What to do before I can home test?

Alright, so I think I've learned that:

a) The dry "diabetic" kibble my vet sold us isn't the right way to go.
b) I need to switch to very low carb wet food ASAP.
c) The insulin amount they prescribed may or may not be correct, since home testing is required to get an accurate level.
d) I'll need to adjust the dosage depending on the glucose reading (I'm still unclear where that calculation comes from though, but I expect I'll cross that bridge soon)

What I've done:

a) I've picked up a variety of wet foods that are on that list that's commonly used here, which have a protein above 40% and carbs below 7%. I have not yet began feeding the new food.
b) I've ordered a glucose meter but, unfortunately, it won't be here until the 26th.

So my question here is: In the meantime, is it better for me to continue feeding the kibble and dosing at the vet's levels, or should I switch to the new food now and either a) guess at a new dosage or b) stop dosing? One problem we are about to have is that the food is almost gone and it won't last until the meter gets here. I mean, that's just a financial problem because of course I can buy more (but at $90 I really don't want to, especially if it isn't even good food for him!)


Background: His only symptom that we are aware of is increased water intake and urination. We noticed this in the summer and didn't realize it was a problem until the vet tested his blood maybe 3 weeks ago and said he's diabetic (with seeming very high levels @ 32.72 mmol/L = 588.96 mg/dl). He was on 0.5 units Lantus 100 insulin 2x daily for the first week and re-tested and they changed him to 2.0 units for the 2nd week and he was just re-tested again and adjusted to 2.5 units. These are all high-stress at-vet tests, of course. He's been on that kibble for the 3 weeks (as has our younger female because they eat together).

In my ignorance, I'm thinking he had limited symptoms for over half a year with no insulin, so my thought is to "play it safe" (in terms of hypoglycemia concerns) and stop the insulin altogether while we switch the food now and wait for the meter. But, for all I know, maybe in these 3 weeks he's become insulin dependent? I'm not sure how that works.

Thanks.

 

Hi where do you live? Why so long to get the meter?
Maybe if we know where you live we can suggest where to go and pick up a meter in a pharmacy today
Like Bron @Bron and Sheba (GA) said in one of your posts until you are home testing she suggested to go back to 2 units and don't change the food to LC

Here is the post where Bron suggested go back to 2 units
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/hello-my-elderly-cat-got-diagnosed.272968/#post-3035050
It's post #14 , the post numbers are to the right of each post

 

@Bron and Sheba (GA)

 

What Diane and Bron said. Do not change the food until you’re home testing because the bg levels can drop significantly and the dose would be too high at that point. Only way to know is home testing. And to answer your question, you’ll learn how to dose, when to shoot a full dose or give a token dose or even to skip a shot if needed. With practice it will all become second nature and until it does, we’re all here to share our knowledge and experience. If you get a number and are unsure what to do, post and ask for help. Someone will answer and will guide you.

As you’re starting to see, vets are not experts on feline diabetes. It’s a wonder diabetic cats survive when folks are following vet advice only.

 

Also, as Diane asked where do you live? Is there a Walmart near you? You can buy all the home testing supplies at Walmart. Amazon Prime should also get anything to you in 2 days max and you can get a free 30-day Amazon prime membership.

I would not stop the insulin. It’s also a risk. Too much insulin can lead to a hypo and no insulin can lead to DKA.

 

Hmm, I saw the post but I didn't (and don't) see where it says "and don't change the food" yet. But that does make sense.

Thanks.


DKA... more acronyms!


I live in rural Canada. Amazon 2 day isn't a thing here. Options are limited, but I'll call around and see what I can find in the area.

 

We live in Ontario where human meters are free. A pharmacist told me this; they make their money off of strips so the meter is no big deal, don't mention a cat, you don't need a doctor's note or prescription, just say your doctor thinks it would be a good idea to get ahead of possibly becoming diabetic yourself.
Human meters are fine for cats and it's not the crime of the century, just a fib. Where (roughly) in Canada are you? Is it BC Steeve? My wife is from Cranbrook, we'd like to retire one day to the island or possibly Nelson. Ontario is not my thing and never will be.

