K9Diabetes in Australia

[Shellie]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Hi! Just wanted to toss in my welcome to the forum to you and your pup! Glad you found us here and hope we can help you out!

Think eveyrone has covered the questions we always like to ask...weight, etc so I'll just say that you're doing well and that this IS a long term thing so don't expect perfection right off. Sometimes we get lucky and sometimes it just takes time. You'll hear, 'every dog is different' around here a lot but we all have our love of our babies in common!

Take a deep breath and take care!

[rustyangel]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Hi Jenny, any information that makes it easier, especially the way its done in Australia, I'm feeling very overwhelmed and Cosmo is not really responding well. Since he has started to loose his sight he has totally lost in confidence and when he makes a mistake in direction, he seems to lose his sense of direction completely.
I hear what everyone is saying about home testing, but not sure how to work out what food he would then need or amount of insulin he would need.
To be honest i'm concerned about his mental health i guess, he has about 4 blood curves done, and has to go for another soon, i don;t really want to take him at the moment while his confidence is so low.

Hi,


My Buddy has been gone for several years now but he lived with diabetes for over 6 years and was 16yo when he passed away. He was about 4kg and was on 4iu of NPH insulin. We had a few moves during this time and each of our vets did things differently. Most of them never encouraged or even suggested we home test BG levels but when we finally did it on our own it was a revelation. We had so much more knowledge and control.

Buddy also has cushings the last few years and that was another journey, he also went blind. Up until his last day he had a dog worthy life and enjoyed his life.

You are at the beginning of a journey and I hope it goes smoothly. There are a few hints I can give about where you get your insulin and needles etc. if you would like when you get over this shock stage.

Jenny

[Judi]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Hi: 2 quick things I'd like to comment on for you:

1. I'd leave his food alone and just work on his insulin for now. If you change too many things at once you can wind up not knowing what is working and it is a mess.

2. Jenny lost her vision around 9/1/2011. It took her 4 to 6 weeks to get her confidence back so I understand what you are saying. I have a little fenced in doggy area in my backyard and she seemed more comfortable out there because her nose could guide her.

Now? she is a champ getting around the house. I clap and tell her I am picking her up so I don't startle her but my husband and other dog constantly leave shoes or toys in areas where she is not expecting them. On good days, she sees a shadow and goes around them, on bad days, she trips and moves on.

She still loves to hunt for squirrels, bark at the neighbors, bark at the wind and walk outside.

hang in there. hugs, Judi (who is not know for brevity lol)

[rustyangel]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Thanks Judy, that helps a lot about the blindness, we are trying to do things to make finding his way easier, like blocking off under the bed, he seems to get lost under there in the middle of the night.

Hi: 2 quick things I'd like to comment on for you:





1. I'd leave his food alone and just work on his insulin for now. If you change too many things at once you can wind up not knowing what is working and it is a mess.

2. Jenny lost her vision around 9/1/2011. It took her 4 to 6 weeks to get her confidence back so I understand what you are saying. I have a little fenced in doggy area in my backyard and she seemed more comfortable out there because her nose could guide her.

Now? she is a champ getting around the house. I clap and tell her I am picking her up so I don't startle her but my husband and other dog constantly leave shoes or toys in areas where she is not expecting them. On good days, she sees a shadow and goes around them, on bad days, she trips and moves on.

She still loves to hunt for squirrels, bark at the neighbors, bark at the wind and walk outside.

hang in there. hugs, Judi (who is not know for brevity lol)

[k9diabetes]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

I agree - it's generally not an instant adjustment. It takes them a few weeks to months usually to adapt.

I remember vividly a tiny little Yorkie who lost her vision in the dead of winter and had to navigate a set of steps and snow drifts bigger than she was to go out and potty. Her person pretty much told us we were CRAZY when we said that she would likely adjust and figure things out. She all but slapped us!

But that little Yorkie did in fact figure things out and got on with her life, including roaming their acreage and playing with her housemates.

No question that some dogs do better with it than others. But in my eight years on forums for diabetic dogs, I've seen the vast majority of them work things out and go on and be happy and do most of what they used to do.

Very important to "child" proof their environment. Block access to swimming pools and sharp pointed objects. When our dog went blind, we had a glass-topped table with a sharp corner right at eye level, so we put a big throw pillow in front of it. And shortly after our dog's second attempt to jump up onto the bed and miss.... we put the mattress and box spring on the floor so he could climb up instead of jump. Got him a ramp to get into our SUV.
Those were the major adjustments. He was 62 pounds so medium to large size. Pet ramps and stairs can be very helpful. And if you have a two story house, you may have to block the stairs, especially if an open stairwell. Going up isn't necessarily a problem, but coming down can be, especially before they have worked out the layout of things.

