Roo - newly diagnosed, ketoacidosis - Roo has passed

[RoosMom]

My dog has been sick a while. She is 14 years old. Long story short, the vet today told me she has diabetes. I could not afford the $1K per night to put her in the hospital so I brought her home. Now I'm very worried.

She is sleeping and unable to move much. She has not stood up all day. She has not peed either and has not eaten, but she did drink and they gave her insulin and iv fluids for about 4 hours.I know that I could lose her overnight but she appears to be resting well. Except now I am worried that she might go into unconsciousness instead of just sleep.

I am supposed to bring her back in in the morning to get her blood monitored again and they will run more tests on her and admin meds, iv fluids etc.

Is there anything I should do in an emergency like put syrup under her tongue and how would I know when that is?? What signs would I be looking for?

[k9diabetes]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

What was her blood sugar? Did she have ketones? Did you start insulin?

Natalie

[k9diabetes]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

Dogs can tolerate high blood sugar better than people do. If she doesn't have ketones, she should be okay tonight. I have seen many dogs with blood sugar in the 600s and 700s.

Natalie

[Rubytuesday]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

Scary stuff I know.

If they were giving IV fluids I imagine she had Ketones present???

If that is the case I would offer her water throughout the night and try to encourage her to drink. You can add some tuna juice from tuna soaked in water not oil.

Dogs can recover from diabetic ketoacidosis, but they can also die from it. I know it is a terrible situation to be unable to afford the care they need.

Oftentimes when dogs have been hospitalized for DKA the blood sugar will be brought down at a quicker pace with a fast acting insulin in addition to the intermediate one. One needs to be able to test the bgs when doing this. We can help you with home testing if you are up to it.

Tara

[RoosMom]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

Thanks for the replies. I'm reeling from the various things said. I think she said 900 with Keytoacidotic. She said her condition was guarded.
She is resting but does look up and try to move. She seems to be paralyzed, back legs wont move at all and front legs are not coordinated. She has drank some water twice now. They started some human insulin I bought it at the pharmacy for them, but seems they gave her 3 times,two of humunlin N and one of Vetsulin. Other things were fluids with potassium, unasyn injection, iv cathether, blood glucose, CBC with Diff, and an ultrasound. She said my Roo had liver and kidney issues too. I would test her or whatever but i have no idea how to do anything and researching this under pressure if tough.

[Auddog]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

Hi there,

I want to welcome you to the forum, and I'm so sorry that your Roo is having such a rough night, but I have high hopes that she'll be okay. The paralysis may be a sign of neropathy, which I know other pup owners have had to deal with, but it typically goes away with better blood sugar regulation.

Home testing is a valuable tool, and can give you a wealth of information if your up to it. Many of us on the forum use a people blood sugar meter that you can get at your local pharmacy. One of the best prices you can get is the ReliOn meters sold at walmart. This would be my recommended shopping list if you want to jump into home testing:

1 people meter
1 vial of testing strips that go with your meter
1 box of low gauge lancets (I know it's counter intuitive but the lower the gauge number the thicker the needle, which generally gives you a better blood droplet)
1 box of ketone urine testing strips

Here is the link to the page that has quite a few videos of people testing their dog's blood blood sugar, which will help get you started:

http://www.k9diabetes.com/bgtestvideos.html

I know this has got to be really tough for you and Roo, but we forum folk will do everything we can to help you through this. Try your best to encourage her to drink some fluids.

Best of luck to you. We'll keep you in our thoughts and prayers,

Audrey & Bazzle

[RoosMom]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

Thanks so much for the info on nueropathy. Very helpful. I'm getting mixed messages from my family about what to do here, I guess I'll wait through the night and see where it goes.

[Rubytuesday]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

I will check on you in the am. I have nursed dogs through rough patches at home due to financial concerns.

If you can get her through this she may be able to make a fairly big turnaround once diabetes is treated.

I would encourage you not to make any decisions now unless she is suffering.

Sending healing prayers till am.

Tara

[jebsmom]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

How is she doing this morning?

[Monsters Momma]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

Just wanted to welcome you and tell you that you have found the best place for support and information. The folks here have been through what you are going through right now, even the questioning whether or not they are doing the right thing. Tara is right, now is not the time to make a decision unless Roo is suffering. Ketoacidosis can be overcome, but it will take some work on your part. Please let us know how she's doing today and what the vet is saying and of course, what we can do to help. You may not know the questions to ask right now, but just telling us what is going on, can give us a clue as to what we can offer as support!

