Newly diagnosed, Very high urine sugar levels, HELP

[k9diabetes]

I just have a second, but it's possible that the vet came up with the dose based on the assumption that Maxx would eat very little. 5 units, even in a 53 pound dog, is a fairly small dose.

With the pancreatitis, I wouldn't necessarily want to force food into him. And he probably would benefit from multiple small meals until the pancreatitis is resolved.

I think you should clarify with the vet about how much insulin to give if he won't eat and whether you should push him to eat or let him get back to eating on his own as he feels better.

Usually they can have a partial dose of insulin even if no food is eaten and that helps get the blood sugar down despite the refusing to eat.

Natalie

[MaryLea]

Welcome to the forum. I'm sorry that you are having such difficulty with Maxx. IMO, I'd look for another vet, too. If your research told you more than the vet did

As someone already said, we are not veterinarians; our "vets" are veterans--HumanParents. We DO have some very experienced people, though. When I joined after Ruffles' dx, I thought the admin was a vet. She has since said many times that she is not. But she knows more about diabetes, pancreatitis, Cushings and Addisons than some veterinarians! (I see she left you a short note which somehow, I missed. )

Please get Maxx to a vet who will take his symptoms seriously; if your current vet won't, it is time for you to find another one, IMO. Please give us the results of any and all tests which are run and what meds, if any, are given. The more we know, the better we can help you.

Glad you are here!-

Mary

[Shellie]

Hi and welcome to you and Maxx! So glad you found us here and I hope we can make things easier for you!

I'd imagine that the vet is easing into the insulin with that lower dose due to the food/pancreas situation. As Louise mentioned, the kind of food you CAN give to Maxx is low fat. Her suggestions are awesome!

Many dogs don't care for the W/D so you will likely have to put him on a different food at some point but right now...the key is to get him eating a bit more. With the low fat foods, he'll likely eat and will get stronger.

I would also urge you to get the ketodiastix. My own pup, Hank, went thru severe ketoacidosis which occurrs when the body isn't able to process the available glucose from eating. Insulin is like a key to the cells which allows the glucose to enter and feed the cell. When the glucose can't get in, the body freaks out and produces a number of odd things, one of which is ketones. These ketones essentially poision the dog. So that is why we are urging you so strongly to be sure he gets tested. As we say, diabetes won't kill your dog but ketoacidosis will.

I hope that the head vet at your clinic will be ok but don't feel you HAVE to stay with them if you choose not to. Many folks here have gone thru multiple vets in order to find the best vet that meets their needs. I have been extraordinarily lucky in that my original vet is fantastic and works with me vs telling me what to do. You will have to become an advocate for your dog. Only YOU are with him 24/7 and only YOU are his caregiver.

I am hoping things are going better for you tonight! Feel free to post here anytime...and as much as you like or need to. We're here for advice or support! Hugs to you and Maxx!

[Moi529]

Thank you all so very much for your prompt replies!
Sorry I forgot to sign my name to my post... I am Michelle and my nerves are officially fried!

Ok... where to start... Yes I did understand I was talking to others who are also "Owned by at least 1 dog"... and not veterinarians. To any Veterans who may be here and reading this post... "Thank You!"! I am owned by 2 cats, Oliver and O'gee and of course Maxx. My thought is who would be better to help me understand then those who are / have been in the same or similar situations.

Concerning Maxx's vet... I can't stand and don't trust the vet that Rick takes him to! Rick handles all the dogs needs and I take care of all the cats needs. I've asked him to change to the vet I use.. I think this experience may convince him to do so.
I had used them for many years with no problems. I guess they are ok with "well pets" but have now imo failed horribly... Twice! I will never take another animal there. I feel they are responsible for the untimely passing of my 15 yr old cat Ginger last year.

Maxx's insulin is HUMULIN N and I was wrong he's getting 6 units 2 x's a day (7am and 7pm). His urine test strips are DiaScreen 1G just for glucose, I will get the ketostix in the morning. His test strips are still reading 1000
He has had 3 full (6 units) shots since coming home yesterday. I have been able to get small amounts of food in him. He also takes 500 mg amoxicillin 2 x's a day and 136 mg baytril once a day, both for 7 days.
I haven't given him any nutri-cal since friday.

OMG... I just realized what time it is, I will have to finish this tomorrow. Maxx did look a bit better tonight, hopefully he will look even better in the morning.
Thank you again for the replies and info, I will be back tomorrow.
Michelle

[CarolW]

Michelle - I see that despite your remark about the time, you seem to be online still. Let me encourage you to change vets, then; you need one you TRUST and can talk with, to work out appropriate treatment for Maxx. His treatment needs to be designed with whatever information you can provide for the vet, as well as whatever the vet can find out by examination and diagnostics.

Best go to bed; I'm sure you need some sleep. My non-diabetic Havanese, Camellia waves her Magnificent Magic Wand in Maxx's favor and in yours, and adds her - and my - Big Fat Welcome to this Most Magnificent Forum on canine diabetes.

Bedtime! (for us, too!)

Hope to see you back in the morning, and wishing Maxx and you a good night's rest.
Wed, 2 May 2012 22:14:02 (PDT)

[JayneN]

Morning Michelle...hoping Maxx is doing better today! Just a little prayer and doggy pixie dust headed your way!!

[Moi529]

Hi All,

First off... I got the Ketone test strips earlier today (Rite Aid $40.00 ~ Wal Mart $7.00) and Maxx is in between trace and small. I had Rick call and leave message for vet to call him back. He has shown some more improvement since last night, I have noticed he has a tad bit more energy, is eating a bit more and still drinking lots of water. His sugar (urine) still reads high... over 1000.

