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Hi,
I will try to give you detailed overview of our current situation and am hoping for any general suggestions as well as thoughts on a couple of acute urgent issues I am having right now.
Last summer I rescued a little senior male Min Pin from AC in Michigan. When I picked him up he was a round little sausage and blind in one eye from a cataract. In retrospect, I would guess that he had diabetes then and, perhaps, his owners dumped him by the shelter hoping the shelter would care for/provide treatment for him there. The shelter and animal control for that area have adjoining land, and they suspected the little guy just, unfortunately, wandered the wrong direction.
Anyway, he did not exhibit any concerning symptoms throughout the summer and fall, and when we went to my parents' for Christmas I noticed he seemed to have slimmed down a little and thought it might have been from running in the pasture with the other doggies over Thanksgiving and Christmastime.
Right before we left to return home I noticed he was holding up a front paw and not putting any weight on it. We checked for any splinters/thorns from running in the wild but didn't find anything we could see. I also looked to make sure he did not have a split toenail. There were no lumps or bumps, and he would yelp a little when I was searching around his toes. I thought I would watch it for a couple of days to see if it resolved.
After we returned home it he did not seem to have the pain associated with it as much, but he still favored it. And one night as I was doing my re-inspection I saw he had developed a gigantic abscess. So off to the emergency vet we went (It was the weekend and after hours ) After a very traumatic experience there with the very new vet telling me it could be a foreign object or cancer and was probably cancer, I left with a drained and bandaged foot on a woozy Min Pin. Which later became an irritated and infected foot on a naughty Min Pin, who would not stop licking and worrying his foot. So off to our regular vet to get something for what I assumed was now an infection and try to figure out what to do since he managed to rub the ECollar on it to keep it irritated even after I buckled on a gigantic ECollar.
Our vet was very reassuring and told me several times (in case I was still worried) that he felt absolutely no mass or lump that would indicate cancer. We made a plan for the foot, and I thought to ask the vet what he thought about Snowball's weight since it was now obvious to me that he looked thinner. The vet said that for his breed he looked to be a good weight, and I was somewhat relieved to hear he wasn't looking too gaunt. I chalked it up to me being use to the sausage look.
So in January Snowball weighed 12lbs.
Over the next few months I had the sense that he was looking thinner because I was seeing his ribs, but it was like the froggie in the pot of water because I don't think I was seeing the severity as quickly as I should have.
During this time I began to wonder if he did have cancer because he was losing weight, but as his drinking increased and the vision in his other eye began to cloud I thought, "Hmm. . .It sure seems like he might have diabetes, but he is losing weight instead of being overweight so it must be some other disease process." I has just lost my 18 1/2 year old doggie at New Year's this year so I was not ready for another loss, but knowing Snowball's personality I knew he would not be a pleasant candidate for any extremes measures so I decided pallative care as long as he was not in any pain and seeming to be the same ol' happy doggie he always was. I still was thinking cancer because I had not yet ever heard of the nutrient absorption problem and subsequent weight loss that accompanies diabetes.
Another month or two, and I decided it was time to increase calories and bought some calorie booster. I gave him lots of treats and lots of helpings and still couldn't seem to get any weight on the little guy. I couldn't get the classic diabetes symptoms out of my head with some of the red flags I saw with him so I decided to google "weight loss and diabetes". And then I was distraught that I had been slow to the game with this and panicked that I was going about everything ALL WRONG!
Now that I was thinking, "Yes, this must be diabetes" I was also faced with a few things to process. My mom's dog (my sister, of course) many many years ago had been diagnosed with diabetes and died after being on her insulin course. My mom suggested that following Snowball around with a strip to try to catch his urine and stabbing him to test his blood might not be a process he would want to participate in since she knew one of my largest obstacles was the fact that my husband had lost his job almost three years ago and still has not become reemployed.
We have four year old triplets, who named Snowball, of course, and we were barely surviving on Food Stamps and other assistance. In the past I have done extensive tests and treatment for my doggies and spent an exorbitant amount to help diagnose and improve quality of life for my sweet family members but now the cost of everything that might be related to treating diabetes seemed overwhelming and impossible. Somehow in my head I had it that it would be hundreds of dollars each month that we just did not have and couldn't find.
