Angel Mochi December 2020

[Lchow022]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

Riley I'm feeding Mochi 3 ounces of the canned and 1 ounce of the dry Royal canin hypoallergenic. It's the only food that doesn't have corn and barely in it that Mochi can eat. He's been eating it since he was sick and it seemed to help. I drastically changed his diet to raw pork when he was first diagnosed with diabetes...and that was a major mistake. Not even two weeks of eating that food and he got super sick with pancreatitis. But he's been eating the Hp for a long time and I don't know how good it is with amino acids and omegas..

Daisy..it's a rollercoaster..I was finally able to breathe a bit after getting him back on track with his blood sugars but whenever there is a high number I start to panic and stress again..Dingle berries are the worst! Especially if the poop is soft..I just don't understand why it goes up and stays up for so long sometimes..and it definitely sucks not knowing. I'm starting to assume stuff now.. and it's constantly stressing me out

[amydunn19]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

I would not be as concerned about cushings. At this stage of diabetes(not regulated), the chances of getting a false positive for cushings is pretty high. It can really be damaging to treat for cushings if the dog doesn't have it. Plus, you need to see if you can get the diabetes under control before you attacked the cushings. Now, thyroid is a little different - tests are relatively cheap, accurate and the treatment is a pill. If you suspect thyroid, it might be worth the test. Since cushings tests aren't reliable in unregulated dogs, you might wait and see.

The freestyle strips do work in the Alphatrack but I do not have experience with it. Craig can maybe chime in with the proper way to code for the strips.

Also, try to relax a bit. I know it is hard but the ups and downs are part of this process - keep in mind that many dogs never even get in the lower ranges on a regular basis and still do fine. You are doing great!

[Lchow022]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

Thank you Amy for your input. I am definitely concerned if he has hyperthyroid or Cushings. He's showing no signs of anything though. Still super energetic and consistently the same. Unless his blood sugars high..then I can tell he gets tired a lot faster.


I came home today and played fetch with him for 15 minutes and he wouldn't stop. I checked his blood sugars right before feeding and it was at 311. I found that weird because he usually gets tired faster and would want to stop and rest. I fed him at 6:30pm and gave him his normal dose of insulin. I took him and my other dog for a walk and played fetch again for another 20 minutes right after. I just checked his blood sugars at 8:30pm and it dropped down to 142.

Is that a good/notmal thing that it dropped back down to 142 after only two hours of getting his insulin?

[jesse girl]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

exercise can have a big affect on blood sugar . if insulin is active it can drop sugar quite a bit . my jesse could drop a 100 points just chewing on a bone

the walk and play may have caused the lower reading

another thing you would like to be consistent with a certain time of day and same amount

now exercise can spike sugar if insulin is weak or used up

my jesse has 2 points in a day she gets exercise

so testing blood sugar before and after exercise can be helpful

[amydunn19]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

I found that every time I thought I had this figured out, Maggie would do something crazy. I think it does matter at what point you do exercise them but so many things go into the equation. The more you test, you learn what works and what doesn't. I had to be really careful with Maggie. A bath would drop her 150-200 points. I had to send snacks to her groomer or she would be 40 after getting groomed.

[Lchow022]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

Wow...I never thought it would be this complicated... I try to keep him at the same schedules Monday-Fridays and then Saturday and Sunday it would be a little different. But I would try and walk him the same distance and play fetch with him the same.

I realized that I'm able to keep his blood sugars more stable when it's just me at home taking care of him. When my dads with them it seems to get out of hand because my dad will not listen and break rules and he's the main caretaker of the dogs since he is retired.

[amydunn19]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

We have had members who were in the same boat as far as another person not being as strict with them as they were. If you can ever convince them that the dog will be just as happy with a diabetic safe treat or on a regular routine, you can win the battle. I think especially with pancreatitis, you can see where one little extra fatty treat can put them at the emergency vet in terrible pain. Even if it is not that extreme, just sticking to the program will keep them from getting as many infections and stable blood sugar just makes them feel better. It is hard. I had to threaten people who wanted to give Maggie something she couldn't have and it is surprising how many people think denying her some fatty treat or table food was depriving her.

[Lchow022]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

So even exercising too much can cause a spike or a drop in sugar? What if they're more energetic one day and not as energetic the other?

