DECATUR, Ill (AP) – When Emma’s human parents died, they left the legacy of love for animals in the form of the Ketenbrink Foundation.
The foundation supports various animal groups and offers Emma, a 13-year-old tortoiseshell cat who was recently diagnosed with diabetes, a caretaker and a home.
“They really loved their animals,” said Dr. Larry Baker of Northgate Pet Clinic, where Emma is trying out a Freestyle Libre sensor, a device for people with diabetes. The sensor is attached to a shaved area on their back – it would be attached to a person’s arm – to monitor their blood sugar levels.
Emma’s glucose level was above 500. Normal is 90 to 120.
The sensor has a tiny needle with a tiny catheter that goes under the skin. When you push it, the needle takes the sample and is so small you won’t even feel it. Then use your smartphone to read the result, all without a finger pen or, in Emma’s case, without an ear pen.
“It’s very beneficial,” said Baker. “It is much easier. In most cases we still have to give insulin. In some cases, cats go into remission and don’t need insulin. To do this, we feed them with a special feed. “
One of the sensors costs $ 60 and lasts two weeks. In Emma’s case, the hope is that by the end of the two weeks they will have their diabetes under control and know what dose of insulin they need without constantly checking their glucose or possibly even being able to manage their diabetes with diet. She will stay in the clinic for these two weeks.
Baker is on the Board of Trustees, which meets every six months. The Ketenbrinks left a fund to care for their animals, and the Board of Trustees also selects various organizations to donate on their behalf. The Ketenbrinks loved their Golden Retriever so much that they took the dog to Baker’s daughter Julie’s house every day to play with her dog and left instructions for Emma to care for.
Emma is cared for by former Ketenbrinks employee Wally Kemp, and Dr. Alison Vancouver, one of the Northgate vets, shaved a spot on Emma so he could give her insulin at home.
It’s difficult sometimes to be sure you got the medicine inside the cat with all that fur in the way, Vancouver said.
Glucose levels rise and fall throughout the day, especially in places like the veterinary clinic where Emma is a little more stressed than she is at home. Therefore, it helps veterinarians to read regularly
“This definitely made it easier,” said Vancouver.
___
Source: The (Decatur) Herald & Review, https://bit.ly/3qkaXgg