 

I'm in BC. I believe the meters are free here too... from a doctor's office. I'm not too concerned about the cost of the meter though, as it is the cost of the strips that are going to make the bigger difference. I'd rather pay $100 for a meter with $0.15 strips vs a free meter with $1.00 strips! Unless, that is, there's some reason to believe I'm only ever going to use < 100 strips.

ps. My wife had gestational diabetes and her meter was free, and I think we paid $90 for 30 strips!

 

Strips are going to be insanely expensive for a country with "free" healthcare. There are good cat meters, I'm the wrong guy to ask.

 

I noted in post 2 of your introductory thread not to change the food over to low carb until you are testing because the BG could drop up to 100 Points.
DKA is diabetic ketoacidosis and can form in cats who are not getting the insulin they need and not getting enough food. That is why we don’t want you to stop the insulin. Also we advise you to test for ketones in an unregulated cat until he is regulated. Ketones forming is the first sign that the dose is not right and ir the cat is not eating enough. That can rapidly lead to DKA which can be deadly.
I believe the Bravo meter is a good one to get in Canada.

 

I'm in BC. I use the bravo meter; you can only buy it online. The test strips cost about 40 CAD for 100. Gotta find the link to buy it. Will post soon; here's the test strips. https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bravo-test-strips?_pos=1&_sid=1e0c64823&_ss=r

Last time I ordered though I got a free meter. Can't seem to find that link, I'll find it and post it.

EDIT: That link is now dead. Looks like you have to buy it for 10 bucks now. Good news is it comes (at least mine did) with 10 free test strips. It's only 10 bucks, so 50 for 110 strips (probably, at least 100) and the meter. https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bravo-meter was the link, but now it's dead.

 

Radical idea... I can make a 6 hour drive (round trip) and pick up a Relion meter and strips from Walmart in Washington state.

Math time:

It looks like I'm supposed to be testing up to 8x a day until things get settled. Let's say that takes 2 months. that's 480 strips plus let's say its 2x per day for the next 2 years that's another 1440... let's say 2000 strips lifetime. Am I at all right there?

2000 strips at C$0.40ea = $800. The walmart brand in the US is U$0.18ea = rougly C$0.25 ea totals around $500.

Ok, not as big of a difference as I thought, and it comes with the inconvenience of driving to the border.

But... how important is it that I get going ASAP? I can drive and get the Walmart one today or I can order today and wait probably until the 26th to get the Bravo anyway, just like Amazon. The mail isn't exactly swift here!

 

Right, so the Bravo isn't even an option

 

I would recommend not waiting 10 days to start testing.

 

Yes, you did thank you. Sorry, its a lot to take in. I'm bound to miss things and need repeating

 

Understood. I'll go in about an hour. I'm either going to the local store and getting an $80 meter that uses $0.80 strips, or I'm driving the 6 hours to get the $14 meter that uses $0.25 strips (converted to C$).

one last question then... how many strips should I buy? What's a reasonable amount that won't likely expire, considering I'll need to commit to that same 6 hour trip again in x months if that's the way I go.

 

I am sure the strips will most likely have at least a year on them before expiring. I used to get my strips online from eBay and they were much cheaper. I’m in Australia so it may be different here, but I got the strips from outside Australia as well as inside without any trouble.
You will need a few hundred at least, probably more.

You could also think about having both meters and only using the more expensive one in emergencies and if you ran out of strips. A lot of us have a second meter.

 

Hiya Steve, a wave from Calgary! I did not do the online ordering thing when I started, but I found there were 3 common Blood Glucose Meters widely available in Alberta (Accu-Chek, Freestyle, and one other(cant remember offhand) all offered for free at most pharmacies, walmarts, etc but only if you also purchase a 100 pack of their test strips and a pack of lancets. Also, the strips for each of these 3 range from $70-$95 for a pack of 100. Unfortunate Canadians get cheap Lantus but expensive test strips (lol). I chose the AccuChek and buy them at Walmart for around $70. If I may, I will encourage you to do that road trip, if you can pick up a Relion, major savings on those strips. The last thing you want to do as you get into this further is to have to limit the number of tests you can truly afford (for the sake of kitty), we all have budgets.
The 100 ml Lantus bottle lasts a long time, a tiny dose for a tiny cat. (compared to 150 lb human)
The lancets, also cheap really.
The test strips are the hardest on my budget, so if you can go for a nice drive on a nice weather day..........? It wasn't an option for me.

