Chloe diagnosed 11-13

[Chloe8929]

Chloe is a 9 year old Yorkie. I realized something was wrong when she began drinking and urinating excessively. After testing she was officially diagnosed and was given her first insulin injection last night. I am checking her levels myself with a glucometer but am getting so frustrated when the machine errors out or I do not get enough blood and have to keep pricking her. She has also lost weight so fast and it is heartbreaking when she is crying for s treat and I cannot give her what she loves. She has had two injections now and her levels are still high ranging from 390-450. I am just heartbroken over this😢 and usually do not post to forums but everyone comments I have read so far are very informative and heartfelt I decided to share and hopefully gain some encouragement.

[JoJo's mom]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

Hi and welcome to you and Chloe!!

It is always tough in the beginning and we have all been there. What meter are you using?

You can give most vegetables as treats. I give JoJo string beans that I freeze. He loves them.

Hang in there. Let us know about the meter. I use the Alphatrak 2 which is made for animals. It is more expensive but it is very accurate and uses the smallest amount of blood to get a result.

Mary

[CraigM]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

Chloe is a 9 year old Yorkie. I realized something was wrong when she began drinking and urinating excessively. After testing she was officially diagnosed and was given her first insulin injection last night. I am checking her levels myself with a glucometer but am getting so frustrated when the machine errors out or I do not get enough blood and have to keep pricking her. She has also lost weight so fast and it is heartbreaking when she is crying for s treat and I cannot give her what she loves. She has had two injections now and her levels are still high ranging from 390-450. I am just heartbroken over this😢 and usually do not post to forums but everyone comments I have read so far are very informative and heartfelt I decided to share and hopefully gain some encouragement.

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear you are having trouble with Chloe.

How much does she weigh? Current dosage, and type of insulin? Type of meter being used? Where are you "sticking" her for the blood sample? What are you feeding, and schedule (2 meals, 12 hours apart)?

It may take several days for her body to really make good use of the injected insulin, but you will get there! Diabetes does take time to get under control so remember to take things slow and don't get discouraged if it takes a few weeks to see results. Now that you are injecting, I'd think the thirst & peeing will improve just about overnight.

Treats: see if there is something like green beans that she would enjoy. She is probably hungry because of the lower insulin level but this should improve in the near future (fingers crossed).

Craig

[jesse girl]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

hi and welcome the range you posted of blood sugar is pretty good this early into the diagnosis . 600s is not uncommon

another thing is stable blood sugar . i consider excellent stable blood sugar is a 100 points or lower from low to high for the day . this is an important part of the process stable blood sugar gives an easier opportunity to adjust the dose of insulin . so you are seeing that at this time very good

it will be a new normal and a learning curve to adjust to but most adapt quite nicely . home testing will help greatly. just today my jesse was a little sluggish so i checked her blood sugar and she was a bit low for being early in the day so she got a milk bone with some honey on top . sometimes treats are necessary and it can be the forbidden fruit to give blood sugar a boost . you and your pup will do fine with testing my jesse gives me a kiss after a test funny girl .

dogs can have a good quality of life being diabetic but with some limitations and your dog will tell you what hers is

[Chloe8929]

Thank you everyone. Chloe weighs 10 lbs now but weighed 13 in August when I took her for her yearly visit. (No blood work was done). She just started vetsulin 1 unit every 12 hours. She will go for a blood glucose curve next week. She has improved with her drinking and urinating but still seems sluggish. I just bought a generic meter from Walgreens thinking they would all work about the same but apparently not. No one in my family or pets have been diabetic so this is all new. Chloe is tough and doesn't mind her insulin injection but when I keep pricking her with the lancet device we are both very sad and frustrated. I seem to be getting enough blood from my bichon who is s little heavy but Chloe is so thin....Did anyone else's pets seem to lose weight overnight? Chloe sure did! I wheel like I should have caught this sooner but didn't. The I even tried warming the area this afternoon before using the lancing device but still having difficulties.