So in late April or early May I decided to brush off my home-cooking skills from when I had a doggie with liver, kidney, and pancreas issues. I researched recipes for diabetes and had experience managing my grandmothers when she was at MD Anderson for a stay so I found a couple of good recipes with complex carbohydrates and good bioavailable protein. I also made sure to serve with a bajillion vitamins and herbs, including cinnamon, bitter melon, Vitamins C & E, Omega 3s, liquid lecithin, aloe vera juice, DHG, and others I am not recalling as I type (they are in Snowballs box in the other room). Snowball has always loved his food and was equally appreciative of this new menu, and as I thought was useful, I made sure he was getting some small portions every two to three or four waking hours so he could not have insulin spikes and crashes.
We were back at the farm over Memorial day weekend and while I didn't weigh him at our arrival, I did have some sense that it looked as though his might be looking a little less anorexic. My mom thought he looked less bony too, over the two weeks we were there. I did weigh him on a scale my dad has for weighing calf formula, and I got a 7lb weight. At that time I did not know he had weighed 12lbs in January, and I knew there is error with the old scales with the dials, but I was trying to be optimistic because I had borrowed one of those from my neighbor a couple of weeks earlier, and it looked as though Snowball was weighing 6lbs. I was hopeful he may have actually gained a pound, and the diet change was helping.
Then we we came back home my husband also thought he looked less bony, but within a few days I was not so certain. I plunked him back on that dial scale, and it looked like it still said 6lbs.
Now I reevaluated the supplements and diet. In my reading I began to wonder about a raw diet with super greens to supplement. I also began to panic a little more because more reading gave more information that no dietary change would help Type I Diabetes, and I was becoming more distraught that I could not do anything to help this baby.
Then, this last Tuesday I rolled out the raw diet. Snowball inhaled his concoction of ground beef, a sardine, and a bit of super greens mixed together. I thought, "Well, this is good" and was surprised since none of my other dogs have ever like raw meat as even a treat! I also FORGOT that my doggie who had been ill years before had a one day stint of a raw diet, which made her ghastly ill for a day or so after she ate it. But I would remember soon enough.
Also on Tuesday night I happened upon a link to something I was researching and it was an old inactive group with posts from a few years ago, but something caught my eye. I saw someone mentioning that their very small dog was able to get insulin for only $25 or so each month! The wheels began turning in my head, and I suddenly thought maybe I could swing insulin after all if that was all it might cost for Snowball. I pondered a while and decided I would call our vet in the morning and ask if they would be willing to do a glucose only test and not a full chem panel since those are quite costly. I went to bed with a doggie with a full tummy and a new plan.
I woke up with a sick doggie. Snowball did not look so good Wednesday morning. It was apparent to me that he seemed more lethargic, weaker, and his eyes and ears were not as perky. Visually, it was enough to worry me. I waited until the vet office was open and immediately called. When I asked about the glucose only testing the front office told me that would be a call the vet would have to make so they scheduled me in for 9am for "bloodwork". All the way to the vet, and while sitting in the van waiting to go in I was in tears feeling horrified at myself for not knowing earlier that I could maybe afford to get insulin and treat Snowball. And with the way he was looking I thought it was providence that I had decided the night before when he was looking mostly fine (although he was getting weaker and doing the toppling over to the side thing more frequently) since by Wednesday morning he looked as though he might not make it much longer.
As I sat and talked with the vet tech it was apparent that they would work with me. Our vet knows our situation with my husband being out of work, and they also know I have run subQs at home, have had doggies overnight with IVs and managed many medications and diet modifications. The vet tech told me they could definitely test his glucose and get an insulin dose figured out based on his current weight. (We don't need RXs in our state for insulin or syringes). She also said they could send home a subQ set for a few days, and I asked about an antibiotic since it appeared Snowball had developed a sinus infection (yellow mucus from his nose). The vet tech and the vet were great. The tech later explained the typical course would be IV and monitoring with insulin dosing over three or four days at the vet, but they were fine with me taking him home with subQs and insulin injections (and antibiotics). One promising thing was that he had been ambulatory without much problem prior to Wednesday so they were not as concerned about the toxicity of Ketones as if they would be if he had been down and out for days.