 

Sorry; i edited my post with the link. I will post the link to the bravo strips and meter. It def is still an option. 40 CAD for 100 vs like 25 CAD or so probably after conversion

 

The bravo is still an option. I just found the link to where you can buy the meter itself, it's 10 dollars.

Test strips: https://diabetesexpress.ca/products/bravo-test-strips?_pos=1&_sid=a9575e01d&_ss=r

Meter: https://omnipod.diabetesexpress.ca/products/bravo-meter-only

 

You won't need to do that every day and it's not unusual for some cats to never get regulated if that's what you mean by "settled".
Without going into full story telling mode I've had two diabetic cats (lingo is 'sugar cats') who were brothers so there was no huge genetic difference. My first had predictable numbers and textbook curves, an actual Bell Curve. The second cat was a mess, numbers all over the place. Some people get lucky with a young cat who goes into remission and some tear their hair out trying to find the right balance of food, feeding times, types of insulin etc.
One thing to never forget is it's better to have higher numbers for a week than go too low for even one minute. A Hypo episode is deadly serious, you need the knowledge to not panic and the equipment/food/honey/karo syrup to deal with it all by yourself at 3AM on a Sunday. We'll get into that later.
For beginners (slang is newbie, don't take it personally) it's better to start with a very low dose and increase if necessary by very low increments. Insulin should last 12 hours and the peak numbers (the nadir) are something you'll want to check closely. So at minimum you'll be testing before the AM shot, about six hours in when the nadir happens, then once again before the PM shot. If you and the cat are comfortable with it there's no such thing as over testing but 8 times a day every day might be too much. On the other hand no one wants to wake up to a dead cat because they were being cheap.
Just general stuff. Everyone here is a volunteer and only a very few have experience at either a clinic or a shelter. We don't shame people, there are no stupid questions, if I give you bad advice someone will correct me and I don't leave in a snit.
It looks like you're past the crying/why me stage so that's very good. We get a load of drama here that never helps. We all started somewhere alone with one cat and while I'm not anxious to have a third diabetic cat I can honestly say it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Yes this is internet medical advice but it's the right kind. I don't retain knowledge, my memory is broken so that's it for me. Best of luck.

 

As Noah said, x8 a day on curve days only likely. x4 a day is the average but you’ll do a curve every 2 weeks or so and then there are always the failed attempts so 100 goes by fast. I used to get 200 at a time because my Walmart is not super close and that would last me an average of 3 months

 

Always withhold food 2 hours before testing first thing AMPS ( AM Pre Shot)
The first test you do in the AM then you can feed the small snacks as usual don't have to withhold food when you test in between
Then you withhold food 2 hours before testing at PMPS ( PM Pre Shot) The first test you do 12 hours later after giving the insulin in the AM.
Then you feed small snacks as usual don't have to withhold food when you test in between

 

This might help you out
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-glossary.194472/
It's the
Feline Diabetes Message Board Glossary
@bcsteeve

 

Ok, that was a journey! Fun time at the border when importing "distribution quantities of drug paraphernalia".

Anyway, I'm back. I bought 500 needles, 600 lancets, a lancet pen, 2 glucose meters (in case one fails) and 1100 test strips (July 2024 expiration date). I tested it on myself last night to see what it feels like and make sure it worked. My first try was a fail (not enough blood), so while a tiny drop works... not THAT tiny.

That's the good news. The bad is that I was totally unsuccessful at getting anything but a angry yelp from my kitty this morning. I poked his ear six times and never saw a hint of blood. I gave up.

I've watched videos and I think I know what to do, but practice and theory aren't coming together. First, with a light I see the vein and holy cow that thing is thin! It seems the odds of hitting that would be incredibly low even if he were holding still. Second, with his black fur, I'm not sure I'm seeing what I'm doing well enough.

