Week Away/Petsitter Advice!

Caitlin M

Caitlin M

Very Active Member
Hello!

Alrighty, I am leaving for a week and will be having my fabulous neighbor taking care of Pita and Brat. I am leaving on a red eye Friday night, so I'm planning to test Pita still before I leave. Matt and I will be home the following Friday early evening, so she will be testing/shooting Pita for about 6 1/2 days. She's watched me a few times and has done it herself about 3-4 times. She's a nurse and has a cat as well so it's been kind of an amazing win-win (in my eyes!). She's been able to get blood from him once. The last couple times-including last night- she's poked and done everything well but hasn't been able to get any blood before he jerks his head away. Now, I know he's doing this because she's new. He just knows. He did it to me, he did it to Matt- it's his thing. It may be different once he knows that I'm definitely gone and she has to do it but I've instructed her to just NS if she's unable to get any blood and isn't able to retry 15-20 minutes later. I don't see this happening too, too much, but to be honest I'm not going to freak out if he doesn't get any insulin for a week. That may be horrible to say, but I'd rather have him restart when I get back than have no idea where he is before shots. She completely agrees.
So, on that note for dosing-I'm planning to bump him back up to 1 unit this evening and hold for both shots tomorrow. I'm not sure if I should write her a sliding scale based on his numbers, or just have her hold the same dose for the entire time. She may get a midday test here and there but I'm not pushing it or counting on it. Obviously though, if he's giving her greens, I'd prefer to either reduce or NS since she won't be seeing how low he goes. This may sound all over the place but what do you all think?! Any and all input will be helpful. Thanks!
 
Noah gets 2/3 of his dose PM with a set maximum. I can't see him eat, don't know if the other cats are eating his food or if the dog sneaks down at night to scarf down the food.
Don't worry about not shooting Caitlin, you've been doing this long enough to know what can and can't happen. I'd rather come home to a cat with high numbers than a note about why he's at the vet after a HYPO. Enjoy your trip (really), I was sick every day when I had mine.
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
Noah gets 2/3 of his dose PM with a set maximum. I can't see him eat, don't know if the other cats are eating his food or if the dog sneaks down at night to scarf down the food.
Don't worry about not shooting Caitlin, you've been doing this long enough to know what can and can't happen. I'd rather come home to a cat with high numbers than a note about why he's at the vet after a HYPO. Enjoy your trip (really), I was sick every day when I had mine.
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Thank you! We've actually planned for her to feed him separately before she shoots because she herself said she wouldn't feel comfortable shooting without seeing him eat! But, yes he still may not some days. I like the idea of reducing to 2/3. In all reality, this may be a last minute decision with what dose to advise, but I'd like to figure it out as much as possible before tomorrow night! Thanks again.
 
I actually like the 2/3 reduction idea too. Since you're not there to test him and steer him if needed, I think a reduction is the right call. That way you can be comfortable knowing he isn't getting a full dose. Yes, a slightly higher cat is always better than a slightly too low cat when you're not there!
 
Omigosh, I was going to post for advice for the same thing! Josie and Cody will have a pet sitter for a week as well beginning next Thursday. The 2/3 reduction is a great idea, and I’ll be sure to share it with the CG. (She’s a pre-vet student so has some experience and is highly motivated since this is what she intends to do with her life! :) )

Sounds like you have a great neighbor, and I’m sure she’ll take excellent care of Pita and Brat while you’re away.
 
Caitlin, have you left them before? I've found that my boys eat much much less when they are left alone for a few days. If there are any bribes that work for Pita, you might want to make sure to leave some (fortiflora, bonito flakes, tuna water, nutritional yeast, etc.) that she can use if he doesn't want to eat at feeding time. Have a great trip!!!
 
Djamila said:
Caitlin, have you left them before? I've found that my boys eat much much less when they are left alone for a few days. If there are any bribes that work for Pita, you might want to make sure to leave some (fortiflora, bonito flakes, tuna water, nutritional yeast, etc.) that she can use if he doesn't want to eat at feeding time. Have a great trip!!!
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The last time I fully left them was over 3 years ago, so way before the diagnosis. I've decided to have her give him 1 tsp of Gravy food each time before his shot, to ensure that he gets at least some food into his system. I highly doubt he won't not eat that, but I have tuna in the cabinet as well, which he also loves.
 
