Tips For Caring For Nauseated/dehydrated Kitties During Natural Disasters?

[cheeser]

The local news channels have been reminding us that hurricane season is just around the corner. So I've started putting this year's kitty emergency kit together.

We got some "just in case" prescriptions from the vet's office the other day that we can have filled at a later date. But now that our chronically sick cat has lots of food allergies, we're not sure how to keep him adequately hydrated and fed in case he gets sick if we lose power and don't have access to veterinary care for a week or so.

We usually give Buddy some slippery elm bark syrup for nausea, and pretty much just blend the crap out of whatever food he usually eats until it's liquified enough for assist feedings. Or sometimes if we're lucky, he'll eat some ham baby food on his own. But once the power goes out, it won't be quite that easy. We were lucky that he didn't get sick during Hurricane Harvey, but I want to be better prepared this year.

We asked the vet if we could add a little bit of Pedialyte to some baby food for such an emergency, and were told absolutely not, as that would cause diarrhea and make any dehydration even worse.

Does anyone have ideas that don't involve electricity and/or refrigeration?

 

[1 bruce 1]

The local news channels have been reminding us that hurricane season is just around the corner. So I've started putting this year's kitty emergency kit together.

We got some "just in case" prescriptions from the vet's office the other day that we can have filled at a later date. But now that our chronically sick cat has lots of food allergies, we're not sure how to keep him adequately hydrated and fed in case he gets sick if we lose power and don't have access to veterinary care for a week or so.

We usually give Buddy some slippery elm bark syrup for nausea, and pretty much just blend the crap out of whatever food he usually eats until it's liquified enough for assist feedings. Or sometimes if we're lucky, he'll eat some ham baby food on his own. But once the power goes out, it won't be quite that easy. We were lucky that he didn't get sick during Hurricane Harvey, but I want to be better prepared this year.

We asked the vet if we could add a little bit of Pedialyte to some baby food for such an emergency, and were told absolutely not, as that would cause diarrhea and make any dehydration even worse.

Does anyone have ideas that don't involve electricity and/or refrigeration?

There are some really, really well insulated coolers that (with ice packs) will keep food at fridge temp for a week! It might be checking one out, even just a smallish portable one, so you could throw some ice packs in, throw the food in, and be set for several days.
When you mention "assist" feedings, I'm assuming you mean a syringe feed?
You're thinking is smart...it's always good to be prepared.

 

[cheeser]

There are some really, really well insulated coolers that (with ice packs) will keep food at fridge temp for a week! It might be checking one out, even just a smallish portable one, so you could throw some ice packs in, throw the food in, and be set for several days.
When you mention "assist" feedings, I'm assuming you mean a syringe feed?
You're thinking is smart...it's always good to be prepared.

Awesome! Thanks. I'll have to look into that. Our current coolers and ice packs only keep stuff cool for a couple of days, and it usually takes longer than that for the National Guard to make it to our sleepy little town with ice to tide us over until the stores can re-open. Once there's a pretty dependable supply of ice, as well as fuel to run the generator for short periods of time, we have a bit more flexibility.

And yep, sometimes I gotta syringe feed our sick furbabies. It's not ideal, but you gotta do what you gotta do, especially during emergency situations.

 

[Willowy]

Keep a week's worth of ham baby food in your emergency kit, rotate them so none get expired. Unopened jars don't need refrigeration.

I don't see why adding Pedialyte to the baby food would cause diarrhea. . .unless he's sensitive to it. I've done that plenty of times and it never caused trouble. I wonder what your vet's reasoning is. You can make a homemade version of Pedialyte if the store-bought stuff isn't available. It's called oral rehydration therapy if you want to google for recipes.

 

[cheeser]

Keep a week's worth of ham baby food in your emergency kit, rotate them so none get expired. Unopened jars don't need refrigeration.

I don't see why adding Pedialyte to the baby food would cause diarrhea. . .unless he's sensitive to it. I've done that plenty of times and it never caused trouble. I wonder what your vet's reasoning is. You can make a homemade version of Pedialyte if the store-bought stuff isn't available. It's called oral rehydration therapy if you want to google for recipes.

Thanks bunches! I'm glad to know that someone else has already done this, and without any problems.