He DEFINITELY felt it the sixth time. I'm not sure how quickly a lancet dulls, so maybe that's why... or I pressed too hard, I'm not sure. But still no blood. On the third try (which was first try at full depth), I got my finger through his ear, but no blood (from either of us).

These 600 lancets I bought are 30g, and I know people recommend 28g. They only had 30g and 31g there. Is that my problem?

Thanks for all the help.

 

Did you warm up the ear? I used an old sock filled with rice that I nuked for about 20-30 seconds and held to her ear till it was warm to the touch. What lancet gauge did you get? Make sure the bevel is up when it’s going in. I tested myself first too and I got enough blood from my finger the first time. It sounds like you may not be putting enough pressure. If you’re too gentle, you may be scratching instead of pricking. You want the lancet to go in not just scratch the skin surface.

 

I'll try warming his ear next time.

30g lancet. As said above, they were out of the 28g.

I didn't know about the bevel up thing. With this tiny needle and my not-great-close-vision, I'm not sure I'll be able to tell!

 

Are you using the lancet device? If so, try a deeper setting.

 

A few quick tips I have learned from this forum:
1. warm ear bleeds easier, I also run my hands under hot water for a good while and give his ear a good rub with toasty warm fingers.
2. It takes time for the ears to "learn" to bleed easier. each poke stimilates capillary repair and growth, it does get easier over time!
3. Everyone here has managed to hit the marginal vein at some point, sometimes alot, it's not something to shoot for, but will not cause extreme damage by doing so occasionally.
4. Lancing device tip: most agree kitties need the higher range settings to draw sufficient sample.
5. Handling gauze or a cottonball to protect finger is recommended. I just use a bandaid on my finger for the poke part (one less thing to hold).
6. Lancet device is held straight up and down with light pressure on ear, lancet goes straight in (no need to check for bevel). Freehand is best at a slight angle and bevel should be considered.
7. 30g should work, just creates a 'bit more of a challenge' for newly poked ears,.
8. Poke may show a teeny tiny drop at puncture site. Hold the ear firm but gentle near top with with one hand. Gently stroke and "milk" the ear in upward motion frombase of ear to puncture site. The drop will develop, continue till it's sufficient size. Squeeze ear above puncture sight to help draw blood out, not further up the ear past the puncture
hope this helps a bit

 

Just an update... I tried several more times and finally got a tiny smear of blood onto the meter, but it wasn't even enough for it to error out as being too little! I could perceive red on the strip, but it clearly wasn't enough.

Finally... I gave it one more try, and obviously I hit something because there was WAY more than enough blood! Finally got our first reading. It did take a little bit for the bleeding to stop though.

Thanks for the tip, I'll do more to warm my hands and his ear next time.

I've read that and while that makes no sense at all... I sure hope that it is true.

Can you explain that a bit more please? I thought we were supposed to be going for a vein. So is that what I did that brought out the gusher? When you say its not something shoot for... then what are we shooting for? Should his ear bleed no matter where you poke?

Mine has 5 settings with the instructions suggesting (for humans, of course) to start on 3. When testing on myself, I started on 1 and that produced blood but only enough to error out for not having enough. I went to 3 and that produced sufficient blood. I started with 3 on the cat, and I was on 5 when it worked (too well) but other times with the 5 it did nothing. By "nothing", I mean no blood came to the surface. With a light behind his ear, I can see that it has definitely pooled under the skin! It looks painful But he doesn't seem any worse for wear.

I haven't yet worried about my own pain. I have felt a couple go through to my skin, but not enough to draw blood from me (or him). Most of them I could only perceive the bump, but felt no poke. Mind you, I don't have the softest hands out there!

OK good. With reading glasses on, I was able to see the bevel but by the time I'm trying to actually do it, I could no longer tell which way was "up".

Yep, when it worked it sure worked!

I'm not sure I follow. You seem to be saying to squeeze above the site, but not "up the ear past the puncture"... in my head, that sentence is contradicting itself. Could you clarify?

Very much so, thank you!


