Vacation dose?

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Djamila

Djamila

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I'm traveling this coming week, and my cats will have a sitter. She came over last night and I tried to teach her how to test and shoot, but it did NOT go well. Sam is a very aggressive kitty. He trusts me now, but doesn't do well with other people. He kept trying to bite and scratch her, hiss, run away. He did let me demonstrate how to do it, but she never got close enough to try it herself. He usually seems to like her, but wouldn't let her actually get her hands on him. So she saw how to do it, and is going to try while I'm gone, but at this point, it isn't looking hopeful.

Do you all have any recommendations for giving a shot if she isn't able to get a test first? Would it be better to reduce the dose? Is it okay to hold steady since he hasn't shown a ton of response anyway? Should we just skip the dose for a few days? He would end up missing six shots by the time I get back. I have a feeling he may end up missing shots anyway, even if she tries, if he acts like he did last night.
 
Hard choice. I assume she won't be around to monitor his behavior either - if he'd display any outward symptoms of going low? Skipping will certainly set back his progress, but you just can't predict what even one unit might do....
 
No, she won't be able to monitor during the mid-cycles. Thankfully, Sam has never gone hypo, so I don't really know how he would act if he did. My gut is that he would probably just go hide if he didn't feel well.
 
My neighbor (pet sitter) is going to come back over this evening to try again. If she can get a pre-shot test done while I'm gone, is there a recommendation for dose? Or is it still better to skip the shots while I'm gone?
 
Hard to tell what he will let her do without you there. If she can get a BG test and his number calls for insulin maybe a token dose could be a good idea? Like half a unit or quarter of a unit. Have to be sure he's eating! My cat's tend to go on a hunger strike for the first day I'm gone.
But he might be OK without the shots if she can't get him to cooperate. The struggle to get a reading alone could stress him into a higher number. Maybe have her evaluate his behavior... When chuck is high he is very hungry and lazy. If Sam gets lethargic and doesn't fight her maybe make that a rule to get a BG test and possible token dose then.
It's ultimately your decision...
 
I have to board Smoky when I go away. You are lucky to have a neighbor who can pet sit for you.:) The place I board Smoky at usually ends up giving him a reduced dose. He won't eat much while he is there.
 
I hadn't considered the eating factor. Thanks for the reminder. It's true here too, that both cats eat very little when I'm gone. Last night she just watched me do it again, and then she loved on Sam a bit, playing with his ears, and pinching his skin like she was going to give a shot, but not actually doing it. He was tolerating her much better, which is hopeful. Right now, our plan is that she'll try to test him to make sure his numbers stay reasonable, and if they start to go up to 300, she'll call me and we'll decide what to do. But as of now, the plan is to skip the shots while I'm gone. I'm so sad about that, but it seems safer at this point. And honestly, he doesn't seem to be making much progress anyway. When I missed the shot the other night, and the couple of times he's had a fur shot, his numbers go up with the meal, but then go back down to the lower-200's on their own. Which is relatively the same result as when he does get a shot. We'll just have to keep fingers crossed that he's stable while I'm gone and then start again when I get back on Thursday. Thanks for chiming in with your thoughts; it's really helpful to hear how other people think through these things!
 
Hi Djamila, boy, I know the stress of leaving then with a sitter and worrying. sigh.

When exactly do you leave and how long will you be gone? If there are a few days between now and then, you might get a better idea of how much you'd like to reduce compared to how the trend is going. Right now, he's throwing you some nice blues and if he were to hang there when you were leaving, it would be wise to reduce some. Also to consider that he might not eat well when you are gone. I know Bubba doesn't eat well the first day I am gone then he picks up his appy and eats normally for the sitter.

Another thing to consider is that a lot of cats will be much more submissive when we aren't around. And if that is the case with Sam, then things will be good.

Are you going to have a set of numbers for her to know if he is between XX and XX to shoot X units or are you going to be more comfortable with her shooting the same number and give her a number that you would prefer her to just skip ? That would be advisable since she won't be able to test during the cycle.


ETA : I just your post about skipping and if he is 300 she will call. Probably a good plan!

Just some thoughts.
 
@Bobbie And Bubba - I miss you over here in ProZinc-Land!!! Thanks for stopping by! I have been peeking in on Bubba's drops from time to time. Slow and steady, right? You are so incredibly patient!!!

I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon and will be back on Thursday. He'll miss six shots altogether. I know he probably had elevated BG for more than three days before I noticed, so I'm trying not to freak out about this too much, but it kills me to not be able to take care of him!!! I planned this trip before his BG started to rise - I wish I wasn't leaving town right now!

I was wondering about if he might not behave better once I'm gone, too. You may be very right about that. He usually seems to like my neighbor, and she adores him, so I'm hoping that they can work something out after I've left. His ears bleed so easily, that I'm sure if he'll hold still, she'll be able to get the test done. Anyway, fingers crossed that he stays in the yellows and will be okay on his own...
 
Well, I made it back just in time for the PM shot this evening, and was pleasantly surprised with his number. I'm hoping I can manage to stay awake for a couple of hours and get a mid-cycle number, but the jet lag is making it tough to keep my eyes open....

Thanks to everyone who shared your thoughts on how to best handle this whole thing. My neighbor said she tried to get a number, but Sam just wouldn't let her. So no more trips for awhile until I can figure out a way to manage this whole thing without just leaving him shot-less.

And now here is a quick photo I took on my trip:
upload_2017-2-23_18-53-3.jpeg
 
what a beautiful photo! Where is it?? And what beautiful numbers for Sam while you were gone; he wasn't to worse for the wear. Looks like you have him reined back into blues in no time.
 
This was about an hour outside of Reykjavic, Iceland. I've never seen the northern lights before and it was even more incredible than I had imagined. The forecast had been for clouds and zero to low light activity, but mother nature has a mind of her own! The afternoon winds blew the clouds away, and despite the forecast, the lights went crazy. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. Well worth standing out in the dark cold woods for two hours!!!

AMPS this morning was 210. I'm so excited that a few days off doesn't seem to have done more damage. Not that I want to try it again anytime soon. I'm glad to be home for awhile now and hopefully get a few more blues!
 
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