Jolene has a forever home, update

[Cornspot]

* Name
Jolene
* Breed
Dalmatian
* Birth date or age
May 2005
* Weight
56#
* Date diagnosed with diabetes
Aug 18 2009
* Type of insulin and how often given
Starting today at 12u BID Vetsulin
* Diet
Have not decided; she came with a bag of Purina healthy nuggets? (Looks like kibbles & bits or Beneful type junk). Other dogs eat a combo of Evo & raw, but vet is insisting on high fiber.
* Method of monitoring (home blood glucose testing, urine testing, clinical signs)
Nothing yet; my meter for myself is The Ultra with the 17 test drum, so I guess I'll use that
* Other medical issues
Skin infection & UTI--on cephalexin

Jolene was adopted as a puppy & the owner asked the rescue to take her back this past June. There were no fosters available until I came out of temporary foster retirement. I work for a vet & always do bloodwork on my new acquisitions. Good thing I did, but now I am afraid I am stuck with her. Not that that would be horrible as she is a very nice dog, but I wasn't looking to add a 6th permanent canine member to the household.

[We Hope]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

Welcome to you and Jolene!

It sounds like she's in very capable hands.

Kathy

[Sarah]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

Welcome, Cornspot & Jolene!!

[k9diabetes]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

Welcome to you and Jolene!

If it turns out that you have more dogs than you can handle, perhaps you can take some encouragement from the fact that I've seen three diabetic dogs in shelters or rescues who have been adopted to permanent homes in the past year or so. There are families out there willing to do it!

Our own Lucy for example!

http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/show...y+Rick&page=55



Natalie

[Margaret Boyle]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

Welcome,
Cornspot and Jolene, you have came to the right place plenty of caring people

[eyelostit]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

Hi and Welcome Cornspot and Jolene

Love the name Jolene ! You'll find lots of help and support here, no question is a dumb question, we've all been there.

Its good you are hometesting, that'll help alot.

Again Welcome

Dolly

[Cornspot]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I have only tested her 3x (she really doesn't like it & since she is new, I'm not pushing it too much); I've gotten mid to upper 300s, BUT she's only been on insulin for 3 days. She'll go to work after it's been 7-10 days & get bumped up then if needed. Her BG was 467 the 1st day & I can't remember what the fructosamine was (very high).

I worry about hypos. I know I can tell when I go low, but will I recognize it in a dog before it goes dangerously low? Especially overnight. I feed late & then go to bed & the dogs sleep downstairs, so I worry that I will wake up, go down the stairs & find her unconsious or worse.

Thanks for letting me know that there are people out there willing to adopt diabetic dogs. I don't know if her story is sad enough to grab anyone's attention, though. She wasn't abused or abandoned (well sort of abandoned but not just left in a dumpster or tied to a tree or something)

Anyway, here is what I submitted for her bio (anyone want a Dalmatian!?!?)

UPDATE 8/21:

Jolene has been here since 8/11. Bloodwork has shown that Jolene is diabetic! (all of her other organ function was right on target though). She also came to me with a mild skin infection and mild urinary tract infection. She has been put on antibiotics for the infections and started 8/19 with twice daily insulin injections (Vetsulin brand). Her blood sugar will be retested in about a week to see if her initial insulin dosage is correct for her.

She does not like dogs trying to mount her (she will snap at them) but has not shown any true dog aggression. I have had 8 dogs in my home this week and not one dog fight, not even over food!

She is very shy around new people but has not tried to bite anyone, not even the vet or technicians poking, prodding & needle sticking her.She will take a treat from anyone who offers and does well with people who move slowly around her.

Only one of my cats will venture downstairs; she has shown no interest in him, nor in the birds or reptiles.

She is very good in the house, rides great in the car, and walks nicely on a leash.

Anyone looking for pretty dog (has a cute partial mask across one eye) who is calm, quiet and well-mannered should consider Jolene. She will need more veterinary care than other dogs, but canine diabetes can usually be managed very well with consistent meals, daily (or twice daily) simple subcutaneous injections, and regular veterinary visits. There is no reason to believe that Jolene can't live a normal, happy life with a full lifespan!

[Fishslayer]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

Welcome, Cornspot!

Sounds like you have a houseful!

Finding a home for special needs dogs is tough, but it can be done. Bless you for taking her in.

I had a nice visit with Lucy (my diabetic former foster) and her new family a couple weeks ago. Got a tear in my eye when I saw how she had bonded with her new dad.

Rick

[Cornspot]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

It's kind of bittersweet when they act like they don't remember you...

My 1st foster (coonhound) was a PITA, so even after 6 weeks, I was OK with her going to a new home. I still cried, but didn't really miss her.

