What do you consider too low in glucose count

I don't know exactly what I should do here.

My cat is experiencing lower glucose levels than i feel comfortable with.

Example. I gave him a shot at 5:45pm. it's not 10:45 pm. his blood glucose is 96.
I checked him last time and about 6 hours it was 104.

Shouldn't i be keeping him around 150 or so? I'm not as concerned with that, as I am worrying if i'm approaching dangerously low levels

does it sound like i am? i would assume that vetsulin is pretty well at full power afte 5 hours but i don't know

 

I should also add. it is EXTREMELY hard for me to get blood from him. I have to sneak up and get it while he's in heavy sleep or he will simply fight me too much. So when I can get it i'm thrilled from that fact alone

 

Hi John, are you using a human meter or a pet meter lie the AlphaTrak?
Reason why I 'm asking is that on a human meter below 5o is the danger zone where as anything below 68 on a pet meter is too low.

 

Hi.

I'm using a human meter.

So 96 isn't dangerous then. I think that helps. isn't that about the peak time for VetSulin? or is it later?

 

I'm not familiar with Vetsulin's onset or nadir times (my cat is on Lantus) but maybe this link will help until someone knowledgeable comes along.
http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/vetsulin-caninsulin-user-guide.302/

 

OK, that's good but as I said, I don't know when your cat typically goes lowest in the cycle or if he has had a BIG drop in numbers from his pre-shot. Can't see a spreadsheet for Wilbur.
I will see if @Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey can weigh in.

 

I've tried, I can't get blood anywhere near often enough to manage a spreadsheet. it's very difficult. I'm going to just kind of watch him for awhile.

 

Hi John.

I also am not familiar with Vetsulin, but I will second what Barbara said - 96 is a perfectly safe number. I would guess that he is at or near nadir, so I don't think there is a cause for concern. If you can get another test at some point in the next couple of hours, it would probably be a good idea. Failing that, give him a little food.

Have you seen this post with tips to help you with testing? There might be something in there that will help you. What exactly is the problem that you're having? Uncooperative cat? No blood coming out? Maybe we can help.

I'm headed your way this next week for the NASCAR races. Order some cooler weather for me, would you please? It's been 30+ years since I lived in AZ and I am no longer used to the heat!

 

Vetsulin usually peaked for me at 5 hours post shot. Sometimes 6 hours past. Either way your cat is in safe numbers. The danger number on a human meter is 50.... I'd say a 96 is PERFECT. It's exactly what you want to see. Numbers below 120 on a human meter but above 50 is the healing range. This is where your cats body can heal it's pancreas! Don't be afraid of green numbers. 150 is the top range of normal on a pet meter, (68-150), but a little bit high for a human meter. I use a pet meter and always aimed to get my lowest point about 85 -90.

 

Do you warm the ear ahead of time? Are you aiming for the sweet spot? You mentioned using a human meter, but are you using the lancets that came with it or did you buy bigger ones? The ones that come with human meters are 31 gauge which are too small to easily get a sample. You'll want to use 26 or 28 guage.

 

he's on a really high dosage. he was having such high glucose he was having seizures. bad ones. the vet i was taking him to was terrible but i dind't realize it.

they started him at 2u twice a day. at the time i couldn't check his sugar at all. months later, after they claimed he had epilepsy and blamed the seizures on that i finally got him testing and was getting readings of nearly 600.

After awhile I got him stabilized but had to give him 10u twice daily. the new vet had me cut him down to 9 saying 'i know it's not much' to which i replied "reducing his medicine 10% is a good bit to me" and I was happy.

Now i normally get readings between 85 and 100 at 5 to 6 hours. But it's VERY hard to test him.

for one he's big, very big, and very strong. he's fat, but still a large cat too. 21 pounds. he has never let me even touch his ears. if I try more than a couple times he'll get off my lap, or off the floor and leave.

I tried several weeks to gently massage them during his cuddle times but to no avail. he just simple does not want his ears or feet touched, PERIOD.

The only time I can get him is if I'm lucky enough to get the blood drop on the first or second poke. Which i usually can, but that's if I can get him to sit still long enough. Even then it's hard for me to keep him calm enough to get the meter up there when i do get the blood.