[Charlie's mom]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

Welcome to you and Chloe! Charlie, who did need to lose weight, dropped from 38 to 26 in just a few weeks. Scared the crap out of us! As his blood glucose became better we gained the 3 lbs he needed and has remained pretty stable weight-wise, even though it's taken a while to get him under control. slow and steady is the mantra of our forum family's; there are many wonderful people who helped us immensely.

Laura

[DaisysMom]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

Welcome. Daisy lost weight at first, but slowly gained some back. I test Daisy using and Alpha Trak that I got from American Diabetes Wholesale. She is 15 lbs. I test her ear on the inside flap near the edge. I warm it and put a very thin layer of vaseline to help the blood bead. I use a ReliOn lancet device set on the deepest setting. For us, the key was switching to a 26 gauge lancet. Anything thinner didn't work so well. (the higher the number the thinner the lancet) Now I get a decent bead each time I poke her. Also, if you get an Alpha Trak you'll find you only need a tiny amount of blood, and if you can't get enough at first you have about a minute to try again.

Thank you everyone. Chloe weighs 10 lbs now but weighed 13 in August when I took her for her yearly visit. (No blood work was done). She just started vetsulin 1 unit every 12 hours. She will go for a blood glucose curve next week. She has improved with her drinking and urinating but still seems sluggish. I just bought a generic meter from Walgreens thinking they would all work about the same but apparently not. No one in my family or pets have been diabetic so this is all new. Chloe is tough and doesn't mind her insulin injection but when I keep pricking her with the lancet device we are both very sad and frustrated. I seem to be getting enough blood from my bichon who is s little heavy but Chloe is so thin....Did anyone else's pets seem to lose weight overnight? Chloe sure did! I wheel like I should have caught this sooner but didn't. The I even tried warming the area this afternoon before using the lancing device but still having difficulties.

[amydunn19]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

I would say try a bigger lancet(the numbers get smaller as the lancet gets bigger) try a 23 gauge. Also, the device never worked for me so I just poke with the lancet by itself. Just remember that this is life saving for her and will keep her safe. Guilt is tough but you have to put it aside - you didn't ask for this either so nothing to feel bad about. Also, a testing treat might help her feelings.

I use a One Touch Ultra meter - it is a very accurate human meter for dog sugar. You can buy supplies on ebay or amazon cheaper. Just make sure the expiration dates are good on them.

Most dogs lose weight or have lost weight at diagnosis. Until she is better regulated, her body doesn't really use her food correctly. This will improve with time.

This is a long process - I know it is hard to stay patient and positive but if you just stay the course, her life will be relatively normal eventually, just more structured.

[Chloe8929]

Thank you for the tips. I have poked her without the device it's just hard😢I have ordered 23 gauge just waiting for them to come in. I can't find them locally. I have poked her in the ear with no luck I must not have hit the vein? I have poked her near her tail but sometimes have to poke a couple of times. I'm trying to accept this is our new normal. I have also given her beef jerky as a treat. Is that okay? And can I only feed her when it's time for her insulin?

[CraigM]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

Thank you for the tips. I have poked her without the device it's just hard��I have ordered 23 gauge just waiting for them to come in. I can't find them locally. I have poked her in the ear with no luck I must not have hit the vein? I have poked her near her tail but sometimes have to poke a couple of times. I'm trying to accept this is our new normal. I have also given her beef jerky as a treat. Is that okay? And can I only feed her when it's time for her insulin?

Good comments so far! Most human diabetics use VERY thin 30+ gauge lancets, but as already mentioned 26, 25, 23 or 21 gauge lancets might give a better blood droplet. Strangely, I have a box of 21 gauge that doesn't seem to work as well as the 25 gauge?! Maybe it's just because they are different companies? I also have the "clicker" set to the deepest setting. I think most have trouble to start, but once you find the magic spot / technique, it will become easier. I press the clicker fairly hard against Annie's ear before I release the "click", gotta make sure there is enough resistance to have the lancet penetrate the skin.