Letting go of the 1st Dal was a heart breaker. He belonged to the SPCA & I only knew the adopters by their 1st names. No address of phone number or anything. I'd never see my Pongo again!

...turns out that he lived right next door to one of my pet sitting clients! They've since moved, but I got to see him (a couple times) & see how bonded he was with them & how he didn't really care about me.

The most recent 2 dals were I can't WAIT to get them new homes dogs (later found out one was deaf which I suspected but really couldn't tell for sure, but it explains why she was so stubborn)

Some others have been really hard, but volunteering with a rescue vs the SPCA allows me to decide if it's the right home and to have continued contact with the new people. So far all my adoptions have been great!

Right now Jolene is a take it or leave it dog. I like her just fine but don't feel the need to make her mine. We'll see how that goes; often, the ones that need more care are the ones that dig deepest into your heart.

We go one day this week to get a BG at the vet & probably up her Vetsulin dose. Will recheck Fructosamine in 2-3 more weeks.
------------------------
I guess I need to add a signature to this board

--Sonya

[k9diabetes]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

Hi Sonya,

Is it just my imagination or is she a mix? Under that dalmation coat is a stocky body with pretty short legs. I'm no expert on the breed though so maybe that's not uncommon.

Rick... that would be so hard to see Lucy bonded to someone else even though it's great news for Lucy. I'm glad you got to see her even if it was bittersweet.

The other diabetic I know well who was adopted is a border collie named Shiner. He, like Lucy, was seven at diagnosis. He dropped off at a public shelter and they were wonderful working with him. He wasn't abused either - just dropped off as soon as they found out he had diabetes. And neglected enough while in his original home that they didn't notice anything was wrong with him until he was ketoacidotic and couldn't stand up! I think in both Lucy's and Shiner's case the diabetes ultimately was a blessing because they both wound up in homes with people who truly cared for and about them.

As for your question, we generally aim to keep the blood sugar of diabetic dogs above 100 at all times to avoid the risk of hypoglycemia. The thing to do is to have a curve done, or do it yourself if she will let you, to see what time of day the blood sugar is typically lowest and how low it usually goes. You want to leave some wiggle room as the BG can vary a lot day to day.

Are you totally insulin dependent?

With dogs, we usually just do two shots a day and the intermediate insulins often do a pretty good job of keeping the blood sugar in a good range throughout the day. Sometimes you can tweak the diet to help flatten out the blood sugar. And if the Vetsulin is dropping the BG too sharply, you can try NPH, which is a really great insulin for dogs.

Dogs do often show signs of a hypo... not always though. Typical signs are similar to people - shakiness, weakness, being antsy or anxious, hungry.

Dogs actually tolerate higher blood sugar than normal quite a bit better than people do. They usually only experience neuropathy, for example, if their blood sugar has been very very high for quite some time. They don't lose limbs to amputation or have the cardiac/circulatory complications. As long as the BG is kept in a decent range, above 100 and below 250 is pretty good, 100 to 180 would be considered pretty tight control, cataracts are the main complication along with increased risk of UTIs.

Thanks so much for the picture - she looks so serious!! I hope she's starting to feel better now that her blood sugar is coming down some.

Natalie

[Cornspot]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

Been awhile since i've been on here...

The vet who deals with diabetes where I work only likes Vetsulin--she says human insulins just aren't as effective. I'd love to get a pen though! I dropped a 10ml vial on the tile floor the other day--GGRRRRR!

I am totally insulin dependent, first diagnosed about 5 years ago & on insulin for about 4. I take a long lasting at bedtime & a short acting at each meal & if I need any correction doses. Ends up being about 5 injections most days. It's a royal PITA, but there are worse afflictions out there, so I guess I just hafta deal. One of the hardest things is that my brain turns very "blonde" at times.

Jolene's really settling in nicely here. LOVES to play now. When she first came I couldn't even get her to lay on a towel or blanket; now she is almost always on a dog bed or if let into a room with furniture (the dogs mainly stay in my kitchen), on one of the chairs.

We bumped her to 14u BID & her AM BGs dropped from mid to high 300s to high 100s, so I thought we were doing well, BUT I got a 52 the other day a few hours after food/meds--no symptoms that I could tell; I just took a random BG since I had only been doing fasting AMs. I really do need to do a full curve & probably can now that she is more comfortable with me. She has two very nice elbow calluses that work well. The biggest issue is the meter I use requires a bit larger blood drop than most, so sometimes I have to lance more than once.

it's hard to say if she is a mix or not. She is overweight (esp in that pic), so her body shape will look much more Dallie once that is fixed (I can almost feel ribs now!). The spots really are supposed to be more round, but maybe she is just not well-bred?

A question for all:
Does anyone have experience with "Pet Vision Drops" that are supposed to prevent and/or improve cataracts, lenticular sclerosis, KCS & other eye issues?

