The ever loving and gentle Sweet Potato was a DCIN adoptee four years ago, after he was an owner surrender to a high-kill NC shelter and then a short-term foster with a local rescue. His new Mom fell in love with him and loved him more deeply every day. Sweet Potato joins his good friend Sammy (also orange but not diabetic) at the Bridge. Sammy's Mom and Dad lost lost him just four days earlier.
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March 19, 2013--
Sweet Potato went to the vet yesterday because of black vomiting and black, tar-like poop. After $750 for diagnostic tests and treatment, he came home with the diagnosis of Pancreatitis. However, his Mom Jennifer and I suspect this is not the end of the problems as we have never heard of internal bleeding (which the black coloration would indicate) as a symptom of Pancreatitis. Please help DCIN help JJ with this bill. Sweet Potato is just one of the many diabetic cats Jennifer has adopted through DCIN. ~Venita
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November 24, 2012--
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| Sweet Potato claims the kitty couch, a gift to all the kitties from their Auntie. |
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August 29, 2012--
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| Sweet Potato is a Big Boy!! Perspective? This is a curtained window behind him. |
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August 7, 2011--
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July 4, 2011--Spuds received his dental on June 24, receiving only the two expected extractions. Jennifer says the ulcer on his eye continues to improve.
Jenn sent me two new pictures of Spuds today.
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| Flat out Spuds |
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| Spuds and Sam, hoping to make the DCIN cookbook |
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| Spuds in the back, resting with Sammy (left) and Ebony (right) |
Spuds' dental fundraising is going well. As of this morning, DCIN has collected $581 of the $892 minimum estimate we were given for his dental. Thank you so much to all these donors who have been so gracious in their contributions. Including one donor who contributed a large sum, not only to finish the fundraising for Tiko's DKA, but also to put the balance towards Spuds' dental.
We have $311 left to raise, and we hope we can accomplish that this weekend. Spuds' dental is scheduled for next Friday.
This is Spuds' Chip-in widget. Please help if you can.
This widget does not reflect all of the donations because some donations have not come through Chip-in. Some have come directly to PayPal without charging DCIN a fee. The instructions for doing that, to maximize you donation of Spuds, are here.
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June 8, 2011--Spuds went to the vet yesterday. The good news is that his bloodwork is PERFECT!! He is a very healthy, happy little man. The not so bad news is that his eye has an ulcer. (Information about corneal ulcers.) He is on antibiotic drops and pain medication for that. He will have a re-check in a week.
The bad news is that Spuds needs to have a dental with two extractions, one a major molar that will require special procedures. And cost!! The estimate is $891.80.
Jennifer does so much to help the diabetic cats. Spuds, which she just adopted on May 29, is her 9th diabetic. She is a case worker for DCIN. Of the seven cats in her home, she adopted five as special needs. We can't let Jennifer handle this on her own. Can we?
Please help through Chip-in, if you can. **************************************************************************
June 3, 2011--
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| Spuds' coat is improving |
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| A happy little man |
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May 19, 2011--Jennifer, one of our extraordinary diabetic cat Moms, and her husband Ron are opening their home and hearts to Sammy. We hope to have him home for Memorial Day. Welcome home Sammy!! Congrats Jennifer, Ron, Sammy, and the feline herd! We are especially happy for Sam, who will be getting a new brother.
May 18, 2011--From Rachel, May 17:Sammy decided to cruise the house this morning while I was getting ready for work. He did fine with the cats and the older GSD, but found the dry Iams hairball on the top of the table (some of my guys are grazers). As soon as he stuck his nose in there I said "not for you!" and picked him up to take him upstairs to eat his own food (which I'd just put out). He grumped slightly but quit as soon as I scratched his head.On May 16, when I told Rachel I would like to find Sammy a furever home rather than moving him to another foster home, she said:
Sammy is a pretty easy going cat but he doesn't eat well for a day or two when there has been a change. The new adopter will need to expect that. However, he's adjusted to his bigger room and forays out into the house. He likes [my son's] bed and sleeps with him at night.
He's just an awesome cat.
