18/02/2022 - Whiskey AMPS=122 +5=59 PMPS=166 - vacation dosing advice please?

stannarp

stannarp

Member Since 2021
Previous Thread:

16 Feb 2022

On such a low dose (0.10), and (I suspect) a pancreas which is finally joining the party, what do I do about vacation dosing? I am concerned about safety while we are away and preventing a hypo.

My partner is absolutely determined that we are going away for the weekend next week, 1-2nights (26-28 Feb).

The way I see it I have 2 options:

1) No shot at all by my house sitter while we are away, and sticking LC food for all the time we are away.
2) Syringe only shot (I don't think it will be fair to my house sitter to try to get her to measure 1 drop of Lantus), but putting the syringe into the vial, then 'shooting' just the lantus on the syringe she will easily manage.

Not sure what anyone else has done in a similar situation?

If I did either option; do I taper her insulin until next week, instead of taking her off 'cold turkey' (I know we don't really have enough data because of the ear issue), or do I leave her on 0.10 and then go to nothing or syringe only?
 
How does she eat when you're not around?

Since she has no history of ketones and is dropping to the 50s on 0.10U, and it is only a couple of days, I would just skip the insulin. See what the others say.
@tiffmaxee

Btw, to draw a drop dose which is the dose after 0.10U, you push the plunger of the empty syringe in fully, keep it pressed and insert it in the pen. Let go of the pressure on the plunger and it will draw a drop. When you insert the needle into the cat, push the plunger and count to ten if s/he will let you.
 
Bandit's Mom said:
How does she eat when you're not around?

Since she has no history of ketones and is dropping to the 50s on 0.10U, and it is only a couple of days, I would just skip the insulin. See what the others say.
@tiffmaxee

Btw, to draw a drop dose which is the dose after 0.10U, you push the plunger of the empty syringe in fully, keep it pressed and insert it in the pen. Let go of the pressure on the plunger and it will draw a drop. When you insert the needle into the cat, push the plunger and count to ten if s/he will let you.
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As long as she is feeling good, she is generally pretty good about eating - if I am around she will come and remind me that it is food time, but if not she will keep checking on the auto feeder and chobble when it opens.

Thanks so much for the how to draw a drop, I was actually dreading figuring it out myself for (optimistically) when we get there; as long as she is eating she will let me leave it in for a count of 10!

I am actually inclining to leaving her without insulin for the 2 days - have found a much lower carb option than I had before, which she seems to like and which isn't as bank breaking as the only equivalent of Fancy Feast Pate's that we have here.
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
This is not very scientific. I've always found it easier to come home and deal with higher numbers as opposed to a cat that's had too high of a dose.
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Yes, I also don't want my poor house sitter to have to deal with a hypo, or feel guilty if she misses one :(

She did OK dosing with 1u or so when Whiskey was relatively newly diagnosed, but she would just be learning to test and drawing 0.10u is pretty difficult, even for me and I do it twice a day with calipers!
 
Realised that I tested her a bit early after food for PMPS, as I was trying to bring the shot time forward to a bit earlier again.
 
tiffmaxee said:
At this low a dose and seeing 59 nadir I would skip while you are away and just have the sitter feed her lc. @Bandit's Mom
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Thanks so much for the advice - we will only be going away next weekend, so I have a bit more monitoring time, but it will set my mind at ease if she isn't getting insulin, as although I completely trust my house sitter, she doesn't live with this quite the way I do, and her dose requirement is so low that even a tiny increase could make a difference.
 
stannarp said:
deal with a hypo, or feel guilty if she misses one
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Lucky for me I never had to deal with a hypo but I've missed my share of shots, my own chronic PM medical nightmare. That wasn't fair to either cat but elevated numbers are always better than the alternative. Explaining that to my vet was never easy but we all know real life is not a textbook. For some reason I can't see your spreadsheet but the advice you're getting looks realistic. Have a guilt free weekend. :)
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
Lucky for me I never had to deal with a hypo but I've missed my share of shots, my own chronic PM medical nightmare. That wasn't fair to either cat but elevated numbers are always better than the alternative. Explaining that to my vet was never easy but we all know real life is not a textbook. For some reason I can't see your spreadsheet but the advice you're getting looks realistic. Have a guilt free weekend. :)
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Thanks so much! I'll check the spreadsheet link issue!
 
It's not you, I'm still using plain old Google. Before I came here I did my own spreadsheets in Excel, big overly complicated monstrosities that wouldn't fit on a floppy.
Check my profile for my age. I had a diabetic girlfriend in the late 70's, her meter had to plug into a wall socket and warm up. There weren't many options for her or cats.
 
Noah & me (GA) said:
It's not you, I'm still using plain old Google. Before I came here I did my own spreadsheets in Excel, big overly complicated monstrosities that wouldn't fit on a floppy.
Check my profile for my age. I had a diabetic girlfriend in the late 70's, her meter had to plug into a wall socket and warm up. There weren't many options for her or cats.
Click to expand...

Ah, yes. I'm a bit of an Excel junkie too, I've done all sorts with another SS for data analysis of this one. Always think of I can control the data it gives me more control of the situation!
 
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