I've asked Rick again to please change vets... obviously giving him good reasons to do so. I'm still waiting on an answer.... Sigh.

As far as the Pancreatitis being cured from his hospital stay from last Sat night to Tues evening, I don't know but don't think so. He was "better" when he came home then he was when he went there, but then again he was in VERY, VERY bad shape when he was taken back in for re-evaluation and received emergency care. The vet wasn't sure if Maxx would survive. He is also taking baytril and amoxicillin for a few more days. Ricks bill including the Hills was $800.00. I noticed that Maxx's cataracts have gotten worse in the last 2 ~ 3 weeks also, which I understand is common with diabetes.

I was feeding Maxx several small meals a day (last week he was throwing it all up, then refused to eat at all). As of 7am tomorrow I will begin to feed him just 2 times a day 15 mins before his insulin shot and no treats for awhile. I am going to mix 1/2 cup Hill's w/d dry with 1/2 can Chicken Soup dog food (crude fat in canned is 3%), unless anyone doesn't think this is good and suggests something different.

I have been trying to write this all day... and finally have the time. I am usually in bed sleeping by 9 ~ 10pm!
I had to take my sis to docs and grocery shopping, we almost lost her 6 weeks ago in a car crash and she's still recovering. She owns / runs a private out of her pocket cat sanctuary which I help where I can. After I got home my daughter brought the grandbabies over.
I've been having to do way too much research on animal illnesses for the last few months. My 9 yr old little boy Oliver (cat) fell Ill with severe depression when Ginger (15 yrs) passed last Nov. After 2 complete blood tests, countless vet visits, meds, etc.. Oliver is diagnosed with IBD and he also has a rash on face, ears and neck, he required emergency care 2 times which resulted in me switching vets 2 times until I found my current one who seems to finally be on the right track. (NO not the vet Rick takes Maxx to)! I've been trying to get Oliver back on track but still have a ways to go with him. I spent $400 last week for an ultrasound so I knew if it was IBD or Cancer that we are dealing with, his food is $44.00 a bag (Vet ordered it, it should be in tomorrow) to see if we can determine what foods he's allergic to. Now this happens to Maxx.

Back to Maxx... The vet called back around 9:30 pm "he had an event he was attending today", I gave him the update on his sugar and ketone levels and he said to increase insulin from 6 to 8 units, if no improvement in 2 days, increase another 2 units. I would not have known about checking ketone level if it weren't for this forum... Thank You!!!

Maxx and Oliver, were brought home approx a week apart by my daughter Jennifer almost 9 years ago (she already had a cat Ginger) and I told her NO more animals, they were NOT staying and that she needed to find them homes ASAP... Jenn was killed by a drunk driver soon after and we just couldn't let either one of them go after that!

Thank you for listening and especially Thank You again for any and all information!
Take Care and Goodnight!
Michelle

[Shellie]

Hi again Michelle! Still glad you're here!

I think at this point, it might be up to you to simply scoop up Maxx and take him to the doctor of YOUR choice and not Rick's. Not sure how your situation works but it sounds like you're in charge of Maxx's care anyhow so should have choice of vet! You definitely need a new one!

As to the increases in insulin...we generally go for one unit increases every three to five days. Each change needs time to settle in before changing it up once more. However, with your dog being 53 pounds, it is probably ok to go up the initial 2 units but I would wait at least five days or so before changing again.

So glad you got the ketodiastix! Makes me feel SO much better for you to have started that testing! Ketones really freak me out since Hank had such a horrible start to this whole thing with the ketoacidosis.

Don't worry too much about the urine glucose being so high. It tends to concentrate in the urine so that it is generally higher than what is actually in his bloodstream. If he were above a thousand...he woudln't still be here. There are some folks who actually do use the glucose urine to measure for their dogs and it's positively amazing they can do that!

Definitely need to think about home testing but right now, I think getting a new vet and working on a slow, gradual insulin change is probably best. Getting him healthy first then testing is the way to go. So give it a couple of weeks. Relax! lol

Do understand that although he's feeling better, this is a long haul type disease. You'll likely be working on regulation for awhile. We all want to get there as fast as possible but doing that will only hurt Maxx. Slow and steady and testing the whole way is the best way to do this.

I'm terribly sorry to hear of your loss of your daughter. I've no children so cannot truly imagine but feel that it must leave an enormous hole in your life and heart to lose a child. Having Maxx and Oliver certainly has to help!

Hugs to you and Hank sends extra puppy kisses (said he thinks you need them!).

[Moi529]

Hi again,

Maxx's ketone level is now negative he's eating good @ 2 times a day and seems to be getting back to "normal". I will wait at least 5 days before any insulin changes. I am going to call tomorrow to make an appt with my vet.
I understand it will take awhile for his diabetes to be regulated but seeing how bad he was this time last week compared to how well he is today makes me feel pretty darn good!

Thanks again,
Michelle

[farrwf]

Originally Posted by Moi529

Hi again,

Maxx's ketone level is now negative he's eating good @ 2 times a day and seems to be getting back to "normal". I will wait at least 5 days before any insulin changes. I am going to call tomorrow to make an appt with my vet.
I understand it will take awhile for his diabetes to be regulated but seeing how bad he was this time last week compared to how well he is today makes me feel pretty darn good!

Thanks again,
Michelle

That's great! Just read all the posts and you sure were ready for some good news.