Then as we were talking I realized he had eaten a whole day of raw diet, and I heard his tummy working. And I remembered how my other doggie looked as though she was dying for a day or two after trying a raw diet. . . So at this point I wasn't sure if Snowball was crashing from the diabetes or if his digestive system was protesting the change to rich food. The vet went ahead and gave a dose of insulin while we were there, and Snowball ate four our five treats so felt positive about that.
So yesterday evening I had an appointment with the toddlers, and when we got home at 9pm I was VERY concerned about the way Snowball looked. His eyes and ears were not bright and perky, and he was just laying on his side and did not appear to be able to move his front leg much in response me petting him. After he had gotten home from the vet in the morning he was twitching his tail and looking okay-ish but not good, but now I was afraid he was dying. I dropped everything and delayed getting the children to bed and set up his subQs. I then tried to get him to eat, but he wouldn't eat a bite. I even sauteed some chicken in olive oil and garlic as an enticement and he wouldn't have a thing to do with it. At that time I had no idea to only give half or so of the insulin so I went ahead and gave him his dose. And then we went to sleep. He was in bed next to me, and I was fearful he wouldn't make it through the night. His antibiotic course is 12 and 12, so I was up at midnight and thought to give a dose of simethicone and then his antibiotic.
(CONT'D -Due to LENGTH!)
I will try to give you detailed overview of our current situation and am hoping for any general suggestions as well as thoughts on a couple of acute urgent issues I am having right now.
Last summer I rescued a little senior male Min Pin from AC in Michigan. When I picked him up he was a round little sausage and blind in one eye from a cataract. In retrospect, I would guess that he had diabetes then and, perhaps, his owners dumped him by the shelter hoping the shelter would care for/provide treatment for him there. The shelter and animal control for that area have adjoining land, and they suspected the little guy just, unfortunately, wandered the wrong direction.
Anyway, he did not exhibit any concerning symptoms throughout the summer and fall, and when we went to my parents' for Christmas I noticed he seemed to have slimmed down a little and thought it might have been from running in the pasture with the other doggies over Thanksgiving and Christmastime.
Right before we left to return home I noticed he was holding up a front paw and not putting any weight on it. We checked for any splinters/thorns from running in the wild but didn't find anything we could see. I also looked to make sure he did not have a split toenail. There were no lumps or bumps, and he would yelp a little when I was searching around his toes. I thought I would watch it for a couple of days to see if it resolved.After we returned home it he did not seem to have the pain associated with it as much, but he still favored it. And one night as I was doing my re-inspection I saw he had developed a gigantic abscess. So off to the emergency vet we went (It was the weekend and after hours
) After a very traumatic experience there with the very new vet telling me it could be a foreign object or cancer and was probably cancer, I left with a drained and bandaged foot on a woozy Min Pin. Which later became an irritated and infected foot on a naughty Min Pin, who would not stop licking and worrying his foot. So off to our regular vet to get something for what I assumed was now an infection and try to figure out what to do since he managed to rub the ECollar on it to keep it irritated even after I buckled on a gigantic ECollar.Our vet was very reassuring and told me several times (in case I was still worried) that he felt absolutely no mass or lump that would indicate cancer. We made a plan for the foot, and I thought to ask the vet what he thought about Snowball's weight since it was now obvious to me that he looked thinner. The vet said that for his breed he looked to be a good weight, and I was somewhat relieved to hear he wasn't looking too gaunt. I chalked it up to me being use to the sausage look.
So in January Snowball weighed 12lbs.
Over the next few months I had the sense that he was looking thinner because I was seeing his ribs, but it was like the froggie in the pot of water because I don't think I was seeing the severity as quickly as I should have.
