Canine diabetes

[bobcat]

Anybody else dealing with their companions having diabetes? I watched my dad struggle with it and eventually lose his life because of it's complications and my mom also has it so I know it's evil side effects. I know in the scheme of the world, one little dog with diabetes isn't that big of a deal, but he is my best and truest friend and I hate seeing him sick. We're trying to get his sugar regulated, he was only diagnosed last Friday, but it seems the weight is dropping off of him fast and he was only 25 lbs. to begin with.

I need some words of encouragement I guess, because it's sure got me down. Thanks for letting me vent a little...

 

[badge]

Its very treatable,.... our Dobie had it. Two shots a day and you brig them in periodically to check their sugar so the insulin can be regulated and or adjusted. Don't sweat it friend.

 

[WuzzFuzz]

Its very treatable,.... our Dobie had it. Two shots a day and you brig them in periodically to check their sugar so the insulin can be regulated and or adjusted. Don't sweat it friend.[/QUOTE

Agree....

My lit'l 4 year old Dashund is diabetic. Just call me Dr. WuzzFuzz.... I'm really pretty good at giving her, her insulin shots. She has never turned around and bit me...not once.....You can get insulin and needles at Wally World.

A few times of having her blood sugar checked, and now we pretty much have her insulin amount regulated...Her weight is pretty constant now.

Feed her the prescribed diet food, I do buy her some stew meat, and skinless chicken, then into little itty bitty pieces mixed in with her diet food in at least one of her meals of the day. One time it will be cooked stew meat, in her food, next time it might be some pieces of the skinless chicken. (Definitely no hamburger...too fatty/greasy) She gets a couple of big spoonfuls of plain oatmeal for something different on Saturdays to supplement her breakfast. A plain scrambled egg, sometimes on Sunday mornings, with her diet food.

I make my own peanut butter..Put plain peanuts in the blender and have at it...No sugar in mine!!!! She likes that in a little amount I give her as a treat. or one of those baby carrots. She likes those too.

But as far as her otherwise...She's just a active little girl..of 4 years old.

Their amount of water intake and peeing will pretty much tell you when you get things regulated.

Just work with your vet....You'll do fine with your dog. (They're worth spoiling...I know I do mine)


WuzzFuzz

 

[2152hq]

My second K-9 w/diabetes..in fact he's at the vet this very moment for a glucose panel to check the sugar level and adjust the insulin if needed.

The stay at the vet for the day is the toughest part.
Giving them a shot in the AM after a breakfest meal and another in the PM after a meal is the simple regimen.
Keeping the shots on a schedule is critical for them as is making sure they eat before.

Their diet is also critical as you can imagine but it's nothing out of the ordinary really.
Just no sugar,,and nothing as far as 'junk'. Just a good diet.
You'll read a lot of lables,,you'll discover a lot of new words for sugar and probably discard more than a few things that they used to eat.

Other than supplimenting their food with a scoup of the best brand of dry food we can find (and you really have to keep a watch on them,,lots of recalls, additives, ect), they get boiled chicken, pork, some beef, veggys, ect. Pumpkin (pure,,not the pie filler) is good for them as it has no calories, sugar, ect. and they seem to like it mixed in. Good source of fiber.

Keep the insulin refrigerated,,don't freeze it.
I use the small bottle up w/a small amt left over in it and set it aside. Then start on a new bottle. That first bottle becomes my 'emergency' supply of at least a couple shots should I drop and break the other and it takes a day or so to replace.
I use that first one up when #2 gets down to that point.
It's human insulin that they get,,available from the regular pharmacy as are the needles.
Some pharmacys give small discounts on animal meds.
AAA membership gives you a small discount ($5 on a $100 ??) on insulin).There are probably others around.

If you are going to leave the dog w/someone for the day or even the afternoon and that someone else is goingto give the shot,,you can pre-load a syringe w/the right dosage of insulin and leave it in the 'frige all set to go. Piece of mind that the dosage will be right.

Some people, us included, reuse the needle/syringe 1 time plus it's original use,,then disgard.
So a new needle is unwrapped for the AM shot. That needle is keeped in the frig with the insulin and recharged in the PM and used again for the PMshot,,then disgarded.
It just saves on needles a bit. We never had a problem w/infection and this is the second dog w/diabetes.
I would never share the needle between K9's of course..but for use on the same dog I see no problem.
Some say not to do this and you will have to decide for yourself on this issue.

If traveling w/the dog,,keep the insulin cool/refrigerated. An ice chest will do fine.
You have to gently roll the bottle in your hands for a minute or two before drawing the shot from it each time to mix the insulin in it. That warms it a bit ( the dog appreciates that!),,but more importantly is the mixing of the insulin product to a milky white look before use.

Once on the insulin and properly regulated,,and with a good diet to support them they live and act as if the diabetes is a non-issue. It only takes a few days to start to see a difference in them once the shots start.
It sounds like a lot to do at first,,but it's really isn't. It becomes a small routine like anything else and you can set it up on a 12hr breakfast/dinner schedule to meet both the dog and your needs.

Hope this helps..

 

[twobit601]

You are not alone and they can survive it for quite awhile.
We had a Weimaraner that got it when she was eight. Almost lost her at first. It happened quickly and we did not know what the cause was. She went down fast (a few days) and barely made it to the vets in time. They did get it under control with insulin after a few day stay at the vet hospital. The initial cost was $600-$700.