TINY pieces of jerky, or meat should be OK, but I think some brands of commercial jerky have sugar added??? Homemade would probably be best. Annie use to (before diabetes) get frequent treats, but now almost never anything between meals. She seems happy with a green bean, or a few minutes of ball playing as a reward for putting up with all the poking. Gotta remember that just about anything that enters the body (eat, medications) may affect their blood glucose (BG). Chloe, being a pretty small girl wouldn't take much to upset the food / insulin relationship. In fact, if you aren't already weighing her food you might think about doing so. Annie weighs about 18 pounds and I weigh her meals with a kitchen food scale. I swear just a few pieces on kibble more / less than normal makes a difference in her BG readings, so I weigh out her kibble.

Most feed and inject twice a day (a few exceptions).

Sounds like your vet started Chloe at a conservative dosage (1 unit for a 10 pound pup). Some vets would have started at .2 unit per pound, or 2 units for a 10 pounder. No big deal, the vet will likely suggest an increase at the next appointment. Better to start a little low and work up than to possibly give too much.

Have to run, dinner is on the table

Craig

[amydunn19]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

I use buffalo meat treats from Bravo. Any meat treats from the liver can be fatty so I avoid those. You could boil some chicken breast and chop it up, or use green beans. A small piece of low fat string cheese is another option. The testing treats should be a good treat - something to look forward to!

I was the worst with testing -I was so nervous and my hands would shake so hard. I almost lost my girl because she was terribly overdosed and almost died from a hypoglycemic seizure. Any pain I feel from testing her is nothing compared to the pain of losing her for something I could have prevented. Terror will give you strength you never knew you had.

[Judi]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

we had a really hard time testing. But like Amy's Maggie, my Jenny went scarily low. I think she was 40. So I had to figure it out and she had to suck it up.

We ordered Etta says Duck Jerky from Amazon. It is probably fatty but Jenny was small and I broke off small pieces to give her as treats.

We used the Accuchek soft click lancet thingy. you can order them from Amazon and Walmart sells the actual lancets. Patty recommended them because for her, for some reason, they got more blood and they worked for us.

I tested on the lip and it had to be near the canine tooth or there was no blood.

Lots of folks who test near the tail have to poke numerous times and heat the skin up back there with a rice bag or heated wash cloth.

Dogs don't have as many veins in their ears as cats but one new person put a flashlight on her dogs ear and was able to see the vein and poke it!

my vet told me it takes 3 days for them to heal from the lancet. I tested myself a few times and after 20 minutes or so, no sensation at all.

Hang in there. If I could do it, you can do it. Honest. We got every tip know to mankind over the 4 or 5 days it took for me to get the hang of it. I posted constantly and people were so kind and supportive even though I felt like an idiot.

good luck! And give Chloe an ear rub from me.

[Chloe8929]

Thank you! How often should I be checking her BG? The vet didn't even tell me to I just wanted to and am keeping a journal. I checked it this morning about 3 hrs after her meal and injection and it was higher than the night before we even started the insulin and right before I fed her. I'm starting a list of questions to ask the vet when we go next week. Thanks again everyone I am feeling very encouraged. I have been very upset this last week so I appreciated the comments and suggestions!

[Charlie's mom]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

Early days most check before meals 'fasting' and a couple more times during the day. You're trying to determine when the insulin kicks in versus when her food kicks in.
We use tiny pieces of homemade chicken jerky as a treat after shots and eye drops, and a piece of a baby carrot after walks.
Good to jot down your questions (and the vet's answers).

Laura

[jesse girl]

Re: Chloe diagnosed 11-13

this disease can be miss understood . not allot of research going on for dogs . most things figured out maybe more on an individual bases so dont be disappointed if your vet cant give adequate answers for your questions . allot of time s we just dont know

most times at least what we have found out through others on the forum most of the work has to be done at home to get a good handle of this and it takes being a bit of a detective . some take more work than others and some less but for most our goal is to keep our pups safe and most do