11/15 BEAR.. vacation dosing

Yogi_Bear

Yogi_Bear

Member
First curve

I have a trip planned for over the holidays, we werent diagnosed yet when we had booked it.

I will be gone just for 2 nights.

I was wondering how everyone else navigates being out of town with their sugarkitties.

I don’t trust anyone enough to give him shots/test because hes very finicky with bs tests and we are on a super low dose, which is very tricky for me to draw up and takes me a few tries to get the correct amount. And I really dont have anyone to ask to begin with that he would be comfortable with.

Also we are a multi cat house and the other kitties hide when people come over, so having someone they are not familiar with come for feedings alone wouldn’t work as they would hide and not eat.

I was wondering if we would be able to skip doses. He would get an am shot the day i leave, skip pm, skip the following day, and am shot the next day.. he would get pm shot when i get home.

And as for feeds, I was thinking perhaps we could get low carb kibble and free feed them while gone.

We’re super new to this so I apologize if this sounds unorthodox. I understand kitties health is important and will cancel if need to.. just trying to come up with any solution i can think of to see whats possible..i really dont feel comfortable with anyone else shooting/checking him while im gone.
 
You do what you need to do. If having a sitter won’t work you will need to skip. I would not get new food right before leaving as they could all get diarrhea! If adding a new food best to start soon. My cats hide as well but when I need to leave I have someone come to scoop the litter boxes and put out fresh food. They come out after the sitter leaves. Others might have more ideas.

Btw you really need to get a few tests at night after pmps. Just one the nights you do it and vary the time.
 
Call around and see if there are vet clinics nearby with staff that do petsitter visits. Vet clinic staff are used to handling skittish kitties and syringes. I am lucky that I have an experienced pet sitter who has done insulin shots before. Though I didn't need her when Neko was around. At that time, Neko travelled with us on trips away. She did a long car ride, also plane, train and ferry with me.
 
This may be an unpopular opinion but I think you can go 2 days without giving your kitty insulin. In this case, he is so recently diagnosed and is on such a small dose of insulin right now. It's very overwhelming when you cat is initially diagnosed. I'm assuming you're taking two days for Thanksgiving? You have almost two weeks, in that time try to work with your vet to figure out his dosing- I'm sure it will increase. And if you're lucky, your cat will still have enough lantus depot to lower blood glucose for at least half a day passed first missed injection.

Also, since your cat is so recently diagnosed, please ask your veterinarian about bexacat to avoid ongoing injections.
 
Please disregard the above comment on Bexacat. It is contraindicated for cats that have previously been on insulin.

If you are considering skipping, please test for ketones at home. This is something you should be doing anyway. If there are any signs of ketones near the time you go away, skipping would not be a good idea. Tips to catch and test a urine sample
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Please disregard the above comment on Bexacat. It is contraindicated for cats that have previously been on insulin.

If you are considering skipping, please test for ketones at home. This is something you should be doing anyway. If there are any signs of ketones near the time you go away, skipping would not be a good idea. Tips to catch and test a urine sample
Click to expand...
While It does say that on the package insert for the medication, in recent years commercial vets have used Bexacat on cats previously treated with insulin who are not fully insulin dependent. A study has been done by Tufts that shows Bexacat provides improvement in glycemic control of poor regulated diabetic cats alongside insulin treatment. Evaluation of bexagliflozin in cats with poorly regulated diabetes mellitus - PMC

Anyhow, any treatment should be overseen and approved by a veterinarian..
 
tiffmaxee said:
You do what you need to do. If having a sitter won’t work you will need to skip. I would not get new food right before leaving as they could all get diarrhea! If adding a new food best to start soon. My cats hide as well but when I need to leave I have someone come to scoop the litter boxes and put out fresh food. They come out after the sitter leaves. Others might have more ideas.

Btw you really need to get a few tests at night after pmps. Just one the nights you do it and vary the time.
Click to expand...
Good point about the food 👍
The problem is with our schedules we shoot later at night.. 930. So by the time it kicks in we’re already in bed 😣
 
Wendy&Neko said:
Please disregard the above comment on Bexacat. It is contraindicated for cats that have previously been on insulin.

If you are considering skipping, please test for ketones at home. This is something you should be doing anyway. If there are any signs of ketones near the time you go away, skipping would not be a good idea. Tips to catch and test a urine sample
Click to expand...
Wendy, where can I get the strips in Canada? Amazon?
I think we are leaning towards skipping but we’re over a month away for our trip so anything could happen in that timeframe.. i assume wel be back on the 0.5 dosage by then
 
You can get Ketostix at any human pharmacy, including grocery store pharmacies, in the diabetes section. They should be off the shelf. There are other brands too that I've seen but Ketostix is the most common.

With over a month, you are right that things can change. It is good to plan ahead.
 
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