The reading I got was 317, but I'm not sure that's a meaningful figure considering its some random time after his first dose (about 3 to 3.5 hours). This was more about figuring out how to do this vs. timing. Should I still include this number on the spreadsheet (which I'm only now going to start setting up).

Thanks again.

 

No guns or ammo, just 500 syringes. No sir, I always sweat this much.
The lancet size might seem counter intuitive thinking the thinner it is the less it will hurt. I could poke 4 holes with a 31 gauge and get nothing but poke just once with a 28 gauge and you're done. I always free handed both cats, it really is "more art than science". Noah especially loved getting his ears rubbed afterwards with a warm and wet paper towel. Some people sing, 'Hush Little Baby, Don't Say a Word' worked for me.

 

↑
Melinda said; 3. Everyone here has managed to hit the marginal vein at some point, sometimes alot, it's not something to shoot for, but will not cause extreme damage by doing so occasionally.
BCSteve asked: Can you explain that a bit more please? I thought we were supposed to be going for a vein. So is that what I did that brought out the gusher? When you say its not something shoot for... then what are we shooting for? Should his ear bleed no matter where you poke?
I will tag
@Diane Tyler's Mom for excellent info

Melinda and Kitkat said: ↑
8. Poke may show a teeny tiny drop at puncture site. Hold the ear firm but gentle near top with with one hand. Gently stroke and "milk" the ear in upward motion frombase of ear to puncture site. The drop will develop, continue till it's sufficient size. Squeeze ear above puncture sight to help draw blood out, not further up the ear past the puncture

Once you got the poke done and can see a tiny drop..... with one hand hold the top of the ear gentle but firm just above the puncture spot, light pressure (also helps to stop them from flicking their ear and having blood disperse everywhere. With your other hand (thumb and forefinger) slowly rub the outside edge of the ear in repeat upward strokes (milking to bring blood flow up to puncture spot), can be slow process at first, but gets better. The fingers holding the top of the ear just above the puncture helps block the blood from continuing to flowing around, and concentrates it to come out the little puncture... Make more sense? hopefully

 

I would say any reading you get at any time is worthy of your speadsheet. A data point is a data point. It all helps

 

Yes! Thank you!

 

@bcsteeve
I think I gave this to you before
Always aim for the sweet spot warm the ears up first, you can put rice in a sock and put it in the microwave, test it on the inside of your wrist to be sure it's not to hot, like you would test a babies bottle. You can fill a pill bottle with warm water and roll it on the ears also.Just keep rubbing the ears with your fingers to warm them up

6. As the ears get used to bleeding and grow more capilares, it gets easier to get the amount of blood you need on the first try. If he won’t stand still, you can get the blood onto a clean finger nail and test from there.
When you do get some blood you can try milking the ear.
Get you finger and gently push up toward the blood , more will appear
You will put the cotton round behind his ear in case you poke your finger, after you are done testing you will fold the cotton round over his ear to stop the bleeding , press gently for about 20 seconds until it stops
Get 26 or 28 gauge lancets
A lot of us use the lancets to test freehand not the lancing device
I find it better to see where I'm aiming
Look at the lancet under a light and you will see one side is curved upward, that's the side you want to poke with

A video one of our members posted, she is using a pet meter ,strips too expensive plus you have to code it
A human meter is just fine, most of us use human meters ,that's what our numbers are based on
When you get your meter can you add the name of it to your signature and spreadsheet


VIDEO: How to test your cat's blood sugar

Here is another link to read
This is a link to one of our posts on home testing.

L

 

No doubt you did. It has been a whirlwind of information on top of the stress of dealing with a sick kitty on top of the natural apprehension of navigating and reconciling Internet info vs vet.

But even at the best of times, I've always needed repetition with new information. Sorry if it is frustrating.

I don't know how or why, but I was pretty convinced I was supposed to be aiming for the vein!

When I look at my kitty's ear with a light, I *barely* see the vein and I do not at all see any of the capillaries branching out. Maybe I inadvertently skimmed the info, saw the vein and my brain when "got it!".

Now I've really got it, thank you!

I appreciate your patience with me.

