DAVIDSON UPDATE

[Shawna & Davidson (GA)]

Hi to everyone in LL

I've been peeking at random times and see that many of you are sadly still here and some of our friends have said their untimely goodbye's. It's nice to have a few join Davidson at the Falls and we're forever grateful for all the support, encouragement and education we've received here.

Just updated Davidson's SS and he continues to do very well since going OTJ 7 months ago. He's still a big muscular guy and as playful as ever with Harley. They're both 12.5 yrs old and act like kids most of the time, but I do notice that Davidson may be getting a bit of arthritis in his hind legs as he doesn't jump as often as he used to. While in the initial stages of FD he did have a bit of an affected gate with his hind legs so perhaps this contributed a bit. He still runs around and jumps but not as high. Don't worry, he's still good but at his age and bigger build and muscle mass I am sure it's harder as he ages. His diet is still the FF wet getting fed twice a day (sometimes split into 4 times) and his weight seems to be constant, no different then the last 10 yrs so I'm not worried.

Random BG tests are still in the GREEN and even when I was away a week he was never stressed. A Vet's visit for his annual exam proved non-eventful and his BG test was still good even after being stressed at the Vet.

The only concern I have is that once again I leave for my holiday in mid Dec. for 3 weeks and last time I came home was when he was diagnosed. I've got a great pet sitter who knows their routine and has been with them for a couple of years now. The only issue this time is that she is leaving for a week and her helpers cannot come twice a day to feed Harley & Davidson as they did each time I'm away. I have given them frozen food when I've left for many hours and I was wondering if anyone has left frozen food for over a day when they left.

The pet sitter can arrange for someone to be here each morning for the week she is off, but they cannot come at night. Will it be okay to leave a full can of frozen food out to at least give him food until the next feeding in the morning? When I am gone they both seem to sleep most of the day. I don't really have a choice as the only alternative is sending them to Xmas Camp which means being cooped up in a cage for 3 weeks with other dogs/cats around and that means more stress. My thoughts are they are far better off at home even if it means one bigger feeding a day for one week, then at a kennel. I think if Davidson were to be at a kennel it would certainly stress him out and possibly bring back the FD.

What do some of you think who've gone away?

Thanks as always for all of your support and don't give up - the rewards are worth all the time and effort we give our cats while dealing with this disease.

Shawna, Harley & DAVIDSON

 

[BJM]

Pet Safe 5 timed feeder plus frozen food and maybe refrigerator packs too, might work out OK, but I'd want to do a test run first to see how he did with it. And how much time is he used to having company? That can be a factor too, if he gets stressed when alone too much.

 

[julie & punkin (ga)]

great to hear Davidson's still doing well.

I'd get 2 of these and set them to open simultaneously: http://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-5-Meal-Automatic-Pet-Feeder/dp/B000GEWHNS/?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20

If you choose those, they could open 4 times per day - i'd probably have the petsitter feed breakfast, then have the feeders open at noon, 6pm and midnight, or something like that.

The one heads-up - if you read reviews on these feeders, people will complain that the feeder doesn't open the whole way. That's because they didn't have it fully seated into the base unit. As BJM said, try it first when you're home to make sure they'll eat from it and to learn how to use it. We always put the feeding tray into the base unit, then pressed the button to rotate the feeding tray one slot. If it moves correctly, then you know it's seated in the base correctly.

I don't think there would be any problem with leaving frozen food in the tray all day. I usually put one or two ice cubes in each food compartment. If I were in your shoes, i'd put an ice cube in the first compartment and frozen cat food cubes (from an ice cube tray) in the next 2 compartments. They'll stay cold long enough to keep the food safe.

Have a great trip!

edited to add: if his arthritis is bad, consider cosequin, adequan, dausequin, acupuncture, laser therapy and bupe as options to help him feel and move better. We went through all of those except dausequin and continued using adequan, laser therapy and bupe long-term for punkin.

 

[Tricia Cinco(GA) & Harvey]

How nice to hear from you Shawna. I'm glad Davidson continues to do well.

I second (or third) the suggestions for the timed feeders. Ours have really been life savers. I think you will find they will help a lot. To add to Julie's instructions, if you can't physically show the sitter and helper(s) how to work it, be sure to leave detailed instructions about checking to make sure the tray is seated properly - it's a disaster if it's just a tick too high.

I hope you have a wonderful vacation and come home to fine healthy, happy kitties ready to welcome you back!

 

[Shawna & Davidson (GA)]

Thanks for the information...............FYI - both cats are used to eating twice a day when I am away. They did it last year for 3 weeks while gone but there was no FD around, then I was away twice since last Feb for 5 days, most recently in Oct and the pet sitter comes in only twice daily to put a combination of fresh and frozen food. They are used to being alone as when I raced bikes I was always gone 4 days every week (they were on dry food then) and since 2010 I've always taken trips and they've been good. They have each other as company, along with all the wildlife surrounding the property depending on the season so they can watch outside and be entertained.

Just recently in Oct. the pet sitter (who I speak with while gone) said they did very well, no problems and everything went well. When I got home I tested Davidson's BG and it was good. They have lots of fresh water at all times and I will try some tests myself this week to see what happens with just frozen left for the day and then decide on buying the gizmo feeder.

AS for the arthritis, it's not even noticeable at this stage, but and more concern was jumping off the bed onto hardwood floors and having his legs split. I've been giving him a bit of my glucosamine sulphate each day as it works for me. But down the road if it gets bad then I'll look into the other meds suggested.

Appreciate the link.........and feedback
Shawna

 

[Angela & Blackie & 3 Others]

I'm so glad that he's doing fine, and congratulations on getting him OTJ!!!!

 

[Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA)]

Hi Shawna,
We are so glad to hear that Davidson is doing so well. I think an auto feeder is a good idea. I am one of those who had a lot of trouble with the Petsafe 5-compartment feeder: it had a tendency to stop between compartments and Stu couldn't get his head in to eat the food! As an alternative I settled on the CatMate C-20, 2-compartment feeder. It has pop-up lids and comes with a freezer block that fits underneath the compartments. I love this feeder and have 3 of them. Amazon also sells replacement freezer blocks and I would suggest that you get one or two so that you always have a frozen one in your freezer.
http://www.amazon.com/Cat-Mate-Bowl-Feeder-Pack/dp/B0002YHUPC?tag=felinediabetesfdmb-20

Have a great vacation!

Ella & Rusty

p.s. Get 2 feeders so that Davidson and Harley each have one. When we are not using the feeder as an "automat", we use it with the compartment lids open, as a "dinner tray". Rusty eats out of it all the time. I bought small ceramic dishes to put into the feeder's own plastic bowls to better "centralize" the food.