I want Sammy to have a forever home also. He was out exploring the house this morning and has met all 10 cats as well as the oldest dog. He seems like he would fit in well anywhere.**********************************************************************
May 15, 2011--New pictures of Sammy with an update from Rachel: Sammy is very social with other animals. He was unafraid of my older German shepherd and proceeded to pretty much disregard her as he mozied around looking at the house this weekend. I moved him out of the bathroom and into my son's bedroom Saturday. A few of the cats have gone in to visit and he seems to like them all. He's discovered the bed and the beanbag chair in front of the window. He didn't eat quite as much as usual this weekend, but its probably the change in environment. His appetite is looking up tonight. I snapped a couple of quick pics this evening. He is so mellow!! Quite a gem!Rachel has agreed to foster Sammy one additional week. Folks, please. Rachel's rescue saved Sammy from certain death, with the understanding that DCIN would help find him a home ASAP. If you know anyone who would give Sammy a purrfect home, please send them the link to this page.
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May 9 through 14, 2011--Rachel's update for these days are in the comments below.*************************************************************************
May 8, 2011--Mother's Day update from Rachel:
Sammy was combo tested neg/neg yesterday. We pulled blood out of his hind leg and he didn't flinch at the needle at all. He's a very forgiving boy. He shows no signs of any illness from the shelter- no sniffles etc, so I believe he is very healthy except for his diabetes. He is eating well and comes to greet me at the door every day. I've spot checked him and he is consistently running about 250mg/dL..........wondering about bumping him up a little on his insulin to see if we can get him below 200?***************************************************************************
I had a friend over yesterday and wanted to see how Sammy reacts to strangers. He does hold back and looks at strangers, but when he is picked up he relaxes right away and appreciates the attention. His urine and stool output are normal and he is using the box well.
May 6, 2011--New Pictures!! Rachel said to let you know
He is SUPER easygoing............one of the easiest cats I've ever had. Doesn't mind shots or ear sticks a bit.
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May 5, 2011--Today's update from Rachel:Sammy seemed more comnfortable with me so he got a bath last night too. He wasn't any trouble to bath although he seemed a tad grumpy on the way back to his room. However, I checked on him a half hour later and he was eating his canned food and happy again.
He really is a good boy. I added the toys you sent to the ones I'd already put in there and he was playing a little with me last night. I'm going to get him brushed out good today and try to get some better pics to post. He's really pretty. He's eating between 4-6 ounces per day of the fancy feast. His urine output is normal now, his stools are good, and he has not eliminated inappropriately again. I'll keep an eye on that but I suspect he only did it the first night because of all the transitioning.
I'll spot check him tonight when I get home but I didn't test again yesterday to give his ears a break. I'm giving one unit twice daily and wanted him to have a few days on the same dose before running a curve to see how long its lasting.
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May 4, 2011--Rachel's update on Sammy. Three of the five Ps--purring, peeing, and pooping--are in place. Rachel has not yet observed the other two--playing and preening. It sounds like he is settling in well.
Sammy ate all of the canned food I put out for him yesterday morning (about 3 oz) with a little lysine mixed in. I took a reading when I got home (after he'd eaten) and he was at 291mg/dL. He had used his litter box, but had also peed on the tile in the corner near the toilet. He may just be upset about all the changes and I'm sure he can sense that there are other animals in the house, even though he can't see them. I'll keep an eye on it. I gave him one unit of the Prozinc and another 3 oz of the fancy feast pate that I bought yesterday. Then I let him snuggle in for the night.*******************************************************************************
Sammy got up and came to greet me when I went into his room this morning. He'd finished his canned food, and was purring up a storm. He's very very easy and compliant. Doesn't mind the ear stick at all and doesn't complain. He did have one larger pee ball in the litter box, one small stool in the box and one large stool in the tub (I have the litter pan in the tub to give him more floor space). Again, he is adjusting and may have missed the box on that one by accident. But at least he is peeing and pooping. I clean boxes twice a day so that the cats don't have dirty boxes-I can check how much he goes with each meal. His level was 258mg/dL this morning when I checked at 6am (12 hours after the initial one). I have one more unit is Prozinc and more food. He'd eaten about 1 oz of the food when I checked on his again at 7am.
All in all, he's a super sweet boy. I'll have more time tonight and will see if he'll play with me.
