Accidentally gave too much potassium citrate

[Hope4gem]

In my sleep deprived state I accidentally gave Sandy almost 1 ml of potassium citrate instead of .5 ml. The vet is closed for the day so I can't call them. Does anyone know the max dose of potassium citrate for a piggy? Sandy weighs 900 grams and is prescribed .5 ml of the attached image.

 

[Wiebke]

In my sleep deprived state I accidentally gave Sandy almost 1 ml of potassium citrate instead of .5 ml. The vet is closed for the day so I can't call them. Does anyone know the max dose of potassium citrate for a piggy? Sandy weighs 900 grams and is prescribed .5 ml of the attached image.View attachment 199074

He should hopefully be OK. Piggies have a very fast metabolism.

Contact an out of ours vet in the unlikely case he is suddenly unwell.

 

[Hope4gem]

He should hopefully be OK. Piggies have a very fast metabolism.

Contact an out of ours vet in the unlikely case he is suddenly unwell.

Thank you so much. I'm so mad at myself for messing this up. I knew I was pushing myself too hard by not getting enough sleep. I've been too scared of losing Sandy in her frail state and not taking good enough care of myself. I will focus more on myself moving forward so that I don't make this mistake again. I'll keep a very close eye on her. Thank you again Wiebke.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much. I'm so mad at myself for messing this up. I knew I was pushing myself too hard by not getting enough sleep. I've been too scared of losing Sandy in her frail state and not taking good enough care of myself. I will focus more on myself moving forward so that I don't make this mistake again. I'll keep a very close eye on her. Thank you again Wiebke.

I have learned to always double check the dose with the label before giving it. You just can't hurry medicating.

Make sure that you look after yourself.

Keep in mind that in order to care for others you need to firstly look after yourself because who will look after those in your care if you are not able look after them? It is the first and most fundamental law when caring, whether it is a human or a pet. It really is crucial, especially for the medium to long term. If you run out of steam then everything stalls. Make sure that you get enough rest and a proper night's sleep.

 

[Hope4gem]

I have learned to always double check the dose with the label before giving it. You just can't hurry medicating.

Make sure that you look after yourself.

Keep in mind that in order to care for others you need to firstly look after yourself because who will look after those in your care if you are not able look after them? It is the first and most fundamental law when caring, whether it is a human or a pet. It really is crucial, especially for the medium to long term. If you run out of steam then everything stalls. Make sure that you get enough rest and a proper night's sleep.

Thank you Wiebke. You're absolutely right. I will definitely make myself more of a priority moving forward. It's never been something I'm very good at, but it's definitely something I continue to work on.

 

[VickiA]

I’m sure all will be fine. But please do make sure that you are taking care of yourself, as well as Sandy xx

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you Wiebke. You're absolutely right. I will definitely make myself more of a priority moving forward. It's never been something I'm very good at, but it's definitely something I continue to work on.

I learned that lesson the hard way during the three years my dad was fighting a very painful terminal cancer. You suspend everything for a short while but once you run into weeks, you need to put everything on a sustainable level and prioritise your rest times as much as the care needs.
You can usually work around the need to get up in the middle of the night if you medicate/feed before you go to bed and then again in the morning and put in one extra feed in the evening.

 

[Hope4gem]

I’m sure all will be fine. But please do make sure that you are taking care of yourself, as well as Sandy xx

Thank you.

 

[Hope4gem]

I learned that lesson the hard way during the three years my dad was fighting a very painful terminal cancer. You suspend everything for a short while but once you run into weeks, you need to put everything on a sustainable level and prioritise your rest times as much as the care needs.
You can usually work around the need to get up in the middle of the night if you medicate/feed before you go to bed and then again in the morning and put in one extra feed in the evening.

I appreciate you sharing your experience, strength, and hope with me. As a single parent (and caretaker by profession) I'm prone to putting everyone else first. It's something I'm continuing to work on. I will work out a better schedule that allows me more sleep moving forward. Thank you again.

 

[Wiebke]

I appreciate you sharing your experience, strength, and hope with me. As a single parent (and caretaker by profession) I'm prone to putting everyone else first. It's something I'm continuing to work on. I will work out a better schedule that allows me more sleep moving forward. Thank you again.

