Spirit Crossed the Bridge Today..... June 9, 2016

[Judi]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

hope it is just a small little bug. poor guy.

could be the stress of not feeling good raising his sugar.

aren't you glad you can test and know?

Judi

[jim maceri]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

Update..

Spirit's blood sugar is doing exactly the opposite as I thought. As the day goes on his numbers are going higher!

239 @ 7:00 a.m.
239 @ 8:20
168 @ 10:00
289 @ 11:00
344 @ 12:00
400 @ 2:00

I have not had a reading over 350 for almost 4 years!!!

Called the vet and his regular doctor is off today so I made an appointment for Thursday morning. The vet on duty said to give him 50% of his shot NOW and then give him the full dose at dinner time if he is still high........This just doesn't sound right to me coming from a vet who knows nothing about Spirit. Since dinner time is at 5:30 I think I"m going to wait and if he is high and won't eat I will give him 1/3rd of his normal dose (18 units) so I'm thinking 6 units. He is #115 pounds and if he is high, I think he can handle that much. Now I'm thinking infection of some sort otherwise why would the sugar be going up and not down on a day when he has literally eaten nothing......thoughts?

[jim maceri]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

Things are not going very well for spirit today.....I don't think this has anything to do with diabetes but he won't eat, can't walk and had what I think was a small seizure right after I checked his BG and it was 400. He attempted to go outside and fell flat with all 4 legs out, his eyes where glazed over and he was bobbing his head like he was staring at the sky. During it he peed himself so I picked him up and carried his 115 pound body back in the house.

I've seen this before in my last newf and it was a tumor in his brain....going to the vet at 9:00 Thursday morning so tonight we will cuddle up on the floor and give each other some love.

[Judi]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

oh no. hoping that it is something else. much love to your boy. Judi

[momofdecker]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

Jim,
You have great instincts when it comes to Spirit. No doubt seeing those higher bg readings led you to suspect something was not right. One of the wonderful benefits of home testing.

Here is to hoping that your suspicion of a brain tumor is one of those times your instincts are not correct.

How is he doing now? Any sign of eyes darting around still? I only ask because I'm hoping maybe what you saw could be more vestibular in nature. My senior dog, Kinser, had a bout of vestibular disease in January. He was 14 going on 15 at the time. We found him unable to stand/walk. He would not eat. Don't think he vomited. Thought maybe he'd had a seizure or something worse.

Then noticed that his head was tilted and that his eyes were continuously darting around (medical term for eyes is nystagmus). His breathing was ok and he'd been to the vet for blood work just a couple of months prior and there were no red flags.

We waited until the vet office opened the next day and got him in. They confirmed the vestibular. A brain tumor could have been one of the causes. A middle ear infection could have been a cause. And it being an idiopathic (unknown) reason was also a consideration. He was put on a course of antibiotics just in case it was a middle ear infection.

Took a few days for the nystagmus to stop and after that he slowly began to eat again. Took a few days for him to stand on his own and to balance unsupported. It's now been about six months and he still has a slight head tilt and is still quite wobbly. He's about 75% recovered. Suspect that's as much as he's going to recover. But it's enough that he still has quality of life.

Anyway - sharing in hopes that whatever is going on with Spirit turns out to be a more simple fix. Glad to hear he'll get a vet evaluation soon - he's a lucky pup and in good hands with you.

[Scootersmom]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

Lifting all of you up in prayer. Spirit was diagnosed 3 months after Scooter and I have always looked forward to your updates. I hope and pray his current problem is manageable. Get well beautiful boy.

[jim maceri]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

My vet called me back2 hours ago... (the one I usually work with) and he said IF spirits BG doesn't start coming down give him 9 units more of the "N". I gave him 6 units at his regular dinner time 5:30 (he was 447) and he continues to go up even without eating. At 7:15 he is now 479 so I just gave him 9 more units. I can check him every hour so I'm not worried about any low numbers at this time.

I also have a vial of "R" insulin at the house but I have never used the quick acting before so I'm hesitant. He still can't get up on his own and when I help him up he is VERY wobbly and would fall if I didn't help him. I have a belly harness left over from my last newfs knee surgery so I can carry most of the weight for him. I'll have to try and get him to go outside some time tonight. 3 weeks ago we did a full CBC and there where no red flags. He DID have an ear infection when we got back from Florida so the vet gave me some drops to use for 2 weeks and it seemed to clear up his ears....no odor and no "gunk" coming out anymore.

Thanks for the call on Periphreal Vestibular.....he sure has all the symptoms. He seems comfortable while laying down but he looks absolutely panicked when he tries to stand. Thank you for the prayers, it's going to be a long night.

[Elodie]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

I hope Spirit is feeling better soon. It's so hard when they're not feeling well and we don't know what to do. {{{{{{{{{{Hugs }}}}}}}}}}

[amydunn19]

Jim,

Hoping that it is something minor or easy to treat. Thinking of you guys tonight.

Amy

[Rubytuesday]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

Hi Jim, I hope it turns out to "just" be old dog vestibular. While hard on the animal and people during the period of adjustment they do get better.

I will be thinking of you...

Tara

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

Thinking of you and Spirit Jim and hoping for a good result from your vet

It could be an inner ear infection maybe it didn't all clear up that and need for more insulin.

[Soaphie & Sydney's Mom]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

Thinking of you guys!

[momofdecker]

Re: Spirit-Newfoundland

I hope spirit had a restful night, Jim (and you too).

When Kinser had his vestibular bout - we took several videos which I did post on here: http://k9diabetes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6690

Something Patty taught me, if you are seeing something odd on occasion, grab your cell phone and take video. That way you can show the vet even if your dog is not exhibiting that odd behavior at the vet.

Continued prayers for Spirit and your family.

[jim maceri]

Spirit Crossed the Bridge Today.....

I can't help but feel blessed today.....Even though the last 4 years where challenging for us, we are thankful for this site and all our web friends who held my hand and guided me on this journey. I laid with Spirit all night and knew something wasn't right...his breathing was labored and when he tried to get up or move he fell over so I held him in my arms and we talked about all the places we've been and all the walks we took together in the park.... he let me know it was time for him to move on.

It wasn't the diabetes that got him it was some sort of tumor on his brain causing small seizures and rendering him unable to walk. So I picked up my big boy, my best friend, and carried him to the car for our last ride together. The vet said that all we could do would be to make him comfortable for a few more weeks but that would have been for me and not the best for him. We laid together in the back of my jeep as the vet gave him his last shot and I rocked him as he gently went to sleep.

Run free my friend, no more pokes and needles for you, just a bridge to cross to a place you can run free and have fun.

[Judi]

Re: Spirit Crossed the Bridge Today.....

I feel like we were all blessed to know Spirit and you guys from your posts. He did have a wonderful life with his travels and dog friends in different states. I always thought you were able to manage his blood sugar better than most of the people I know of. I am so very sorry for your loss but glad you got to spend that last night with him.

RIP Spirit. Your internet friends loved you too.

Judi