Oh boy I have question about insulin now...i was half asleep yesterday and accidently left the insulin out until I got home from work yesterday. It was left out for more than 12 hours and I quickly put it back in the fridge...is it still good?! I wasted two bottles already by dropping it on the floor I hope this ones salvageable.

[jesse girl]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

i have seen my jesse energetic when she was high and lethargic same with being low but if she is out of sorts i will test her

i have left out insulin many times and even dropped it on occasion and haven't seen any change in quality

[Raysaint]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

I'm diabetic and I leave my Lantus insulin out at room temperature the whole time. I do it before bed so it sits in my bathroom. Still works.
I have a vial of my short acting insulin in my desk at work, use it every day, still works.
Refrigeration preserves the shelf life of the insulin. I keep unopened vials in the fridge.

[Lchow022]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

Thank you guys for the information on insulin! Should I not put it back in the fridge then since its been left out for so long? I know it's good for another 28 days if left out. Will it change the insulin if i keep leaving it in and out of the fridge like that?

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

Riliey, does the Alphatrak work reliably with freestyle strips? I have a freestyle meter kit (pharmacist gave it to me) but have never used it, prefer my Accuchek. But it looks identical to the Alpha.
My insurance would cover freestyle strips.

in reply to your question

yes the freestyle light glucose strips work good in the alphatrack2 meter.

I did try the freedom meter but it was way off compared to the alpha track.

good u can get them paid for. I.all send you a private message with more info kk.

mo

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Just got one high number after weeks of being regulated...

I forget and leave insulin out but put it back in the fridge been doing this for 5 years. as long as it doesn't get too hit above 86 degrees then through it out. also if it gets frozen throw it out

as a precaution when buying a new bottle I keep a small amount in the old bottle and keep it in the fridge.

[Lchow022]

Need advice..Apoquel seems to have raised my dogs blood sugar

I'm stuck...so I put my dog Mochi back on his allergy med last Monday and I took his blood sugar yesterday for the first time since he's been on it and it seemed to have spiked his blood sugars. He was consistently at the 140-150 range before he started taking it. Yesterday I checked when I got home at around 10pm and it was at 277. Then today I checked again and it was at 292. Do you guys believe it could be the Apoquel that's causing the spike again?

It seems to be working a bit for my dog..he's got severe allergies and would chew on his feet til it's a bloody mess. It seems to have controlled it a bit although he will still bite if he's off his cone. But I noticed his swollen feet did go down. He's got a few more days of these pills left and my dad stopped giving it to him today because he's worried it will continue spiking his sugars.

I was Mochi's caretaker for a month and his sugars were controlled very well..I don't know what else be causing it besides the Apoquel. It could also be my dad not being very consistent with things..but I did speak to him about it and he said he's been consistent with feeding and exercise.

So now the question is..should I continue with the allergy meds which is helping a bit or should I stop it and see if his blood sugar goes down in a few days?..the last time I stopped him from the meds his blood sugars went down within a couple of days.

[amydunn19]

Re: Need advice..Apoquel seems to have raised my dogs blood sugar

I think you probably need to do a curve first - testing every two hours from the morning meal until the evening meal to see where his blood sugar is at first. You can't really determine what the changes are until you see the whole picture. It is possible that decreasing the itching may cause him to be lower at a different time than normal. When Maggie started using apoquel, it actually changed her curve a bit. I never knew if it was the drug itself or the effect. On apoquel, her itching was much less, which meant she wasn't actively scratching and also she wasn't experiencing increased cortisol which can increase blood sugar. Cortisol can be produced when the body is stressed. This can affect metabolism too. If you don't have time for a curve, then I would at least test at multiple times during the day. Before changing anything, you need to know this information.


Also, I don't know what other meds he is taking, but antibiotics and steroids can cause much higher sugar, too.

If you do figure out it is apoquel causing an increase, then I would try to adjust insulin to compensate for it. For me, the quality of her life was worth more than lower blood sugar. Increasing insulin may just do the trick and there is no prize for using the least amount of insulin. People seem to think using more insulin is bad but the ultimate goal is getting them to the best blood sugar for the majority of the day and having a good quality of life. Insulin doesn't harm them and they need what they need.

Are you using an antihistamine? I used over the counter Zyrtec for Maggie per her allergist. Also, we did allergy shots for several years. Apoquel was the only thing that really helped her. We also bathed her two - three times per week. I wiped her feet off every time she went out. I know it is hard - we fought it for years. Maggie wouldn't chew feet but she would lay open an eye or ear from scratching.