Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

[jesse girl]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

We live in the desert and heat is part of the deal . Actually jesses blood sugar is better during the summer months

Hope she feels better soon

[Raysaint]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

With insulin, remember it doesn't work that fast, so having high sugar 20 minutes after insulin is not abnormal, especially if fasting sugar was high. Giving a second dose is going to alter the course of the total insulin and that won't give you a true picture of what the normal dose does.

A dog's fasting sugar will be different every day, so sugar levels after food and insulin will be different, at different times. One thing I and probably others have learned is not to try and correct sugar levels with extra insulin or different doses on any given day. The goal is to find the right dose and stick with it.

And you really need to do a full curve, somehow.

We have a chihuahua and I know how delicate and sensitive they can be. I think if she became diabetic, I'd probably pull out my Genteel lancing device, shave a spot on either side of her tail base, and use that on her haunches.
I know it costs money but the Genteel might be the answer for a sensitive dog.

[Gomeysmom]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

Hi Laika's mom!
It seems like such an awful diagnosis when it first happens. You will see it can be very doable and not that expensive if you are able to take matters into your own hands. I get my Novilin N from Walmart and you no longer need a prescription.
I have not been on in a while and I found that this forum is great! go through the threads and read up!..and then realize that your pup is it's own being and things will be slightly different.
I bought an over the counter glucose meter. I take Gomey's blood from her ear. The vet should work with you to allow you to be more independent! I also take my meter with me to all vet appointments. My meter keeps track of readings!! I also like to compare my meter numbers to what the vet office gets...my human meter seems to read higher.
Gomey also had diabetic neuropathy in the beginning and that too was managed quickly. It took a while to get her back into wanting to go for walks and hunt...
I am a crazy dog mom (they rule my world and I love it!)and I loved to make Ruby's Stewbie for her. (look online for the recipe) But now she eats randomly. We are still even eating some store bought treats and brands. She needs to eat so I go by her wishes some times!
I make homemade dehydrated meats which she loves. (Walmart sells a dehydrator for like $20...best investment EVER! Loves Chicken, Venison, and liver) She gets a treat after the insulin and seems to wait to get her shot and is not bothered. I have had several dogs in my lifetime and I am not sure that all of them would have been as amicable about needles, Hopefully your pup makes a GREAT patient!
I am very good about giving her insulin 12 hours apart. you will see some of the people here will switch amounts etc since they are that AWARE of their dogs. Gomey gets her same amount at each time "12" hours apart.
Am I able to go out and have a life?...yes...figuring what that best 12 hour needle time frame is takes some thought! I am a morning person and the dogs love a morning walk. She takes her walk before her insulin. Currently we do shots at 6:20am and pm
As far as her eating right at her insulin times, it doesn't work for us anymore. Gomey gets a snack with her morning insulin and her evening meal time varies, I have to catch her when she is hungry!
I have not been checking Gomey's numbers as much as I use too. We still see a vet and have a senior blood screening that will tell me how her sugar numbers have been tracking. ($230 for the blood work)
We had cataracts to begin with and now she is almost blind.
Gomey is doing amazing, she can be incontinent but we opted against meds for that and have piddle pads around.
hopefully you will find this to be manageable ! Maybe ask your vet if any other patients have diabetes and if so if anyone is doing really well...maybe you could ask if your vet could share your info with that client and you could chat with them??
Good luck with this! Be patient and know that your pup is worth it and it will work out as just another part of your daily routine!

[amydunn19]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

Hi and welcome to the world of k9 diabetes! I see you have gotten loads of good advice. Everybody has a different recipe for success that has worked for them. Diabetes is often treated the same by vets but as you can see, everybody has proved that each dog is individual. So, finding what works for your dog will take time so be patient(easy to say, hard to do). Any changes you make - diet, dosage adjustments, timing, etc. - do these one at a time and give them time to settle before making more changes. Otherwise, you won’t know what worked or didn’t work.

One thing about testing. I never used a lancet device. I just took the lancet in hand. For me, it was easier. Also, if your dog has any skin tags or bumps, those can be great places to get blood. I never did the lip, Ear, or paw pad. You can try the base of the tail. The skin is tougher there. Don’t let fear of hurting your dog stop you. This is something that will prolong their life and maybe save their life. They do tend to look sad when you test. Just have a really good treat for a reward. My dog would start scratching my leg if I was running late for her test.

[Beau1]

It's been almost 6 months after Laika's diagnosis, and I feel she hasn't done so well. She's been going blind and hitting her head on stuff. She can still see large things, but is having trouble finding bits of food that was so easy for her to find before. She's also been reluctant to go out on walks.

For a while now, she's been urinating all over the house, especially in areas she's urinated at before. She was once completely housebroken and only urinated when we brought her out. Now she has to be mostly confined to the kitchen, though I let her in other parts of the house when I can watch her.

She still seems to be hungry all the time, though her insulin has been increased to 4 units twice a day. She's fed at around 6 am and 4-5 pm daily, but she gets some food in between because she begs for it all the time.

She's been losing weight, though she's been eating the same amount as before. She seems a little sad and "off" all the time.

What should I do about these various issues? I feel so bad for her, and it's all been driving me crazy.

[jesse girl]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

Are you testing blood sugar ?

It sounds like blood sugar has been running hi from the symptoms you describe . If sugar is high the body can struggle to process the nourishment and a reason to loose weight even though they are eating well and why they are so hungry

[Raysaint]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

It's been almost 6 months after Laika's diagnosis, and I feel she hasn't done so well. She's been going blind and hitting her head on stuff. She can still see large things, but is having trouble finding bits of food that was so easy for her to find before. She's also been reluctant to go out on walks.