Then it was two insulin shots a day and exactly the same type and amount of food each day at the same time so her sugar would stay level. The routine was a shot at 7am and food immediately. Same thing at 7pm. Over a two year period the amount of insulin had to be increased several times.

She did develop cataracts almost immediately and went blind within days. Many dogs with diabetis will get cataracts and go blind. I thought that meant she had to be put down, but the blindness did not phase her one bit. She manuvered around an entire two story house and a 1.5 acre yard without any problems. Just don't rearrange the furniture. Vet said that hearing and sense of smell were much more important to dogs than sight. Vet said as long as she was happy she did not need to be put down. Walks on a short leash were possible also when we went traveling in the RV.

We managed it for two years and then finally it got to her a year ago and her quality of life faded. We did what we had to then and she is burried next to our first Weimar. We have had Weimaraners for over 25 years and they are the only children we have. We now have two brothers that are nine months old.

If you are willing to put them on a constant diet (it does not have to be special food) and give them insulin (same as humans take, obtained at walmart) you can give them a couple of more good years. Our vet was surprised that ours went two full years before things started downhill again. He said most did not because the owners gave up on the routine.You can test their blood with the meters(same as humans) but we found that observation of how they were acting works well. . Excessive drinking and peeing are alarms signs that their sugar is too high. Also lethargy and drooping lower eyelids are signs their sugar is too high. Insulin ran us about $25 a month for a 80 pound dog. Less would be required for a small dog.

We owe it to our dogs to keep them happy, and then we owe it to them to stop their suffering when the time comes. Your mileage will vary with this disease and you can give your dog several more happy years. Do what you can. You will know when they are happy and when it is time to let them go. God cares for all his creatures. Maybe the reason that our animal companions don't have to be saved to get to heaven is that they never sinned in the first place.

 

[WhiteLightning02]

Amen to the WalMart (Relion)Insulin . Vet started using them as a source after I told him about it. He couldn't get it from his supplier as cheap as $25. My boy has been gone for almost two years now. in the end, he was blind and deaf. He started having seizures. I'd give anything to have my old friend back. But he was 16 when he passed. It's doable! It's real important to be on a schedule, feedings and insulin at the same times everyday.

 

[Fishslayer]

Anybody else dealing with their companions having diabetes? I watched my dad struggle with it and eventually lose his life because of it's complications and my mom also has it so I know it's evil side effects. I know in the scheme of the world, one little dog with diabetes isn't that big of a deal, but he is my best and truest friend and I hate seeing him sick. We're trying to get his sugar regulated, he was only diagnosed last Friday, but it seems the weight is dropping off of him fast and he was only 25 lbs. to begin with.

I need some words of encouragement I guess, because it's sure got me down. Thanks for letting me vent a little...

This is where you need to go. The info and support you will find there will be invaluable.

Diabetes in Dogs: The k9diabetes.com Forum - Powered by vBulletin

Tell 'em Fishslayer sent ya.They took me from zero to managing my foster's diabetes very quickly.

Most vets either don't know a lot about the disease or see the diabetic dog as a cash cow.

Barring other complications like Cushings or pancreatitis the diabetes itself isn't hard nor overly expensive to manage.

Right now the danger is Ketoacidosis. It can be life threatening. You can buy urine testing strips to check for Ketones. I used KetoDiastix which also test for glucose in the urine. The urine glucose test isn't overly useful in terms of a BG snapshot but gives you an idea of where the BG has been over time.

The other danger is going too low in Blood Glucose (too much insulin). Keep Karo syrup & biscuits handy to give a bit of a sugar fix if needed. BG that is a bit too high is no big deal. BG too low can kill. This is why we do BG curves over the course of a day, to see where the low point is and at what time.

Long term, I can't emphasize the importance of home testing your dog's BG (Blood Glucose) enough. It is your best tool to properly regulate your dog. You can use an AlphaTrac that is made specifically for dogs but it is expensive as are the test strips. You can use a human meter but some adjustments need to be made. Don't be surprised if your vet discourages home testing. They have a few reasons, at least one pretty unsavory. If your vet won't work with you on this IMO you should do it on your own.

Test strips are probably going to be your biggest expense.
The Walmart Relion N insulin works VERY well on most dogs and is about the cheapest out there.

Our diabetic Cattle Dog just passed April 21. She was diagnosed just over five years ago. Here's her story.
http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2159

 

[Murcus]

In the 70's I had a Weimeraner that was diagnosed with diabetes at about age 4 or 5. To make a long story short, we gave her insulin subcutaneously every day and regulated her diet. She lived another 10 years. She had a good life and was a very happy puppy.

You can do it and your dog will be OK.

 

[ordy]

All these stories sound familiar. The vet told us we could treat him or put him down which was something we weren't willing to do. He gave us instructions on how to give insulin, how to test the urine and dietary changes. Luckily, my dog was a male so it was easy to collect his urine so we could dip stick it and know where his sugar was. Too sweet, we gave him an extra unit of insulin...if it dropped, we gave a unit less. Water intake and frequency of urination will be a tip off as well. We gave him an extra seven years he wouldn't have had and he gave us unconditional love in return. It was pretty simple to do and well worth the effort.

 

[Dave_n]

Had two corgis (brother and sister) who were diagnosed around 4. Two needles each per day, both lived to 12+. Dave_n