She had full success tonight! Woo! I gave him 1 unit tonight and he'll be getting 1 unit for both shots tomorrow. Starting Saturday am, she will be giving him 0.6 units (2/3 of the 1 unit). Does this sound like the safest amount to everyone? I'd also like to give her a NS #. I'm thinking if he's at 95 or lower, just NS. Maybe 100? Again, what are the thoughts on this? Thank you all!
 
He's been pretty safe shooting on those high greens lately, so I think with the reduced shot you could probably go with the 95 cut off as long as he's eating well. If she feels like he isn't eating as much as he normally does, maybe have her go with 100?

I imagine she'll be able to call you if she's unsure of what to do, so you'll be able to adjust as the days go too, if something shifts in how he's responding.
 
My 2/3 rule is partly because I'm in the group that doesn't get up at 2AM to check sugar levels. I'm a bad person. :(
I've done my share of all-nighters, it's not that I don't care enough, when my head hits the pillow I'm gone in 30 seconds. I'm the guy that sleeps through turbulence or if I'm awake I enjoy pointing out to nervous flyers "Hey look, the wings really do bend!"
In May for the first time in my life I actually could see my house from here. (It was the local Walmart and water tower, close enough).
You're not flying to Canada are you Caitlin? It's Thanksgiving up here so the airports will be zoos.
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
My 2/3 rule is partly because I'm in the group that doesn't get up at 2AM to check sugar levels. I'm a bad person. :(
I've done my share of all-nighters, it's not that I don't care enough, when my head hits the pillow I'm gone in 30 seconds. I'm the guy that sleeps through turbulence or if I'm awake I enjoy pointing out to nervous flyers "Hey look, the wings really do bend!"
In May for the first time in my life I actually could see my house from here. (It was the local Walmart and water tower, close enough).
You're not flying to Canada are you Caitlin? It's Thanksgiving up here so the airports will be zoos.
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You are so not a bad person for that! Trust me, I'm usually cursing Pita up and down if he yeowls to wake me up during the night. I'm not going to Canada- back to the East Coast for me! I do really like that 2/3 rule. She was comfortable with it as well, so 0.6 seems to be a good unit. Besides NS for under 100, she'll let me know if anything weird comes up. Thanks so much for your input! So helpful :)
 
Prozinc is okay, Lantus is the rabbit hole. It looks like a bunch of NSA cryptologists in there.
"No Alice, it's a trick!"
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@Caitlin M I should have been more clear about the 2/3 rule. Noah bounces, he's unregulated and his PM numbers are almost always lower than his AM numbers. So I don't give him 2/3 of his AM dose, I give him 2/3 of what I would normally give him depending on his blood sugar. I'm not even going to re-read that, still working on my first pot of coffee.
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
@Caitlin M I should have been more clear about the 2/3 rule. Noah bounces, he's unregulated and his PM numbers are almost always lower than his AM numbers. So I don't give him 2/3 of his AM dose, I give him 2/3 of what I would normally give him depending on his blood sugar. I'm not even going to re-read that, still working on my first pot of coffee.
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Thank you for clarifying! Either way, it's a great reasoning technique (English?) that we all loved! I told her to NS with a 100 or lower PS. He doesn't usually bounce too much, so if he's higher from a NS that's totally fine! My flight went smoothly- I just woke up from a nap and am utterly exhausted and a bit grumpy to be honest! Also now a bit anxious when I realized it's the boy's first morning without me! [I'm not crying, you're crying!]
 
Glad you made it there safely! Although sorry to hear you've come down with a case of the travel grumpies. I hope a nice cup of coffee and some fresh air will help chase it away. Sending lots of love to you and to your kitties. I know it's hard to be away from them. :bighug: You left them in very good hands though, so try to enjoy your time away.
 
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