Natalie

[Shellie]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

My pup, Hank, has been steadily getting worse and worse in the vision department but thankfully, it's been gradual for us. However, I've been working towards getting him, and myself, ready for that day when he can't see at all. We try to use the same routes when walking. I use 'step up' and 'step down' for sidewalks while walking even tho he doesn't yet need it. I wear a jingly bracelet on my ankle so he can find me wherever I am in the house (thankfully it's small). I got rid of my coffee table which had sharp points on it. I practice keeping his pathways clear of obstacles like shoes, etc. I find it really helps to THINK about what he is going thru...where he's going in the house...it reminds me to remember what I need to do to help him. I'll be getting a bed rail so he can't fall out of bed by accident, steps to help him get into bed or onto the sofa. All stuff you can do right away so he can get used to everything faster. I don't expect it will be easy for Hank but I do know that he WILL be ok if I make it ok for him. As I always tell him about whatever yucky stuff we have to do...no big deal. Hugs!

[Cebe]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Home testing is not for changing doses and food, especially right now when youre new to this. It's to give you and your vet the best information available so the two of you can decide on doses.

If you're feeling helpless, home testing can give you back a feeling of control and confidence. You said you're worried your pup is losing confidence because of his blindness. You being more confident about his illness and treatment can help him feel better to the extent that they feed off of our feelings.

My vets were somewhat resistant to my home testing but it has been very helpful and after Zoe had a hypo incident I felt it was absolutely necessary. I will also note that curves done in the comfort of your home may give you more accurate readings than those taken in a stressful vets office.

Sorry for the hard sell, but I think it's important to test, if you can.

[Rubytuesday]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

I'm feeling very overwhelmed and Cosmo is not really responding well. Since he has started to loose his sight he has totally lost in confidence and when he makes a mistake in direction, he seems to lose his sense of direction completely.
I hear what everyone is saying about home testing, but not sure how to work out what food he would then need or amount of insulin he would need.
To be honest i'm concerned about his mental health i guess, he has about 4 blood curves done, and has to go for another soon, i don;t really want to take him at the moment while his confidence is so low.

It took my Ruby a few weeks to not be depressed about going blind. The thing that has helped her the most has been rug runners placed in the traffic areas. if those are taken up to be cleaned for pee accidents then she loses her way easily.

In regards to the home testing and then working out the food and insulin I understand how you can feel confused and overwhelmed right now. That is just what the home testing will help clear up. Through frequent testing you can start to see trends that are individual to your dog and how the food affects them.

If you can get the curve results that your vet ran we could help you make some sense of it.

Don't feel discouraged. The learning curve can be steep with regards to this disease, but we are here to help you figure it all out. Home testing may not be for everyone, but if you can find your way to doing it will not only save you tons of money, but also help you to truly understand how your dog's body responds to the insulin.

keep your chin up, it gets better.

[momofdecker]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Decker lost his vision gradually and I do think that made the transition a bit easier for him. If someone who didn't know he was blind were to see him in the house or yard they probably would not know he couldn't see. He navigates the house, including stairs, very well.

Take him out of his comfort zone though and it becomes very obvious he can't see. He looks a bit like a drunk dog when he walks and you can hear his nails scratching on the pavement as his gate is very different from when he could see.

On walks we do a lot of 'up' and 'down' commands near the curbs. We use 'nose' as he gets close to a pole or tree to sniff ("watch your nose" came flying out of my mouth every time so we just shortened it to 'nose'). I have to watch the levelness of the grass he walks in because he's been known to take a nose dive if his footing is uneven. Had his first 'scare' moment the other day. It had rained pretty hard and there were puddles everywhere. A car went by and hit the water in a puddle. The sound of tires hitting the water sent Decker flying into the air scared. Just gave him a quick pat and got him walking again. I try to keep calm in hopes that it encourages him to stay calm too. Have noticed that he is much more confident walking when his non-diabetic brother, Kinser, goes too.

Over time we've noticed his other senses getting stronger. His hearing is great. He can be two floors up and will hear me pick up his leash or he will hear the rattle of the poo bags and come down ready to walk. His scent is also getting stronger as he now recognizes when another person or animal walks by us. We play games with him - hide around the house and tell him to 'sniff' for whoever is hiding. Lots of praise and pats when he is able to find us. Do the same with his toys - 'find your bone' or 'find secret squirrel'... will give the toy one squeak and let him figure it out. Again, lots of praise and a quick tuggie session as his reward.