May 3, 2011--Sammy is Molly's Legacy. However, DCIN was unable to work with the Wake County NC shelter because its vet said that the shelter could not manage a diabetic cat and that Sammy should be killed. (Please don't get upset with the people I have been working with. Apparently, it is the shelter vet that needs some knowledge about the shelter care of diabetic cats, and we hope to work on that as time permits.)
The good news is that Sammy was pulled from the shelter before his "D-Day" by Marley's Cat Tales Rescue and is in foster with Rachel.
We are still gathering information on Sammy. He was born in September 2001 and is 10 years old. He was last vetted in February 2011; copies of the results of the bloodwork and stool sample are pending.
He weighs about 15 pounds, and Rachel says he is thin in the hips. She also says his coat is oily and that she will be bathing him soon.
We don't yet know when Sammy was diagnosed diabetic. He came to the shelter on 5U ProZinc, BID (twice/day). His last shot was Saturday morning (April 30) because he was left at the shelter without insulin. His owner gave the expense of caring for Sammy's diabetes as the reason for his surrender.
DCIN is happily supporting Sammy's diabetes and food costs while he is in foster with Rachel. Rachel has experience with diabetic cats, and will be hometesting Sammy. Rachel got a new vial of ProZinc today, and will be restarting Sammy on insulin tonight, possibly at .5 or 1U BID. She also is feeding him a low-carb, canned food diet.
Rachel tells me that Sammy is "laid back; a gentle soul." He is safely residing solo in Rachel's bathroom. He is picky with food right now, which is not uncommon with cats under stress of being
Sammy needs a new foster or permanent home ASAP. Marley's Cat Tales normally focuses on rescuing FIV+ cats, and would like to free up their foster home spot quickly. The foster/rescue coordinator at the shelter found this placement, and for that we thank her SO MUCH. In my discussions with the shelter and the rescue, they have referred to Rachel as "an interim foster." I was told that Marley's rescue would like DCIN to have a placement for Sammy within two weeks.
4 comments:
Sammy is showing interest in what is going on outside his room. I think I will introduce him to a couple of my cats this weekend to see how he does with other cats. He saw the big german shepherd I adopted last weekend peeking through the door this morning. Sammy backed up a step but although he seemed surprised, he wasn't upset..........once I see if he's cat friendly (which I suspect he is), then I will dog test him. He loves people, kids included, and purrs like crazy when I enter the room. He head butts to get attention and loves his ear scritches. I have yet to hear him cry......he just purrs and purrs and purrs. He will make someone a lovely, sweet low-maintenance kind of pet.
Sammy stretched up against my leg last night and was doing the kneading thing so I picked him up. He was very content to sit in my arms and be petted. He rubbed his nose against mine and was headbutting for more lovies. He's such a good boy. He is clearly interested in the other kitties outside his door.
Rachel's 5/12/11 note about Sammy: "As of May 12th, Sammy is settling in nicely. His appetite has increased slightly. He was bumped up to 1.4U on the evening of May 10th. I did a spot check last night at 6 hours post injection and Sammy was at 88mg/dL. I spot checked again this morning just prior to his normal injection and he was at 278mg/dL (he had eaten since the last time point also). I will do an 8 hrs post injection check tonight. Sammy is very purry and at my feet when I go in his room. He got another good look at my German shepherd this morning but wasn't in the least upset. I think he is quite secure in his room."
Rachel's 5/13/11 note about Sammy: "I took a reading on Sammy 8 hours after giving him the 1.4U of ProZinc- he was at 248mg/dL. I think leaving him where he is would be the best since the prior night reading of 6 hours post-injection was 88mg/dL.
Sammy wanted to venture out his morning. The first cat he saw was Karai. She was dropped off pregnant at my home about a year ago and has slowly adjusted to the fact that there are also other cats and dogs there. She has personal space issues and is very hissy at shows with new cats, even though she is a really nice cat at home. So Karai sat on the top step, bowed up and bushed her tail out, then proceeded to hiss at Sammy. Sammy didn't approach her but looked at her like she'd lost her mind. Other than that, no real reaction. He continued sauntering down the hall and wanted to explore Karai's (my son's) bedroom. I can't wait to take him out more this weekend, but I'm willing to bet he does fine with other cats."
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