All the best! Block out what YOU need and then arrange the care around this. You cannot be with a frail piggy all the time and sleep, so you might as well care for her to the best you can for longer and make sure that you yourself are around for longer as well. What will happen will happen anyway in my own experience.

 

[VickiA]

When I have a piggy related issue lasting more than a couple of days I usually end up going to bed a bit later than normal and doing a feed in my PJs and going straight to bed, then getting up a earlier than normal and doing the feed immediately after getting up. I can cope with a shorter number of hours of sleep as long as they are undisturbed. For me it’s a killer going to bed , waking up in the night to do a feed and then trying to go back to sleep for a couple of hours. So that’s how I cope.

 

[Hope4gem]

All the best! Block out what YOU need and then arrange the care around this. You cannot be with a frail piggy all the time and sleep, so you might as well care for her to the best you can for longer and make sure that you yourself are around for longer as well. What will happen will happen anyway in my own experience.

I'm sure you're right Wiebke. Thank you for the reminders of the importance of self care. I'm so grateful for your support and this forum as a whole. I know my piggies and myself have benefitted so much since I joined this forum. Thank you again.

 

[Hope4gem]

When I have a piggy related issue lasting more than a couple of days I usually end up going to bed a bit later than normal and doing a feed in my PJs and going straight to bed, then getting up a earlier than normal and doing the feed immediately after getting up. I can cope with a shorter number of hours of sleep as long as they are undisturbed. For me it’s a killer going to bed , waking up in the night to do a feed and then trying to go back to sleep for a couple of hours. So that’s how I cope.

Thank you very much for the advice. I was going to bed later (after feeding and meds) and getting up earlier to feed and meds before I go to work, but Sandy had a rough week so I had a few nights when I was getting up every few hours during the night. Not a good idea in hindsight because my self care suffered too much and I ended up making this medication mistake. I will make sure to get better sleep tonight and remind myself that I need to take care of myself. Thank you again. I really do appreciate the support.

 

[VickiA]

Thank you very much for the advice. I was going to bed later (after feeding and meds) and getting up earlier to feed and meds before I go to work, but Sandy had a rough week so I had a few nights when I was getting up every few hours during the night. Not a good idea in hindsight because my self care suffered too much and I ended up making this medication mistake. I will make sure to get better sleep tonight and remind myself that I need to take care of myself. Thank you again. I really do appreciate the support.

It’s easy to get caught up in it. But you can’t run on empty for any length of time. I know that from experience. Hugs x

 

[Wiebke]

When I have a piggy related issue lasting more than a couple of days I usually end up going to bed a bit later than normal and doing a feed in my PJs and going straight to bed, then getting up a earlier than normal and doing the feed immediately after getting up. I can cope with a shorter number of hours of sleep as long as they are undisturbed. For me it’s a killer going to bed , waking up in the night to do a feed and then trying to go back to sleep for a couple of hours. So that’s how I cope.

Same here - feed last thing in the evening and first thing in the morning but make sure you get enough unbroken sleep. I only get up at night if I happen to be wide awake and can't go back to sleep quickly again. As I am a bad sleeper in the first place, messing around with my fragile sleeping rhythm too much is a real problem for me. Keep the night watches for then they are really needed in an absolute crisis.

It is tough having to take a step back but it is as important as any care you give. Take care - you are a very generous and loving person but make sure that you love yourself as much as you give to others.

Good night!

 

[Merab]

Look on caring for yourself as an important factor in caring for others.
If you are too exhausted you can’t care for others, human or piggy, so there’s no need to feel guilty about taking some me time.
Holding you in my heart

 

[Hope4gem]

Same here - feed last thing in the evening and first thing in the morning but make sure you get enough unbroken sleep. I only get up at night if I happen to be wide awake and can't go back to sleep quickly again. As I am a bad sleeper in the first place, messing around with my fragile sleeping rhythm too much is a real problem for me. Keep the night watches for then they are really needed in an absolute crisis.

It is tough having to take a step back but it is as important as any care you give. Take care - you are a very generous and loving person but make sure that you love yourself as much as you give to others.

Good night!

Very wise words. Thank you, Wiebke.

 

[Hope4gem]

Look on caring for yourself as an important factor in caring for others.
If you are too exhausted you can’t care for others, human or piggy, so there’s no need to feel guilty about taking some me time.
Holding you in my heart

Thank you very much for the support.