I'm using a human lancet, i'm type II myself so i use my meter for him. I'm pretty good at getting the blood if I can keep him calm for the 10 seconds it takes to get it. but it's rare i can do that

 

by the way, my signature says we're weaning him off the phenobarbital. that's been complete for a couple months. I got him off no problem by doing micro reductions a week at a time. i'm VERY happy he's off. they kept him groggy and off balance

 

You'll have an easier time with a 28 gauge lancet. If he's squirming then flick the drop onto the back of your nail and test it from there.

 

And if you get rid of the dry w/d food the bg will go down. That food is 14% carb.

 

yeah i know but there's an issue. Well several. he's EXTREMELY finicky. to the point i have to give him tiny bits of tuna to get him to eat to give him his shot. i refuse to dose him without knowing he's eating.

I'm actually worried about taking him off the w/d because of how difficult it is to test him and I know if I can get it it will drastically lower his BG.

The other problem, i have two other cats. When i put wilbur on W/D i had to switch all the cats because they graze and I couldn't leave other food out. I pay $67 every 4 weeks to feed them because of this. it's awful.

I tried testing him on cooked chicken and he wouldn't even look at it. If I switch them to timed feedings all around and move them to wet it would drastically change things. I don't think one of my cats would make the transition. she's also very finicky. the last one would eat asphalt if i fed it to her. she was an abandoned cat that had a disease in her mouth and nearly died before I took her in and got her surgery. So she's happy to eat anything. i think strays are much easier to change because they're used to eating what they can find.

All that being said, i guess as long as i keep him at ideal BG levels it's OK, but i'd sure like to get him off those high doses and get him on wet food. I tried hills wet but i'd need to get another job if I fed them all that way. FAR too expensive.

So i don't know quite how to proceed.

As for the lancet, i didn't know this, i will be getting those for sure. I use the little clicker for myself (although i've got mine under control through diet/exercise) so for him I just take the bare lancet out and poke with that. I will find those bigger lancets though

 

Many of us feed Friskies or Fancy Feast pates to our diabetic cats. Avoid the sauce/gravy types because they're too high in carbs.

 

yeah i do, it's in my signature. but over time I find he's eating less and less.

In fact, just to get him to actually eat it and not just lick, i bought a hand blender and mix 1 to 1 water/pate then he laps it up. but he's all but stopped eating it

 

Ok so here's my update. It's time for his dose. his BG is 193. I went ahead and gave it to him, but I reduced it from 9u to 8u figuring since he's not eating much right now at all I shouldn't give him too much. I am AMAZED i got him to test, but he's not feeling well, he threw up twice last night and I can just tell he's not in good spirits.

Hoping I can test him again in 6 hours. Does that sound like the right time frame?

 

193 is not a bad number. However, vomiting, not eating and reduced or no insulin can tip them in some serious complications like diabetic ketoacidosis and/or hepatic lipidosis fairly quickly.

 

If it were me, I wouldn't wait that long, I'd try to test him by +3 or +4, especially if he's not eating well. Vetsulin hits quickly, and it needs food to work on it.

Has your vet ever tested him for pancreatitis? Does he show signs of nausea (lip licking, turning away from food)? Does he ever "meatloaf", where he sits with all his legs folded under him so that he's in the shape of a meatloaf?

 

He's always meatloafed. both him and his sister have. since they were little. He doesn't lick his lips but last night he turned away. he doesn't throw up often and when he does he doesn't eat normally for a little bit. he ate a little bit before I gave him the shot, but I'll test him again at +3 or +4.

i'm taking him in to the vet on Tuesday for a fructosamine (sp?). that should help. but I wonder if it will do any good if he's not eating normal. when this happens it's usually short lived. if he's still having a rough time I can take him in later today

EDIT: this came on in the early evening last night. he was perfectly normal until maybe 6pm

 

OK better feeling. I gave him some lean treats and he ate those up (just a little). then he went to his little soup i always make him and he's eating. i feel a lot better now

this is pretty normal. eats a little TINY bit of tuna (half a teaspoon) then he comes in to his room and eats some of the soup, or his dry food.

So he's coming around a little. I also monitor his peeing and he's doing that normal so we're ok there. i clean all 3 litter boxes twice a day and as anyone that has multiple cats knows, you can tell which 'stuff' is who's in the box.

