What do you do if you want to go on vacation?

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Wonton

Wonton

Member Since 2012
Do you board your furbaby at the vet so they can do readings? If I can get Wonton 'regulated' could she go a weekend without taking her BG readings? Reason being, I spoke to someone who takes care of people's pets. She said she can give insulin shots but doesn't know how to take readings. I could probably teach her.
Would like to know what you all do.... confused_cat
 
When I go on vacation, I take my cats to a friends.
They test and do the shots.
They also keep in close contact with me and I leave my login information with them so they can ask questions and post to the board if they need to.
They keep track of DC's numbers in my log book but do not update my spreadsheet.
 
A few things:

There may be a FDMB member who lives in your area and may be willing to pet sit.

Hire a vet tech from the vet's office. Many vet techs so pet sitting on the side. A good experienced vet tech will know how to mesure insulin and give the injection correctly, what to do in case of a hypo, and some may even know how to bg test or are willing to be shown how to do it.

Hire a pet sitter who has experience with diabetic cats and giving insulin. You can show the pet sitter how to bg test.

Show a neighbor or friend how to measure and give the insulin and do bg testing.

Boarding is the last option for many. Some vets will board pets. Regular kennels may also board special needs pets but they may or may not have the experience staff to give injections and bg test or whatever else a special needs pet may need. Call around and specifically ask if a kennel boards diabetc cats and if they have an employee who is experienced with measuring insulin and giving the injection, what they do in case a cat becomes sick and needs medical treatment (like a hypo), are they staffed 24/7, will they feed the food you provide, etc.

I would not let anyone blindly give insulin with a bg test. Even if you show someone who has never dealt with a diabetic cat before how to measure and give insulin and do the bg test, if you don't feel 100% comfortable in the person's ability to do it correctly you should look for another person.
 
Well, I would love it if the vet techs that I use could test. They know how. Gabby won't let them. I reduce Gabby's dose and the vet techs shoot blind. I really don't have an alternative.

If there's an FDMB member in the area, that would be ideal or if Wonton will let a tech test, we can help you with "no shoot" numbers, dose, etc.
 
Thanks for the options to think about. It would be nice to find someone close by. Changing my subject line and see who might be close...
 
I usually wind up taking Racci with me or DH stays home with the fur kids. I tried a vet tech in combo with a neighbor one time and the vet another, as a last resort. The cats were miserable and I couldn't enjoy myself. Taking them was a better solution for us.

Melanie & Racci
 
I never go on vacation even if DH is home with them because I dont feel "comfortable" the whole journey! Now with Rosy, it's even worse.
But I think the best is to have a pet sitter come in every day or twice a day to check on them. Ive seen too many pets having that sad look when left in cages at pet shop or vet's clinic or pet "vacation" hotel!
 
What is this "vacation" that you speak of? :lol:

I have a sitter who comes in and stays here and does Cini's BGs and shots. It helps that the sitter is my ex- husband and Cini likes him. ;-)
 
Sorry it took me so long to get back. Actually Racci hates traveling by car but plane is ok. Calli didn't mind either. Once we got where we were going they settled right in and enjoyed it though and if it was a long enough trip, Racci would eventually quit complaining about the car.

They liked visiting and getting all the attention and exploring new houses when I took them to visit family. I've also taken them to FL where we got an efficiency apt. so it was just like a smaller version of a new home to them. They've stayed in motel rooms as well. They get used to traveling after a few times.

The actual trip can be a pain, sometimes more, sometimes less, but once there it's worth it. It's like traveling with children. :lol:

They enjoy it after they get over the strangeness at first, and I don't have to worry about them not being taken care of properly or being miserable. The key is to be prepared with everything you need for them so they're comfortable. Take all their regular food, litter, pans, meds, some toys, their mats, scratchers and for the actual traveling I bring disposable litter pans, bowls, anything they need.

Melanie & Racci
 
Hi. I hired a sitter who knew how to give shots, and I taught her how to test. I paid extra for her to sleep at my house. She came back once during the day to test and make sure the cat ate. She has horses. So, I knew she would have the wherewithall to take care of a special needs cat.

Boarding my cat was going to cost about $100 a day, and they weren't going to test often enough. It's shocking, but they give insulin without testing boarded cats! My regular vet wanted $1600 for 10 days, had no one there between 6 pm and 8 am, and did not plan to do any testing!

For my sitter, I prepared several pages of information for her, and I printed out the hypo page from this site. I left the hypo kit sitting on the butcher block complete with an oral syringe and the Ketosticks.

