New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

[Abby's Mom]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

I forgot to ask - what brand of dog treats does everyone recommend? We're looking for a better treat for Ruby. She usually only eats Charlee Bear cranberry & turkey liver ones, but I've been told they're not good since the first ingredient is wheat. Someone recommended the Blue Buffalo Mini Bars because they are a good carb source. Ruby only gets treats after her injections so we want something that is healthy and won't "hurt" her. Please - any advice is really appreciated! Thank you!

We use the Blue Buffalo Health Bars for treats when giving shots. I give Abby 1/2 of one bar... but only certain flavors are OK. Some of the ingredients are Molasses and you want to refrain from those. I used the Bacon Egg and Cheese, as well as the yogurt Apple ones.

[allison]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

I am brand new to this also. I have an 8yr. old Shorkie who was diagnosed 1 month ago. He's 12lbs and his blood glucose was in the 600's~We are now up to 7 units, as of tonight (humalin N) and as of today at his 6 hr. peak test he was only 390...which seems great compared to the 500/600's but still not good..

I am equally upset as I don't understand how this can take so long to regulate. He's been doing this now for 1 month and having Vet glucose tests 3x a week.

I brought him in within 1 week of this ridiculous amount of drinking and peeing and we started immediately on 2 units. How long is this regulation period and is he being damaged because we haven't gotten it right?

advice? thoughts? anything...

[jjefferjo]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

Hey
Check the yogurt apple ones for molasses- I use the original and the Bacon and chesse - Ed gets a 4th

[JayneN]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

For treats I bought the Solid Gold Cinna Bones and the SG Dyna Bones...they both are listed as being acceptable for diabetic dogs...they have no added sugar and no fat. The cinna bones are a medium size bone, can be broken and I think they come in a smaller size...the dyna bones are litte bitsy size...I give 2 of those after his evening injection. The Dyna bones have added vitamins that are supposedly good for eye health also.

a couple links to read up on them if you care to:

http://http://www.wag.com/dog/p/soli...iscuits-118180

http://http://www.k9cuisine.com/p-18...og-treats.aspx

[Abby's Mom]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

Hey
Check the yogurt apple ones for molasses- I use the original and the Bacon and chesse - Ed gets a 4th

I normally buy the Bacon and Egg only, but there is another one that does not have molasses... thought it was the Apple,yogurt... but it does have carrots, but no molasses:

Oatmeal, Ground Barley, Ground Whole Oats, Rye, Chicken Meal, Apples, Yogurt, Dried Egg, Flaxseed (natural source of Omega 3 Fatty Acids), Chicken Fat (naturally preserved with mixed tocopherols and citric acid), Carrots, Cinnamon, Oat Fiber, Vitamin C, Vitamin E Supplement, Salt, Calcium Carbonate.

I think the Chicken Liver one is ok as well.

[sheureka]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

For after shot treats Rowlf gets 1/3 strip of chicken jerky and 1 Fruitable cranberry cookie. And you have a very, very cute dog.

[Shellie]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

We use Cheerios for treats since they are very healthy but have to watch how many. Also use cat treats since they are very small and usually low calorie. Again, moderation with those. Hank does really like the Wellness Pure Rewards. Those are low calorie and chewy so can take a bit to work on one.

[Bre3annaB]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

Thanks to everyone for the advice on treats. We ended up trying the Blue Buffalo health bars in Bacon, Egg & Cheese as well as the Apple Yogurt ones. They don't have molasses and Ruby seems to like them a lot.

Yesterday we had a scary experience ... Ruby seemed quite lethargic and not her usual self. Thankfully we had a Vet visit scheduled to check her glucose level. Turns out it was a 46 - very low! The Vet told us not to give her insulin last night and only give her 2 units this AM. She won't get any insulin tonight either. You all weren't kidding when you said regulation can take a while. I hope we can find an insulin dose for her that works. Seems as if we can't find a middle ground.

Thanks to everyone for your support.

[momofdecker]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

Thanks to everyone for the advice on treats. We ended up trying the Blue Buffalo health bars in Bacon, Egg & Cheese as well as the Apple Yogurt ones. They don't have molasses and Ruby seems to like them a lot.

Yesterday we had a scary experience ... Ruby seemed quite lethargic and not her usual self. Thankfully we had a Vet visit scheduled to check her glucose level. Turns out it was a 46 - very low! The Vet told us not to give her insulin last night and only give her 2 units this AM. She won't get any insulin tonight either. You all weren't kidding when you said regulation can take a while. I hope we can find an insulin dose for her that works. Seems as if we can't find a middle ground.

Thanks to everyone for your support.

Good job realizing Ruby was not acting quite right! Glad you were able to catch the 46 low! Did the vet give her karo or anything carby to bring her bg back up to a safer range?

My Decker was unintentionally overdosed when he was first diagnosed. We skipped a lot of shots due to low numbers. Once we joined this forum it was recommended that we lower the dose to stop the rebounding he was experiencing (would go from under 20 to over 600). It was also explained to us how important consistency is. We did cut back the insulin (from 40u to 20u and then to 15u). Once the insulin was reduced we were able to give two shots a day (12 hours apart each day). I believe it is important to be able to give two shots a day. Hopefully your vet will work with you to find a dose in which you are safely able to do that. So glad Ruby is okay! Holli

[Shellie]

Re: New Diabetic Dog - Advice Please!

Thank goodness you happened to have that visit scheduled! Catching the lows sometimes is one of those out of the blue things. I know that is how I caught Hank's..he had no symptoms. Hope things will settle out shortly! Hugs!