 

If you scroll down this page

http://www.ibdkitties.net/pancreatitis/

It will show the difference between a kitty sitting in a "comfy" meatloaf position and sitting in a "pain" meatloaf position.

The fact that he is not interested in eating is a potential sign of pancreatitis. If it is pancreatitis this needs to be dealt with by a vet with sub q fluids, anti-nausea meds and pain relief. If a kitty is not eating for any period of time it can put a strain on the liver which can lead to hepatic issues such as fatty liver.


ETA I have a kitty who suffers from chronic pancreatitis and will have the occasional full blown episode. He never throws up, but the warning signs are for him to be refusing food ( he is a food hog) and turning away from the food dish.

 

Oh he's definitely not doing the 'pain' loaf. he was doing his normal one where he folds his feet under him

I edited my post. he ate really well just now

 

That is good to hear. Not eating is a definite red flag. It would be prudent to get some tests in to keep track on how low the insulin is taking him though

 

correct. I was going to take him today if he didn't eat. He started feeling odd about 6pm. this hasn't been very long, but i have always kept a really close eye on him.

Also, when he's sick he'll vomit 5 or 6 times. last night he only did the one, then a couple steps and another. that was it. So it wasn't bad, I over worry, but figure over worrying is better than neglecting and he's my little buddy that stays close to me 24/7 so i try hard to help him

 

That's good. Pancreatitis is definitely something to keep in the back of your mind with a cat who has an inconsistent/iffy appetite. There's a quick test they can do in a vet's office (the SNAP fPL) that gives a yes-no.

I'd still recommend getting some tests in at +3 or +4-- given that he started at 193 and you gave 8U of Vetsulin, you don't have a large margin of error.

 

right. well he's down from 10u three months ago to 9u this is the first time I've ever given him as low as 8. but i was concerned. I'll see if he'll let me test him at 3+. he cringed just now when i went to pet him thinking i was going to do it again.

 

There are a small number of caregivers that test on paw pads rather than ears-- any chance he'd be OK with you trying that?

 

Oh no, much worse. i can't even tickle his paw pads.

 

Yep! My kitty would be the same way, just figured I'd ask (I'm totally jealous of those with mellow kitties that let them do the paw pad-- it definitely looks like an easier process!).

All you can do is keep working at it. Try to make sure there are as many positive associations (treats, pets, praise) that come with the testing and the fiddling with the ears.

A couple more suggestions (you never know which one will "click" for a particular cat!): instead of the lancet device, try freehanding the poke with the lancet itself-- eliminates the scary click noise and many caregivers feel they have more control over the location of the poke.

If he's flinching, do you think his ears might be a little sore from previous pokes and attempts? Two things that really help healing: first, always apply a little gentle pressure (with a tissue) for a few seconds on the poke site afterwards to cut down on bruising. Second, apply a little bit of neosporin (or equivalent) gel (not cream) after the poking (wipe it off later).

 

Oh I don't use a device, i take the lancet itself out, take that round top off and just use it that way. I know the click would scare him, and honestly, the ear is SO thin it takes next to nothing to go all the way through.

I'll get it, but honestly I think he's ok now. he ate like he normally does. that's the part I was really worried about.

 

A lot of us use the lancing device to hold the lancet but don't click it to poke . When I put in a new lancet I click the device so it won't click when I poke Maury. Would be more difficult for me to try and just hold the little lancet.

 

John... when I first started home testing it was just a dismal mess...I was in tears and my kitty was howling and growling. With setting up a regular test spot and spending time just having him sit there and get loved on and of course a bit of a treat, we both learned to relax. After a couple of weeks he would just come to the test spot and sit and purr when I tested or did the shots. I NEVER would have even dreamed it would come to that. Some kitties are harder to deal with than others, but over time they can learn to accept the testing/shooting as a normal part of their routine.

 

Actually, the wet W/D is 25% carb, per Dr. Lisa Piersons newly revised food chart, see page 61.
http://catinfo.org/docs/CatFoodProteinFatCarbPhosphorusChart.pdf

Dry w/d is 36.7% carbs per the Hill's website.

 

Even worse!!! The only problem with removing the HC dry food as Janet is suggesting, is that John is not able to home test Wilbur on a consistent basis. If dry food is being removed or cut back a lot then home testing needs to be done to keep an eye on the numbers, which could very well drop a lot when the dry is removed.

