Just getting started with the group

Hi Everyone,

Bill here, and the star of our show is Zachary, an 11-year-old grey tabby. He was diagnosed with diabetes in late December last year. We've been using the Lantis insulin, injected twice daily. We've been using urine swipes to gauge his insulin, but we understand that ear sticks are the best way to measure blood glucose. We've been trying the ear sticks, but no success yet. Zachary is ravenous. Our whole house is his bathroom - making us miserable, angry, desperate. Any advice gratefully received.

 

Welcome! Try using the paw pads for testing, it works much better for me. I'd suggest that unless you've been feeding all canned food already that you transition slowly, as sudden changes can bring about not only vomitting and or diarrhea but can also lead to bad behavior.

 

Hi Mogmom and Goofus,

Thank you for the info! So, the paw pads. Never thought of that. Do you do the stick right on the pad? Does the stick heal ok? Thank you again.

 

Hi and welcome!

Yes, paw pad testing works just fine and the pads heal very quickly. I've done up to 10 tests in a 12 hour cycle that way with no problems at all showing up even later the same day. You will need to use alternate site lancets for paw pad testing as they're a larger needle - I've never been able to get enough blood from a paw pad with a small gauge lancet. Testing blood with a glucometer gives a much more accurate immediate reading than testing urine (though while you're getting started with the blood testing, continuing to urine test is better than not being able to get any test at all). You should find that Zachary's behavioral issues will improve as he becomes better regulated on insulin.

 

Hi manxcat419,

Thank you for the reply

We have a Reli-On (Relion?) human glucosameter which I have tried on myself - works great. The kit comes with a spring-loaded stick thing - don't know what it's called - and little lancet inserts. The lancets are covered by a round piece of plastic that twists off. Would you happen to know if those lancets are a large or small gauge? Thanks!

 

Hi,

Wanted to reply to you about canned food. We have 3 indoor kitties and 1 outdoor. The indoor kitties have all transitioned to canned food. No more dry food, although that is what they have eaten for almost all their lives.

 

Hi again,

Tried sticking Zachary this morning. Two attempts - much BFF cat food for bribes. Got a bead of blood from the right back leg, the big central pad. But Zachary wasn't liking it - he wiggled and squirmed and pulled. Finally hissed and took a swat at my hand - but no extended claws, as if to say "dad, I don't want to hurt you, but I've had enough of you poking my feet with sharp things." Got the glucosameter on it and it read E-7 for insufficient sample. Will try again this afternoon with the kitty burrito idea. I'm sure he's gonna love that! He's a hunter type and is not used to being manipulated and held. Cuddle, yes. Restraint, no way.

 

While you work on the glucose control, see my signature link Secondary Monitoring Tools for other assessments which can help you manage his diabetes.

And maybe pick up some inexpensive painter's tarps to lay over important or difficult to clean things, so that his accidents are easier to clean up. For cleaning up any residue, Simple Solution and Nature's Miracle have worked well for folks.

 

My kitty is like that too. And I thought he would be impossible to test because of that.
I knew from the outset that hometesting was only going to work if he agreed to cooperate. So, I worked out that I could crumble a few of his favourite treats and test his ear while he was munching on those. No restraint needed; only distraction...
.

 

With ReliOn it depends on the color of the lancet. The ones that come with the lancing device (the spring-loaded stick) are a dark blue - those are a fairly small 31 gauge. The ones you'll need for paw pad testing are a cream/light beige color and are a 26 gauge - it's only a slightly bigger needle but it does make all the difference for getting enough blood not to get those E-7 errors.

My Rosa is like that too - she will stay fairly calm until someone tries to hold her down...then there's going to be real trouble (and often someone's going to get hurt because she panics). Like @Elizabeth and Bertie I had to persuade Rosa that testing was a good idea without using restraint. Treats really do help. Talking to Zachary or even singing to him while you're testing can help - it gives him something else to think about. It will take time for him, and you, to get used to the routine and for you to get enough practice to be able to get enough blood to test every time so please try not to worry if you don't get a successful test every time to begin with - just wait until later and try again. It's more important that neither you nor Zachary get too stressed out in any one session that you're put off making another attempt later on.

 

Thank you all very much. Your experiences and advice are very helpful for us. We had been using urine swipes for a while, and we're transitioning to blood testing. While we're doing that, we took Zachary to the vet. His blood glucose is 223 mg/dl, and his weight is 8.9 pounds - a "spot" check at the vet's for $20. He used to be very skinny and was drinking water constantly. Since we started the insulin shots, he is not thirsty but is ravenous, and his weight has crept up. We've had to bolt down the kitchen pretty thoroughly to keep him out of stuff. So, from your comments, I can see that there is improvement in his condition, but we can't prove it (yet) through blood testing. I'm looking forward to bringing his glucose under control so he can resume normal life.

 

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Yes, I poke the big pad, a different one each time. I use the little clicker thingy because it doesn't feel like I'm actually poking then! I get too grossed out otherwise . . The pokes heal up really fast and I give Goof lots of love and foot rubs before I lay him on the kitchen countertop on his side, always the same side, then I give him some more loves. He loves his belly rubbed, so that helps. I also leave a couple of small things laying within his reach for him to swat at, he kinda forgets what I'm doing then. I use an Alphatrak2 meter, it takes a very tiny drop of blood and draws it in quickly. Goof now knows when he hears the beep, that we're all done and it's time for chow!

 

Goof still gets dry food because if you can get him to eat wet food, and that's a big if, he always vomits within in 5-10 minutes. But Evo cat and kitten is only 8 carbs and his numbers are good, so I don't worry.

 

Hi there! I'm a fairly new member too. My Tiggy was dx 4/14/15. Everyone here is fantastic. They have great suggestions and are extremely supportive. I'm certainly far from an expert, but what has worked for me when I first started the BG testing was to have Tiggy sit someplace that I only used specifically for his blood glucose tests. (I didn't want him to associate sitting on my lap or the couch with something he didn't like especially in the beginning when I started my BG testing and insulin shots).

I use a wicker stool that I set in front of my couch. It's the right height for both Tiggy as well as me as he can jump up onto it. I've only ever done the sticks on his ears as I've always been concerned about hurting his paws since he uses a litter box. Tiggy was certainly not a happy camper in the beginning as he tends to be the type of cat that is very verbal (he's a chatterbox) if he is upset or wants something. I found that rubbing his ears in addition to using the low carb treats worked fantastically well. Once he got the hang of the situation / routine, he now knows to just jump up on the wicker stool and anxiously waits for his "treats" while I stick his ears. He can be a bit wiggly, but I mastered the ear sticks into the blood vessel that runs along the backside of the ear. It made me think that doing this, is much like the Pavlov's dog experiment (except for cats)...i.e. when Tiggy hears the beep of my Relion confirm after I've collected his blood on the test strip.. He "chatters" and "chirps" as he knows it's time for a treat! lol
I also found that getting both my cats (my diabetic cat and non-diabetic cat) off of dry food as soon as possible and only feeding them the low-carb canned cat food (see the list of cat food from BJM's post above), worked the best for Tiggy as this was suggested by many of the folks here. Welcome aboard!

 

I prick my Petey's ears. He didn't like it much at first but giving him freeze dried chicken treats (aka kitty crack) has changed his attitude 1000%! Now, I shake the bottle of test strip and it will even wake him from a dead sleep! lol He comes from wherever he is. He may still hate the prick but, he gets a good pay-off so apparently he's ok with it! Ah, the power of bribery!!