Intro - New & Overwhelmed

[amydunn19]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

It is very lucky he will eat anything - that is a blessing!

It is probably best to wait on the curve anyway. In the beginning, it is tough. The numbers can be higher than expected because dogs are at starting dosages. People want to get their numbers down quickly - just remember this will be a slow process of small raises typically. If you go too quickly, you can pass the proper dose. Beau's numbers may be fine but I feel like I should at least warn you so as not to be discouraged if you don't see progress right away. Dosages usually take time to settle sometimes before you can see any progress. Since he had issues with ketones, you might want some of the ketone strips on hand so if his numbers are high, you can check his levels. You can buy them at the drugstore.

You are going to do fine with this - you are already on top of things.

[Cara Sandler]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

And by the way, your babies are gorgeous! I've always wanted a cavalier!

[CavMom]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

Since he had issues with ketones, you might want some of the ketone strips on hand so if his numbers are high, you can check his levels. You can buy them at the drugstore.

Really? Like the Bayer Ketostix? I actually have some of them on hand from my Atkins Diet jigs, lol. Look for my next post titled "How do you get a pee sample from a moving target?"

And by the way, your babies are gorgeous! I've always wanted a cavalier!

Thank you! They really are the sweetest dogs.. which is probably why I ended up with 4, lol.

[farrwf]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

How do you get a pee sample from a moving target?"

It's quite easy with a male. Use a soup ladle, or a cup.

[CraigM]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

It's quite easy with a male. Use a soup ladle, or a cup.

Probably not one you plan to use for YOUR dinner :-)

[Carol & Milo]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

It's quite easy with a male. Use a soup ladle, or a cup.

I just follow Milo around the yard with the ketone strip in my hand waiting for him to lift his leg so he can pee on the strip. lol I'm glad I have a privacy fence or the neighbors would think I'm crazy.

When I had girl doggies, I would use the clear flat plastic lids from the salads at the grocery store deli.

Carol & Milo

[Cara Sandler]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

Sparky wouldn't let me get that close to him while he was peeing, so I used a soup ladle. Even then he thought I was out of my mind!

[CavMom]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

Gah

So we took Beau into the vet today at 4:30 to pick up his glucometer (AlphaTrak2) and get some instruction.

When he was in the clinic last time for an all-day curve, they found the best place to get blood from my hairy beast was on the very outer edge of the paw pad... the part least calloused, so that's where she showed us to take it. During the instruction, his reading was 36.3 (653) - ack! That was 2 hours prior to his evening meal/insulin.

We decided to get a few more readings through the night, and here's how that went.. I'll convert the numbers

7:30pm (1 hr post meal/injection) - 39.5 (711)
8:30pm (2 hrs post meal/injection) - 34.2 (615)
10:00pm (3.5 hrs post meal/injection) -25.2 (453)

Clearly his numbers are still way too high. They said we wouldn't evaluate another increase in insulin until we got another curve, which I planned to do next Saturday when I'm home all day. But I decided I'm going to bring him to work with me tomorrow so I can do a 12 hour curve. He's comfortable there, low-stress, he just curls up in a corner of my office and isn't bothered by much so though it's not as relaxed as home I feel it's better than waiting for the weekend. I'd really like to get him to 5 units. He weighed in at 22 lbs tonight so no change in his weight over last week.

Even with numbers this high I should note that he is eating/drinking/peeing normally. He does not seem lethargic at all.

I'm trying not to freak out, though the numbers are alarming, I have to look at the dog, and he is just Beau being normal Beau. I'm not freaking out. I'm not freaking out....

[CavMom]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

Sparky wouldn't let me get that close to him while he was peeing, so I used a soup ladle. Even then he thought I was out of my mind!

LOL, Beau is a serial marker so I plan to bring some Ketostix with me to work tomorrow and walk him out by the bushes. I'm interested to see how he reacts to me intercepting his pee.

When interpreting the test strips, am I looking for any ketones in the urine, or am I concerned with only high concentration (dark reds), or am I looking for none at all?

[CraigM]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

I've looked back through the thread and can't find which insulin you are using. Are you using Caninsulin? 4 units of Caninsulin is pretty much a starting dosage for a 22 pound pup. As long as you don't see any numbers below 300ish (16 mmol/L) during the curve, going to 5 units would be justified.

One other thing I'd like to confirm. If you are using Caninsulin, are you using U-40 syringes? (check on the package, or barrel of the syringe)

Craig

[CavMom]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

I've looked back through the thread and can't find which insulin you are using. Are you using Caninsulin? 4 units of Caninsulin is pretty much a starting dosage for a 22 pound pup. As long as you don't see any numbers below 300ish (16 mmol/L) during the curve, going to 5 units would be justified.

One other thing I'd like to confirm. If you are using Caninsulin, are you using U-40 syringes? (check on the package, or barrel of the syringe)

Craig

Sorry, yes.. Caninsulin and U-40 syringes. They started him at 3 units and we moved to 4. When I had him at Guelph OVC last Wed for his ultrasound they did a glucose test, roughly 5 hours post-meal/insulin, and it was at 15.5 mmol/L. I was so happy with that number as it was the lowest we've seen through this. But now he seems to have gone haywire again.

I'm tempted to do one more now just to see if it's come down from 25.

[Cara Sandler]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

You're looking for glucose or ketones in the urine.

[CavMom]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

You're looking for glucose or ketones in the urine.

Roger that!

Ok I took one more reading, this one 5 hours post insulin, and this one I took from the upper (inner) lip. 18.7 (336) - yay!

But such a big variance?! 39.5 to 18.7 in 5 hours? (711 to 336), is that normal? Would you get some variance taking it from the paw pad vs. inner lip? Could the lip be more accurate (she asks hopefully)?

Come to think of it, any time the clinic has taken his blood, either for spot checks or the 12 hour curve, they were using his paw pad and were always getting readings in the mid 20's to low 30's, but when I took him to Guelph OVC last week he had a mid-day reading of 15.5. Could we have been getting inaccurate readings from the paw pad?

This is all making my head spin

[CavMom]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

Also, he didn't mind it from the inner lip. The thought freaked me out more, but I wanted to try a different spot. He certainly has enough jowls to work with, lol.

Man.. I never thought I'd be excited about sticking a needle in my dog's lip

[CraigM]

Re: Intro - New & Overwhelmed

Roger that!

Ok I took one more reading, this one 5 hours post insulin, and this one I took from the upper (inner) lip. 18.7 (336) - yay!

But such a big variance?! 39.5 to 18.7 in 5 hours? (711 to 336), is that normal? Would you get some variance taking it from the paw pad vs. inner lip? Could the lip be more accurate (she asks hopefully)?

Come to think of it, any time the clinic has taken his blood, either for spot checks or the 12 hour curve, they were using his paw pad and were always getting readings in the mid 20's to low 30's, but when I took him to Guelph OVC last week he had a mid-day reading of 15.5. Could we have been getting inaccurate readings from the paw pad?

This is all making my head spin

I really don't think (but don't know for sure) the location you get the blood sample would make much of a difference. The same blood flows through the entire body, so I'm thinking the readings should be about the same wherever the sample comes from??? I suppose there could be a small difference for the first hour, or two, after eating because I remember human diabetics are advised to test only on the finger tip for the first several hours after eating.

The lower reading at the vet hospital "might" just be due to his excitement? Excitement can be like exercise and give lower readings. Then later in the 12 hour cycle the readings might be a little higher because the insulin was "used-up" during the excitement / exercise, I think.

Isn't all this great fun

Craig