Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

please start a log and put in everything. it.ll be helpful to review.

did the vet do a curve before prescribing insulin?

how much insulin did you inject this.morning? and
how much food was given, also post type kind of food please

to get on the right track i suggest doing a curve in the next couple of days. thats testing every 2 hours for a 12 hour period. post the results here then we.ll all look at it and show you how to proceed.

its not recommended to change insulin without a curve done and change only according to the lowest number

i.d suggest taking blood at least 4 to 5 times a day to keep check.

[Zoology1603]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

did the vet do a curve before prescribing insulin?

No. They used an AlphaTrak meter and tested on her ear. They seemed surprised when I pulled out my AlphaTrak meter. I had urine that I collected that morning and they were going to use a strip on that but they said it had to be fresh, not refrigerated, so they didn't do that test.

how much insulin did you inject this.morning? and how much food was given, also post type kind of food please

I injected 19 units, exactly what the vet told me to do.
She ate a handful of Freshpet Multi-protien complete meal and maybe a handful of Pure Balance Pro Performance canned this morning before her insulin.

to get on the right track i suggest doing a curve in the next couple of days. thats testing every 2 hours for a 12 hour period. post the results here then we.ll all look at it and show you how to proceed.

I have a couple of cans of Hills prescription diet a/d, if she will eat it, I will try to feed that to her tomorrow and do a curve.
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I just took another reading at 4:15pm (463) she ate previously at noon, a handful of Pure Balance Pro Performance canned. She at a couple more handfuls after I took her blood, finishing off the can finally. She won't touch the homemade food I cooked (BalanceIT) for her a while back with fresh meat, fruits and vegetables from the garden. I made a week's worth, so it's been going to the other dogs. I never know what she will eat from day to day.

[Zoology1603]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

when is your next schedule visit to the vet?

The beginning of October unless something happens in the meantime.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

thanks for answering the questions. you must be overwhelmed about now but be assured we.ll get her on the right path.

first off i never like it when diabetic dogs are sent home not monitored for weeks also
once a day insulin injection on only one test done and no curve done. theres no data on your dog except her weight that warrants a prescribed dosage. so far shes not dropping too fast.

i.d continue with the food she eats .choose between the freshpet and purebalance. i say those as lot of dogs dont like hills . we need her to gobble it up and feed her the recommended amount according to the manufacturer. it goes by weight. check the feed guide.

skip the curve tomorrow do it in a couple of days okay give her time to start eatng more food

so glad shes starting to eat. good job

most importantly test at least 4 times a day. check the stock of your strips.

your looking for numbers around 250 for most of the day. also constant peeing stops along with drinking alot of water, her hair gets thicker.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

if she doesnt eat dont inject insulin it.ll cause hypoglycemia extremely low blood suger.

its alot safer to feed twice a day and inject the lower dose of 7 or 8. then if she doesnt eat inject 1/4 dose, eats half inject 1/2. i cant fathom inject 19 units on an empty stomach or giving a quarter of 19 units.

they say inject once a day and if that doesnt work inject twice a day but like i just said, in the beginning alot of dogs need to get started on eating.

once a day injections i think are for dogs on a good routine eating the full amount according to the feed guide or when the food is weighed on a scale for individual foods.

honestly, people here are concerned. as i am. please consider feeding and injecting twice a day starting tomorrow morning.

[Zoology1603]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

i.d continue with the food she eats .choose between the freshpet and purebalance. i say those as lot of dogs dont like hills . we need her to gobble it up and feed her the recommended amount according to the manufacturer. it goes by weight. check the feed guide.

I hope I can get her eating up to the recommended amount. I'm practically hand feeding her and she just stops for some unknown reason. I think she has some reflux as it looks as though she burps and then she's done eating. The Omeprazole is supposed to be helping with this I believe. She took her first poop today in 3 days. Fairly hard and black but solid.

most importantly test at least 4 times a day. check the stock of your strips.

How's this for a plan of attack tomorrow?
Wake up in the morning, blood test #1.
Give her food if she is hungry. Probably around 7am again. Give her insulin.
1 1/2 hours later?, blood test #2.
If she eats again around noon, wait 1/2 hour and do blood test #3.
She's been eating a third time around 4pm so wait 1/2 hour again and do blood test #4.
4 hours later around 8pm do test #5.
Any suggestions or amendments, let me know!

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I might be able to do this tomorrow but not every day.

[Zoology1603]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

if she doesnt eat dont inject insulin it.ll cause hypoglycemia extremely low blood suger.

I'm hoping she doesn't go back to not eating again. But yes I won't be injecting without food.

its alot safer to feed twice a day and inject the lower dose of 7 or 8. then if she doesnt eat inject 1/4 dose, eats half inject 1/2. i cant fathom inject 19 units on an empty stomach or giving a quarter of 19 units.

