Hi Everyone!
My 10 yr old Chi mix (possibly Boston or Pug) was diagnosed with diabetes about 6 wks ago and we are still in the process of figuring it all out. My sister and I live together, are both retired and both have Lyme Disease, various co-infections and chronic pain. We are also in the process of moving altho currently have 15 boxes out of about 5,000 packed so it may take some time before we actually make the move. Needless to say, we have a lot on our plates right now.
As we don't work, both of us realized immediately that he started drinking too much water and urinating excessively and we saw his vet two days later. We were surprised to discover how high his glucose was, the AlphaTrak2 monitor wouldn't even read it, no number, it only said Hi. Our vet had us bring him in right away to inject him with insulin and she showed us how to do it. He's about 15 lbs, or at least he was to start, and she started him off at 2units of insulin after breakfast, 2 units after dinner and every 5 -7 days we do the blood curve, send her the results and she adjusts the dose accordingly. Right now he is on 6 units at 8am and 5 units at 8pm with meals. He is only eating 1/2 cup of chicken or beef twice a day. He doesn't get any kibble or treats altho this week she said he could have bully sticks to chew on but he's not crazy about them so rarely touches them.
There are a couple of areas of immediate concern. He is on Caninsulin and not always, but fairly often, he eats, has his injection, then 2 - 21/2 hrs he starts panting like crazy and his whole chest and stomach are heaving very quickly. It's scary to see him pant so hard like that. We either put him in the sink and run cool water on him or wipe him down with water and put a fan on him. Sometimes it stops quite quickly, other times he pants heavily for 2-3 hrs. We've taken his readings when it happens and they are high still but not as high as other times when he hasn't had the insulin for awhile. For example, we did a blood curve today and took the first reading at 8am before he had breakfast and insulin and his reading was 30.1 and there was no panting. When we tested him a couple of hrs after his insulin and food when he started panting both mid morning and around 10:30pm, his readings were in the low 20's. He was lower in the midday, 10.4 and 14.3 and there was no panting. He literally pants approximately 2 hrs after his food and insulin when his glucose no.s are midrange for him so we know it has something to do with the insulin. Do dogs ever have an allergic or bad reaction to the insulin? What could be some reasons for panting so hard?
Our second issue is with the curve and getting a spot of blood. He doesn't like his mouth or paws messed with so the ears are our only option. I call myself "The Prick" as somehow I got elected to do the dirty work. I have really struggled with it and it doesn't seem to be getting much easier as time goes on. I've seen the videos of various animals being tested who hardly seem to realize they have been stabbed with a pin or needle. My guy reacts each time and I feel horrible hurting him. I don't understand how sometimes I can give him a good prick and no blood comes out so I do it again and nothing. I know I'm doing it hard enough, he about jumps out of his skin but I look and there's no blood. Sometimes I give a light prick and get blood; it makes no sense. And I hate hurting him; how to I get to the point like the ones in the videos who seem not to feel anything? Any tips? I can't imagine doing this every 5 days for the rest of his life.
I would really appreciate if anyone could offer any suggestions, information and sage advice. Thanks in advance!
Cheers,
Julia
My 10 yr old Chi mix (possibly Boston or Pug) was diagnosed with diabetes about 6 wks ago and we are still in the process of figuring it all out. My sister and I live together, are both retired and both have Lyme Disease, various co-infections and chronic pain. We are also in the process of moving altho currently have 15 boxes out of about 5,000 packed so it may take some time before we actually make the move. Needless to say, we have a lot on our plates right now.
As we don't work, both of us realized immediately that he started drinking too much water and urinating excessively and we saw his vet two days later. We were surprised to discover how high his glucose was, the AlphaTrak2 monitor wouldn't even read it, no number, it only said Hi. Our vet had us bring him in right away to inject him with insulin and she showed us how to do it. He's about 15 lbs, or at least he was to start, and she started him off at 2units of insulin after breakfast, 2 units after dinner and every 5 -7 days we do the blood curve, send her the results and she adjusts the dose accordingly. Right now he is on 6 units at 8am and 5 units at 8pm with meals. He is only eating 1/2 cup of chicken or beef twice a day. He doesn't get any kibble or treats altho this week she said he could have bully sticks to chew on but he's not crazy about them so rarely touches them.
There are a couple of areas of immediate concern. He is on Caninsulin and not always, but fairly often, he eats, has his injection, then 2 - 21/2 hrs he starts panting like crazy and his whole chest and stomach are heaving very quickly. It's scary to see him pant so hard like that. We either put him in the sink and run cool water on him or wipe him down with water and put a fan on him. Sometimes it stops quite quickly, other times he pants heavily for 2-3 hrs. We've taken his readings when it happens and they are high still but not as high as other times when he hasn't had the insulin for awhile. For example, we did a blood curve today and took the first reading at 8am before he had breakfast and insulin and his reading was 30.1 and there was no panting. When we tested him a couple of hrs after his insulin and food when he started panting both mid morning and around 10:30pm, his readings were in the low 20's. He was lower in the midday, 10.4 and 14.3 and there was no panting. He literally pants approximately 2 hrs after his food and insulin when his glucose no.s are midrange for him so we know it has something to do with the insulin. Do dogs ever have an allergic or bad reaction to the insulin? What could be some reasons for panting so hard?
Our second issue is with the curve and getting a spot of blood. He doesn't like his mouth or paws messed with so the ears are our only option. I call myself "The Prick" as somehow I got elected to do the dirty work. I have really struggled with it and it doesn't seem to be getting much easier as time goes on. I've seen the videos of various animals being tested who hardly seem to realize they have been stabbed with a pin or needle. My guy reacts each time and I feel horrible hurting him. I don't understand how sometimes I can give him a good prick and no blood comes out so I do it again and nothing. I know I'm doing it hard enough, he about jumps out of his skin but I look and there's no blood. Sometimes I give a light prick and get blood; it makes no sense. And I hate hurting him; how to I get to the point like the ones in the videos who seem not to feel anything? Any tips? I can't imagine doing this every 5 days for the rest of his life.
I would really appreciate if anyone could offer any suggestions, information and sage advice. Thanks in advance!
Cheers,
Julia
Comment