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  Medication Administration
 

The cat's condition must have been diagnosed by a veterinarian, the medication must have been prescribed by a veterinarian, and the medications or materials must be provided by the client.

Medication to the mouth (pilling or liquid): Often antibiotics or pain medication after surgery or for an infection, or laxatives for cats suffering from constipation related to kidney disease or old age. Many cats do not appreciate having pills or liquids administered to their mouth, and then even the friendliest cat can become resistant and difficult to handle. From squirming or pushing your hand away with their paw to salivating and spitting the meds out to growling and biting. We can show you the proper way to hold your cat's head and administer the medication or show you other ways and tips to make sure your cat gets the medication.

Subcutaneous injections: Most often these are insulin injections. We will help you find the best way to inject your cat. Some cats do not mind it while others require distractions or some ritual around it. We will teach you how to find the proper spot for the injection, how to handle insulin, and anything else you may feel unsure about. We will also go over the symptoms of diabetes and how to know if your cat requires further medical attention by a veterinarian.

Subcutaneous Fluids: Often prescribed to cats with kidney disease, constipation or lethargy. Many guardians are worried about administering the fluids themselves because the needles are fairly large and many cats squirm, resist, fight, or simply become impatient during the procedure. Many people also find that while it looked pretty simple when the vet or vet tech at their clinic showed it to them, it is very different for them when they try to do it themselves at home. Indeed, there is a lot to take into consideration. We will go over how to use the bag and the line, how to administer the fluids, how to make sure your cat is getting the prescribed amount of fluids, the best way for you to hold your cat, the best place in the house for the procedure, and the different things that may happen during or as a result of administering the fluids. We will discuss how to monitor your cat's symptoms and the effects of the fluids on him/her. Your vet may recommend periodical blood tests to monitor the effects of the subcutaneous fluids on your cat. The vet will interpret the result and instruct you how to proceed.

Blood Glucose Testing and Blood Glucose Curves: Insulin is required in the transportation of sugar in the blood into the body's cells. If your cat has a low sugar level in the blood and you admninister insulin, it can have adverse effects. It is also harmful to administer too little insulin over time. In order to get a clearer idea of the function of the insulin in your cat's body, your veterinarian may recommend to test your cat's blood glucose levels periodically, or before every insulin injection, especially with newly diagnosed cats. To get a curve, we test the blood glucose level every 2 hours or every 4 hours during a 12 hour period. We do not interpret the results. Your vet will tell you the normal range, so which levels are too low or too high. We will teach you how to test your cat's blood glucose level so you can do it whenever you are unsure about how your cat is doing. You will then discuss the values you got and your vet will interpret the results for you. The vet will explain how the curve applies to your cat and how to proceed. We will discuss what the curve means in general, how to graph it visually, and how to handle your cat so it is as stress-free as possible for the both of you.