diabetic cat and vacation

Status
Not open for further replies.
A

april925

Very Active Member
Hello

I just went searching for a diabetic cat message board because we are getting ready for a short vacation, just 4 days, and I have lined up a pet sitter who can give the insulin shots. In the meantime though, I did a curve on her at home and she was low all day, under 100. It happened I was also going out of town Saturday and just spending one night away from home, so after consulting wtih the vet, I had the pet sitter give her no insulin. When I returned Sunday morning, I checked her and she was at 167, which still is good. The vet advised to give her one unit, which I did, and I checked her in 2 hours and she was at 96. I checked her again at about 7p and she was at 187, but I did not give any insulin because this was off her usual schedule and I work. On Monday morning, she was at 137, so she got no insulin.

I called the vet today, and told her about the vacation coming up this Wednesday and she suggested boarding, which I do not want to do as it stresses her out and she does not eat, this is why I started curving her myself at home. So, I have one more day to keep checking her and decide. So, what I am trying to decide is If her numbers stay low from now until we leave, should I keep her home and just have the pet sitter to not give the insulin? Or is it really better to board her? She is on Lantus glargine, so there's the possibility she is going into remission. She was diagnosed in December and she was overweight, but she has since lost 3 pounds, she really needs to lose about 3 more.

thanks for reading all of this and for any advice you may have.
 
If she stays in that range up until you need to leave, I would opt for no insulin with the pet sitter so you can avoid a hypoglycemic episode with no one there. When you get back though, you may need to go with a dose lower than 1u twice a day. Numbers above 150 are still a little high to be normal numbers (50-120 generally). If you get syringes with half unit markings, you can accurately dose 0.5u, and fairly accurately dose 0.25u, which are both doses you might consider. There is a big jump between 1u of insulin and no insulin.
 
I agree, no insulin while you are away. I know that it's best to be consistent with Lantus, but the danger of a hypo is much scarier. This way you can leave with peace of mind and hope that she'll soon be off the juice after you get home.
 
I went on a short vacation and had my neighbor check BG and give the shots. She is diabetic herself and understands the disease. I cut the amount of insulin given while I was gone to reduce the chance of hypo. You need to do what you feel most comfortable with. Good luck and enjoy your vacation!!!

Jenny & Sue
 
My neighbor can give the shots, but I don't know if she can check the BG. I'm going to talk to her tomorrow and let her know she may not have to give the shots and see what she says. Maybe she would be willing to check it for me.

So, you think keeping her home would be better than boarding her? I suppose there are pros and cons to both options.
 
I can hardly believe it, I just checked her now at 5:20 a.m. 6/21/11 and she is at 127!! Her last insulin dose was on 6/19/11 at 9:39 a.m. of 1 unit. Before I did the curve on 6/17/11, she was getting 1.5 units twice a day. She seems so hungry all the time though, guess she just likes to eat, maybe from boredom since she is an indoor cat. Next check will be at around 4:30p.m. today....
 
I was just reading about the food. My vet has my cat, Miss Kitty, on Hills prescription W/D, which now I am seeing according to the chart is too high in carbs. Miss Kitty is also trying to lose weight, has about 2-3 more pounds to go. I am looking at the Merrick's Cowboy Cookout and wondering how much would i feed her. Currently wtih the W/D, vet said to give her 1/2 can in the morning and 3/4 can in the evening. Any ideas of how much to give of the Merrick's? I am also wondering if this would be more satisfying to her. She seems hungry a lot.
 
april925 said:
I was just reading about the food. My vet has my cat, Miss Kitty, on Hills prescription W/D, which now I am seeing according to the chart is too high in carbs. Miss Kitty is also trying to lose weight, has about 2-3 more pounds to go. I am looking at the Merrick's Cowboy Cookout and wondering how much would i feed her. Currently wtih the W/D, vet said to give her 1/2 can in the morning and 3/4 can in the evening. Any ideas of how much to give of the Merrick's? I am also wondering if this would be more satisfying to her. She seems hungry a lot.
Click to expand...

Hi Aprille!

Yes, Hills W/D is WAY too high in carbs. I'm convinced W/D is what caused Bandit's diabetes. I would not be surprised if she went into remission once you remove that food, since she's having such good numbers despite it. Cowboy Cookout is a great food with one of the best Protein/Carb/Fat ratios for a cat. It's one of the foods I feed Bandit.

