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My Border Collie, Brady, has been diagnosed as diabetic. He's getting 4 units Humalin 2x daily and seems to be doing well. I having nothing to gauge off of to know if this is a low dose or comparative. I got my AlphaTrak2 in the mail today. Any advice for completing our first curve at home this weekend?
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June -- Brady and Andy, Border Collie twins, 5 years old. Brady is diabetic diagnosed July 3, 2016. 5 units Humalin N x2 daily. -
Re: My 1st Curve Test
Welcome,
Test before food and insulin,then every 2 hours until night test,food and insulin.
Post your results with Bradys info.weight,what food,how much,what times,when he gets insulin etc...any other medical problems or medications...
Good luck
Sissy 13 yr old Bichon, born 4/17/03, 12 lbs. Diagnoised 7/20/12. Passed away 12/29/16 in my arms. My life will never be the same again. She will always be with me. Run free my babygirl 3 ozs I/D 4 x's day. 1.75 units levemir 2 times a day. .1 mg thyroid pill, tramadol for leg pain, morning & night,Use Alphatrak 2 and Relion Confirm meters.
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
Agree with the post
Good luck! Keep us update.
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
Test day, and maybe the day before, need to be typical days. Normal meals (nothing extra), normal exercise (no 3 hour visit to the dog park), no bath, etc..
I use to have problems scheduling curve days. I'd start OK, but by the afternoon something like the grandkids would come visit and Annie would want to play hard all afternoon and that would skew the results. Or my son would show up with his dogs and they would run around the yard until they about passed out! Again, that wouldn't be a typical day.
CraigAnnie was an 18 pound Lhasa Apso that crossed the rainbow bridge on 10-5-17. She was nearly 17 years old and diabetic for 9˝ years.Comment
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
[Brady, Border Collie, 40 pounds currently eating Blue Healthy Weight 1 cup 2x day. 4 Units Humalin every 12 hours. ]June -- Brady and Andy, Border Collie twins, 5 years old. Brady is diabetic diagnosed July 3, 2016. 5 units Humalin N x2 daily.Comment
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
Thank you for the encouragement. This morning when giving his injection, I pinched him and he cried a little. I make myself nervous and he knows it.June -- Brady and Andy, Border Collie twins, 5 years old. Brady is diabetic diagnosed July 3, 2016. 5 units Humalin N x2 daily.Comment
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
Just have a minute, Annie is waiting for her blood test, breakfast and injection
4 unit, twice a day(?), for a 40 pound pup is a little "lite". Most suggest 0.2 units per pound as a starting dosage, so a 40 pounder would frequently start with 8 units twice a day. No harm done, just realize that more than likely you will need to increase the dosage and peeing accidents may continue at such a low dosage.
If you are in the States, many use Novolin-N from Walmart instead of Humulin-N because Novolin-N from Walmart is just $25/vial. The two insulins give pretty much the same response. Syringes are low cost at Walmart also.
Gotta go. Annie is begging for her blood test & breakfast!
CraigAnnie was an 18 pound Lhasa Apso that crossed the rainbow bridge on 10-5-17. She was nearly 17 years old and diabetic for 9˝ years.Comment
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
Originally posted by Juneslay View PostYep, this is common! These "kids" sense our emotions and fears. For months I would fear the injections and sticks for blood testing. As time went by, it got much more routine and not such a big thing. Even now, 8 years later, she might twitch once or twice a month, but no real pain.
My procedure is to talk, hum or sing during the stabs. Never hold my breath because I'm sure that alerts Annie that something "scary" is about to happen! Also, I would try to do something fun right after the stick, like throw her ball for her to chase (she lived to play ball). It got so that if I said: "TEST TIME!" she would go get her ball and bring it to me. Some use tiny treats right after the injection. When my wife, Linda, was giving the injections she would give the injection while Annie was eating her meal. Sort of funny: she would be eating, Linda would walk up with the syringe, Annie would stop eating for a second while getting the injection, then her face would go back into the food bowl.
When I inject, I get down on my knees next to her. Just seems better (less scary) than standing next to her and bending over like a "mad doctor". OK, I'm an overweight 71 year old and bending over is a problem for me!
It gets easier!