During this time I began to wonder if he did have cancer because he was losing weight, but as his drinking increased and the vision in his other eye began to cloud I thought, "Hmm. . .It sure seems like he might have diabetes, but he is losing weight instead of being overweight so it must be some other disease process." I has just lost my 18 1/2 year old doggie at New Year's this year so I was not ready for another loss, but knowing Snowball's personality I knew he would not be a pleasant candidate for any extremes measures so I decided pallative care as long as he was not in any pain and seeming to be the same ol' happy doggie he always was. I still was thinking cancer because I had not yet ever heard of the nutrient absorption problem and subsequent weight loss that accompanies diabetes.
Another month or two, and I decided it was time to increase calories and bought some calorie booster. I gave him lots of treats and lots of helpings and still couldn't seem to get any weight on the little guy. I couldn't get the classic diabetes symptoms out of my head with some of the red flags I saw with him so I decided to google "weight loss and diabetes". And then I was distraught that I had been slow to the game with this and panicked that I was going about everything ALL WRONG!
Now that I was thinking, "Yes, this must be diabetes" I was also faced with a few things to process. My mom's dog (my sister, of course) many many years ago had been diagnosed with diabetes and died after being on her insulin course. My mom suggested that following Snowball around with a strip to try to catch his urine and stabbing him to test his blood might not be a process he would want to participate in since she knew one of my largest obstacles was the fact that my husband had lost his job almost three years ago and still has not become reemployed.
We have four year old triplets, who named Snowball, of course, and we were barely surviving on Food Stamps and other assistance. In the past I have done extensive tests and treatment for my doggies and spent an exorbitant amount to help diagnose and improve quality of life for my sweet family members but now the cost of everything that might be related to treating diabetes seemed overwhelming and impossible. Somehow in my head I had it that it would be hundreds of dollars each month that we just did not have and couldn't find.
So in late April or early May I decided to brush off my home-cooking skills from when I had a doggie with liver, kidney, and pancreas issues. I researched recipes for diabetes and had experience managing my grandmothers when she was at MD Anderson for a stay so I found a couple of good recipes with complex carbohydrates and good bioavailable protein. I also made sure to serve with a bajillion vitamins and herbs, including cinnamon, bitter melon, Vitamins C & E, Omega 3s, liquid lecithin, aloe vera juice, DHG, and others I am not recalling as I type (they are in Snowballs box in the other room). Snowball has always loved his food and was equally appreciative of this new menu, and as I thought was useful, I made sure he was getting some small portions every two to three or four waking hours so he could not have insulin spikes and crashes.
We were back at the farm over Memorial day weekend and while I didn't weigh him at our arrival, I did have some sense that it looked as though his might be looking a little less anorexic. My mom thought he looked less bony too, over the two weeks we were there. I did weigh him on a scale my dad has for weighing calf formula, and I got a 7lb weight. At that time I did not know he had weighed 12lbs in January, and I knew there is error with the old scales with the dials, but I was trying to be optimistic because I had borrowed one of those from my neighbor a couple of weeks earlier, and it looked as though Snowball was weighing 6lbs. I was hopeful he may have actually gained a pound, and the diet change was helping.
Then we we came back home my husband also thought he looked less bony, but within a few days I was not so certain. I plunked him back on that dial scale, and it looked like it still said 6lbs.
Now I reevaluated the supplements and diet. In my reading I began to wonder about a raw diet with super greens to supplement. I also began to panic a little more because more reading gave more information that no dietary change would help Type I Diabetes, and I was becoming more distraught that I could not do anything to help this baby.
Then, this last Tuesday I rolled out the raw diet. Snowball inhaled his concoction of ground beef, a sardine, and a bit of super greens mixed together. I thought, "Well, this is good" and was surprised since none of my other dogs have ever like raw meat as even a treat! I also FORGOT that my doggie who had been ill years before had a one day stint of a raw diet, which made her ghastly ill for a day or so after she ate it.
But I would remember soon enough. Also on Tuesday night I happened upon a link to something I was researching and it was an old inactive group with posts from a few years ago, but something caught my eye. I saw someone mentioning that their very small dog was able to get insulin for only $25 or so each month! The wheels began turning in my head, and I suddenly thought maybe I could swing insulin after all if that was all it might cost for Snowball. I pondered a while and decided I would call our vet in the morning and ask if they would be willing to do a glucose only test and not a full chem panel since those are quite costly. I went to bed with a doggie with a full tummy and a new plan.
