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George was taken into a foster rescue organization when his owner died. George was a grumpy Toy Fox Terrier who did not know how to get along with other dogs. I agreed to foster him, and my two “personal” dogs, both rat terriers, taught George some dog manners. My rats had helped me foster 40 + dogs over several years so they had gotten good at teaching other dogs important things like how to sniff butts agreeably and share a sofa.
George is not a cute fuzzy dog. At pet adoption events, the cute fuzzy dog next to him got adopted frequently. We fostered him for 3 years during which time all the other foster moms wanted me to sit with George beside their foster dog at adopt-a-pet events at Petco. Eventually, there was an adoption application for George (the people were looking for a TFT because theirs had died). I was ecstatic, but my husband had a fit, so we adopted George.
Almost immediately after the papers were signed George had to have serious surgery. He couldn’t pee because he had urinary crystals in his urinary tract and bladder. The surgery removed the crystals and included a “sex change operation” (he had a slit in his penis upstream of his urethra so future crystals could be eliminated.) He was sentenced to eat Science Diet UD formula for the rest of his life. I had been feeding California Natural, Fromm and Innova.
In the ensuing years George developed three super ugly lipomas (fatty tumors) that are each the size of half a baseball. In November 2010 I noticed sticky pee in front of the refrigerator. We took two dogs to the vet to be tested for diabetes and UTIs. Turned out George was diabetic and we had caught it way early. He was transferred from Science Diet UD to Science Diet WD and started on 2 units of Humulin N twice a day. We have to shoot him in the butt because his lipomas pull the skin over his shoulders and scruff too tight to use. (George is a priceless dog.)
Over time his insulin has increased to the present 8 units twice a day. We don’t feed properly. Breakfast is at 7:00 AM and dinner is at 4:00 PM. His weight is stable at 12 pounds. We used to go to the vet every week for an accurate weigh and glucose test. Now we go every two weeks. We vary when we arrive at the vet so he gets tests at 2 hours, 4 hours, and 6 hours after feeding and shot. The lowest reading we have had is 126, the highest 298. My vet charges $10 for this. George also gets Omega 3 oil and Dasuquin chews (glucosamine chondroitin). We top his food with grated cheese and feed Charlie Bears as treats (primarily protein – 3 calories each). We have treated George two or three times for UTIs, which are fairly common to dogs with sex change operations. So far his eyes are clear and he has no trouble seeing. My vet said that this is unprecedented in his experience. For this reason we don’t want to change anything we are doing even if it is wrong unless something with George's condition changes. George is around 11 or 12 years old.
I am very happy to find this forum. We have not had any diabetic crisis with George, but if and when we do, I will know where to get help and what to do. You guys are great!
George is not a cute fuzzy dog. At pet adoption events, the cute fuzzy dog next to him got adopted frequently. We fostered him for 3 years during which time all the other foster moms wanted me to sit with George beside their foster dog at adopt-a-pet events at Petco. Eventually, there was an adoption application for George (the people were looking for a TFT because theirs had died). I was ecstatic, but my husband had a fit, so we adopted George.
Almost immediately after the papers were signed George had to have serious surgery. He couldn’t pee because he had urinary crystals in his urinary tract and bladder. The surgery removed the crystals and included a “sex change operation” (he had a slit in his penis upstream of his urethra so future crystals could be eliminated.) He was sentenced to eat Science Diet UD formula for the rest of his life. I had been feeding California Natural, Fromm and Innova.
In the ensuing years George developed three super ugly lipomas (fatty tumors) that are each the size of half a baseball. In November 2010 I noticed sticky pee in front of the refrigerator. We took two dogs to the vet to be tested for diabetes and UTIs. Turned out George was diabetic and we had caught it way early. He was transferred from Science Diet UD to Science Diet WD and started on 2 units of Humulin N twice a day. We have to shoot him in the butt because his lipomas pull the skin over his shoulders and scruff too tight to use. (George is a priceless dog.)
Over time his insulin has increased to the present 8 units twice a day. We don’t feed properly. Breakfast is at 7:00 AM and dinner is at 4:00 PM. His weight is stable at 12 pounds. We used to go to the vet every week for an accurate weigh and glucose test. Now we go every two weeks. We vary when we arrive at the vet so he gets tests at 2 hours, 4 hours, and 6 hours after feeding and shot. The lowest reading we have had is 126, the highest 298. My vet charges $10 for this. George also gets Omega 3 oil and Dasuquin chews (glucosamine chondroitin). We top his food with grated cheese and feed Charlie Bears as treats (primarily protein – 3 calories each). We have treated George two or three times for UTIs, which are fairly common to dogs with sex change operations. So far his eyes are clear and he has no trouble seeing. My vet said that this is unprecedented in his experience. For this reason we don’t want to change anything we are doing even if it is wrong unless something with George's condition changes. George is around 11 or 12 years old.
I am very happy to find this forum. We have not had any diabetic crisis with George, but if and when we do, I will know where to get help and what to do. You guys are great!
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