MommaOfMuse
Member Since 2010
I know we go over with every newbie all the things that should be included in your hypo kit and your home testing kit, but one thing I think that sometimes gets over looked is the oral syringe.
We tell you about meters, test strips, ketostixs, High carb gravy foods, Karo etc but often we forget the oral syringe, if it hadn't been for that simple $3 piece of plastic yesterday I'm not sure Musette would still be with me, let alone eating on her own and happy and purring. (okay maybe not terribly happy with mom since she missed her naps and was turned into a pin-cushion).
She taught me yesterday, no matter how long you have been dancing with a sugar cat and how well you think you know her patterns she can and will throw you a curve ball out of left field and there needs to be a plan of action.
Yesterday started out like any other morning...woke up to Musette and Maxwell purring in my ears wanting their breakfast. Tested Musette and was happy with her amps since it was a lovely blue 121, so got the morning routine underway, went to the kitchen and prepared everyone's breakfast, drew up Musette's shot and preceeded to feed everyone and give Musette her insulin. Go back to the kitchen and start breakfast for the humans, when I hear Musette start making that unmistakable sound of a cat throwing up. Run to find out which cat and where...there is Musette throwing up her breakfast, okay no biggie just get her another portion of her cat food, probably a hairball trying to come up she'll be fine...didn't think much about it as she ALWAYS eats.
I went on about my day although I thought it odd that Musette hadn't come out of the bedroom to hang out in the Livingroom, but the neighbor's had just put up a new birdfeeder that the cats can see out of the bedroom window so figured she was bird watching. Go find her at +3 for her normal test, my heart sank to my toes, not only was her second breakfast sitting untouched, she was laying on her side on the bed and didn't lift her head when I came in and talked to her. She was awake, but not moving...She did purr for me, but I've learned she has two purrs, one that says "Hi mom, boy am I content" and one that says "Mom I feel like sh*t" and it was the second purr that she was doing, its much louder and deeper than her sweet humming little content purr. Ut-oh! Grabed the meter and tested...a 32 stared back to me...
Okay we have done this before, again no biggie just go crack a can of her HC food, give her some of the gravy..she loves gravy she will eat...went and got her HC food and splashed a little hot water in it to make even more gravy...set it under her nose, nothing..put some on my finger and offered that to her ...still nothing..now the Oh Sh*t factor was setting in...but okay cool head, you know what you are doing..breathe go get the Karo, get her up some, give her back some energy she will eat...she ALWAYS eats.
Grab the karo, rub it on her tongue and gums, checked her again in 30 mins..yay we are at 65, she is more alert now, time to get food in her..offered food again this time she reacts like it is going to bite her..Now there is a knot in my stomach, if I can't get her to eat, I can't use food to steer her and once the Karo wears off she is going to crash again..Its Sunday, no vet help and the nearest ER Vet is 300 miles away (insert choice swear words here). If she crashes again she isn't going to survive the trip to the ER. Then the light bulb goes on...there is an oral syringe in my Kitty med box that I use to follow pills with water...grab the blender, toss a can of LC friskies (figured pate was going to be easier to puree than her HC shredded stuff) into blender add hot water, puree...wrap Musette in a blanket and start syringe feed her...slowly the BGs start coming up...whew we are gonna make it. She wasn't happy about being sticky and now being forced to eat, but she will now have a chance to forgive for the indignity of it all, because she is alive to dance another day.
So the moral of the story is if you don't own an oral syringe please, please go buy one today, even if you are absolutely sure your cat will eat, because as sure as I was Ms. Piglet would eat, she proved me wrong yesterday. Better to have it in your tool kit and never need to touch it, than not have it when you are in an emergency situation.
Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
We tell you about meters, test strips, ketostixs, High carb gravy foods, Karo etc but often we forget the oral syringe, if it hadn't been for that simple $3 piece of plastic yesterday I'm not sure Musette would still be with me, let alone eating on her own and happy and purring. (okay maybe not terribly happy with mom since she missed her naps and was turned into a pin-cushion).
She taught me yesterday, no matter how long you have been dancing with a sugar cat and how well you think you know her patterns she can and will throw you a curve ball out of left field and there needs to be a plan of action.
Yesterday started out like any other morning...woke up to Musette and Maxwell purring in my ears wanting their breakfast. Tested Musette and was happy with her amps since it was a lovely blue 121, so got the morning routine underway, went to the kitchen and prepared everyone's breakfast, drew up Musette's shot and preceeded to feed everyone and give Musette her insulin. Go back to the kitchen and start breakfast for the humans, when I hear Musette start making that unmistakable sound of a cat throwing up. Run to find out which cat and where...there is Musette throwing up her breakfast, okay no biggie just get her another portion of her cat food, probably a hairball trying to come up she'll be fine...didn't think much about it as she ALWAYS eats.
I went on about my day although I thought it odd that Musette hadn't come out of the bedroom to hang out in the Livingroom, but the neighbor's had just put up a new birdfeeder that the cats can see out of the bedroom window so figured she was bird watching. Go find her at +3 for her normal test, my heart sank to my toes, not only was her second breakfast sitting untouched, she was laying on her side on the bed and didn't lift her head when I came in and talked to her. She was awake, but not moving...She did purr for me, but I've learned she has two purrs, one that says "Hi mom, boy am I content" and one that says "Mom I feel like sh*t" and it was the second purr that she was doing, its much louder and deeper than her sweet humming little content purr. Ut-oh! Grabed the meter and tested...a 32 stared back to me...
Okay we have done this before, again no biggie just go crack a can of her HC food, give her some of the gravy..she loves gravy she will eat...went and got her HC food and splashed a little hot water in it to make even more gravy...set it under her nose, nothing..put some on my finger and offered that to her ...still nothing..now the Oh Sh*t factor was setting in...but okay cool head, you know what you are doing..breathe go get the Karo, get her up some, give her back some energy she will eat...she ALWAYS eats.
Grab the karo, rub it on her tongue and gums, checked her again in 30 mins..yay we are at 65, she is more alert now, time to get food in her..offered food again this time she reacts like it is going to bite her..Now there is a knot in my stomach, if I can't get her to eat, I can't use food to steer her and once the Karo wears off she is going to crash again..Its Sunday, no vet help and the nearest ER Vet is 300 miles away (insert choice swear words here). If she crashes again she isn't going to survive the trip to the ER. Then the light bulb goes on...there is an oral syringe in my Kitty med box that I use to follow pills with water...grab the blender, toss a can of LC friskies (figured pate was going to be easier to puree than her HC shredded stuff) into blender add hot water, puree...wrap Musette in a blanket and start syringe feed her...slowly the BGs start coming up...whew we are gonna make it. She wasn't happy about being sticky and now being forced to eat, but she will now have a chance to forgive for the indignity of it all, because she is alive to dance another day.
So the moral of the story is if you don't own an oral syringe please, please go buy one today, even if you are absolutely sure your cat will eat, because as sure as I was Ms. Piglet would eat, she proved me wrong yesterday. Better to have it in your tool kit and never need to touch it, than not have it when you are in an emergency situation.
Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