For a while now, she's been urinating all over the house, especially in areas she's urinated at before. She was once completely housebroken and only urinated when we brought her out. Now she has to be mostly confined to the kitchen, though I let her in other parts of the house when I can watch her.

She still seems to be hungry all the time, though her insulin has been increased to 4 units twice a day. She's fed at around 6 am and 4-5 pm daily, but she gets some food in between because she begs for it all the time.

She's been losing weight, though she's been eating the same amount as before. She seems a little sad and "off" all the time.

What should I do about these various issues? I feel so bad for her, and it's all been driving me crazy.

I agree, sounds like sugar is still running high, which causes the peeing and the constant hunger, plus the weight loss, as the body isn't absorbing the food properly.
What is her weight? Maybe 4 units is not enough. Are you working with a vet?

[Beau1]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

I agree, sounds like sugar is still running high, which causes the peeing and the constant hunger, plus the weight loss, as the body isn't absorbing the food properly.
What is her weight? Maybe 4 units is not enough. Are you working with a vet?

I still haven't been able to get her blood through the monitor, though she's gotten it a few times.

A couple of weeks ago, we took her to a veterinary hospital to get her blood glucose curve done at last, and the vet increased the dose to 4 units twice a day.

Vet visits are extremely expensive in my area (highest cost of living in the US), and we don't have much money (fixed/very low income). The cost for vet care for diabetic pets can be prohibitive.

We've already brought her to 4 very expensive vet visits.

I really love my pets, but they're driving me crazy. Besides Laika, we also have a sick cat. They're so much work everyday, with the daily urinating, keeping them in the kitchen, the dust/litter around the house, the constant begging for food, and trying to problem solve.

I feel really bad for them, but they've been so much work for me, too. I think people who have sick pets can relate.

[jesse girl]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

Yeah its probably going to get expensive if you cant test at home . The problem for you is you really cant afford doing curves to get your dog regulated at the vet that leads to further problems from the disease in a dog thats probably not regulated

Problems with your diabetic dog cant be solved if you cant get him regulated . Thats the reality of the disease

I manged jesses diabetes for over 9.5 years and the only help i had from a vet was the first 3 weeks and then i took over because it wasnt much help . I have done this with a discount human meter with strips costing maybe $ 5 for 50 from ebay

With her being regulated she hasn't needed any additional care from a vet and saves greatly on cost. You have to solve the primary problem( regulation ) and once that is done It helps to solve the other diabetic problems

the longer it takes to regulate the more risk of complications and expense . how thats accomplished is up to you

[Beau1]

I've been feeding her at around 8-9am for her morning meal, and then at 5-6pm for her evening meal. I give her the injections right after eating or up to 20 minutes afterwards. She also gets some kibble throughout the day because she's always begging and seems ravenous.

I haven't spaced them out 12 hours - her morning/evening meals and injections are spaced about 9 hours. She seems so hungry I can't wait until 8-9pm, 12 hours later, to give her the evening meal.

Would it help if I fed her and gave her injections in 12 hours? Also, should I not give her kibble throughout the day?

4 units sounds high-ish for a small Chihuahua mix. She's probably 11-12 pounds now, since she's been losing weight. I know there's a wide variation for how much insulin a dog needs.

[jesse girl]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

Do you have or can you get the latest curve from the vet and post it

2.5 units would be a normal starting dose for your dogs weight so 4 is not unusually high . Actually they say a dog doesnt have insulin resistance until the dose would match their weight which would be 12 units in your pups case

My jesse only gets one meal a day because that lead her to regulation . The only way that could be done was the testing sugar at home .

Its hard to say how your routine works you have no information on blood sugar . You just have symptoms of high sugar and you cant be sure that is the case so your kind of drawing at straws

So post that curve before your raised to 4 units . That may not be a true reflection because he did not receive the snacks throughout the day at the vets office

More than likely the extra food is not helping and could be making things worse with the vicious cycle of high sugar causing the extra food to not even utilized by the body but this is just speculation on my part

Regulation usually is not very difficult if you stick to the program . All the symptoms will lessen and go away . You probably have made this more difficult than it has to be

I remember my vet thought I was cruel testing my jesse on the lip . I thought isnt it more cruel to let my dog suffer from diabetes so I continued what i was doing testing her on the lip and she is still hear after 9.5 years of managing the disease

[Raysaint]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

I would go to a 12 hour schedule. The insulin generally lasts 12 hours, give or take, so overnight the insulin probably runs out and morning sugars will be quite high. So you'll always be fighting a bad start to the day.

Extra kibble, which is high carb, is only going to raise the sugar, and the insulin dose is based on working with the meal alone, at least until regulation. Kibble is throwing another factor into the mix. Higher sugar makes them more hungry, it's a vicious circle.
She's going to seem hungry because sugars are high, extra food makes it worse. Give her dehydrated chicken or liver treats once in a while.

The dog's body needs consistency, so getting used to 12 hour periods of insulin and possibly similar fasting sugars and curves will help towards regulation. A curve should represent a typical day of sugar pattern, and that's what an insulin dose is based on. The curve will be typical if the food and insulin is consistent. But extra food is going to make the curve different every day. That's not what you want to base an insulin dose on.

Jessegirl makes good points about testing. For the cost of a vet visit, you can probably buy a meter and strips and test at home. That way you can monitor progress or setbacks.

[mrgregj]

Re: Diagnosed today - lots of confusion and questionable veterinary visit/info

I'm not sure where you're trying to do the blood tests, but if you're not having any luck with the lip and ear try the "carpal paw pad." Its the one highest up on their front legs. I have had a lot of luck just rubbing and pinching the paw pad to get the blood flowing there and then testing blood.



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