Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

[snoopysmom116]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

My dog Superman is 16 pounds. Is taking 7 units of Humulin N twice a day.
He was just diagnosed on April 18 and is not regulated yet. He is eating W/D mixed together with canned dog food chicken (Purina one, IAMS or Alpo)
I bought a Ipet monitor from petmeds but have not been able to get any blood with the lancing device (I think that is what it's called). It works on my finger though - got a drop of my blood.

[Pamala]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

My dog Superman is 16 pounds. Is taking 7 units of Humulin N twice a day.
He was just diagnosed on April 18 and is not regulated yet. He is eating W/D mixed together with canned dog food chicken (Purina one, IAMS or Alpo)
I bought a Ipet monitor from petmeds but have not been able to get any blood with the lancing device (I think that is what it's called). It works on my finger though - got a drop of my blood.

Heres the way we take the blood. We have a thin dog mat like the ones that are lined in a cage and place in on a counter. We put her up on there and she stands or lyes down. We use the little black piece of the paw thats under the front paws to get the blood from. We clean the area and pat it dry. Hold his paw and prick sometimes we have to gently turn the lancet and then take it out and give it a couple of seconds and the blood will come out.

[Pamala]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Dog's name, breed: Bichon-Poo 13 years old
Dog's weight: 30 lbs (vet wants him to lose 10 lbs)
Diet: Hill w/d dry and canned (ceaser all his like prior along with various dry foods)
Insulin: Humulin NU-100
Number of units per injection and injections per day: 7cc twice per day

Brand of BG meter if home testing:

Don't have one yet...just diagnosed and I am a wreck. He has been on the insulin for 3 days now and also an antibiotic...he is not the same dog he was a week ago He doesnt go in for the curve until 2 weeks from this week...do you recommend the meter after we learn more about diabetes
??

Yes it is so easy to take a curve I wish i would have save the $300 at the vet for my first 3 curves! My vet showed me how and it was easy. We take the blood from the tiny front paw. The one piece of paw that is under the big front paw. I see a lot of people take it from the inside of the lip thats not for me there is so much germs in the mouth.

[Pamala]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Dog's name, breed: Jacob 7 1/2 year old Rottweiler

Weight: 128 lbs (was 150 lbs prior to pancreatitis)

Diet: Royal Canin Diabetes & Engers Beef with Chicken, 1900 cal/day divided by 2 meals. 3 Cups dry Royal Canin + 1/2 can Engers. I add cinnamon and chromium supplements along with Trixyn and Liquid Health for his arthritis. I also add a steamed veggie like broccoli, green beans, spinach or asperagus with garlic and tamari sauce.

Insulin: Humulin N

Number of units per injection and injections per day: Currently at 32 units, twice a day, 6am/6pm (currently unregulated)

Brand of BG meter if home testing: Started with OneTouch Ultra. Just got a Contour USB but there is a big difference between these two meters. Have not had them to the vet yet to see which is closer to truth. Looking for a meter with less expensive strips, than the OneTouch. I use the underside of the lips, elbow callus or hand pad.

I use a product called sashas blend on my three old dogs including my girl that has diabetes. After just 2 weeks on it they were running around like puppies! http://www.sashas.ca/cb_pages/sashas_blend.php

[Pamala]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Dog's name, breed: Buzz (Male), Terrier Mix

Weight: ~20 lbs ideal (~18 lbs now)

Diet: Royal Canin High Protein Diet

Insulin: Humulin-N from Wal-Mart (Eli Lilly Reli-On)

Number of units per injection and injections per day: ~5 units, 2x/day 12 hrs apart. # of units depend on blood glucose testing from ear immediately prior to insulin injections.

Brand of BG meter if home testing: Abbott Labs AlphaTrak. Love it. We test from his ear 2x/day every day.

__________________

Buzz was diagnosed December, 2010. He is still unregulated, but we are moving in the right direction to get him regulated. Read more about him here: www.mydoghasdiabetes.blogspot.com

I heard that high Protein can cause bladder stones.

[Pamala]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

my dog buster use to be a great sleeper. He was diagnosed about almost 2 years ago. For the last couple of months he doesnt sleep thru the nite. He gets up like an alarm clock everynite about 2-3 and wants to go out. I dont know what it is. Once in a while he will let me sleep till 4:30 but that is rare. He also wants to eat at that time too.

Do you take your own glocose tests? I bet that he has high numbers at night and thats what is making him have to go pee. When he wakes up take a test and see. he may need an insulant or food change.

[Abby's Mom]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Dog's name, breed: Abby, Schnorkie (1/2 Min. Schnauzer 1/2 Yorkshire Terrier)

Weight: 18 lbs (was 28 lbs prior to dx)

Diet: 1/2 Cup Honest Kitchen; Zeal - 1/2 Egg, 1 tsp of millet (cooked 15mins)
Supplements each day: Canine Whole Body Support 1/8 tsp or NutraVet, Bilberry, Cranberry, CoQ10 Insulin: Novolin N 5.0-5.5 Units 2x a day 12 hrs apart

Brand of BG meter if home testing: AlphaTrak2

[Patty]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Diet: Raw. 30% Raw Meat (switch a bit between Ground Lamb, Fish, Ground Lean Beef, Ground Chicken (sometimes chicken wings), Ground Turkey (sometimes turkey necks), the remaining portion is made of Cooked Brown Rice, Cooked Barley, lightly steamed Kale, raw Brocolli, raw Green Beans, raw Sweet Potatoes, raw Carrots. Wheat Berries (additional Carb) or White Rice. I make batches, and then I freeze them in daily portions. Sounds like a lot of work, but really isn't. When feeding a raw diet, I have read that it is a good idea to be switching out protiens.

