Hiya from me and Chester

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AJay

AJay

Member Since 2017
Hiya :)

I am soon to be bringing home a stray that has now been diagnosed with Diabetes. His owner was traced, but rejected him :(

I have never had to deal with a Diabetic cat personally, although I have had friends and colleagues who have. I have dealt with other serious diseases that my companions have had over the years, so I figured that Diabetes was not a good enough reason to have a feisty red head pts. With support and lots of research, I am more than willing to take on this challenge. Theres more than enough food and love to go round for one more :)

Chester is still at the vets on IV fluids - hopefully he has started his insulin now and he will be able to come home soon. He is not surprisingly very underweight. The information I was given is that they are feeding him twice a day and he is on IV awaiting insulin. The nurse I spoke to was hoping to send him home with a home testing kit. I have no idea what make it is. I understand from the FB group that some of them are both expensive to buy and the test strips can be scary money. So I guess I'll be looking for hints and tips for finding the right equipment at the right prices - along with HUGE amounts of support to get this right for him :)

I would like to introduce him to a raw diet if he'll entertain it. Realistically, cats being cats, he may not initially. In my favour, he is hungry, so he may be easy to win over lol!

I have 4 other feisty felines. 3 of them are related, the other one is older. She lost her rock to HyperT and cancer :( She has never really got over it and continues to overgrow. Chester is such a calm character, Im hoping that she will gravitate to him.

I am in the UK :)
 
Welcome to FDMB.

The test kit your vet may be sending you home with probably will be for testing Chester' glucose levels before every shot. If it is, that is great news because your vet supports home testing. We love the vets that do. Hopefully it will be a human glucose meter instead of a pet meter. With a human meter the strips are cheaper and available at any pharmacy. You can use either type for testing, they both are accurate.

A raw diet is good for diabetics but if that does not work, low carb canned food will be your next best option. If possible try to get all of your cats on the same diet. It will prevent Chester from cheating.

Once you know what insulin he will be using post it on the Health board. Also any questions you have you can post them on the same board.
 
Hello and welcome to you, Chester and the rest of your furry crew!

Love your description of Chester as a "feisty red head" and kudos for taking an extra sweet baby into your family! Diabetes is quite manageable and we will help you in any way we can. This forum is full of over the top cat lovers like yourself and we eat, live and breathe feline diabetes so you will get all the support you want or need to help Chester regain his health and enjoy his new life with you.

If the vet sends you home with an AlphaTrak2 meter, it is a pet meter and the strips for it are expensive. A human meter will work just fine and be far less expensive to use and we can make recommendations for meters available to you in the UK. As Lisa said, having a vet who supports home testing is good news because that is the best tool we have in our arsenal to keep our kitties safe and healthy.

Come join us over in the HEALTH FORUM with any all questions. We're looking forward to helping you and Chester! :)
 
Hi Lisa
Thank you :) Yes, I realised that this kit would be for glucose testing :) I was told on the FB forum that sent me this way that it may be one with expensive test strips.
I have yet to speak to my vet personally. Chester is at another vets :) It won't however be a problem as my vet is very cat focussed and more than willing to discuss treatment options and suggestions. :) This will make life easier if I need to suggest changing insulin etc :)

I understand that they have already tried the prescription diets with him (not my personal favourite for any cat, but hey ho) and it didn't work for him. I don't know what they are currently feeding him.

My cats are all on raw apart from one who flips between raw and pouch as she decides (picky child!) So if young master Chester decides he isn't eating raw, we will of course have to come up with another plan :)

I have already started to have a look through the files on management. Im sure I'll have a lot more questions very soon :)
 
MrWorfMen's Mom said:
Hello and welcome to you, Chester and the rest of your furry crew!

Love your description of Chester as a "feisty red head" and kudos for taking an extra sweet baby into your family! Diabetes is quite manageable and we will help you in any way we can. This forum is full of over the top cat lovers like yourself and we eat, live and breathe feline diabetes so you will get all the support you want or need to help Chester regain his health and enjoy his new life with you.

If the vet sends you home with an AlphaTrak2 meter, it is a pet meter and the strips for it are expensive. A human meter will work just fine and be far less expensive to use and we can make recommendations for meters available to you in the UK. As Lisa said, having a vet who supports home testing is good news because that is the best tool we have in our arsenal to keep our kitties safe and healthy.

Come join us over in the HEALTH FORUM with any all questions. We're looking forward to helping you and Chester! :)
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Thank you for the welcome. :) I have to be honest and say that the more I read, the more nervous I am, but it wasn't a snap decision (totally) to take him in. I just have to pull up my BGP's and get on with it lol.
I'd ideally like for him to come home early this week or it'll have to be after the weekend as I am not around much - though there will be someone in the house with the cats whilst I am not in.

Ill be looking through the files to make sure I have the necessary supplies to deal with most situations, other than the necessary vets visits :)
 
AJay said:
I have to be honest and say that the more I read, the more nervous I am, but it wasn't a snap decision (totally) to take him in. I just have to pull up my BGP's and get on with it
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Once you figure out a routine that works for you, you will be wondering why you were even nervous. :cat:

At one time I had two diabetic cats, one was adopted knowing she was diabetic. Caring for them probably added less than 15 minutes to my daily routine for caring for my pets. I had 6 cats and a dog at that time. You just have to find works best for you and Chester. We can help you with that by sharing what works for us.
 
Welcome. There are a number of people here from the UK. They can help you find appropriate food and the best deals on insulin and testing.
Post any questions or anything you need help with in the HEALTH FORUM . Could you also let us know why Chester is on an IV?
 
Welcome, and wow you sound so confident I was a wreck! lol Kudos!

