Pugsley became an angel...

[Aneng]

Hi.

My 12 year old baby boy has just been diagnosed as diabetic. It's not under control yet as despite 2 X 3ml injections of insulin daily, he's still drinking to excess and is peeing gallons. We've been told he can only have two meals a day, with his injections. This is proving impossible for him and us as a few hours after his first meal, he's yapping loudly and continuously for food. This goes on all day long until his evening meal. We are at the end of our last nerves with the continual yapping, not to mention he thinks we're being mean to him.

He's also mostly blind and needs carrying up and down stairs, so I'm up half the night taking him for a pee. I'm feeling unwell through lack of sleep and the stress of him yapping all the time.

What can we do ? I can't cope with this!

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

hi and welcome to you and your dog.

first off feed only twice a day. once hes close to regulation he.ll stop barking and settle down nicely

take a deep breath his is along journey. consider home testing your dog you.ll be more in control of his blood sugar. i did. lots do.

please provide how.much he is eating, ? how much does he weigh?

if can post any recent curves done.

hang in there..lets get this peeing stopped!

does he have back leg weakness so u have to carry him?

[k9diabetes]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

I'm sorry your boy is having a hard time adjusting to two meals a day - and pugs do tend to make a fuss when they're unhappy!

Two meals a day is best - how long since he was diagnosed?

How much does he weigh?

And it sounds like he's getting 3 units of insulin twice a day - presumably canininsulin.

Have any curves been done?

Best way to regulate your boy is to test his blood sugar at home. See the main website for information on how to do that - www.k9diabetes.com

If his blood sugar is still quite high, he is literally starving because he's not getting the benefit of his food. Once his blood sugar is lower, he should be less hungry.

And if stress is makiing his blood sugar worse, you could try low / no calorie snacks between meals. Vegetables like green beans and broccoli can work well (our diabetic dog wouldn't touch them...) Or very small bits of protein like white meat chicken... really small. But try to avoid it if you can.

In terms of blindness, he should adjust to that as time goes on and need less potty trips. Can you sleep downstairs for a while? Also, a ramp on the stairs could help him navigate it himself better. Stairs definitely can take a while to master.

Let us know more about him and his blood sugar at the moment.

Natalie

[Aneng]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

Hi Both. Thanks for your kind words and advice. He's 10Kg / 22lbs. I don't know the weight of the food we give him yet, but his morning and evening meals are quite substantial. He's on 3 units of Caninsulin, twice daily. His blood sugars must still be very high because he is drinking an enormous amount. I ordered an AlphaTrak 2 Starter Kit which should be arriving either today or tomorrow and I need to get his blood sugar under control asap as it's been two weeks now since he was diagnosed and I suspect he was diabetic for a while before that.

I have telephoned the vets to ask one of them to call me to advise on what the process is for adjusting his insulin dose but they take forever to call back - if they remember. Even trying to get through to them in the first place isn't easy.

So.... can I ask you fine folks what I need to be doing in order to work out an appropriate dose for Pugsley please ?

Here's the love of my life..... xxxx

(sorry - I can't seem to get the image to appear here but it's at this link:- https://i.postimg.cc/QdgKWhz4/20210307-172635.jpg )

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

good your getting the alphatrack. i used it too.

love his picture he is soooo cute.

thing is amount of food you feed your dog is just as important as insulin. everything goes by weight.

can you get a measuring scale. read the back of the bag for feeding instructionson a 22 lb dog or go to their website and check the feed guide.

food and insulin need to meet up to start the regulation process.

post his food and i can look it up for you.

check out the links in the forum telling you how to start home testing okay? i put Riles between my legs snug flippedup his upper lip.
i used the plain lancet not the device jabbed his inner lip with the test strip and meter. turn off sound on the alphatrack

we can help you let us know when the meter arrives but you need to know the right amount of food you feed first. we dont want to give insulin with not enough food.

[Aneng]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

Hi. Thanks for that. I'm so relieved to have more experienced folk to discuss this with. I've been so stressed about it all. Thank you!

His food is usually a mixture of stuff but I'm becoming aware that we need to remove as many variables as possible so a standard diet of the same food every day might be required. I'm not sure what is best as he's always been a very spoiled pug and a picky eater although he's a lot less picky now he's only getting fed 12h apart!

Right now, he's getting 2 X pork sausages, a small handful of dry kibble, a large slab of "Naturo" Turkey & brown rice wet food and a tablespoon of a fibre supplement. We're in the UK so brands will differ if you're in the US or elsewhere. He also gets a chew treat or two immediately after his meals.

