Just Diagnosed Wednesday - totally stressed!

[Quincy’sMom]

Hi All. Forgive me if I haven’t posted this right - I’m not very tech savvy. Quincy is an 11 yr old yorkiepoo who was diagnosed Wed. The vet tech showed me how to administer his insulin and I was sent home to give him his first shot at 7 pm that night. He had his soft food and I gave him the shot immediately after. He’s on Vetsulin 2.5 dose. His current weight is 19.4 lbs. About 1 1/2 hr after the shot he started to “lightly” pant. 12 hrs after his first he had his next shot after his breakfast. The same thing happened with the panting about 1 1/2 hrs after the shot. I am overwhelmed with everything I’ve read, I have ordered the alpha track and ran to four different stores looking for a human glucose reader, needles etc. I called the vet before they closed early for New Years and they said to just keep on with things for these first two weeks, but I’m worried because he’s so lethargic. One minute I’m sure he must be hypoglycemic and the next I’m sure he is in ketoacidosis! I’ve tried to check his glucose with a human meter and the two times I finally got enough blood on the stick I got an error message E6 - that meant the temp wasn’t right! Ugh! I just want him to get through this holiday weekend without me killing him so I can get him back to the vet so they can help me to help him get better!

[wild lady wolf]

Re: Just Diagnosed Wednesday - totally stressed!

Hello and welcome,

You must wait for the food to digest at least 20 minutes before you give the insulin. It is a long road and right now you need to stick to a strict routine of feeding and waiting for those few minutes before the injection. I know how stressful it is for you and the weekend is almost done. Just try to be calm to help your dog.

I have an alpha track meter that I will gladly send to you if you want.

The strips are pricier than Pettest so I don’t use it.

Good luck with your baby!

[k9diabetes]

Re: Just Diagnosed Wednesday - totally stressed!

Blood sugar that’s too high is less risky than blood sugar that’s too low as long he doesn’t already have ketones. So to feel calmer, you could reduce the insulin a little, maybe half a unit, and see whether that makes things better or worse.

But the insulin dose he’s on is also quite small for his size. Not very likely to be too much. High blood sugar seems more likely. You may be able to get ketone and glucose test strips for urine. That would allow you to determine whether there’s an urgent problem.

Could also take him to an emergency vet just to get his blood sugar tested so you know which way it is.

As long as no ketones, high blood sugar is uncomfortable but not dangerous. Very low blood is dangerous. So urine strips can help you sort that out.

Also, check to make sure you are actually giving 2.5 units.

You have Vetsulin and U40 syringes that you fill to between the 2 and 3 mark, yes?

Natalie

[Quincy’sMom]

Re: Just Diagnosed Wednesday - totally stressed!

Thanks so much for the replies! Yes, I am filling the syringe between the two and the three. Seeing your reply reminded me that I did buy some keytone urine test strips on a run to the store this morning - I think I was so stressed I forgot about them! Also, I have ordered the alpha track meter it should arrive early this week.

I was scared to give him his insulin shot at 7 am - he barely touched his food and I was afraid it would be bad if he had it without food. I ended up giving it to him at noon -by then he started to look like he was interested in eating something so I warmed his soft food and that seemed to do the trick. That time he got his shot about 15 min after he ate, because he went outside do his business. He seemed better after that and even seemed interested in what we were eating at dinner time. I didn’t realize I was supposed to wait a bit after he ate to give him the insulin, that did seem to help. I hope at some point I can adjust his 12 hour intervals back to morning and early evening.
Is it normal when they are first on the insulin for them to sleep so much? I will try and test his urine tomorrow. Thanks again, I’m feeling more at ease thanks to him perking up a bit as well as the feedback from you both and all the encouragement and knowledge shared on this forum!

[k9diabetes]

Re: Just Diagnosed Wednesday - totally stressed!

Waiting to inject until after eating is one way to go but not the only way. I would say that most people inject immediately after eating. Depends, once a routine is established, on the food and type of insulin and how an individual dog processes the two.

But it can be very helpful if your dog is not feeling well and you're concerned he might throw up.

So glad you got some ketone strips!! That will let you know if you have an emergency situation or not. If no ketones, the high blood sugar is not dangerously high.

To get back on a regular schedule, you can give a small amount of insulin without food - usually 1/4 of their regular dose is safe. So if he doesn't want to eat in the morning at the usual time, you could just give him 0.5 or 1.0 units of insulin and then wait to feed him again until dinner time.

It's pretty common for a dog who has high blood sugar to not want to eat and dogs often don't want to eat in the morning. Not sure why, but it's almost never the evening meal that's a problem. Our dog, who is not diabetic, was having some health problems and would tend not to eat in the morning but would wolf his food down in the evening.

Let us know what you get on the ketone tests and how he's doing!

Natalie

[Quincy’sMom]

Re: Just Diagnosed Wednesday - totally stressed!

He seems very interested in eating this morning, should I give him his breakfast and his insulin now (full or partial dose) or have him wait for the full 12 hr interval?
I missed my chance to check his urine this morning as my husband had him out first.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Just Diagnosed Wednesday - totally stressed!

Always best to wait the 12 hours. You want to try to get on a regular schedule.

[wild lady wolf]

Re: Just Diagnosed Wednesday - totally stressed!

It is really hard to stick to a 12 hour schedule if you are doing this by yourself. In our case, I take care of the 4:30 am feeding/walking, prepare the insulin shot and my husband repeats the same routine 12 hours later while I am at work. I guess that is how Mr Shadow has managed these years since he was first diagnosed. It requires a lot of sacrifices but in the end it is always so worth it to care for these lovely pups! Our lives would not be the same without our little black dog. So hang in there because it will become part of your daily routine. We have regular dog treats in case his glucose level drops, which has happened a few times and it is scarier than the high levels. Gotta find the balance for your dog. Good luck