This may be above my pay grade. Would you consider 8 units to be the standard dose and if I cut that in half it would be 4 units and 1/4 it would be 2 units? So as an example if she eats a full meal in the morning, give her 8 units. If she eats another full meal later in the day she would get another full 8 units? So a total of 16 units a day if she eats perfectly well?


I just weighed her and she is 32 lbs. according to our scale. So at .5 per kg that would be 7.25 units.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

please post her numbers you got so far

whats her exact weight?

whats her name so i dont keep saying her or dog please.

.5 iu x 16 kg body weight equals 8 units

feed according to the feed guide, test, if above 200 inject 8 units 7am and 7 pm, every twelve hours. this way the insulin will meet up with the food. green beans gor treats. no inbetween meals only twice a day every 12 hours. she needs this schedule to get regulated

yes, if she doesnt eat inject 1/4 which is 2 units.
1/2 food inject 4 units
you got it

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

yes 32 lbs

7.25 twice day

goodluck finding that number on the syring, do
8

[Zoology1603]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

Yes you can call her Bear. So in order to make this work, I wouldn't want to feed her again until 7pm, assuming she ate at 7am. Then decide on her insulin dose based on how much she consumed percentage wise per the food. For example the Freshpet is 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 cups for her weight category. 1/2 food eaten is 1/2 the regular dose. Would you withhold food between that 12 hour window and force her to only eat those exact times? I've been happy to see her eat at all, I hope she decides to eat at 7pm as that's pretty late but if she hasn't had anything for a while maybe she'll go for it.

Do you have any exact times you would prefer I check her glucose? One would be before she eats in the morning. And 2 more times would be 1 1/2 hours after giving insulin. Any other random times between 7 and 7?

[Zoology1603]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

Her normal food was Taste of the Wild. Since she was a puppy. She hasn't touched dry dog food in almost a month now.

please post her numbers you got so far

9/14 - 2:26pm - 442
9/15 - 7:04am - 486
VET 9/15 - 12pm - 366
VET 9/15 - 12:14pm - 19 units insulin
9/15 - 7:18pm - 359
9/16 - 7:05am - Meal (handful)
9/16 - 7:40am - 19 units insulin
9/16 - 8:39am - 589
9/16 - 12pm - Meal (handful)
9/16 - 4:15pm - 463
9/16 - 4:20pm - Meal (handful)
9/16 - 8:00pm - Meal (handful)

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

7 and 7 is just an example, feed and inject your Bear on your schedule.

yes divide that freshpet amount in two. feed 1/2 in am, 1/2 at night

yes try and stick to the 12 hour schedule starting tomorrow. shes already had her full insulin dose today. just feed her tonight.

i.d recommend testing before food at fasting. feed and test afterwards to check and see if she,s low, if she is wait test till shes over 200 then inject 8 units. only when she doesnt eat reduce the dose to 2 unuts or when she only eats 1/2 reduce to 4 units half her dose. test again middle of the day so thats testing 3 times.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

thanks for posting the numbers. so far no real extreme high or low. we.ll know more as Bear eats more and gets on a schedule. i thought i could never get Riliey to eat twice a day let alone, test his lip, then inject him. after awhile he accepted it. he loved to eat, he came and sat by me when i called BG. his hair grew back in, he gained back his weight. all because of scheduling. it works, tough at first. you.ll know when the insulin starts working when the frequent urination stops, also she wont drink as much water.

maybe that bleeding was from a stomach problem. good she had a bowelmovement. post his next one okay. hoping she Bear doesnt have an infection, that.ll raise her blood sugar. first things first schedule

this will help so you can safely introduce the cushings medication. seriously tell lablab the results as soon as you get them.

[Zoology1603]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

i.d recommend testing before food at fasting. feed and test afterwards to check and see if she,s low, if she is wait test till shes over 200 then inject 8 units. only when she doesnt eat reduce the dose to 2 unuts or when she only eats 1/2 reduce to 4 units half her dose. test again middle of the day so thats testing 3 times.

Ok this sounds good. You posted before that I should wait 1/2 hour after she eats for the food to take effect and then test. Should I do that or test right after the meal without waiting? I'll give the insulin right after the test if she needs it.

first things first schedule

Yes it looks like we'll both be adjusting.
Thank you for all the help so far I really appreciate it.
I will be posting updates as I progress throughout the day tomorrow.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Diabetic Australian Cattle Dog

there could be a reason for conern of too much insulin
this is the reasoning behind testing

7.40 injected 19 units
8.39 high blood sugar of 589.

when theres too much insulin blood sugar rises instead of lowering

good your starting to inject only 8 units tomorrow.