Ok, I've created the spreadsheet and put it in my signature. Now to start gathering the info to properly fill it in...

 

No problem at all , but I don't see your signature here give me a minute


Hi if you are having trouble setting it up this might make it easier for you
signature
click on your name up top above where it says sesrch and then tap on the word signature and add this information

• Add info we need to help you:
  • Caregiver & kitty's name
  • DX: Date
  • Name of Insulin (do not include dose or frequency)
  • Name of your meter
  • Diet: "LC wet" or "dry food" or "combo"
  • Dosing: TR or SLGS or Custom (if applicable)
  • DKA or other recent health issue (if applicable)
  • Acro, IAA, or Cushings (if applicable)
  • Spreadsheet link. Please put the signature link on the bottom line of your signature information, on its own, so it is easy to find.
  • Please do not put any information about your location in the signature for security reasons. If you wish to add your country location, please add it to your profile.

Be sure to click the 'Save Changes' button at the bottom.

Do you see mine?

@bcsteeve

Also did you see this I posted it above in case you missed it
This might help you out
https://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-glossary.194472/
It's the
Feline Diabetes Message Board Glossary

 

Hey Steve, if you got a ton of blood pouring out, you hit the marginal vein. As Melinda said, we’ve all done it one time or another and yes, it can freak you out and it takes a minute or so to stop bleeding but you can just apply pressure with a cotton ball or cotton oval until it does.

my way of explaining milking the ear is this, think of it as if you were trying to squeeze a pimple out. Same process. You squeeze the tiny red dot until you get more blood out. Sometimes, my trick was to place the still warm sock behind the spot on her ear and I’d literally see more blood starting to form and come out with the additional heat. You can try that too.

congrats on your first of many successful tests

 

I'm afraid I give up

After days of trying 8-10 times each morning and night... I've only once got blood, and only when I hit the vein I'm not supposed to hit.

He was completely compliant for awhile, now he won't let me go anywhere near his ears and when I shine a light through them I can see how bruised they are now Lots of blood pooling UNDER the skin, but none ON the skin! Yes, I've warmed it, yes I've "milked" it, yes I've tried a larger gauge needle (I had 30's and only 28's are available locally).

Hundreds of $$ wasted on thousands of strips I guess.


He has really short hair on his body after grooming... is there a reason to do the ears and not just random spots on his meaty areas?

 

There are two places where you can reliably draw blood for testing -- the ears or the paw pads. There are fewer pain receptors in those locations. If you try to poke elsewhere, I suspect there's a good chance you're going to get bitten.

Slow down a bit. Try poking a couple of times. Each poke, successful or not, warrants a treat -- perhaps for both Cairo and for you! If you're not successful, stop. Come back to it later. If you're frustrated, Cairo will sense it and disappear. Cats are sensitive to our emotions. This is not an overnight process. You're still learning as is your cat.

 

I found this video on our cite about paw testing
How to check your cat's blood sugar from their paw

 

I also did s search on our board and found a member who said she does paw testing
She hasn't been on for awhile I see but I will tag her anyway, maybe she will see it and you can ask her about
@DenaRox
I see she said
. He’s doing really good with paw testing as long as I reward with the churu tube lol

I could have wrote this in regards to my Juggie, right down to the churu fiend! I swear they put crack in them lol. After many very hilarious and sometimes bloody (me not him) attempts at his ear a dear soul here suggested I try his paw pad. What I do is have everything set up and ready to go (strip in meter but not pushed in, lancet in mouth (sharp end out lol) and churu open and in hand) I put him in a sitting position on the couch between cushion and arm, lift his back paw up and give home tube, I hold his leg and tube in one hand and poke with other. He’s so focused on getting the churu out he doesn’t even care about his leg/paw. Now when my duck alarm goes off he runs to his spot on couch and extends his leg waiting not so patiently for his tube. The only down side is he knows the beep means testing is done so he will kick his foot away sometimes spraying me with churu lol. I usually use pure coconut oil on his paw pads to keep them soft and have had no issues at all with this method. Might not be something you care to try but just sharing what works with us.
photo top is how he sits, photo botom is me taking his bg

 

Found this also posted by one of our membets
I always used a back foot. Never had an issue with infection as the paw pads are designed by nature to seal quickly. By wrapping in a towel, there is zero resistance, they just go still, then in a couple of minutes it is all over. I found it the least traumatizing way to test.

