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Pre-Surgical Information
Spaying or neutering your pet is a big step! There is a lot to consider
when we are planning your pet’s surgery. Here is some information to help
you make wise decisions.
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Special LibraryOur Special Library
is a collection of informative articles on a variety of health topics.
Click here . . .
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Discharge InstructionsClick here for
information on how to care for your pet at home.
Click here . . .
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Glucose Curves at Home
Doing glucose curves at home is a way
to save a little money while optimizing
your diabetic pet's care. It is not a way
to eliminate those pesky vet bills entirely.
While I recommend gathering the data at
home, I still feel that it is very important
that I do the interpretation.
First off, you need a glucometer. I recommend the
Accuchek Aviva, which can be purchased at Walgreen's.
I recommend it because it is readily available,
reasonably accurate, and because I have one and have
calibrated it against my big clinical chemistry machine
here at the clinic so I know what the values really are.
Most home glucometers have a 10 to 15% fudge factor
built in to help keep people from doing bad things.
The glucometer is practically free after the rebates,
but the test strips will cost you. Spend some time
getting used to running the machine. Test it on
yourself.
Then, you need some blood. Your pet has lots, the
trick is getting it out in a controlled fashion with
minimal fuss and pain. The best site is the margin
of the ear. It really helps to clip the hair off.
You can bring your pet in for that if you like.
Take a needle, and poke the ear margin. We're not
talking a gentle prick here, it takes a real hole to get
blood out. Squeezing the ear between your fingers
as you poke minimizes the pain. Then start milking
the area to express a little blood. In some
patients, it is useful to warm the ear pre-stab with a
hot washcloth to increase the blood flow to the area.
Then, you need a plan. Start out first thing in
the morning by taking a pre-breakfast sample. Then
feed you pet, and inject insulin as usual. You
will then take readings every two hours for a total of
12 hours until the next meal/insulin injection. It
can be helpful to get a 14-hour and a 16 hour reading as
well. Cats that are taking Lantus only need to
have readings every 4 hours. Cats getting any
other insulin and all dogs need readings every 2 hours.
Just record the meter reading and the time since the
last insulin injection in hours. If at any time
the meter reading dips below 30 for cats or below 20 for
dogs, feed your pet immediately and call us.
Finally, we interpret the Data. Doing glucose
measurements at home does not mean that you are on your
own. You are just collecting data for me at home.
This is good because it is less stressful for the
patient, and so the data are likely to be better. It
will also save you some money. However, I
still need to interpret the numbers. Regulating
diabetic pets is both an art and a science. I
believe that I am better equipped both scientifically
and artistically to make the dosage change decisions
than owners are. Why? 16 years of experience
and lots of training. Fax, phone, drop off, or
email the data in, and I will convert it to real values,
chart it out, and make dosage change suggestions.
Do not make daily changes in insulin dosage. Just
like for human diabetics who test at home, the doctor
still plays a major role in diabetes management.
We do charge a regular exam fee for the evaluation.
Home testing is not for everybody. First, you need
to invest in the equipment. Then you need the
time. Some folks find it easier to pay us to do
the curve than to do it themselves. But for some
patients and some owners, home testing can be
beneficial.
Click Here to return to the article on
Insulin.
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