Angel Monk... passed away March 6, 2012

[CarolW]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

Thanks for this update, Betty. Hope it IS the ears, and that treating them will get Monk more comfortable again. I'll be watching.
Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:44:00 (PST)

[MaryLea]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

Hope things settle down more quickly, Betty. Thanks for the update.

Mary

[bowens2]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

Ok Good thing I took Monk to the vet. He did have an ear infection but his real problem was low blood sugar. It was 33. So I don't know if they didn't make sure that he ate which is probably what happened. He got his shot at 8:30 and they said he wouldn't eat at that time but I was assuming that they made sure he ate later. Then turned around and gave him a bath. But I am wondering why he didn't eat because he ate the whole time he was there. I think his sugar was so low that he possibly could have had a seizure because when we picked him up he was wet all around his face and they said he was lying in his food but his food is dry and that is not like him to just lie in his food. So that leaves me wondering if they didn't make sure he ate the night before or gave him double insulin shots. I actually started feeding him kibble and chicken treats as soon as he got home and fed him his regular food early but I did give him his shot at that time too.

So they gave him glucose intraveniously. Told me to hold his insulin tonight and only give him half the dose tomorrow and take him back in on Friday morning at 9am without giving him insulin until they checked him out. I also have ear medication. I also had them do his blood workup now which was due next month.

OH how I would just love to give him a big bowl of food and let him eat to his hearts content. He is still looking for food right now. He isn't panting but he is still somewhat restless and drinking a lot of water. He does seem stronger and more alert.

So let me know what you guys think about his insulin intake. If you think that is a wise move or not. I know in the end I have to go with my gut because I am here with him and know his behavior more than the vet.

Thanks - advice is appreciated!

[bowens2]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

Its like he is a different dog. He would never have anything to do with my new dog for the last year. He was always afraid of her because she is rambunctious and he just tried to crawl into bed with her in a tiny bed under my desk. So funny. He didn't have any room so he got back up. Just weird!

[heinzle]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

Ok Good thing I took Monk to the vet. He did have an ear infection but his real problem was low blood sugar. It was 33. So I don't know if they didn't make sure that he ate which is probably what happened. He got his shot at 8:30 and they said he wouldn't eat at that time but I was assuming that they made sure he ate later. Then turned around and gave him a bath. But I am wondering why he didn't eat because he ate the whole time he was there. I think his sugar was so low that he possibly could have had a seizure because when we picked him up he was wet all around his face and they said he was lying in his food but his food is dry and that is not like him to just lie in his food. So that leaves me wondering if they didn't make sure he ate the night before or gave him double insulin shots. I actually started feeding him kibble and chicken treats as soon as he got home and fed him his regular food early but I did give him his shot at that time too.

So they gave him glucose intraveniously. Told me to hold his insulin tonight and only give him half the dose tomorrow and take him back in on Friday morning at 9am without giving him insulin until they checked him out. I also have ear medication. I also had them do his blood workup now which was due next month.

OH how I would just love to give him a big bowl of food and let him eat to his hearts content. He is still looking for food right now. He isn't panting but he is still somewhat restless and drinking a lot of water. He does seem stronger and more alert.

So let me know what you guys think about his insulin intake. If you think that is a wise move or not. I know in the end I have to go with my gut because I am here with him and know his behavior more than the vet.

Thanks - advice is appreciated!

Not sure what advice to give you. I would be absolutely FURIOUS with your vet clinic for sure. If I saw a diabetic dog lying in his food I would not assume everything is okay.

[Patty]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

I agree. I'm not happy about his diabetic care either based on your post.

Sounds like they are playing it safe with the insulin advice. Since the urine sticks can't tell you how low he's going and the office is closed Thursday, might be wise to follow their plan. I'd still test with the diastix and see how's he's doing with this.

[bowens2]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

Monk just had three seizures in a row. I put syrup in his mouth between seizures. When he was at least a little stable I gave him double amount of kibble with fluids. ADVICE NEEDED!

[jesse girl]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

jesse is epileptic we cant tell if its low blood sugar so i must treat it as low blood sugar

the only thing i could do is rub sugar on the gums continuously until the seizure stops her mouth stays shut so i am very generous with rubbing on both sides of her gums

the thing is you dont know if it is low blood sugar or some thing else so treat it like low blood sugar and get to the vet asap multiple seizures is serious

[CarolW]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

I too am unhappy with how your vet handled the food and insulin before you brought Monk home, and now, don't know what to say, but agree that since you don't test BG levels, best be conservative with the insulin.

And I totally agree with Jesse girl - OFF TO THE VET - NOW! Seizures are very serious.
Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:30:48 (PST)

[Judi]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

I'm sure thinking positive thoughts for Monk. Jenny went scary low a couple of weeks ago and she had no insulin for 36 hours. she did get back up in the 400's again but her vet said no insulin at all until we were certain she was no longer low.

(I also let her eat and have treats that day). I hope Monk feels better enough to do that.

hugs, Judi

[k9diabetes]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

Hi Betty,

I think you should take him to the emergency vet and find out for sure what's happening with his blood sugar.

The drinking and urinating don't match low blood sugar... could be the seizures are unrelated.

It's serious enough that if he was my dog, I'd take him to the ER.

Natalie

[k9diabetes]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

I sent you a PM too. One possibility is that he's developed Addison's disease, which is a lack of cortisol. It will cause very low blood sugar and electrolytes off and can make them extremely ill and weak. It's a very serious illness that needs immediate treatment by replacing the missing cortisol - usally with prednisone at first.

I agree with not giving him insulin until this can be checked out. It would help narrow down what might be going on with him. If Addison's, he might still have normal or lower than expected blood sugar without any insulin injected.

I'm really worried about him Betty. I hope you have a good ER vet where you are.

Natalie

[bowens2]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

Ok that's what I wanted to know. He does seem back to being fine. I shouldn't say fine. He is moving around at a pretty quick pace like he is looking for something. Just read all of the posts on lows and that is exactly how he acts. My mother-in-law said my father-in-law would act like him also when he would have lows. He's just had so much stress lately I hate doing it to him again. I wish I wouldn't have panicked and paid attention to how much of everything I was giving him.

He was so super stressed when we took him back today. I just had to give him a bath to get the pee off of him.

What can they do for him? We did a full blood work-up today. He is drinking and eating so I would think fluids wouldn't be needed.

[bowens2]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

He did have two seizures not three when I thought about it. He was sleeping and had a seizure and then got up and walked around and about 5 or 10 minutes later had another.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Please update us on how you are doing

I'd like to see them not only check his blood sugar now but also put him through some good neurological assessments and check his cortisol level and electrolytes, all of which they should be able to do in-house and get results right away rather than waiting for them to come back from the lab.

The neurological assessments are noninvasive and can tell them a lot about whether there is some neurologic impairment.

The thirst just doesn't match low blood sugar.... maybe he does it backwards but the fact that he's so thirsty concerns me that something else is going on with him unrelated to his diabetes altogether.

He could be very dizzy from the ear infection but seizures wouldn't go with that. And usually an infection will raise the blood sugar.

It's such a mixed bag of signals. I would want to KNOW more about what's going on with him.

Natalie