 

Hi @Deb & Wink That chart says
Wet only - no dry food is listed 2017
on every page. can you clarify?

 

ugh 250@ 3.5 hours

thoughts? is it possible it just hasn't brought it down all the way yet?

 

Hmmmm.... not a Vetsulin expert at all, but that is interesting. As far as I know, the Vetsulin should be active by now, and so you would normally expect to see lower numbers from the preshot.

Here's what I'm thinking: the 193 at pre-shot may have been already on the way up from a much lower number sometime during the night. There is a phenomenon we call "bouncing", in which a cat's body reacts to lower-than-usual numbers by "panicking" and releasing a bunch of glucose from liver stores. Basically, if a cat has gotten used to high diabetic BG numbers for a while, even numbers in the 100's might look "too low"-- that's not even close to hypoglycemic in reality, but if a cat has been hanging out in the 400's-500's for a while, it might seem like it to them.

So, if the numbers were already on the way up (and with bouncing, they can go waaay up), the insulin may be countering that and bringing them down, but (so far) only as far as 250.

That's my guess, I'll be interested to see if any of the Vetsulin people have additional opinions.

 

Hi John,

Typed the wrong thing. The wet is 25% carbs, but the dry W/d is even higher in carbs, roughly 35-37% range. Hill's website says 36.7%. See here.

The Hills W/d dry and wet foods are what my sugar kitty Wink was eating on advice from the shelter vet, before I took him in from the shelter. His numbers were in the 300+ range. As soon as I was able to transition him to low carb canned food, mainly the Fancy Feast pate styles, Wink went OTJ and has been off insulin for four years now.

Wink was a dry food addict and it took about 6 weeks to completely transition him. It was not at all easy to transition from dry to wet and took patience and persistence. I used probably every trick in the article by vet Dr. Lisa Pierson on Transitioning Dry Food Addicts. I also had to feed Wink in a separate room from my other kitties.

It was worth it though.

CAUTION: I had to drop Wink's insulin fast and furious as the switch to lower carb food meant he didn't need as much insulin. I did this while home testing Wink's BG levels.

 

Wink is a very finicky eater too. I would have a smorgasbord of flavors down for him to try, 2-3 at a time. Four years ago, he decided he loved the Fancy Feast Turkey and Giblets flavor. For the last 6 months, he refuses to touch it.

 

OH you're right... I was thinking of D/M, not W/D!

 

i am going to try figuring out that Dr Peirson article and see if I can do this. I've been wanting him off dry food for years.

WIsh me luck! I can't do this until i speak with my vet and let him guide me but it's going to get done

 

man oh man, reading this transition document I can tell right now this is going to be a rough period. Wilbur, Tinker and Pickle have had dry food feeders all day 24/7 their entire lives (well Pickle i brought in as a stray but in the 5 years I've had her).

I am really worried about this, but I'm also determined.

The part i'm worried about more than anything is testing wilbur. I tested him 3 times in the last 24 hours. the most BY FAR in a one day period. he runs from me on site now

 

there are a few dry foods under 10 %. Evo cat and kitten in the purple bag and my favorite Young Again Zero carb. Youngagainpetfood.com. You can leave Young Again Zero carb out all the time.

 

OK hang on a sec. Sorry for continuing to spam

I was trying to find something on carbs on other cat food. according to what i just read, meow mix kitten formula has less carbs than hills prescription diet w/d?? how is that even possible? This doc says 30% and honestly the seafood medly isn't much worse

That's interesting. It's not much more expensive than what I'm paying for the Hills w/d

I think that would be a good start. Based on the document the first thing i need to do is stop free feeding and make sure WIlbur is 21 pounds soi based on the formula I need to make sure he's gettin 300 calories per day so if the EVO is 612 calories per cup I can only feed him a half a cup per day? he is NOT going to like that, I can assure you

One good thing here is i am very stubborn. once I make my mind up to do something i do it. this is going to take some time though because I can't just instantly drop him massively. With the difficulty I have testing him I am really worried about the initial transition

 

One thing I can tell you about young again, and Evo as well, it's that because it's higher in calories and nutrient dense they tend to eat less of it. I don't measure it out as all my cats are free feeders. I just put a few bowls of it around.