I know this diabetes thing can be overwhelming and to have ketoacidosis on top of that is beyond what we think we (us and our pups) can handle. You can do this! Just hang in there.
Mel

[RoosMom]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

She made it through the night. She did drink twice and woke up this morning with a dry mouth, not taking any water though. i am about to load her into the car back to the vet. she is comfortable but a little worried because she knows she cannot walk or get up. She did sit up a bit. I have some belief she could pull. she did not urinate since yesterday morning, if even. not sure. i am worried about things shutting down. She could be holding it, she is a tremendously house trained pup. She has gone long durations holding it even when i figured she would have wet somewhere she rarely has. The vet never mentioned neuropathy so as if they don't realize. they were very busy yesterday but still. perhaps they dont have much experience with this. there is a nearby vet that has treated diabetes from reviews with someone who posted that mentioned it. I'm considering going elsewhere, like there.

[jebsmom]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

So glad she made it through the night. The vet can give her IV fluids as well as fast acting insulin. Be sure to get a copy of any testing they do.

My dog started out with ketoacidosis and also was unable to get up when we took him to the vet. It's very serious, but the majority of dogs do recover.

Is your girl spayed?

Sending you strength.

[Monsters Momma]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

Hopefully you'll get some real time from the vet so you can get some answers. Sending you both strength along with Glennys!

[Auddog]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

I'm also very relieved to hear she made it through the night
Getting a second opinion from a more experienced vet wouldn't be a bad idea. It's also possible that they were so concerned about the ketoacidosis that the thought of neuropathy didn't cross their minds. There's also a possibility that it's not neuropathy at all, and she's just feeling too weak from feeling crumby. I would still expect to see it get better as her blood sugar comes down.

Don't forget to get a copy of everything they do, so if you get a second opinion you can show them what's been done. If you're feeling up to it, we would love to hear more about your girl

How much does Roo weigh?
Is she spayed?
What kind of pup is she?
What was her feeding schedule like before she got sick? (once a day, twice a day, free feeding?)
What was she eating before she got sick?

Bazz and I will keep our fingers and paws crossed for you & Roo. Sending cyber hugs, and healing vibes your way,

Audrey & Bazzle

[RoosMom]

Re: New to Forum, Dog is in bad shape tonight

Thanks again for all the replies. i really appreciate the support.
So she did urinate this morning. She is pretty perky for a sick girl.

Here are her stats
12-14 year old female spayed Queensland Heeler
Weight is about 55 lbs.

Too big for an old woman like me to carry.
Wheeled her out on a dolly and had help to lift her.
She was eating regular dog food (Beneful healthy weight) once a day (mistake I guess) prior to this. I was told to limit it, but she would eat my other dogs food as well and drink a lot of water. She had lost 10 lbs in a year, but in the last 5 days she lost another 6 lbs. from not eating at all. She has not eaten for over 5 days now and is sustaining on the IV and just dog will.

Some number went down overnight so she is a slight better Now doing xray for pneumonia. She has compromised liver and kidney function. Vet said she would normally be in ICU but when asked, they said they believe they can give her the monitoring and care in office without issue. I felt that is true. They are giving her IV with fluids and potassium. They are giving her the shots from the Human insulin ( faster acting?).

I originally took her in for a possible foxtail in her nose, but she also had this "arthritis" for a year, and some time before that. Now I'm thinking that as well she has had this neuropathy or whatever in addition. As she was shaky and weak getting up for the last several weeks. The last time she acted like a killer dog was about 3/25, so she has been fading for several weeks now. When i took her in on the 29th for the foxtail they said no, probably not because she was not sneezing enough for that, but I was not convinced. They gave her antibiotic and Rimydl. Then a few days ago after she failed the antibiotics and I stopped both meds, cause she got diarreha I took her back and they gave her flagl and Duralctin. I never gave her the Drualactin because I could not get the flagl into her since she stopped eating. I managed to get one dost of flagl in a syringe with baby food and water but that was it. Then went back and she began all the not walking and failing stuff.

They have given her antibiotic and trying to modulate the diabetes. I should get a call soon with new info on the results of the Xray.
Poor baby.