[We Hope]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

No Lente type insulins could ever be dispensed in pens because the cartridges need to have a small metal or glass ball in them to help re-suspend the insulin. (Something like the little metal ball you find in the cartridges for fountain pens.) They can shatter the crystals of Lente-type insulin.

http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/...as_insulin.pdf

Page 10

About needing to lance more than once to get a big enough sample, what about a larger gauge lancet?

http://www.allanimaleyeclinic.com/fl...aract+cure.pdf

The pdf linked above is from the American College of Veterinary Opthalmologists' website. Dr. Ketring seems to have done a good job in trying to detail all of the "cures". At present, there's only surgery for removing cataracts. Her presentation indicates that some of the drops aren't just ineffective but can cause harm.

Kathy

[k9diabetes]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

I wish more vets would try NPH... it's really a wonderful insulin for many dogs. The fact that it's not exactly the right molecule rarely bothers them and they often get a really nice flat curve from NPH. Perhaps you could show our poll to the vet(s) you work for. You can see that we have had as many dogs here on NPH as on Vetsulin. Chris was really well regulated on human insulin his entire five years as a diabetic.

The other reason I really like NPH is that for large dogs who are getting 20-30 units per injection, you have to give a lot of fluid with Vetsulin... I wish they would have formulated it as U100... and NPH costs a lot less with a vial, even at the same price, lasting 2.5 times longer. It's not a big deal with small dogs but makes a huge difference with big ones.

I'm so happy to hear that Jolene has settled in!

Been awhile since i've been on here...

I am totally insulin dependent, first diagnosed about 5 years ago & on insulin for about 4.

I confess... I'd rather give a hundred injections to someone else than give one to myself! Did you find that hard to do?

How much does Jolene weigh now?

What meter do you use?

We started out with an Accuchek Advantage, which was a really nice reliable meter but... it takes a lot of blood! I didn't realize how much more until, after using the OneTouch Ultra for a long time, I had to go back to it. I hadn't really realized, since I was just starting out, what a large drop it takes.

A question for all:
Does anyone have experience with "Pet Vision Drops" that are supposed to prevent and/or improve cataracts, lenticular sclerosis, KCS & other eye issues?

Our veterinary ophthalmologist put it this way: If there was a drop to fix cataracts, I'd be THRILLED to prescribe it! But there is no good science to show that they work. The lens actually physically degrades and you can't put it back together again with a drop.

Would you like Jolene's picture as your avatar?

Natalie

[Cornspot]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

The other reason I really like NPH is that for large dogs who are getting 20-30 units per injection, you have to give a lot of fluid with Vetsulin... I wish they would have formulated it as U100... and NPH costs a lot less with a vial, even at the same price, lasting 2.5 times longer. It's not a big deal with small dogs but makes a huge difference with big ones.

Yeah, the vetsulin is pretty expensive & 10ml vial lasts us only 2 weeks

I'm so happy to hear that Jolene has settled in!

She is turning into a naughty little girl (been around mine too long I guess)

I confess... I'd rather give a hundred injections to someone else than give one to myself! Did you find that hard to do?

No, I have never had an issue with needles & I use pens which have really small & thin needles on them...way smaller than what I use on the dog. I find having to get the stuff out of my bag, put on a needle do the injection, take off the needle, etc, etc to be very annoying. I keep thinking about a pump but not sure I'm ready

How much does Jolene weigh now?
I think her last weight check was 54#. I think she would be good at 50.

What meter do you use?
It is an Accucheck brand & has a drum with 17 tests strips that come out automatically. It does take a lot of blood (I started on Freestyle which uses the smallest in the industry, so that was a big change BUT I like not having to fool with test strips). For Jolene, I use my old meter that I thought had a problem but then found out the buttons were getting pushed while in my bag). There is no brand that has cheap test strips, so this works out best for me.

We started out with an Accuchek Advantage, which was a really nice reliable meter but... it takes a lot of blood! I didn't realize how much more until, after using the OneTouch Ultra for a long time, I had to go back to it. I hadn't really realized, since I was just starting out, what a large drop it takes.



Our veterinary ophthalmologist put it this way: If there was a drop to fix cataracts, I'd be THRILLED to prescribe it! But there is no good science to show that they work. The lens actually physically degrades and you can't put it back together again with a drop.

I'd have to read the advertising; I think it is more to prevent than cure.

Would you like Jolene's picture as your avatar?
Sure. I think I will try to add a sig this evening, too.
[/QUOTE]

[Cornspot]

Re: My new foster has diabetes!-Welcome, Jolene!

OK...I made a signature. It's 2 lines & includes a link to my website. Can someone please let me know if that is not allowed on this forum (I tried to find the rules for sigs but didn't see them anywhere)