? New home tester-getting strange readings

Discussion in 'Feline Health - (Welcome & Main Forum)' started by felicia__nicole, Mar 25, 2018.

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  1. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    Jun 8, 2016
    Agreed.... I would get a human meter in the meantime. Not a bad thing to have a backup.
     
  2. felicia__nicole

    felicia__nicole Member

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    Mar 25, 2018
    how would you code it?

    Also I asked in my previous post, if I test at +3 should it be before or after feeding?
     
  3. JanetNJ

    JanetNJ Well-Known Member

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    Jun 8, 2016
    You feed at injection time. You don't need to fast after that. No food 2 hours prior to the preshot test. Then test, feed, shoot... After that you can let the cat eat how he normally does, and then again, no food prior to the preshot test. The logic being you want to make sure the cat is high enough to shoot without the numbers being influenced by the food. It's OK if your cat eats before the +3... So whatever you would normally do.


    You don't code human meters. If you decide to get the freestyle strips most just leave the most recent code. I've never used the freestyle strip.

    I have learned to always have an unopened vial of strips as backup. I ran out once too and wound up paying a lot more for a vial at the vet
     
  4. Nan & Amber (GA)

    Nan & Amber (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Mar 19, 2016
    I think you can do whatever is easiest to manage (as Janet says, the 2-hr fast is just for the pre-shot test so you know it's safe to shoot). It takes about 15mins or so for any food to start to affect blood glucose, so if you end up taking a reading after that point from his snack that there could be a little inflation from the food.
     
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  5. Nan & Amber (GA)

    Nan & Amber (GA) Well-Known Member

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    Mar 19, 2016
    Meant to add: signing off now, so good luck tonight and tomorrow, hope Benny lets you get some restful sleep (and his ears get a chance to heal, poor fellow!).
     
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  6. Smokey and Jessica

    Smokey and Jessica Member

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    Feb 8, 2018
    So glad to see he cane back up!! Definitely get that +3!
    .5 would’ve needed to be eyballed, which a lot of us have done regularly for .25 doses or even less. Vets usually shake their heads at that and insist on whole/half units that you have markers, but as long as you can give the same amount consistently you do have the control over how much you shoot. I’m not familiar with vetsulin, but with prozinc I saw responses on very very small changes so there is benefit to it.
    I have to agree with everyone recommending getting another meter for backup. It’s always recommended to have a backup meter and strips anyway, and after the day you had I don’t want to see you run out or hesitate to test. I’ve seen people talking about buying ‘kits’ where you’re only paying for strips and they give you the meter free. Please look into that. If it’s only around $30 for 100 strips and they give you a meter you’ll be able to test freely until you get back on with the alphatrack. Plus you’ll always have that as a back up with readily available strips whenever you need. You don’t have to keep using it, just for now while he’s going to be sensitive to insulin and then for extra backup later.
    If you go with freestyle strips (more expensive that option a though) try testing the same blood at the same time before you’re all out of alphatrack so you can see if the code is right. I’ve never done that but someone should be able to help you if there’s an issue. Really though I think your best bet especially if you want to continue with the alphatrack is just get a human meter for now and backup.
     
  7. felicia__nicole

    felicia__nicole Member

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    Mar 25, 2018
    +3 reading is at 371. I'm feeding him then letting him be for the night. He pins back his ears if i put my hands anywhere near them now :( Poor guy. I'll test again in the morning before dosing. A big thanks to everyone who helped today. I will try to get his spreadsheet going some time this week when I have a chance to breathe!

    Oh and P.S. was able to find the test strips so I can get them Tuesday instead of Wednesday. :)
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2018
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