I bought a bottle of unflavored Pedialyte for our emergency kit awhile back, and thought it was just a simple matter of asking the vet how much to mix in with Buddy's baby food. I was surprised that he was so dead set against it. We've never given Buddy any Pedialyte or a homemade version before, so we have no idea whether or not it might upset his tummy. I just can't wrap my brain around the concept of why some form of oral electrolyte replacement solution would be a bad thing if your cat gets seriously dehydrated, and veterinary care isn't available for several days. *scratches head*

So since we've had some experience with administering sub-Q fluids for sick kitties, I thought that might be an option in case of a dire emergency. Guess not.

I mean, I understand the importance of proper veterinary care when our fur babies are sick. But that can be a wee bit difficult when the power lines are down, the streets are impassable due to flooding and/or storm related debris, and all that other hurricane related stuff.

Ham baby food has been a godsend for Buddy when he's been too sick to eat on his own. But his appetite usually picks up again within a day or two, so I haven't had to worry too much about him not getting taurine and all of those other vitamins and minerals that cats need. I wonder if adding some premix to baby food could possibly be an option in an emergency situation?

 

[lacy2000]

The pedialyte is definitely important and I would think that having SubQ fluids on hand would be helpful just in case. Pedialyte shouldn't upset his stomach, or at least I've never had it affect any of my foster cats. It's strange that your vet would recommend against it.

 

[cheeser]

The pedialyte is definitely important and I would think that having SubQ fluids on hand would be helpful just in case. Pedialyte shouldn't upset his stomach, or at least I've never had it affect any of my foster cats. It's strange that your vet would recommend against it.

I'm glad Pedialyte has worked for your foster kitties. That makes me feel a little less crazy.

The vet said that the salt and sugar in unflavored Pedialyte (or a homemade version) can cause or exacerbate diarrhea, and could make any dehydration even worse. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and being in the middle of a hurricane or the immediate aftermath can be pretty darned desperate.

 

[Willowy]

The vet said that the salt and sugar in unflavored Pedialyte (or a homemade version) can cause or exacerbate diarrhea

I've heard other people say their vet said that, and I just don't get it. Replacing the sugar, salt, and water lost from diarrhea is exactly what oral rehydration therapy is meant to treat! I guess I'm not sure how to figure out what volume of glucose and salt is in Pedialyte, but regular IV rehydration fluid used for dehydration is usually 5% glucose and .09% salt, and that sounds like it's pretty similar to Pedialyte.

I dunno. It just bugs me when vets say stuff that doesn't make any sense, without backing it up with evidence :/.

 

[vyger]

Something you can get for an emergency power source, at least for the day time, is a solar panel. They sell small ones for camping that can recharge things like phones. Another source of power is your car. Even if it is damaged if it will still run you can get enough power from the alternator to run a small fridge. For that you need a 12 volt power inverter which I think everyone should have anyway. They make stuff like this for camping, off road excursions and for off the grid living as well as emergencies.

 

[cheeser]

I dunno. It just bugs me when vets say stuff that doesn't make any sense, without backing it up with evidence :/.

ITA. I'm certainly willing to accept and follow advice when it sounds reasonable. I just have to be convinced that it's reasonable.

 

[Blakeney Green]

I would definitely keep sub-q fluids and needles on hand in case of dehydration.

In general I would suggest a PRN of Cerenia might work for nausea/vomiting, but I would run that by your vet because it may be contraindicated due to your specific pet's situation.

 

[cheeser]

Something you can get for an emergency power source, at least for the day time, is a solar panel. They sell small ones for camping that can recharge things like phones. Another source of power is your car. Even if it is damaged if it will still run you can get enough power from the alternator to run a small fridge. For that you need a 12 volt power inverter which I think everyone should have anyway. They make stuff like this for camping, off road excursions and for off the grid living as well as emergencies.

Huh. I hadn't even thought about a solar panel for short term use. I'll look into that. Thankee!

We do have a bunch of inverters and extra car batteries, as well as a generator, so we've got that covered. We just try to use them as sparingly as possible until we know for sure we can replenish our supplies whenever we need to.

 

[cheeser]

I would definitely keep sub-q fluids and needles on hand in case of dehydration.

