Annie & Craig - Getting too smart!

[peggy0]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

I wouldn't jump to rebound yet. is this an older bottle of insulin? Her ears maybe stressing her out. I use Oticalm to clean my springers ears. They are very prone to yeast infections. I get it at my vets. Witch hazel also works very well if its just for cleaning and itching. i'd watch for infection if her ears are red.

[CraigM]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

The higher numbers started on Oct 31, started new vials on Nov 1. Did a check at 1pm = 137. Will check again at 3pm.

Will call her vet office and see if they have something.

So far:
8am 337
11am. 169
1pm. 137

[k9diabetes]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

Allergic reaction and infection in the ears would both tend to cause her blood sugar to spike. And any time the ear gets inflamed it's easy for it to get infected so I wouldn't be surprised if it's infected now even if that isn't where it started.

Wouldn't hurt to go back to the old flavor of pill pockets too. They also make a novel protein Pill Pocket (have seen it for cats so assume they make it for dogs) that is duck and green pea with no gluten in it.

Poor girl! I hate it when their ears bother them - it seems miserably uncomfortable.

Natalie

[Patty]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

Awe, ear problems are miserable. Ali used to have frequent ear issues we believe were allergy related. Yeast was culprit for her. As Peggy said witch hazel is a help.

It's a bit lengthy, but this is an old post I'd made in helping another dog owner. I do love this solution. It seems to keep things in check for us.

Patty

I have tried so many ear solutions out there that I could fill a cabinet twice over, including Zymox that many love without success. Many of them irritated her ears - especially those with acetic acid. The milder ones did nothing but keep her ears moist. We did have luck with the Petco brand ear powder. But it started caking after a while and bothering her.

The night we moved into our new place in NY Ali was beside herself with an ear infection. Her blood sugar was in the 400s due to pain. I was desperate to help her. Carla found a mild ear solution by a homeopathic vet that was our lifesaver.

This recipe was from a trained Classical homeopath. My vet back home and one here also approved it.

If using it during an acute episode I would have a vet look to be sure the ear drum is intact. Ali was in immense pain when we arrived here so I took her to the vet, who confirmed yeast was the cause of her infection (it's always wise to have a culture done to be sure). We used 3 drops of Panalog ointment initially for 7 days to reduce the swelling and itchiness. This does have a steroid component but I know with Ali, I had to address the acute pain/swelling before I could really get to the heart of the issue. After that we started the solution.

I now use this as preventative once a week or once every 2 weeks. I apply about 1/2 to 3/4 of a dropper-full to each ear, put a cotton ball in and massage 40 times. Then let her shake it out and wipe with the wet cotton ball.

Here's the recipe: 1 oz = 2 T
1 oz aloe vera juice
1 oz water
1 oz witch hazel (mine had 14% alcohol)
2 drops therapeutic grade lavender oil
1 drop organic raw apple cider vinegar (I don't shake it though so I don't get particles from the "mother" in my solution)
Mix together and store in glass dropper bottle. Mine keeps in the cupboard for about 3 months. Be sure to shake before each use.

The solution is supposed to be "pretty benign and close to the body's own fluid with just enough of an edge to rid the yeast."

The therapeutic grade lavender oil is important. Therapeutic grade oils will state for internal or topical use. Cosmetic grade oils will state for external use only and could burn the ear. My lavender oil is made by Wyndmere. It says for external use only but on this page states they are therapeutic grade: http://wyndmerenaturals.com/store/pages.php?pageid=8

When I first went hunting for the ingredients it was the lavendar oil ($16) and aloe vera juice (they only had a large bottle) that were a bit pricey but they really last forever and it's been well worth it for us. I found the 100% aloe vera juice, ACV, and a glass dropper bottle at a health food store in town. The witch hazel I think I got at Walmart or Walgreens. And I use the filtered water from my PUR faucet.

We've been using this recipe for almost 2 years. I also keep Ali's ear hair trimmed back so air can flow freely to the ear canal.

[Patty]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

I agree with Natalie on going back to the old pill pockets if you can. Ali's ear infections I believe had a lot to do with food allergy as well.

[CraigM]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

Thanks Peggy, Natalie and Patty,
I ran out to her vet office and picked-up a bottle of what they recommended. Annie seems to have stopped the ear itching since my earlier post, so I'll give this new stuff a couple of times and see what happens. 3pm was 141, so Peggy may be right: just need a bit more "N" and not "rebound".

8am 337
11am. 169
1pm. 137
3pm 141


Just to remind everyone about Annie.

