to it. I see where some people have said they sing to their cat. Might help to keep you calm too. It can be trying to begin with, but it's nothing you can't do . . . and I have seen people say time and again that it gets easier for them too.
 
Welcome back! I'm glad you're ready to start home testing Wizard. It's scary at first, but it becomes routine fairly fast and you'll feel much better having more control.

As for your questions:

We generally suggest no food for 2 hours before a test. You said you get home at 5 and feed him and then want to test at 6:30...does he eat it all at once? Is that his dinner? We usually test/feed/shoot so they have some food on board to slow any insulin drops. Maybe your sister could give him a snack at 4 and then take it up so that you can test at 6:30 and give dinner then?

You can definitely leave food out over night. I always add water to my cats wet food so it stays moister (and they like it that way now). Does he eat all his food at night? You could possibly look into an auto feeder and have it rotate to an empty compartment 2 hours before morning shot time so there isn't anything on board then for the test.

Testing. It's not hard to test the blood in the ear. I promise! I'll tell you what I did that made it easier.
  • First, I got a flashlight and looked at her ear. That helped me really SEE the vein that runs near the edge and I could see where the "sweet spot" was.
  • Next, I picked one spot to always test. She knew that when we went there it was test time and that a treat would follow no matter what.
  • When we started testing, I made sure to really warm her ear up first...a rice sock or a pill bottle with warm water is great. That helps the blood flow.
  • Then I did a quick poke...and at first I did two pokes right next to each other fast.
  • After that, I "milked" the ear...to get the blood droplet to come out.
  • Then treat and done!
IT takes a bit of practice, but within a week, I was adept at it and Gypsy was running to me at test time! Watch some videos online first...that helps. And if you try to get some blood and it doesn't work, stop after 3 tries. Take 15 to 20 minutes for you both to cool off (give a treat anyway) and then try again. You WILL get it...we'll help! Let us know what other questions you have and also let us know what troubles you run into and we're here to work through it with you!
 
Thanks for the information I have another questions do you give your insulin at the same time each day for instance 6:30am and 6:30pm? This is when I give Wizard his insulin. So I need to have him have a snack at 4pm then test at 6pm then feed then shot at 6:30 pm does this sound good if you give insulin at the same time every day. What do you do time wise? We are to test, feed, shoot in this order right?

thanks,
Kathi and Wizard
 
another question how long do you wait until after the finishes eating to give him his dose of insulin?
Kathi
 
Yes, we try to shoot as close to 12 hours apart as possible. We don’t really wait to feed our cat between testing and shooting. We test and, assuming the number is high enough, give her a little tablespoon of food while we prepare the syringe, and then put the rest of her food in the bowl and shoot while she’s scarfing down. She doesn’t even notice! :smuggrin:
 
I do pretty much the same thing Jenna does: test and feed, and while he’s eating I get the shot ready and inject while he’s still eating. The whole process takes about five minutes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top