I woke up with a sick doggie.
Snowball did not look so good Wednesday morning. It was apparent to me that he seemed more lethargic, weaker, and his eyes and ears were not as perky. Visually, it was enough to worry me. I waited until the vet office was open and immediately called. When I asked about the glucose only testing the front office told me that would be a call the vet would have to make so they scheduled me in for 9am for "bloodwork". All the way to the vet, and while sitting in the van waiting to go in I was in tears feeling horrified at myself for not knowing earlier that I could maybe afford to get insulin and treat Snowball. And with the way he was looking I thought it was providence that I had decided the night before when he was looking mostly fine (although he was getting weaker and doing the toppling over to the side thing more frequently) since by Wednesday morning he looked as though he might not make it much longer. As I sat and talked with the vet tech it was apparent that they would work with me. Our vet knows our situation with my husband being out of work, and they also know I have run subQs at home, have had doggies overnight with IVs and managed many medications and diet modifications. The vet tech told me they could definitely test his glucose and get an insulin dose figured out based on his current weight. (We don't need RXs in our state for insulin or syringes). She also said they could send home a subQ set for a few days, and I asked about an antibiotic since it appeared Snowball had developed a sinus infection (yellow mucus from his nose). The vet tech and the vet were great. The tech later explained the typical course would be IV and monitoring with insulin dosing over three or four days at the vet, but they were fine with me taking him home with subQs and insulin injections (and antibiotics). One promising thing was that he had been ambulatory without much problem prior to Wednesday so they were not as concerned about the toxicity of Ketones as if they would be if he had been down and out for days.
Then as we were talking I realized he had eaten a whole day of raw diet, and I heard his tummy working. And I remembered how my other doggie looked as though she was dying for a day or two after trying a raw diet. . . So at this point I wasn't sure if Snowball was crashing from the diabetes or if his digestive system was protesting the change to rich food. The vet went ahead and gave a dose of insulin while we were there, and Snowball ate four our five treats so felt positive about that.
So yesterday evening I had an appointment with the toddlers, and when we got home at 9pm I was VERY concerned about the way Snowball looked. His eyes and ears were not bright and perky, and he was just laying on his side and did not appear to be able to move his front leg much in response me petting him. After he had gotten home from the vet in the morning he was twitching his tail and looking okay-ish but not good, but now I was afraid he was dying.
I dropped everything and delayed getting the children to bed and set up his subQs. I then tried to get him to eat, but he wouldn't eat a bite. I even sauteed some chicken in olive oil and garlic as an enticement and he wouldn't have a thing to do with it. At that time I had no idea to only give half or so of the insulin so I went ahead and gave him his dose. And then we went to sleep. He was in bed next to me, and I was fearful he wouldn't make it through the night. His antibiotic course is 12 and 12, so I was up at midnight and thought to give a dose of simethicone and then his antibiotic.(CONT'D -Due to LENGTH!)
; Dx 06-11-14; 6.8lbs! but 12lbs would be better!; 2 meals q D of 
)
: He had pee peed up on the wooden deck, and I was hoping to still find some of his pee standing somewhere. I was reading the directions as fast as I could and saw you could either catch in stream or dip in a cup so I thought, "Hm. Well there is a nice bit of pooling pee pee there, surely that is cup-like. . ." 
Seriously, I used four strips (because I was soaking the first one and didn't have my watch to time 15 seconds, although I tried counting as best I could). I was frantically hunting for the color strip with which to gauge the color and digging around in the box and turning over the directions when I saw the colors on the bottle. Duh. So I figured I had better move on to strip two. So I scrutinized all four strips, and even way after the 15 second mark it looked as if they didn't budge in color. What I got from this method, was "trace" to "small". It really looked more like "trace", mostly, but erring on the side of caution I could say, maybe a tinge of "small". And all four strips looked the same, except for the one I did that I scraped and it was a little dirty (brown), but still obviously not darker. 
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