I spoke to the vet today about what to do with the meter when it arrives and she said that we should do a curve test on Wednesday as it will be two weeks since he started on insulin by then. I am concerned about the amount of water he is drinking though that the vet did not seem very bothered by that.

Thank you for all of your kind words and help. I am sure Pugsley and I will be regular visitors here :-)

Thanks again,

keV

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

yes thats correct to do a curve right away
drinking alot of water and frequent peeing still after 2 weeks is not good.
3 units doesnt seem to be enough and a low dosage to start on.

.25 times the dogs weight to start insulin so for 32 lbs x .25 equals 5.5 units.

do the curve then adjust the insulin only according to the lowest number.

you need a good quality dog food low fat
remove the sausage and dog chew treats add in frozen chopped green beans.

choose one food the dry or the wet turkey then give the recommended amount according to the feed guide.

test after feeding only inject when hes over 200.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

22 lbs is 9.8 kg which is 1 3/4 tin of wet

divide 1 3/4 by 2 every 12 hours (7/8)??

https://www.naturopetfoods.com/adult...elly-390g-x-12

this looks like the best one

[Aneng]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

The vet told me that we have to wait until Wednesday to do the curve as it takes the body two weeks to settle after a dose change (in this case from zero to three units). I’m really not looking forward to getting blood from him every two hours, even though most of the tests will be done by my wife as I’m in work all day.

On a personal level, I’m really struggling to cope with it. I’m getting little sleep as he needs to be carried to his water bowl and downstairs and out the back to pee at least twice a night. He doesn’t seem to be able to hold it for long either now... last night I heard two barks and that was it.... puddle time.

I’m getting very very stressed about it all, not helped by the fact I’m a worrier and suffer with anxiety that I’m on meds for. His sight seems to be getting worse too.... what little there is left of it. I’m absolutely dreading the day we lose him. He’s our first ever dog and we have no kids so he’s slipped into the role of being our child.

By far the hardest aspect for us at the moment is the barking for food.... the endless piercing “yap yap yap yap yap”. I know it’s bad for him but sometimes I give in and give him a chew or a small snack, in an attempt to silence him until his second meal. Our entire lives are focused on and revolving around him. My wife is stressed too. I have started having the occasional cigarette which is a stupid move for an unfit 57 year old with a heart attack behind him. I love him dearly but this is extremely stressful for me right now.

[jesse girl]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

So at this point you don't exactly know the blood sugar level but its probably high . In the states you can by strips to test for ketones at home which that is something to keep an eye on

A week to 2 weeks to let a new dose settle is normal but with the symptoms a week maybe more appropriate

Dogs usually do just fine with the loss of eyesight and usually can handle high sugar for sometime but ketones can be problematic as I discussed .

Most caretakers get there dogs to a better place and mostly live normal happy dogs lives with some limitations . It can take up to 6 months but a few months is about normal

[Aneng]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

The Alphatrak 2 meter arrived this morning and I've just taken his first reading, exactly 12h after his breakfast. It's high.... 26.1 mmol = 469.8 mg/dL

I rang the emergency vet (Sunday) who said it was high but manageable for now and to do a proper curve tomorrow, which is what I'll do. Meantime, I'm out walking him now as I believe exercise helps to lower the glucose levels.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

my vet tested at 6pm once a week. one test a week is wrong. no testing when first diagnosed is wrong.

congratulations on getting your first test done. your dog will thank you.

you need to get his blood sugar down then the peeing and barking and lifting will be over.

i wouldbe inclined to take him to a vet asap if you cant do a curve yourself. itsokay lots dont do curves a home.

469 is too high for too long and i.m sorry your stresed asi was too. he needs to get below 250 to avoid organ damage thats why i.m suggesting you takehim to the vet.

for now keep testing. you got this!!!!!

i just read your doing a curve tomorrow thats great....tomorrow you can raise his insulin 1 unit if all goes well with curve and there is No really low numbers

please post it.

[Aneng]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

I just took the first reading of his curve - BEFORE he had any breakfast (ie he'd just woken up). It's insane - 31.9 (571) ! I'm trying to get through to the vet now

[Aneng]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

I just spoke to the surgery and the receptionist asked the vets about the reading and they weren't worried - they said it was because he hadn't eaten and hadn't had his insulin. They advised me to feed him and give him his insulin as normal.

I have to trust them. In any case we'll have his curve data by the end of the day and he'll be getting a much bigger dose of insulin tomorrow which should get us moving significantly in the right direction.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newly diabetic pug - HELP!

yes your on the right path. good job. it can be scary at first

were all sleeping over here when you posted. i didnt here you

you got this