 

W/d isn't the prescription diabetic food, it's for "weight management". Although for the most part most prescription foods are no better nutritionally than anything you could get in a store.

 

some people use their nail to scoop up the blood rather than putting meter to the ear. perhaps you can try sticking and collecting the blood in one movement so you aren't spending as much time near his ear.

 

because Young Again Zero has only 1% carb, BG can drop precipitously so be sure you are able to test. i just started using YA and ordered a flavour enhancer from them. perhaps this enhancer would be useful for you to encourage Wilbur to eat. i'm planning to use it to make healthy no carb treats because my girl won't eat any of the bought ones and won't eat plain meat raw or cooked unless it's mice

 

Hi, I'm just butting in but wanted to attest to this statement . I received my YA bag a week ago and even though my boy isn't on it 100% yet I have noticed he is not gobbling it all up after his meal, like he did with just the DM.

 

This really makes me want to try it, but without a LOT of testing it scares me

 

You can e-mail them for a free sample, it's like the size of a treat bag. It does contain pork so some kitties don't do well with pork. Also, I did not follow their instructions on the bag. They recommend stopping insulin and immediately switching out food. I knew that would not bode well for Maury so that's why I am transitioning him and still giving insulin. Are you planning on getting a SpreadSheet up?
Maury is from AZ

 

yeah i'd have a really big problem going from 9u twice a day to 0 regardless of the food. but that's the problem since i'ts so difficult to get him to test, i'm not sure I can do it safely

 

Where is Arizona? I missed that last line
I'll try a sample bag, that's a good idea. see if he likes it. course, all 3 cats have to like it or it won't work. but i'm anxious to try

 

FYI

They sure were fast!

 

OK after a dramatic couple weeks I found something he will actually eat

do these numbers appear to be OK? it's wet food.

Crude Protein 12.0% min.
Crude Fat 1.8% min.
Crude Fiber 1.5% max.
Moisture 82.0% max.
Ash 3.0% max.
Taurine 0.05% min.

here are the numbers for the supposed weight management hills prescription diet

Crude Protein (min) 38.7%
Crude Fat (min) 9.1%
Crude Fiber (max) 7.8%
Calcium (min) 1.14%


I mean am i crazy or is the top set much better for him? it's wet and hills is dry of course

 

Top set for wet food, all my calculators end up with 0% carb. For most of my comparisons there is a slight difference so I give ranges. Either way I'd say that wet food is 0%-3%, which is still very good .

The Hill's dry food is pretty bad 28% - 32% carb . Are you having problems maintaining his weight? Most of us are trying to put weight back on our FD kitties.

Have you thought about the Spreadsheet yet? Are you still having issues with home testing, if so please please just ask

 

it's so sporadic getting blood from him I just haven't. it's been about 6 days since i got blood.

here's the deal. i was giving him half a teaspoon of tuna to get him to eat so I could give him a shot. we just moved here and he was unstable for a while. stressed etc. been 6 months now. he stoppexd getting excited about his wet food (fancy feast classic pate) so it was hard to get him to want to eat. i had some lean treats but man those aren't cheap.

For normal i feed him hills (actually all 3 cats eat it). but i've been trying to find other wet food to get him excited. For the time being he's liking the top one which is meow mix tender favorits tuna and shrimp (not pate).

it looks OK to me in nutrients and anything is better than tuna.

he's very hard to keep trim. he's a big cat anyway, but he's 21lbs. I've tried cutting back and he just cries almost 24/7. meaning all through the night. he'd climb on my shoulder while sleeping and meow LOUD. then when i was up he would stand under my feet meowing loud ALL DAY EVERY DAY.

i wanted to get him off free feeding but that was what I tried for 2 weeks and i couldn't take it anymore. I dind't even like being around him anymore he bugged me so strongly. it made me very sad.

I want to get him off dry food but it just isn't working. i complained about hills being $65 per bag, but honestly wet food is about the same if not more.

just struggling

on the good side he's been around 80-95 at 6 hrs post injection, and around 200 at insulin time.

 

Have you tried the ear warming tips? Warm ears bleed much much better and the more you test, their ears "learn to bleed" by developing more capillaries in them. Yes I remember the pending tuna junkie . What is his feeding schedule like now? How do you know those are his daily numbers if you haven't tested in 6 days? Not trying to be mean, just confused with that.

