Anybody heard of diabetes in a dog?

[picasso]

Our 7 year old poodle was getting me up 3-4 times a night to go out and she just didn't seem to feel good so we took her to the vet. They checked her urine, indicated sugar problem. Then they did a blood test. Her sugar was 583. Started giving her insulin shots twice a day, 3 units. Two weeks later back for a check. Sugar hadn't come down any. Was still 583. Normal is just like humans 80-120. They increased her insulin to 4 units, twice a day. She goes back tomorrow for another check. We are sure praying that her numbers have come down some. We hate giving her the shots, but we will to help her. But we would sure like to see that it is doing her some good. Cause it just kills me sticking her twice a day. Good thoughts and prayers could be used for Molly's numbers to be down some tomorrow. Hubby takes her at 10.

 

[White Socks Miniature]

Yes Dogs can get diabetes. Like humans some are harder to control than others. A good quality diet that is low in carbs will help out. The beginning can be a hard part as you may have to play with doses a bit to

get one that works for her. Every animal is different and so treatment doses vary also! Make sure you keep plenty of water out for her also.

Lots of good thoughts!

Masako

 

[Brandi*]

I know Laura (Kya's Mom) here on the forum has a pooch with diabetes. She is on my friends list if you would like to contact her.

 

[Maxi'sMinis]

I had a Samoyed that turned diabetic when she was about 7 yrs old. Working closely with the vet we were able to regulate the insulin. She lived to be 14 which is a good long life for a Samoyed. It was important to have her tested regularly to make sure the number of units were correct so she didn't get to much or to little. One time she had insulin shock. The insulin lowered the sugar in her blood to much. Treatment was to give her sugar. I always kept Karo syrup on hand in case this happened. One of the 1st signs is disorientation. It is the same in humans. I always gave my dog her shot and then a cup I high quality low carb dog food as White Socks Miniatures said to do. The reward of the food after the shot off set the pain of the shot. My Sammy would come to the frig. Wait for her shot and then run to her bowl and wait to get her scoop of food. I am sure your dog will be just fine once the insulin is adjusted well. Sending prayers she recovers quickly.

 

[Wee Mite Miniatures]

My brother's dog is a German Shorthair. She has been diabetic for over two years. She had a really rough time in the begining and looked like a rack of bones. She is now 13 years old, totally blind, has tumors, but she seems to be happy. She even got to go hunting last fall and got a pheasant.

My SIL is also diabetic and keeps right on top of things. The dog eats at the same time every day, no matter what. She get her shot at the same time. She only gets approved treats. Most of us in the family have learned to give her her shots.

At the start they kept testing her until they got the right dose. It is almost the max she can get for her size. It was almost six months before she started to gain weight.

I have known other dogs that were diabetic and none have done as well as she has. All of them did go blind. Not all of them got skinny but they all did lose weight.

 

[SampleMM]

Good thoughts and prayers going up for your beloved little pooch.

 

[Hosscrazy]

My cat Mikey was diagnosed with diabetes a couple months ago. I'm also giving him insulin shots 2x/day. I take him in next week to get his numbers checked again - they dropped a little on the last test, but not enough. We increased his insulin dosage (it was 2 units 2x/day and now it's 5 units 2x/day) and he's on Prescription Diet W/D. He seems to be doing okay, but has lost a lot of weight.

Liz R.

 

[mad for mini's]

We lost our Brittany Spaniel to it last year. We didn't catch it in time and by the time we realized something was terribly wrong and went to the vet, it was too late. Within two days she lapsed into a coma and passed away. Now we know the signs to watch for but wish we had known before we lost her.

Watch for extreme thirst , weight loss and frequent urination. She was 8 years old and all these symptoms occured over summer so it was hard to determine something was wrong. We blamed the heat and her age.

 

[picasso]

Luckily, the doctors said we have caught it early. When Hubby took her to the vet this morning her numbers were still up. It was 540. They upped her insulin to 5 units 2X/day. Come back in two weeks for another blood check. Please keep your fingers crossed for the numbers to start coming down. So far she hasn't lost weight and they check her eyes every time for cataracts. They said everything in that category looked good. Thanks for keeping her in your thoughts.

 

[Hosscrazy]

Just checking back - how is Molly doing?

Liz R.

 

[mydaddysjag]

We have a black lab who has diabetes for over 5 years. She gets 23 units of insulin twice a day, and eats a controlled diet, and a supplement for diabetes. The supplement makes a HUGE difference than just the insulin. We started with just the insulin and diabetic dog food, and latyer added the supplement. The, my mom wasnt sure if the supplement was actually working (dog had been on it a few years) so took her off it for a few weeks. Well, it was then apperant how much it helped when she was on it. If your interested IO can ask my mom the name of the supplement. We actually found that the diabetic friendly dog food you get through the vet doesn't work for her. Even on it and insulin her sugar wouldn't come down. We tried a lot of different foods to find what worked for her, and it ended up being Nutro natural choice senior. Not the highest quality dog food, but I would consider it a good mid grade, and it works for her. Do you have the machine to check her sugar at home? If so Is her sugar spiking at certain times, then bottoming out, or does it stay constant? What brand of insulin does she get, we have had better luck with some then others.

I'm glad to hear your vet caught it early. Our OLD vet kept saying that it was the dog getting old, allergies (she had diabetic ulcers and looked almost like mange around bald spots) and so forth. My mom kept telling him something wasnt right, but he blew her off. One day she walked face first ionto a wall and we took her to the vet and demanded they check her sugar, and it was way high. She went blind that day, which is why she ran into the wall. We now use a much better vet who listens and takes what we say into consideration.

 

[picasso]

Molly is doing much better. She is up to 5 units 2X per day. Her sugar level was down to 139 when we had it checked last. They said she didn't have to come back for 3 months, unless we notice her showing symptoms again.

mydaddysjag-we are using Vetsulin insulin. We don't have any way to check it at home. If you could I would appreciate it if you would find out what the supplement is for me.

Thanks everyone for asking about our baby. We are really happy that her numbers appear to be coming down.

 

[mydaddysjag]

The supplement used to be Diabogen, which has been discontinued. The same company (well vet) replaced it with diabenil, we don't notice a difference between the two products.

 

[Hosscrazy]

I am so glad to hear she's doing better! I also have Mikey (cat) on 5 units of Vetsulin and his numbers are also down. He has a check up in a month, but he's doing great, too!

Liz R.