Not Always As Planned

Well, that did not go as hoped.

About an hour after having the sensor fixed on her back, Indigo started licking at it furiously. Then she started to cry and yowl. Eventually, this became growling and hissing. Something had gone amiss and she was in discomfort due to the addition, if not pain. This was, of course – as most what come to be emergency incidents are – late on a Friday. There is no emergency veterinary service in my city that I like. There used to be at the hospital that Renn visits, but, due to the loss of a number of their doctors, that is no longer available. The emergency clinic that remains is not highly thought of.

Indigo had calmed down significantly by bedtime, so it was, with regrets, decided to leave her until morning. An anti-adhesive substance would be bought at a health-care supply shop and I and another member of the rescue-group would use it to remove the appliance ourselves.

Indigo forestalled us. This morning, I saw that she had removed the device herself. She was much calmer, very quiet, and has spent the day sleeping, probably making up for being awake much of the night. I have run my hand over the spot vacated by the device and elicited no response; it does not hurt her.

What went wrong? There is no way to know. Initially, I think it was no more than an unfamiliar feeling that the sensor was creating for Indie. But not long into the evening, I noted that a portion of the sensor had become detached from her skin on one side. Had the needle that comprises the sensor’s contact with her tissue come out and was now jabbing her? Who can say? Since the skin shows no sign of abrasion or rash, it seems unlikely that the glue used to attach the appliance to her was causing a bad reaction. And the fact that the device came off after just a few hours indicates that it was not strongly – not nearly strongly enough – applied, and suggests that the glue was not the cause of the discomfort.

(Part of me wonders, looking at the very little damage caused by either device or adhesive, if Indigo was suffering as much as her behaviour demonstrated.)

In any case, it is off. Indigo is very quiet but is otherwise behaving normally. It is a disappointment that the sensor did not work; I am most reluctant to apply another – though if I do, you can bet that it will be at the start of a work-day early in the week, so another trip to the hospital to remedy any problems is possible. I will likely try poking Indigo’s ear to obtain readings, and see how she takes that.

For now, however, a small amount of insulin will continue to be given, and she will be allowed to recover fully from her ordeal.