How much to feed depends on how big your cat is. What is her weight now? Here is some info on how to determine how much to feed with an obese cat: http://catinfo.org/?link=felineobesity#How_Much_Do_I_Feed. Bandit is a kitty binge eater and I've found that the formula is pretty spot on. To give you an idea of how much Cowboy Cookout to feed, his ideal weight is about 12.5 lbs, and I feed a little more than 1 can (about 6oz) a day.
 
Last time I weighed her at home she was about 12 pounds, down from 15. Vet says she needs to weight 9 pounds. I need to take her to the vet after vacation to get an accurate weight. I asked my husband to pick up some of the Cowboy Cookout for me today, so I can see how she likes it.
 
Your cat seems to be as obliging as my Miss Maisey. I was so concerned when I was going to have to go out of town and just before I left, she went OTJ.
Yes, switch to the cowboy cookout - it seems to be a big hit with many here - my crew love it. Then I bet you'll really be in the clear.
I vote for home! My daughter, a nurse, got in a couple of checks of Maisey's BG while I was away. She was not keen on testing, go figure, but Maisey stayed fine.
 
Thanks so much everyone for the opinions on my vacation. I am feeling better about the decision to leave her home with no insulin. The vet was making me feel like that would be the wrong thing to do. I will be talking to my neighbor who is pet sitting for Miss Kitty tonight, so who knows, she may be willing to check her.
 
Thanks. My husband is out getting the new food for me. I can't wait to see how she likes it. This might help keep her numbers down while I am away and the neighbor is watching her.
 
april925 said:
This might help keep her numbers down while I am away and the neighbor is watching her.
Click to expand...
That's what I'm hoping! If she's giving you nearly normal numbers while on the w/d, I think it's very possible you'll find she goes into remission eating the Cowboy Cookout.
 
That's another question. How long should they have normal range numbers before they are considered in remission?
 
Normally it is two weeks of normal non-diabetic numbers and preferrably most of those in the double digits to be considered OTJ or in remission.

Mel, Maxwell and the Fur Gang.
 
Ok, so if the new food doesn't get her into double digits, then I might have to give more insulin when I get back. Praying for the food to do the trick.

thanks
 
A normal non-diabetic range is 60-120. Bandit runs a little higher than normal--more like 80-140.

You might have to give insulin, but probably just a token dose--like between .1-.5u.
 
Darn, I just got home and my husband had already put some of the new food in her bowl and she does not seem to like it. I mixed in a little of the WD wtih it and she still is not eating it. Now what? I've given her Fancy Feast before and she ate that, maybe I should go look for some of that.
 
Thanks. She's been eating wet food exclusively since December. I can hardly believe she is turning it down. Is it hard to find the Fancy Feast Classic?
 
Update: She ate the food after walking around a little bit and whining, she went back and ate it!! Also, I did her BG test after she ate and it was 134, whoo hoo!! The neighbor was here and she watched how to do it, but she really does not want to, but she said she would if she had to. So I updated her on what is going on and she will watch how she acts and make sure she eats. One or two more BG checks before I leave tomorrow afternoon. I'm going to try not to worry too much and enjoy the beach.
 
april925 said:
Thanks. She's been eating wet food exclusively since December. I can hardly believe she is turning it down. Is it hard to find the Fancy Feast Classic?
Click to expand...


WalMart and PetSmart both carry the Fancy Feast Classic varieties.

PetSmart has a better selection of flavors. WalMart usually has as least
the Gourmet Chicken Feast Classic (pate' consistency)
 
Wow, she likes the w/d more than the cowboy cookout! That's a first! I would keep trying it since she did eat it to see if maybe she's just picky 'cause it's new. If she's still not enthused when the can is gone, FF is also a good choice. Bandit loved his FF but he likes the Cowboy Cookout and Surf nTurf more. :-)
 
Well, as I was reading on this board, lower carb food takes affect immediately and apparently it did for my Miss Kitty. Her reading this morning is at 111 !! She is eating the Cowboy Cookout better now. After I put it in the fridge, it was not as runny, so I think she likes that consistency better. I can go on vacation and relax a bit now. I'll report back on how she is doing when I get back. Here's hoping she will be OTJ. Thanks to everyone for all the advise.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top