Care when Out of Town

[MaguaisMom]

Hi! My kitty Maguai was just diagnosed with diabetes and we will be traveling for 10 days. I am currently giving him 2 shots a day with 1 unit of Lantus. Does anyone have advise on what to do when you are not around for the shots? I volunteer at a wildlife place so I am hoping that maybe my hubby and I can offer payment to a vet tech to come once a day but I’m not sure if anyone will be willing to do this. Please help! (I live in San Diego) :sad:

Also, what is OTJ?

 

[Pat+Raja+Shadow (GA)]

OTJ means Off The Juice.... :mrgreen:
I actually looked online and interviewed a pet sitter in my area. She came and we talked for awhile and then I paid her to come one more time before I left. She came twice each day to give Shadow his insulin and feed my two, and then one other time during the day to feed them.
i lowered his dose a bit too so he was not getting his usual dose while we were gone.
I was actually very very lucky since this woman was a vet tech previously...so she was familiar with insulin, etc.

Perhaps your vet has techs who do that in the evenings....or check a local newspaper or online as I did.

 

[Janice & Johnny]

On a recommendation from others here, we used a vet tech from our vet practice. He came twice a day and tested/shot/fed Johnny and took care of our other two as well. It was $25 a visit (I'm in Chicago), but so worth it for peace of mind and knowing that he was trained and worked for our vet. From what I gather, it's quite the norm to do some pet sitting on the side. When I called, they put up the request on the bulletin board in the staff room to advertise the opportunity. Good luck!

 

[MaguaisMom]

Thank you for the advise. I did find a few options online and I will contact those places if I cannot convince a vet tech to want to help take care of my kitty.

He is a biter when he is not scared and he is a quick wit. I was able to sneak a shot while he was eating on the second day (he was diagnosed on 11/23... yes the day before Thanksgiving). However, that night when I stood by him and started to pet him he was fine, then when I went to pull the skin up in prep for the shot he caught on and tried to snap at me. Now he will not eat his food in the kitchen with my hubby or me in range. Luckily, he does not fight too much when I have to "pin" him down between my knees. I did start to give him treats after each shot so maybe things will change. I cannot wait to see how the at home glucose monitoring will go. Anyway, he is my baby and for a few seconds of discomfort I can make it through this situation.

Thanks again!

 

[Danette & Esmeralda (Essi)]

Hey Guys,
I wished I lived closer, Im in San Dimas/La Verne area, Esmeralda was diagnosed in Sept, now she is 9days OTJ Trial.....WOOT WOOT...
Okay back to the subject; the vet offered me for the nurses/staff to come into my house twice a day to give Essi her shot while we went to Colorado for 5 days; I didnt take her up on it, I boarded Essi instead; it was okay, she is suffering from nuorpothy realy bad, so it had gotten worse when I picked her up. But on a possitive side, last week, instead of boarding her while went camping in Glamis for 5days, we took her with us.... What a great trip, I didnt think it could be done, she actually layed on my lap for most of the trip, and settled right in, in the motorhome.

Is there any way to take Maguais?

Home testing is the best, and so is this board; I wouldnt have gotten this far, if it wasnt for the generosity, kindness and compassion of the ladies, and DH of this board.... OH sorry and the furbabies. LOL

Esmeralda knows she can not eat w/out being tested, and right after she ate, she just sat purched waiting for her shot. I still have to test her 2xs a day, and she is starting to fight me, but for the most part she is good... I did start by putting her between my legs, now I just lay her across my lap to test.

Best Wishes and Luck
Danette & Esmeralda