These forums have been a mine of valuable information for me in the last month.
My little dog, Poppy, was diagnosed with diabetes in early March. She is a 10 year old, 14lb terrier. She was generally looking "grey", if that makes sense - slowing down and looking old. If you threw a ball, she would run for it but be quite wheezy. Then she started to drink lots of water and to have a few accidents around the house.
At the vets, her glucose was over 600 and she was put on 3 units caninsulin twice a day.
She was listless, slept a lot but was happy to come out for walks.
After a week, her glucose level, 5 hours after injecting, was down to 270 which was very pleasing. By this point she was beginning to perk up big-time.
The next week, a test at the same time of day (on a meter) was 86 and 2 weeks later, today, her bg was 58.
I know that the last 2 readings sound really low but I think the vet's instant meter reads low. When her bg was 270, the meter was reading 198.
She certainly has shown no signs of hypoglycemia. In fact she's like a new dog - friends say that she appears so much younger. The wheeziness has disappeared, she is energetic, playful and looks fantastic
We changed her food to Hills R/D with a spoon of minced cooked chicken added and since diagnosis, she has lost 1lb, which is really noticeable on her. The vet wants her to lose another pound before changing to w/d.
I hated the new routine at first - and so did Poppy. In the morning, after breakfast, I'd nearly have to chase her around the house to give her her jab. Then I started giving her a reward - just the tiniest morsel of chicken, and generally making less of a drama of it. Lo and behold, this evening she actually came over and presented her back to me to get injected. What this dog will do for food!
So far, I know I have had an easy ride compared to others on this forum so I am not getting complacent. Luckily I work from home and can keep a close eye on her.
I have 1 or 2 questions
1. My sister-in-law had gestational diabetes and has offered me her glucose meter - would a meter designed for humans work on a dog? I wouldn't mind doing curves and having a little more information on how Poppy's levels are during the day.
2. Is it inevitable that they will lose their sight?
3. Caninsulin is the only insulin that was offered to me. Is it not as good as others? Where I live, we have no Wal-marts so I have no choice but to get the insulin from the vet.
Thanks in advance for your input. It's great to know that I'm not going through this alone.
My little dog, Poppy, was diagnosed with diabetes in early March. She is a 10 year old, 14lb terrier. She was generally looking "grey", if that makes sense - slowing down and looking old. If you threw a ball, she would run for it but be quite wheezy. Then she started to drink lots of water and to have a few accidents around the house.
At the vets, her glucose was over 600 and she was put on 3 units caninsulin twice a day.
She was listless, slept a lot but was happy to come out for walks.
After a week, her glucose level, 5 hours after injecting, was down to 270 which was very pleasing. By this point she was beginning to perk up big-time.
The next week, a test at the same time of day (on a meter) was 86 and 2 weeks later, today, her bg was 58.
I know that the last 2 readings sound really low but I think the vet's instant meter reads low. When her bg was 270, the meter was reading 198.
She certainly has shown no signs of hypoglycemia. In fact she's like a new dog - friends say that she appears so much younger. The wheeziness has disappeared, she is energetic, playful and looks fantastic
We changed her food to Hills R/D with a spoon of minced cooked chicken added and since diagnosis, she has lost 1lb, which is really noticeable on her. The vet wants her to lose another pound before changing to w/d.
I hated the new routine at first - and so did Poppy. In the morning, after breakfast, I'd nearly have to chase her around the house to give her her jab. Then I started giving her a reward - just the tiniest morsel of chicken, and generally making less of a drama of it. Lo and behold, this evening she actually came over and presented her back to me to get injected. What this dog will do for food!
So far, I know I have had an easy ride compared to others on this forum so I am not getting complacent. Luckily I work from home and can keep a close eye on her.
I have 1 or 2 questions
1. My sister-in-law had gestational diabetes and has offered me her glucose meter - would a meter designed for humans work on a dog? I wouldn't mind doing curves and having a little more information on how Poppy's levels are during the day.
2. Is it inevitable that they will lose their sight?
3. Caninsulin is the only insulin that was offered to me. Is it not as good as others? Where I live, we have no Wal-marts so I have no choice but to get the insulin from the vet.
Thanks in advance for your input. It's great to know that I'm not going through this alone.
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