 

i know those are his numbers when i get to test him. they havce varied a few numbers but not very much.

It's not the heat thing, it's that he won't let me touch his ears AT ALL. in fact the problem is i have to pin him down to get it, and he hides from me for a day or two afterwards. he's never once allowed me to do it. I can't even get the ears in my hand to warm them up

 

Have you tried any desensitizing exercises? There are also some members who had to do a "kitty burrito" when starting testing. @Caitlin M @julie & punkin (ga)

 

I just watched videos on YouTube for how to do the kitty burrito when I needed to. It helps them (and you!) stay safe, as well as supposedly calms them a bit since they're tight and have pressure on them. My Pita still growled at me, but it allowed me to test quickly. I did however, need to lure him with a few treats before I wrapped.



I watched that one plus a few others! Hope that helps, even a little. Good luck!

 

I'm going to try this. let me expand on something though. Couple things. they both lead into why i struggle testing him.

1. I live alone (well functionally. I moved my mother in so I could care for her but she's 75 and has virtually no strength). if he struggles I don't have anyone to help. I can't use the scruff because i need both hands to get the blood. I have a technique where I timed how long the tester will stay open with a strip in before it times out. so i know how long i have to get the blood in it.
Then I set it down with strip in JUSt before starting. 9 times out of 10 he gets away before i get it.
2. Wilbur is a VERY big cat. he's overweight too but he's a gigantic cat. 21 pounds. he's easily double the size of my other two cats, and he's incredibly strong. If I pick him up to carry him to his cat carrier? i have to ask someone to come over and hold it because i can't carry him and hold his scruff tight enough to get control of him. I have to have someone guide him in. I have to get an extra large carrier just to fit him.

Now this might sound silly. I'm 6' tall and weigh 210 pounds and I'm in good shape. I still have a hard time controlling him.

I'm going to try the scarf technique listed above, however I can tell you, he will start to run away the moment I put the towel around him. So it all depends on whether I can keep enough control to get it

I've never seen a cat I couldn't hold with the scruff. but the combination of scar tissue from shots (i no longer give him shots in the neck) and his sheer mass, it's really hard to control

he's so long and tall he can't sit in my lap even if he tries to curl up because there isn't enough room.

 

I know it might be out of the question since he struggles but I only partially put the test strip in so I don't have to rush the poke. When I see the blood drop starting, I push the strip in. A lot of us are single cat parents too . I hope the kitty-rrito helps you out. Maury used to be 18lbs, little overweight, but I never had much luck scruffing him for control either. Sometimes we would love to have a 3rd or 4th extra hand lol

 

Lol...I swear I'm going to make a video of what happens if I try to burrito Sam. Y'all would die laughing.

But John, there are ways to get your cat used to this, but until you are fully committed that this is necessary to care for him and help him find healing, it isn't going to work. I have an incredibly aggressive cat who has learned to cooperate in this process, but it took time and commitment on my part to get there. And I do it without holding him down or burrito-ing him or anything. We are more than happy to help, but it's up to you to decide that you will pursue it.

 

I think my problem is I'm too much of a wimp. believe me I'm committed, but it really bugs me to upset him, and then he'll hide from me for days.

But you are definitely right, i have to try this. i have to figure something out.

 

John - I wrote this very long description of how I started testing Sam for another member awhile back, so forgive the different name, etc. I need to head back to work though, so I'm short of time to edit it. Maybe something in here will be helpful for you, maybe not, but know that whatever it takes, we are all here to support you.

One thing to note is that at Sam's initial diagnosis, the vet told me to take him home and change his food first, then come back in two weeks to start insulin if needed. So the first couple of weeks I was supposed to be figuring out how to home test, but it wasn't critical yet.

-------

I think the first step is just to make a pleasant and consistent routine for both of you - without even worrying about the testing just yet. I test Sam on the kitchen counter so that he's up high. Like Jackie, he won't let me stand over him, so when he's up on the counter he feels safer. Then I went through the following progression. It took about two weeks. I did each step several times each day, and each step took as many days as I felt like it needed until he was comfortable. Before you do anything, stock up on a gazillion low-carb treats. You have to be quick to give treats for every little step, even if it's unsuccessful.

