How to measure your cat’s blood sugar at home?

Dec 31,2023
8Min

Cats have delicate minds and are very susceptible to stress. Therefore, when blood glucose is tested in the hospital, the values ​​are often high due to nervousness, pressure, and anger, which affects the treatment of the disease. Then, after a cat develops diabetes, measuring blood sugar at home becomes a good choice. There are many situations where cats need to have their blood sugar tested. Take diabetes as an example. Diabetes is a disease in which the blood sugar concentration in the body increases due to insufficient secretion of insulin in the body or an adverse reaction to insulin.

How to measure your cat’s blood sugar at home?

1. Choose your blood glucose meter carefully

Choose an animal-specific blood glucose machine suitable for cats.

There are certain risks when people use blood glucose meters to test blood sugar on pets, because the blood sugar conditions and blood sugar judgment standards of humans and cats are very different. The blood sugar conditions measured by non-professional instruments will deviate greatly from the actual values. , if cats are treated and cared for based on biased blood sugar data, it will cause great harm to the cat's body.

2. Measurement methods

How to measure your cat’s blood sugar at home?

1. Preparation items: blood glucose machine, blood glucose test strips, blood collection needles, hemostatic forceps, alcohol cotton and dry cotton

 2. Measurement steps:

Pluck the hair above and around the blood vessels in the ear to reduce contamination during blood collection.

Use alcohol cotton pads to disinfect the area where blood will be collected, and wipe the alcohol with dry cotton to prevent the alcohol from affecting the values.

Aim the blood collection needle into the blood vessel and place a piece of thick cotton under the ear for easy operation.

Relax your fingers slightly to allow the blood to flow out, put the test piece into the blood glucose machine, and dip the blood collection point into the blood drop. Generally speaking, only one drop of blood is enough for the blood glucose machine. If the blood volume is sufficient, the machine will count down automatically. Note that if there is not enough blood, re-insert the needle to puncture the blood vessel. Do not squeeze the blood vessel hard to avoid congestion.

After collecting blood, press with dry cotton for about 5 minutes until no blood flows out. Do not use alcohol cotton to avoid causing pain and affecting the hemostatic effect.

When there is enough blood, the machine will sound a beep and display the blood sugar level after completing the countdown reading.

3. Blood sugar management

Make a plan. Monitoring blood sugar is not a one-day task. You need to develop a complete blood sugar change chart. You can determine the frequency of blood sugar monitoring based on your cat's actual situation, and consult your doctor to determine the corresponding drug treatment plan and diet plan.

The normal value of a cat’s blood sugar is between 80-120mg/dl. If the cat’s blood sugar is lower than 81mg/dL, but there is no hypoglycemia, you can discuss with the doctor whether to take the cat to the doctor; if the cat’s blood sugar value is lower than 60 mg/dL, and symptoms of pupil dilation, shortness of breath, drooling, and paralysis appear, give the cat some Sugar water and sent to hospital for emergency treatment.

Don’t inject insulin randomly.

Every cat’s physical condition is different. Many abnormalities are not visible to the naked eye. Parents should not inject insulin at will based on their cat’s blood sugar chart. Each cat needs different amounts of insulin, and the insulin content is different. The reaction sensitivity also varies according to different physical constitutions, and it is necessary to select the optimal dose for injection after testing. It is best to perform the operation under the guidance of a doctor to avoid delaying the condition.

Regularly review cats for abnormal blood sugar changes in many situations. For example, cats may be nervous or angry, which may cause high blood sugar. Many parents see that their cats’ blood sugar is too high or too low, and they take medicine at will. This is not advisable. If your cat’s blood sugar condition becomes abnormal in stages, he should go to the hospital for regular check-ups.

4. Daily attention

Pay attention to your diet. There are many different types of cat food on the market, some of which contain excessive amounts of sugar, various additives, and substandard meat content. High sugar is one of the culprits of diabetes, so when pet owners choose cat food, it is recommended to buy cat food made from natural raw materials, and pay attention to the intake of fat, sugar, carbohydrates and other substances in their daily diet. Reasonably match the cat's daily diet, and parents should also choose appropriate amounts for other additional snacks. When cats are eating, owners should also pay attention to preventing overeating. They can choose tools such as food leaking balls to help delay their eating.

Proper exercise, eating too much and moving too little can easily lead to "affluenza", which can lead to abnormal blood sugar levels. Therefore, parents can choose to use toys such as cat sticks to exercise with their cats~

For pet owners who are busy every day, they can buy a multi-layered cat climbing frame for their cats, and attach the toys that cats usually like to play with, so that they can increase excess calories while climbing up and down. consumption to prevent the occurrence of obesity diabetes.

Insist on treatment. If a cat is diagnosed with diabetes, the owner must be prepared for this long-term "battle process." Owners must remember to insist on drawing blood sugar charts during daily care. This is not only convenient for themselves to observe the cat's blood sugar situation, but also Doctors' reference can help provide relatively effective treatment and care plans. Under the guidance of a doctor, the cats are fed prescribed food regularly and quantitatively, injected with insulin, and return to the hospital regularly for review.

Don’t panic when you encounter abnormal blood sugar. Just listen to the doctor’s advice and choose the appropriate treatment method. Don’t forget to check your cat every day.Blood sugar.

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