CraigAnnie was an 18 pound Lhasa Apso that crossed the rainbow bridge on 10-5-17. She was nearly 17 years old and diabetic for 9˝ years.Comment
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
CraigM, our vet did try Brady at 8 units to start and it was bringing his levels down too much and she was afraid of hypoglycemia. We also believe that the diabetes was caused from him having back to back rounds of prednisone. He suddenly started drinking obsessively, bed wetting, weight loss and lethargy. I just knew something wasn't right and we even had to go to a different vet an hour away from home, but they have been super attentive and once we get stabilized and know our curve, I'll probably switch back to vet closer to home.
The new vet had also just operated on Brady's twin brother, Andy, for a knee replacement the week before all this. My life has been a roller coaster.
How do I share a picture of them?
JuneJune -- Brady and Andy, Border Collie twins, 5 years old. Brady is diabetic diagnosed July 3, 2016. 5 units Humalin N x2 daily.Comment
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
Do you have figures for both 8 units and 4 units? Could be interesting.Originally posted by Juneslay View Post
We think Annie's diabetes may have been brought on by prednisone also. She had an ACL tear and was treated with prednisone, then developed diabetes shortly later. Can't really blame the vet because that's the common(?) treatment and most dogs do OK.
Hopefully someone else will discuss adding photos. I'm lucky to have gotten the photo of Annie to post - took me hours of messing around
CraigAnnie was an 18 pound Lhasa Apso that crossed the rainbow bridge on 10-5-17. She was nearly 17 years old and diabetic for 9˝ years.Comment
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
If I'm not mistaken, his reading initially was 439 and that was fasting. After his dose of 6 units 2 hours after eating was 205 and then the next 2 hours was 172. She then decreased to 4 units and was 147 after 2 hours. I just got the AlphaTrak 2 meter yesterday and will do this 1st curve test Sat. and repeat on Sunday.
Even with this minimal dose, he is responding extremely well. His appetite is good, still drinking a lot, not bed wetting and a little lethargic, but in Central Florida heat index of 105, who can blame him. Please continue to share your thoughts and experience.
Thank you so much for the support. I found how to share pictures of the boys. Hope you get to see them.
JuneJune -- Brady and Andy, Border Collie twins, 5 years old. Brady is diabetic diagnosed July 3, 2016. 5 units Humalin N x2 daily.Comment
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Re: My 1st Curve Test
Welcome! Just checked out your photos and the boys are very handsome
If you ever want to imbed a photo within a post, you can wrap IMG code around the URL of your photo.
You can get the URL by going to your Album, opening a picture and then Copy the URL. Then when you are posting, select the Picture icon and paste the URL in the pop up window.Last edited by MikeMurphy; 07-15-2016, 07:46 PM.Lily is a 62 lb English Setter, born 07-27-2007.
Diabetes: Aug 2013
Went peacefully to heaven on 04-24-2021
Video in Lily’s memory: https://www.facebook.com/10000201631...3260300417807/Comment
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Not going as I hoped - Curve test
I've been at my first curve for nearly 10 hours today and it's not what I thought it would be. We started our morning at 7:30am with a 355 reading before food. Our lowest all day was at 4pm with 315. Granted he's only getting 4 units and still learning all the nuisances of giving the injections.
Please offer me some encouragement and thoughts on do I increase dosage?June -- Brady and Andy, Border Collie twins, 5 years old. Brady is diabetic diagnosed July 3, 2016. 5 units Humalin N x2 daily.Comment
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Re: Not going as I hoped - Curve test
you can post the entire 12 hour curve . show time tested and blood sugar amount . also show time of shot and when food is consumed . any additional things like play and walks is also helpfulJesse-26 lbs - 16.5 years old ,11 years diabetic, one meal a day homemade and a vitabone snack . 3 shots of Novolin( under the Relion name ) a day . Total insulin for a 24 hour period is 6.5 units of NPH insulin .
Jesse earned her wings on 6/21/2021Comment
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Re: Not going as I hoped - Curve test
Hi Im on your same boat. Yesterday I was happy that his BG was troughout the day in the high 200.
today another story, I tested Snoopy 3 times.
1 at 8:00am 459
2 at 1:00pm 423
3 at 6:30pm 310
I was told on the forum it fluctuates. don't get discouraged, and talk to your vet before increasing the insulin units...
Igregorio Snoopy's dadComment
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