Tucker Up and Down

Tucker’s doctor has had me continue to test the roly poly’s blood each morning and evening. I was hoping to find a pattern, but have been frustrated in this. Instead of seeing a low reading each morning and a high one each evening, which would have probably led to a reduction of Tucker’s injections by half, the results are random. Sometimes his numbers are too low for a shot of insulin, while other times they demand one.

I will be in contact with the veterinary again early next week. If the instances of a high number aren’t many, she may have me reduce Tucker’s insulin dosage or, more likely, the number of times he receives it, anyway. The doctor has been in consultation with one of her colleagues, who is also familiar with Tucker’s condition, so there is some considerable thought being put into the situation.

Because I have had to sample Tucker’s blood so often recently, I started to draw it from his toes, but this has not been a success. Not only does it not bead enough for me to use on the test-strip (the blood must flow across the breadth of the strip), but Tucker feels the pin-prick much more than in his ear. He does not like it at all. At least I have become accustomed to doing it, if it needs to be done.

In any case, the roly poly continues to be in a cheerful mood, even taking his blood tests (as long as they involve ears and not toes) in good humour. It may be because I reward him with a tiny piece of meat from my dinner saved from the night before; this morning it was a little square of roast pork. I am grateful that I have such easy-going cats who take experimentation well. If it pays off with reduced medication, we will all be happy.