I went to the emergency vet with my credit card and signed a sheet allowing my sitter to present my cat for treatment. The ER vet took a copy of my credit card. I also made appointments with my regular vet for subcues and paid in advance. I taught my sitter how to give subcues, and she was willing to do it, but my cat really fought us because the sitter was a stranger, and I just didn't think my cat needed the stress of getting subcues from her, too. Better that Max fears the vet instead of her.

If you would like to see the pages I prepared, I'd be happy to send you a copy.
 
max&emmasmommie said:
Boarding my cat was going to cost about $100 a day, and they weren't going to test often enough. It's shocking, but they give insulin without testing boarded cats! My regular vet wanted $1600 for 10 days, had no one there between 6 pm and 8 am, and did not plan to do any testing!
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That's a lot :o The boarding place I used for civie Leroy only charged $24/day. It was the same price for special needs cats but there is no one working overnight to monitor the animals. The vet hospital does both regular boarding and medical boarding. I was quoted $35/day for civie Leroy, extra half hour playtime sessions cost about $10 each. They have vet techs for the special needs animals and if a pet becomes sick, they're whisked off down the hall to the ER.
 
Wonton said:
Do you board your furbaby at the vet so they can do readings? If I can get Wonton 'regulated' could she go a weekend without taking her BG readings? Reason being, I spoke to someone who takes care of people's pets. She said she can give insulin shots but doesn't know how to take readings. I could probably teach her.
Would like to know what you all do.... confused_cat
Click to expand...

My Atlas is a great patient, so I would have no problem using a professional pet sitter with him.

BUT>>>>>>lately in my professional pet sitting forum there's been a rash of 'bad kitty behavior' for the sitter from some diabetic cats! ohmygod_smile . So my suggestion is to make sure the cat sitter has some great kitty mojo. Pay for the longer visit of 30 minutes so the sitter spends time developing the kitty bonds of trust and won't just associate the sitter with the person showing to scoop the litter, drop some food, poke and ouchie me!

If your diabetic cat is shy or a hidey cat a sitter might not be the right choice. If that is the direction you want to go in though to avoid kennel stress then set them up in a bedroom for the time you are gone and make sure they have no unreachable hiding spots...like under the king size bed.
 
I always take my cats with me. They are good in the car and I've never had a problem. I traveled from PA to WA with 11 cats and a Rottie and it was great. Have you tried spraying Feliway in the car prior to departure? I have an SUV and a barrier between seats/driver so they are roaming in the rear of the vehicle. I leave secured carrier's with doors removed so they can have privacy if they want it. I also take a small scratching post with hammock and they have free access to LB and water. I stopped every 2 hours to clean box, check water and walk the dog. Hope this helps.
 
I've arranged with the gal that does our horse sitting, to deal with the cats when we go to Nationals in September. however, she won't be testing, just shooting, so someone told me the best thing to do is to lower the dose for the time you are away so that kitty is getting some insulin but not enough to cause major issues should they decide to go really low. I'm hoping that by September Rupert will be regulated, then again, if he's still crashing and bouncing we'll definitely lower his dose for a week. we have no other option. I can't find any vet techs who will come to the house, and Rupie runs from everyone else except Noelle so she can at least get his shots done and that's the main thing. Yes, will be a little worrisome with no testing being done, but by then, for us at least, I should have a really good handle on his 'patterns'.. hope so at least
 
I'm leaving in a week for my first vacation since he was diagnosed!

I think I hit the jackpot though - my sister is coming over to stay at my house and watch the animals 24/7 while I'm gone. I'm still a little nervous about leaving him, and I have to give my sister a crash course in feline diabetes care.

I did take him with me out of town once to visit a friend. It was about an hour car ride and he was a little nervouse but did great.

I've also looked into pet sitters around here. I did find one that says they are experienced with insulin shots, but I haven't needed to use one yet.

Also... where in NY are you located?
 
When Zener was first diagnosed we took a couple of trips and hired a vet tech to stay here at night. She did Zener's AM & PM tests and shots and tested mid-cycle as well. We test more often now than we did then. The biggest problem was his appy and he would not eat for her and she didn't work at it quite like we do. It was the best option we had at the time and would most likely have been fine, if he was a good eater. Since last summer, one of us stays home. One day, we'll have vacations together again.
 
J.D. cries a little in the car ride to the airport, and is very shy and reserved in the airport and then seems pretty relaxed on the plane. He's pretty used to my dad's house in CA, but still not warmed up to my dad or stepmom, so hides most of the day, and then is active during the night when I'm in the room. On the car ride home from the N.J. airport, he knows he's going home and is quiet, and happy.
When I drive with my two cats to Pittsburgh (about 6 1/2 hours each way), my cats cry (mostly Ginger, who screams) for about the first 3 1/2 hours, then are quieter. On the ride home, they know they are going home, and it's like driving with sleeping children,, total silence.
 
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