Hope things settle in soon and that you are able to develop a new routine that works for all. Holli

[Kat Negron]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Another thing you might want to try is if you have wooden stairs with no carpeting, get some little bits of carpet you can add to stairs to keep from skidding down hardwood stairs. I put those in our house last year only because I'm a clutz, but I figured out that Gigi is using those so that she can tell when she's on the stairs and when she's on the main floor. She goes up each step and when she knows she's back on hardwood, there aren't any other stairs to go up or down.

It's tough. Gigi is getting used to it. Last week before her eyes went bonkers, we were even playing tuggie and she was having a blast with her chewies with her barely there vision (totally blind in the left, nearly blind in the right). They adapt, but it takes time.

And you never know, if it's from cataracts, your dog will still be able to tell the difference between light and dark. We were out on our last run of the evening last night when there was a storm building in the distance. Then there was a flash of lighting (no thunder since it was far off) and Gigi wanted to be right back in the house immediately and bolted for home. You never know with these pups!

[BestBuddy]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Home testing is great. Just because you test at home doesn't mean you can't get instructions from the vet. If you can learn to test then you could go back to the vet with the numbers and let him/her decide the next move.

You wouldn't be changing food/insulin at the start because you would need to get some BG numbers to see what the patterns are after eating at at different times through the day. Once you have that info then you can adjust the insulin slowly or make some diet changes to see if you can get the better numbers.
It really isn't as hard as it seems and the meters are not too expensive and it is much cheaper that running to the vets every couple of days.

Jenny

[rustyangel]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Hi, I haven't been here for awhile, I have tried to taking advice on home testing but some reason blood don't show on hand held monitors.
Only seems that able to do it at vets with bigger machine, vet wonders whether it is all the other meds Cosmo is taking that is causing the problem.
Currently we are doing spot checks, so he doesn't have to spend whole day at clinic because we are thinking stress levels are making his BGL's worse.
Last spot check his BGL was 9, amazingly good for Cosmo, Thursday he is spending the day and if his levels are high, we are going to assume his stress levels are the cause of high BGl levels.
He is starting to adjust to his blindness and so are we!, although he hasn't gained any weight and still wieghs 8.4 kgs, but is looking happier.

[Patty]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Hi, I haven't been here for awhile, I have tried to taking advice on home testing but some reason blood don't show on hand held monitors.
Only seems that able to do it at vets with bigger machine, vet wonders whether it is all the other meds Cosmo is taking that is causing the problem.

You might try a OneTouch Verio meter. Geoff had the same problem and was able to get a reading with the Verio meter: http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/showthread.php?p=71835

http://www.onetouch.com.au/

[Geoff]

Re: K9Diabetes in Australia

Hello! yes my Bailey had all sorts of problems when it came to obtaining blood. I would go straight for the one touch verio which I bought from:

http://www.chemistaustralia.com.au/products/one-
touch-verio-glucose-monitoring-kit.html

The accu-check just didn't work for me (or the vet) so I tried the one-touch verio and it works a treat, pretty accurate too when compared to the vet one (big machine forget it's name). I do bum testing, just above Bailey's tail with size 21 lancets from here:

http://www.pocd.com.au/POCDom_Unilet...ng_Lancets.php

I just phoned them up and ordered a pack of 100 (around $25 delivered)

I tried Bailey's lip for prick testing but he just hated that with a passion, took me months to finally get a reading. I lance by hand, he doesn't seem to mind as it's fatty around the base of his tail. I just squeeze with thumb & forefinger (not too much but enough to make a small fold) and then prick, I am still working on technique but it does work.

Bailey is on epileptic drugs also, Phenobarbitone and Epibrom which the vet thought could interfere with the accu-chek but to be honest no one knows, all I know it it works now and the vet now uses my meter when I bring him in for a check!

As for his blindness, gosh, that was hard for me too, poor Bailey went blind almost overnight and really freaked him out (of course!) He was bumping into things and very disoriented which made things worse. Resist the temptation to pick Cosmo up to help him. Bailey is fine now, still bumps into things a little but not too much, he (all dogs!) are truly amazing I do not know how they do it, he has remembered or learned his way around the house and follows me everywhere, up/down stairs, outside, we play ball (tennis ball with cat bell inside works wonders!! Bell was $2.20 from vets and tennis balls I found lying around)

He seems fine with his blindness now, I have (and he) accepted it, at first I cried my heart out (over the whole ordeal really) but we still cuddle and play and do the usual stuff and he now pulls me on the lead when we walk! At first it was hell with him been very hesitant, but now he won't slow down!! Truly amazing!! So stick in there, it's very hard I know, it breaks your heart but they do start to cope within a few weeks. I even bought some doggles for him but never needed to use them (for protecting his eyes) I tried scents and smells and bells and all sorts!! In the end he has figured it out himself.

Best of luck, the people on this forum are wonderful!!

Geoff
Canberra