Hi Barb,
I just read through Abby's diet. I know you're getting some good numbers right now, so it's hard to mess around with diet. But I wanted to bring up a few concerns. There are a few foods that I wouldn't feed raw on a daily basis.

One is raw sweet potato. Sweet potato contains an enzyme inhibitor that can prevent the digestion of protein. This trypsin inhibitor is no longer active once the potato is cooked (but this will also change the starch content and your numbers likely). Let me see if I can find an article on this. Here, scroll down this page: http://vegpeace.org/rawfoodtoxins.html

Another is raw broccoli. Raw broccoli and cauliflower contain goitrogens that can inhibit thyroid funtion. If you just parboil it (ie. drop the broccoli into boiling water for two minutes) this inactivates the goitrogens. It also makes the vegetables more digestible. As a small treat, I wouldn't worry but depending on the amount and when used on a daily basis I'd use caution.

I think the raw green beans are fine if you are just using them for fiber. Dogs typically can't break down the cell walls of vegetables unless they are pulverized or partially cooked. So they aren't really used by the body raw except as bulk as I understand it.

Hope that helps,
Patty

[Abby's Mom]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Thanks Patty! I didn't know. (what would I do without all of your knowledge). One saving grace is that I do mix up the vegetables, as well as the protein, on a day to day basis. I have been not buying or making any thing with sweet potatoes, as well as putting limiting amounts of carrots in. The other item I rotate is barley and brown rice. Sometimes she gets pure pumpkin, yogurt and raw egg.

I do process everything in a food processer (so, everything is a mush, except for the meat), but I will par boil the brocolli, so she can digest better. I have not had any problems with her digestion, and her stools seem to be "healthy".

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Patty]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Keep us posted on how the changes go

[jesse girl]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

jesse raw diet is not completely raw the beef side is and the green leafy vegetables but the vegetables are pulverized in a food processor and blended into the grounded beef to let the enzymes in the meat break the vegetable mater down further

she gets eggs and yams but they are cooked beef I believe is check more frequently than other meats and i do freeze it to kill any parasites of coarse bacteria can survive her health has improved no more infections if she gets a scrape she heals quick so her immune system seems to be doing well

the only complaint is I would like her to put a bit more weight on but even commercial food did not do that she maintains what shes got and lighter is better for chasing rabbits but not much surplus if she does get sick again

[Cebe]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Looking for food advice now. Here are Zoe's stats:

Dx 6/1/11
Black lab mix, usually 60lbs
Humulin n 11 units 2x day

Food: pinnacle trout and sweet potato. 1.5 cup 2x day.

Zoe has food allergies but I don't know what causes the allergic reaction. Beef is a no-no, and so are grains etc. The pinnacle food is a limited ingredient food.

Usually if she eats food that causes a reaction she will have several symptoms: itching, excessive elimination, hyperactivity, panting, itchy ears, postures on skin, hot spots.

With the pinnacle, her only symptom is some postures on her belly and they could be from another source related to her current hair loss.

Before her diabetes dx, she was on CA Natural herring and sweet potato, but darn that company, the last (expensive) bag I bought caused a reaction and so I've had to leave that food behind, even though I liked it and it was the most successful food so far, but now I can't trust the consistency.

Considering that I'm spending a fortune on her food and bc of her diagnosis, I had a telephone consult with a holistic vet. She said I could start a raw food diet using fish but I was so overwhelmed I just couldn't follow what she was telling me. It was all too fast, and it sounded expensive - fish 2x a day?

I'm still interested in cooking for my dog, and I wonder if there's a homecooked diet I can create for her that might save me money and help her symptoms.

I don't plan to make any changes until I get more familiar with her curves and until she is regulated for a while, but I want to work this out.

Thank you!!

[AZPitasmom]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Just to keep things consistent

Dog's name, breed: Pita - she is a "Yurgess" that is ' Yur gess is as good as mine"
Dog's weight: last count 48 lbs - down from 65 but up from 43 (thank goodness)
Diet: In the process of changing to Wellness Core Grain-free Reduced Fat
Insulin: Humalin-N
Number of units per injection and injections per day: 12 units/2xs
Brand of BG meter if home testing: US Diagnostics and in the process of setting up to home test (per the vet when the food switch is complete)

[sheureka]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

Name - Rowlf
Weight - 15 pounds
Breed - Bichon Frise
Food - 1/2 cup Royal Canin Diabetic 2x, plus chicken jerky and pumpkin/cranberry cookie after shot
Insulin - 4.5 units Humulin N 2x
Meter - AlphaTrak

[ILoveRotties]

Re: Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

My Jacob gets less if I am going to walk him. He will get 8 units of Levimir at 6am and 8 1/2 units at 6pm. I still have to give him honey before our walk or figs along the walk if I sense he is getting sluggish. And the extra 1/2 unit of Levimir is a lot more than 1/2 a unit of humulin but it seems to work for Jacob. The Levimir is doing a better job keeping his curve looking like a healthy even with the walks.