1. I would set him on the counter, give him a treat, and then walk away. No attempt at testing. This was repeated about ten times each day at regular intervals. I set an alarm on my phone to remind myself. I was also on vacation at the time, so that helped. If you can't be home that much, just do it as much as you can.

2. After a couple of days, he understood that that place on the counter was for treats. Then I started putting him on the counter, gently holding one of his ears for as long as he would let me without scaring him, give him a treat, and walk away. Sometimes I would give him a treat, and then hold his ear again for as long as he would let me, and give him another treat. I wanted him to associate having his ear held with something positive (the treats). I would also use my other hand to scratch his chin during this, which he loves. Repeat as many times each day as you can, with a few hours between each time.

3. I made a little felt heart and filled it with rice to use to warm up his ear. A lot of people just put some rice in the toe of a sock - I just wanted it to be cute. I would put it in the microwave for 30 seconds (the time depends on how much rice you're using - you want it to be nicely warm, but not too hot). I would put Sam on the counter, hold the rice heart on his ear for as long as he would let me while at the same time scratching his head, chin, kissing his head. Then when he indicated he didn't want that thing on his ear anymore, I would give him a treat and walk away. The reason I did this step was that warming the ear is a really really important step in getting a successful test. Their ears don't bleed very well in our chilly climate up here (Seattle), so this was an important step. If you live somewhere warm, you might not need to do this part. Repeat many times each day.

4. At this point, it had been almost two weeks of just creating a happy, relaxed routine for both of us...so onto the next step..... I took the lancet out of the clicker thing and just used the little plastic lancet by itself. He didn't like the clicking sound. So I did all of the things in step 3, but then added our first poke. I put a folded cotton square against the inside edge of his ear, and poked the outside edge of his ear. It made a little buffer so I didn't poke myself if it went all the way through his ear (which it usually did), and helped keep his ear in place for the poke. He shook his head and bit me, but he wanted the treat which he now strongly associated with this routine, so he sometimes he didn't run away. I gave him the treat, and we were done. Didn't get any blood, just getting him used to the poke.If I had been able to get a test at this point, I would have, but the poke most often lead to a hiss, a bite, and him bolting under the bed. One note is that the treat was left on the counter. I didn't give it to him under the bed. He had to understand that staying on the counter was part of the treat deal.

5. After a couple of days of that, i really wanted to get an actual test, so after I poked, I did hold him very gently to dissuade him from leaving, and squeezed his ear to get a little bead of blood. Our First Test! Hooray! If he had resisted my little "hug" I wouldn't have pushed it, but he was okay with it that day - and was rewarded with extra treats.

But seriously, it was almost three weeks from the time I decided I really wanted to home test until we had our first successful reading. You just can't rush a scared kitty.

One important note: You want to get lancets that are thick, not thin. I know that sounds more painful, and I resisted doing it for a long time, but I've found that one successful poke is so much better for Sam than several failed pokes with a thinner lancet. I used 26's. Once Jackie's ear learns to bleed, you can switch to the thinner ones (usually 30's). The more you test, the easier it is. Their ears really do bleed easier as time goes on. The first few weeks of tests are the hardest.

In the weeks that followed the first successful test, there were a LOT of failed tests. Either I just couldn't get his ear to bleed, or he would take off, or I didn't have the balancing act figured out between poke, squeeze, getting the test strip against the blood spot, etc. He still got a treat - even if I didn't get any blood. That consistent positive reinforcement is essential to making this work. It took awhile to get it all figured out. And I was on summer vacation (I was a teacher), so I had time to go through those routines several times each day. If you work all day, it's more realistic to maybe do two in the morning (right when you get up and right before you walk out the door), and maybe a couple more in the evening.

When I first started all of that, I posted in the forum constantly asking for advice and trying what was suggested. Every cat is different (you'll hear that a lot around here), so what works for one cat may be super helpful for another, or not helpful at all. Sometimes advice that I thought was dumb ended up being incredibly helpful (the rice sock for example).

Plus, I had to get over my own anxiety about hurting him, and about scaring him. The calmer I was, the better things went. When I was doubtful or nervous, it didn't work. Sometimes I would need to take a minute to breath deeply and calm myself first, so I could be a reassuring, confident presence for him. It really does make a difference.