In general I would suggest a PRN of Cerenia might work for nausea/vomiting, but I would run that by your vet because it may be contraindicated due to your specific pet's situation.

I'll ask about the Cerenia. I don't think any of Buddy's health issues would preclude the use of it. We just haven't followed up on it before because the slippery elm bark syrup has always worked so well, and the vet figured "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." But it's always good to have a Plan B. And sub-q fluids and needles would be a darned good Plan B.

Thanks much!

 

[vyger]

Huh. I hadn't even thought about a solar panel for short term use. I'll look into that. Thankee!

We do have a bunch of inverters and extra car batteries, as well as a generator, so we've got that covered. We just try to use them as sparingly as possible until we know for sure we can replenish our supplies whenever we need to.

Harbor Freight has a 100 watt solar panel kit for $200. It is designed to be portable and weatherproof. You supply the battery storage and the inverter but you say you already have that.
100 Watt Solar Panel Kit
The reviews of it are good. One person says one set can power a mini fridge. Two or three sets could probably give you lights and fridge well into the night. Says that even on a cloudy day it produces lots of power.
Five kits would produce 500 watts of continuous power all day and only cost you $1000.00 And the panels have pretty much unlimited shelf life so unlike batteries they are not going to go bad in storage.

 

[lavishsqualor]

I feel as though my lights just came back on after Irma! Good grief, I can't believe it's about to be hurricane season AGAIN.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

... But it's always good to have a Plan B. And sub-q fluids and needles would be a darned good Plan B.

Thanks much!

Just remember that sterility is key in setting up the fluid bag and tube line, and switching the needles, as you do not want any bacterial contamination to find its way into the actual fluid. Even if you shelter in place during particular types of emergencies, having clean surfaces and clean hands may not be an option in setting up the fluids for your kitty. I wouldn't use subQ fluid bags that have cloudy or discolored liquid... and remember that, along with expiration dates, the shelf life for subQ fluids is better under certain temps and parameters. I'm pretty sure that the balances of electrolytes in the fluids can get out of whack under certain more extreme temp conditions, and consulting a vet about these potential issues is a wise thing to do.

 

[Blakeney Green]

My current sub-q bag says it can be exposed to temps of up to 104 degrees, so yeah, I agree you should check with your vet about protection from extreme conditions if it gets very hot where you live. (It doesn't say anything for minimum temp except not to freeze it.) Obviously you should plan to store it at room temperature, and you shouldn't open the plastic bag it comes in until you're actually ready to use it so outside moisture won't get it.

 

[foxxycat]

I'm glad Pedialyte has worked for your foster kitties. That makes me feel a little less crazy.

The vet said that the salt and sugar in unflavored Pedialyte (or a homemade version) can cause or exacerbate diarrhea, and could make any dehydration even worse. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and being in the middle of a hurricane or the immediate aftermath can be pretty darned desperate.

Well that's just not correct. Injecting sub fluids has salts and electrolytes..hmmm not sure where they came up with that. The only thing to check is sugar substitutes added to pedialyte-just make sure it's not Diet kind where it's fake chemical pretend sugars as those are toxic to our pets.

 

[cheeser]

Harbor Freight has a 100 watt solar panel kit for $200. It is designed to be portable and weatherproof. You supply the battery storage and the inverter but you say you already have that.
100 Watt Solar Panel Kit
The reviews of it are good. One person says one set can power a mini fridge. Two or three sets could probably give you lights and fridge well into the night. Says that even on a cloudy day it produces lots of power.
Five kits would produce 500 watts of continuous power all day and only cost you $1000.00 And the panels have pretty much unlimited shelf life so unlike batteries they are not going to go bad in storage.

That's good to know that it can produce power on cloudy days. We usually have the opposite problem when we're without power, where the sun is out and it's insufferably hot and steamy. On the bright side, that's more solar energy.

 

[cheeser]

I feel as though my lights just came back on after Irma! Good grief, I can't believe it's about to be hurricane season AGAIN.

I know what you mean.

I don't mind so much not having lights, or power to do stuff like cooking, laundry, etc. But I sure do miss the air conditioning! It's always a beautiful sight to behold when a convoy of utility trucks from some faraway place rolls into town to restore power for us. Yay!