Introducing my Rottie

[Heidi'sMommy]

New here, so let's get started...

Baby Name: Heidi (Ünheimlich Heidelberg to the AKC folks)

Baby Breed: Rottweiler

Baby Age: 7 years, 24 days...and counting!

Diagnosis Date: July 25, 2015

Current Weight: 119 lbs (not fat, just MASSIVE, you should have seen the size of her father), going from 120 in July 2015 rapidly down to 112 following a fluctuation in her regulation, but back up to her current fighting weight.

Diet:
1. Fed every 12 hours, 1.5 cups of Wegman's Nature dry combined ANYTHING that will get her to eat her kibble (usually boiled chicken breast/ground turkey/scrambled eggs, peas or green beans, small amount of rice). Sometimes we're lucky and she eats her kibble and a little wet food. Night feeding we add a teaspoon of clear fiber.
2. Just requested a Wysong's Epigen sample pack and hoping that she takes to it as it seems to be a decent protein to fat to carb ratio, as the current kibble is just way too high in carbs, in my opinion.
3. Trying FreshPet Vital tonight as a mixer...*fingers crossed*

Insulin: Humulin N (THANK GOD FOR SAM'S CLUB!!), 38 units BID

Meter: Have one, but don't use it...she has really thick ears that yield little to NO blood and it's almost impossible to get blood from anywhere else, other than veins. Vet suggested nipping her nail so that it bleeds if we're in a pinch...umm...I live less than 5 minutes from a 24-hour emergency vet clinic, so if she acts abnormally or I think her sugar is off, I just run her over there.

Regulation: Currently regulated, as of her last blood glucose curve (March 17, 2016). YAY!

Misc: Has been getting UTI's like nobody's business since her diagnosis

Note: I want to send the best wishes to everyone out here that understands the daily struggles we and our fur babies face with this disease every day! You are great pet parents and your "little ones" (quotes are required as she weighs as much as I do...lol) definitely know it!

Mara
(Heidi'sMommy)

[k9diabetes]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

Does she have callouses on her elbows? That's a great place to test on large dogs.

Natalie

[jesse girl]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

we use the inner lip on my jesse for the last 6 years without a problem and she feels nothing

large dogs have nice big lips

practice tests rolling the lip up expose the canine tooth maybe wipe off the saliva and see the response

[Heidi'sMommy]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

Oh wow...she does have gnarly callouses. It's a wonder the vet never suggested that.
Honestly, thank you. We will have to give that a go.

Thanks!
Mara

[Heidi'sMommy]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

we use the inner lip on my jesse for the last 6 years without a problem and she feels nothing

large dogs have nice big lips

practice tests rolling the lip up expose the canine tooth maybe wipe off the saliva and see the response

Thank you so much...another great option to try!!

[amydunn19]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

I have a challenging eater so I understand the struggle. I think it would be more stable to feed the same thing in the same portion every day. But, I know that may not be possible. Foods that may seem the same sometimes cause fluctuations in blood sugar.

I am concerned with the UTI's - that may mean the blood sugar control is not quite as good as you would think. If you can start testing, you can see on a daily basis how varying types of food can cause some fluctuations. Testing at home will give you so much more information and I firmly believe that it has added years to Maggie's life.

[Heidi'sMommy]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

we use the inner lip on my jesse for the last 6 years without a problem and she feels nothing

large dogs have nice big lips

practice tests rolling the lip up expose the canine tooth maybe wipe off the saliva and see the response

I have a challenging eater so I understand the struggle. I think it would be more stable to feed the same thing in the same portion every day. But, I know that may not be possible. Foods that may seem the same sometimes cause fluctuations in blood sugar.

I am concerned with the UTI's - that may mean the blood sugar control is not quite as good as you would think. If you can start testing, you can see on a daily basis how varying types of food can cause some fluctuations. Testing at home will give you so much more information and I firmly believe that it has added years to Maggie's life.

Oh yes, now that I know that there are better, alternative blood extraction methods this will be a lot easier to monitor and adjust accordingly, as we go. I had a diabetic cat back in the early 00's, and he just seemed so much easier to keep on track...probably because he was super laid back and I could poke and prod as much as I needed. Heidi does NOT like the sound of the lancing device...lol. Just so glad I found this forum; the info is helping me feel more confident in taking the best care of her. So, thank you.

[amydunn19]

Don't use the device if it bothers her. You might need a bigger lancet but you can just prick the skin without the device by hand. I have never used a device.

[ceruleanblue]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

My dog was difficult to test. She wouldn't tolerate any of the "usual" easy testing places. I ended up shaving a spot near the base of her tail to use as a test patch. It helped a lot to warm the area first with a rice bag, then lance (I needed thick lancets, and I just poked by hand). That is the only way I could ever test her, and it never bothered her. Here is a pic of where I shaved, just so you can get an idea of the area I'm talking. The hair has grown out some (it was always easier when I shaved it to skin).

[amydunn19]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

I don't know if Rotties are prone to skin tags, they really bleed well with little nerve endings. My little dogs seem to have a bunch of them.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

You can see various places you can test at http://www.k9diabetes.com/bgtestvideos.html

Including a callous test I think. Our non diabetic recently had a skin tag and I can attest that it bled quite well. With our diabetic, we used the lip. They have few nerve endings there and it worked great for us.

Natalie

[Eddie]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

You might be able to build a nice association with the lancing device by treating it almost like a training clicker ie you make it click (without touching her) and she gets a treat. If you build it up slowly and gradually bring the device closer to her you may find that she gets to like the sound of it - our dog now comes over to me if I just click it as he knows he will soon get a treat.

(Only small protein based treats of course!).

We also test on the inner lip. We practised at first just rolling up his lip (and a treat), wiping it dry (treat) then pressing a pencil against it (treat) and finally actually testing. It didn't take too long for him to get to the stage where he didn't mind at all so long as he got his treat at the end.

Hope you can find what works for you - but bear in mind that you might not go straight to extracting blood first time and you may need to build up to it over a few days of practising.

Antonia

[thomasgunnar]

Re: Introducing my Rottie

I do Shelby on the lip. She is a rottie as well. I will sit on the kitchen floor with her meter and poker thingy. Quite often she comes when she hears the click. She will lay down with her head on my lap. I don't think she is fond of it but she puts up with it. I sometimes wonder if she knows the whole process makes her feel better. She is nothing short of awesome.