Like I mentioned on your post in the forum, at this point he likes testing more than I do. He still winces when I poke his ear, but he loves the attention and the treats so much that he puts up with that quick second of discomfort.

Hopefully something in there will be helpful to you. Or at least knowing that you're not alone, and that this is a slow and sometimes difficult process for many of us. Those videos that show you how to test make it look so easy. I totally laughed when I first watched them because I knew there was NO chance it was going to work like that with my wild kitty.

Please know that we are all here for you and are more than happy to support you in any way we can.

 

See this is my problem. i actually did most of what you said, however, I can almost NEVER get blood the first poke (or 3) if I get to 3 he's gone. the other issue is keeping him from shaking his head when i do see blood, but someone here mentioned using my finger nail so that's not an issue now. Don't get me wrong, I had nowhere near the patience you did, but i did get him to where I could go to him and do it once. usually it's easiest when he's tired and just lays down in the middle of the living room so everyone has to step over him. But he's most relaxed then

I think my problem is the lancets. See, i'm diabetic too, so i just used mine. I don't use the clicker, i just stab it when the lancet, i've got hundreds of them. then just toss if each time. Course, i never use the buffer so i stab my finger almost every time.

I can ALWAYS get one poke out of him now. if I could get blood on that first poke it'd be no problem.

What guage is good?

 

26 or 28 gauge to start. Once his ears learn to bleed, you can use a thinner lancet, but it takes a little while. I still use the thick ones when Sam's in a mood because I'll get a big, quick bead of blood and he can run off quicker.

 

Maury tends to shake his head too, so I give him a couple nice ear scratches which usually gets the shake urge done so when I poke he doesn't shake the blood. Still happens once in a while though

 

he turns into what i call airplane head, where he points his ears straight back. the problem for me is, he's so hard to hold down, it takes both hands to poke,m then i have to hold him still while I pick up the tester then get the blood. So being able to put it on a nail helped a lot.

What I do after I'm done is smother him with hugs and scratches that he loves. but most times, within I'd say 3 seconds of the first poke, he's out of there, hiding somewhere.

I'll get some bigger ones like recommended. if I could get it in one poke I'd be THRILLED. I honestly think the only time I actually get it is when i hit that little skinny blood vessel on the edge of his ear

 

Yes, Maury does the airplane cat too sometimes.

OHH! Poking the vein can be actually be painful so this could be a reason he hasn't associated it with positive hugs and scratches. Hopefully the bigger gauge lancets will help you get blood on the first poke and not poking the vein.

 

Shhh....don't tell anyone....but a few times at the beginning, after too many failed tests in a row...I actually aimed for the vein. It does work, but does NOT help with building trust with your kitty.

 

I actually get down on the floor on the bath mat in my bathroom with Teasel, door closed. This is hard for me because of lack of leg strength and balance. I put him between my legs facing forward away from me then raise my crossed lower legs to make "side walls" with my knees. That way I can pull my knees closer together for more restraint if needed.

I, too, live alone and manage all of this stuff on my own. On top of that my hands are extremely weak with very little grip strength and opposable thumbs that don't oppose very well. They're so weak that I can't push the syringe plunger with my thumb - I have to use my palm to do it. Many obstacles for me but what gets me through/around them is an abundance of patience, a willingness to problem solve and last, but not least, sheer pig headed determination.

Please don't interpret this as a rebuke. I merely want to give you an example of "where there's a will, there's a way".

 

I need some help here since I forked this thread on accident I'll keep it here.

Hills Prescription Diet W/D shows these numbers

Crude Protein (min) 38.7%
Crude Fat (min) 9.1%
Crude Fiber (max) 7.8%
Calcium (min) 1.14%


How is that compared to this:

Crude Protein 30%
Crude Fat 17%
Crude Fiber 4.5%
Moisture 12%

I don't know what to look for in these two.

 

CRUD< I stopped getting reply notices. sorry i didn't respond

Boy do I understand that

hrm my reply got lost. it's not taht I try to hit it, his head is moving constantly and it's very difficult to get a clean shot. if he'd just sit still i could get it, but that sweet spot is very close to that vein and it's easy to hit when the head is moving around like a bobble head

I don't take offense, i understand, and it's not negative, it's encouraging. I'll get it, i never stop trying