I'm in N.Ireland (U.K) so food is really easy if you can't get Chester to eat raw. Tesco s have Sheba fine flakes, whiskas +7 and felix as good as it looks (all in jelly).

If you are sent home with an alphatrak2 freestyle lite strips are cheaper and work the same if you want to use that one.

Anyway good luck! (Not that I think you will need it ;))
 
Red & Rover (GA) said:
Welcome. There are a number of people here from the UK. They can help you find appropriate food and the best deals on insulin and testing.
Post any questions or anything you need help with in the HEALTH FORUM . Could you also let us know why Chester is on an IV?
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Hiya, Sorry Ive been MIA, lol. TBH I have found it a little frustrating to get info out of them. I think he was on IV while they sorted out who was going to pay for the insulin :confused: I offered, but I think "the charity" wanted to pay for it.
I had a message today to say that I could now pick him up but they were still trying to find an Alphatrak. Id be just as happy to source one recommended by this really lovely group (and again I offered).:rolleyes: Unfortunately I didn't get the message until I got home late this eve. So I'll probably suggest picking him up on Monday and see if either of us can source a suitable glucometer in the mean time :)
 
TempestsMum said:
Welcome, and wow you sound so confident I was a wreck! lol Kudos!

I'm in N.Ireland (U.K) so food is really easy if you can't get Chester to eat raw. Tesco s have Sheba fine flakes, whiskas +7 and felix as good as it looks (all in jelly).

If you are sent home with an alphatrak2 freestyle lite strips are cheaper and work the same if you want to use that one.

Anyway good luck! (Not that I think you will need it ;))
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Hiya TempestsMum :D Thanks for the welcome :) Lets just say its a case of what I call swans and icebergs :nailbiting: Id be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I am sure that with all the reading I have been doing and the amazing support I've already had from this group, Chester and I can make this work. By the sounds of it (and from meeting him) he is such an easy character :)

I guess Id better print off all those sheets now and find the spreadsheet to download. As soon as I get him home I'll start posting LOADS of questions and results and, and, and.... :D
 
AJay said:
Hiya TempestsMum :D Thanks for the welcome :) Lets just say its a case of what I call swans and icebergs :nailbiting: Id be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but I am sure that with all the reading I have been doing and the amazing support I've already had from this group, Chester and I can make this work. By the sounds of it (and from meeting him) he is such an easy character :)

I guess Id better print off all those sheets now and find the spreadsheet to download. As soon as I get him home I'll start posting LOADS of questions and results and, and, and.... :D
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Spreadsheet link.

http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/fdmb-spreadsheet-instructions.130337/
 
Quick update: Chester came home tonight. One VERY ravenous kitty!! They have sent me home with Royal Canin DRY :( to be fed at 40grams twice daily :( He is STARVING. I have given him a small bowl, bout 30g raw turkey and he wolfed it up. My Alfatrak should arrive tomorrow.

Hes on 1u twice daily atm, but vet said that his dose will need adjusting.

Sweet as they come and all he wants to do is have company. He's determined to get to my other lot, but I'm keeping them separate for now. He's a little too fragile for their naughtiness.
Now I'm going to need help with this spreadsheet thingy. lol
 
Wonderful news that Chester is now home! Right now Chester needs the carbs and calories which may be why the vet recommended the dry food but switching him over to a wet diet (that dry is far too high in calories for a diabetic cat under normal circumstances!) will be the best move once he has fully recovered.

Do you want someone to set up the spreadsheet for you? :)
 
Hiya Linda :)

Im not a fan of dry, but I couldn't really say much at the time. As its what he's been on, I'll entertain it for now. As you say he needs the carbs and calories - but 40g dry seems a teeny tiny amount for him :( He was literally digging his way out the door and nearly ate the bowl as well :eek: He's also incredibly thirsty. I'm hoping that is just him - for now. The dry won't be helping with that :(

I think I have got the spreadsheet sorted, but there will be things I am not sure of. I've probably missed something about how to use the spreadsheet and may need someone to check that the link works for them. LOL

What is Amps/PMPS on the spreadsheet? Im very sure its very simple, but my brain is a little fried and I am a little paranoid I'll get it wrong. I managed to give him his insulin this evening. I got the food / insulin order the wrong way round tho. :facepalm:
 
FurBabiesMama said:
That's AM pre-shot and PM pre-shot. :)
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Of course! :facepalm: You see - I was over thinking it. :) Thank you :)

I think I need to stop panicking and go and find the little tiger. Its gone quiet - mind you, he is a very quiet cat, for now, I suspect. He's been following me round the house while I've been setting up sleeping arrangements for him :) I think he's disappointed it'll be in a crate again :( But he'll be safe from my other monsters and I can have him in the bedroom with me. I think keeping him separate wouldn't end well. He really doesn't like it at all, bless him.

I'll update as soon as I have my alphatrak and can start to monitor him :)

Would it be ok to give him another little snackette before bed? - raw turkey or applaws?
 
Ok silly me......you have a SS! Blind in one eye and can't see out of the other HAHAHAHA!:facepalm:

Here is a document that explains how to understand the SS. If you still have questions let us know! :D

And a definite yes to the snack of turkey or applaws! We all need our bedtime snacks!
 
I think I need bed Linda! :D :D :D

HOW do you do THAT? ^^ That groovy bit where you have "Here" highlighted as the link? Same with your spreadsheet link. LOL There was a reason I gave up on computers in favour of working with animals. LMAO

My other 4 have bedtime snacks. Id feel very guilty if he heard them munching. :) xx
 
AJay, you are funny. :D This was shared with me on one of the threads I started; it might help you: Dear Mom.

(To have a link, you just highlight the words you want to 'turn into' the link then click on the little icon that looks like a chain link, right above were you type in text. Paste in the URL to the site you want the link to go to and click Insert.)
 
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