Joey, boarded at vet, didn't eat much

I delivered a week's worth of canned food - 14 cans- and he ate only 4 or 5 cans worth in a 6 night stay. They got so concerned they cut off the insulin and gave him an appetite inducer. They sent me home with advice to NOT give insulin til he got back to normal eating - which he has done immediately. He acted ravenous after he got home but I stuck to his normal feeding schedule.
He just hated being there, I guess. They said to put him back on two units twice a day and then return for a curve in a week. He was on 3 units twice a day prior to his incarceration.

They said he was in the normal range to boot - I think it's because he is off the carbs.

I'll return for the curve, but now I am more determined than ever to start home testing.

My big question is--if I go away again for a week or less, wouldn't he be just as well off to stay in the house with the cat sitter coming in, feeding him normally and forgetting the insulin for a week? He was miserable there, I am sure. He always goes off his feed when frightened.

RuthV

 

Frequently cats do not eat well when boarded. A sitter should be able to monitor eating and give shots as necessary. Maybe the sitter could even test BG. In July I cat-sat for a woman's two cats for three weeks. One was diabetic. The diabetic ate mostly normally and I only had to give a reduced dose one near the beginning. I also only tested BG that one time.

 

_________________

No way could the sitter handle shots - he hides when she comes in. She sees him rarely - when he's ducking under the bed.

 

Well, I would suggest that you start hometesting -- that way you will see how Joey does on insulin, and if you skip a shot or two -- how high does he go without it.

Doing the testing and recording the results will give you evidence to support your decisions.