On 6 units of NPH alone, her curve was the mountain shape. Her BGs would usually rise into the 300s (or higher) after eating and stay elevated until around +7 or +8 hours and then come down into the low 100s at +12 hours.

In mid-August we started mixing 3 units of "R" and 6 - 6½ units of "N". This has generally given a nice flat curve.

p.s. Will skip the pill pocket tonight, and go back to the old style tomorrow.

[Patty]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

Glad to hear the itching subsided. Keep us posted!

[peggy0]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

I like those numbers Glad she isn't itching. Poor thing; it makes them crazy

[CraigM]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

Thanks Peggy, Natalie and Patty,
I ran out to her vet office and picked-up a bottle of what they recommended. Annie seems to have stopped the ear itching since my earlier post, so I'll give this new stuff a couple of times and see what happens. 3pm was 141, so Peggy may be right: just need a bit more "N" and not "rebound".

8am 337
11am. 169
1pm. 137
3pm 141


Just to remind everyone about Annie.

On 6 units of NPH alone, her curve was the mountain shape. Her BGs would usually rise into the 300s (or higher) after eating and stay elevated until around +7 or +8 hours and then come down into the low 100s at +12 hours.

In mid-August we started mixing 3 units of "R" and 6 - 6½ units of "N". This has generally given a nice flat curve.

p.s. Will skip the pill pocket tonight, and go back to the old style tomorrow.

Added the 5pm and 8pm fasting numbers. Increased the "N" by about ¼ or ½ unit (lines are too close for my old eyes), should be back to normal.

8am 337
11am. 169
1pm. 137
3pm 141
5pm 157
8pm 231

[Patty]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

Very good to hear Craig!

[CraigM]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

In a week or two we will be making the switch from ReliOn Novolin (previous Walmart version) to ReliOn Humulin. Annie has been doing well on the mixture of 3 units "R" and 6¼ units "N". I'm thinking about trying the Humulin 70/30 instead of two separate vials since the ratio is fairly close, and I'd save $25.

I'm wondering if we should start at about 6 units of the 70/30, or closer to 9 units? Although I'm asking, I do plan to start with 6 units for safety. Guess I'm looking for confirmation.

[peggy0]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

I'd always cut back 25% when changing That would be about 6.75 actually

[k9diabetes]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

In this case you're not really "switching" because it's the same product, just different manufacturers. We used Humulin and Novolin R interchangeably with Chris and I know many people who switched back and forth between the two.

So I would cut the dose at most 3 units. 1 or 2 units would be fine as far as I'm concerned too. And I wouldn't wait long to bring it back up if it's obviously not enough.

I'm glad the R/N combination has worked well for her. We at one point tried I think the 50/50 when we first changed insulins for Chris. But he was on such a small dose that we couldn't see at the time whether the faster acting insulin make a difference for him. I supsect it wouldn't have since he wound up using all faster acting insulin. He was a "slow absorber!"

Natalie

[CraigM]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

Peggy and Natalie,
Guess my concern / thought is that when Annie was on only "N", she got 6 - 6.5 units. After adding the "R", she ended up with 3 units of "R" and 6 - 6.25 units of "n" for a total of about 9 units. I'm probably thinking too much! LOL

I was just thinking how much less expensive things have become in the last year. Vetsulin was $60, the U-40 syringes were more expensive, the AlphaTrak test strips were over $1 each (now using FreeStyle Lite strips). No "at the vet" curves. And best of all, Annie is in better overall health.

[CraigM]

Re: Annie - Getting too smart!

Started the switch to Humulin 70/30 today from the previous mixing of Novolin "N" and "R". Just to remind everyone, Annie had usually been getting 6¼ iu of "N" and 3 iu of "R" mixed together. She usually stayed within the 90 - 220 range, mostly in the low to mid 100s. I decided to try the pre-mixed Humulin (ReliOn) 70/30 to save the cost of the second vial and to prevent any mistake in measuring the two different insulins.

I replaced the 6¼iu "N" + 3iu "R" = 9¼iu total, with 8iu of Humulin 70/30. The ratio is just about the same.

Here is todays (12-3-10) results:

8AM = 211, fed and injected 8iu
12N = 73, no action because I figured the "R" component was about done.
1PM = 97
4PM = 92
6PM = 204
8PM = 183, fed and injected 7½iu
11P = 125
3:30A = 195

Actions taken at 8PM. Lowered dose to 7½iu. Instead of injecting immediately after eating, I waited 15 minutes to allow the food to get a bit of a head start. Gave half a "cookie" to possibly raise the early BGs. Will try to test around 11PM.