Found this too posted by members
I'm a paw pad tester, works great. Cats have little feeling in the pads and they bleed quite easily. The hole seal very quickly, making infection from the the litter box nearly impossible.
the paw pads are fine to test. some will say you risk infection by doing so because of the litterbox but in all my years here i don't know of anyone who's kitty ended up with an infection. the hole is itty bitty and closes up quick. you can rub the paw pad before and after to clean them if it worries you.

 

Steve, I do hope you and Cairo are still here.
We too had a particularly difficult time, "does he even have blood running through his ears??" We went through massive piles of test strips as well, struggling cat, hissing, howling, fighting back, shredded arms, the lot. There are many members here who have had a difficult time with it, and I would guess that all of them would agree that TIME, practise, patience, and not giving up despite feeling defeated is a necessary evil.
It felt like torture, but me or others telling you about our similar horror stories is not help (simply that we've been there).
We all know it's not a decision you would come to lightly, you have to decide for yourself. I do encourage you to try again, as Daine says maybe the back paws will be the thing..... we all know every cat is different and you will find a system that works for you.

 

Steve, I hope that you are willing to try this again!
I have been blessed with an incredibly patient boy with Pinky, and although he isn't happy about it, he lets me poke him. There have been times that I have tried 5-6 times and haven't gotten anything as his ears are still fairly new to the process. He has protested, tried to wiggle from my arms, and tries to flatten his ears. Thankfully no bites or scratches, but I know he doesn't like it. Treats made a world of difference! Once I started introducing treats into the equation, it was a whole different ball game. Every poke equals a treat, and he definitely remembers that part. After one poke (unsuccessful or not), he's sniffing my fingers looking for that treat. It definitely keeps him in my lap better. This stuff also made a world of difference:

https://www.amazon.com/Nutri-Vet-70...73995408&sprefix=nutrivet anti,aps,639&sr=8-5

As soon as I am done (again, successfully or not), a little of this on a cotton round and pressed on his ears seems to help tremendously. He relaxes almost immediately, and is purring again. The bottle touts that it is a pain reducer, so it makes me feel a little bit better once I am finished. I'm also glad that I stuck with it and continue to monitor him; I am still searching for a local vet knowledgeable in FD and he is not currently on insulin. I'm glad for that, as his numbers have been, for the very most part, normal. Home testing him helped me understand what was actually going on with him, and that I (hopefully) might not even need to put him on insulin at all. If I had blindly trusted my vet to do a glucose curve in office rather than continually home tested, I could have potentially put Pinky at risk of getting his numbers too low, as the stress would have raised his numbers at the vets office.

I'm rambling, but I hope you see how important home testing is and can be! I'm sure it'll never be Pinky's favorite (although he does love those freeze dried bites of chicken), but there were little changes I made that made a world of difference. You got this!

 

The thin lancets you have won’t help. There’s one area of the ear that you can poke, the sweet spot, and there will be enough blood. Try using a flashlight; the vein going around the ear close to the edge? Aim to the left of that in the upper quadrant. On the site there’s lots of resources on how to do this.

Whatever you do don’t give up. I know it’s frustrating and scary, but please keep trying. If you need support reach out. We’ve all been there. If there is NO blood then a couple of things could be happening.

1.) Not hitting the sweet spot (you can’t poke anywhere; 99% of the ear has minimal blood vessels.

2.) Not lancing deep enough.

3.) lancets are too thin

4.) Ear not warmed up enough before hand.

Do you live in BC? (Your name just made me think maybe you do lol).

 

Someone said to me here once, try 3-4 times after that walk away and give it a rest. I found that to be good advice. I also used to sing a lullaby while I was testing Minnie. It calmed both of us and it allowed me to breathe. I hope you won’t give up. We’ve all been where you are, but I promise it gets easier.