Introducing Luna

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Introducing Luna

can you tell us how much food your feeding twice a day????

for a 22 lb dog 1 3\4 cup a day divide this by 2

[Halloweenqueen]

Re: Introducing Luna

Frankly almost double that. She gets a rounded cup at breakfast and dinner.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Introducing Luna

that's a lot of food. one cup twice a day . this could be the reason for more insulin needed

my dog ate 1\2 cup twice a day. he was 22 lbs. he took 5 units twice a day

every time I tried to up his food to even 3\4 cup I needed to raise his insulin.

every dog is different .

I would urge you to start home testing before making any changes get at least one 12 hour curve done at home. we can help you get started.

[amydunn19]

Re: Introducing Luna

Prescription diets are usually larger portions.

What are the liver values? When were they last checked? I would like to see what a low fat diet would do.

Are there any alternatives vet wise? I know it is hard to change but I think you have to advocate for Luna. I had a vet I liked in the beginning and for basic stuff she was fine but I realized almost too late, diabetic problems were over her head and she just lacked the knowledge for a challenging diabetic. You might ask around and see if you can find someone a little better versed in diabetes. Look for an IMS - they do have advanced training in internal medicine so there’s that.

[amydunn19]

Re: Introducing Luna

Also, Maggie was on a liver Pill until her values came down. I will try to look it up and see what it was. Is Luna on any meds/supplements for liver function?

[Raysaint]

Re: Introducing Luna

Even a good liver supplement with milk thistle may help. My vet gave me some one time when Riley's liver enzymes were a tad high, and a few weeks later they were normal.
Maybe the supplement wasn't the cure, but there's lots of research backing the benefits of milk thistle in humans.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23140176

There are supplements made for dogs.

[amydunn19]

Re: Introducing Luna

Maggie was on denamarin for liver support during the last few years of her life. Earlier, she was on Sam E for a time as well. She did not need a liver support supplement once she recovered from DKA and pancreatitis, though. Both of these are very good to help with liver.

[Halloweenqueen]

Re: Introducing Luna

Hello! Sorry for the delayed response. Update:

We caved and had the Cushings testing. All came back negative. Her level values have gone down substantially since insulin. She continues on the Hepatic food and Denamarin.

I purchased an Alphatrak and I have been doing once daily testing for 4 days. I'm going to do my first curve on Friday, now that we seem to be doing better with the blood collection. (more difficult than the injections!)

We are going to the vet tomorrow to compare our unit to the Vets before the curve. Her numbers are great at home. Thanks to the help from this forum I became more confident in taking control of my dog's health.

Thanks so much! Hopefully, we are on the path to getting her diabetes under control. She is still on 11 units every 12 hours.

[amydunn19]

Re: Introducing Luna

That is great news. Let us know how the curve goes.

[Halloweenqueen]

Re: Introducing Luna

The curve went so well. We really have this blood drawing thing down. You can imagine how a chi mix would is blind and anxious can be a challenge. Her upper paw pad works great with a dab of Vaseline.

She is currently on 11 units, twice a day. She is 22 lbs and on hepatic Royal Cain food, 1 3/4 cups daily. Denamarin pill a day with a half a pill pocket.

7:00 am 423 (before breakfast)
9:00 am 364
11:00 am 313
12:00 pm 275 (this is the time the vet tests so I did this to compare)
1:00 pm 249
3:00 pm 340
5:00 pm 378
7:00 pm 448 (supper time!)
9:00 pm 355
11:00 pm fell asleep

I'm guessing we need to increase a bit?

I went in to the Vet to compare our machines and they acted like we never had the previous conversation. Vet even seemed surprised I brought up home testing and we discussed it for close to 30 minutes the previous visit. I know they see a lot of dogs, but wouldn't there be notes or something?

[jesse girl]

Re: Introducing Luna

nice looking curve congrats . Yes there is the opportunity for a small increase .

Testing blood sugar at home is probably still in the minority . I may have not done it if it wasn't for the forum and i am pretty sure without it jesse would not be here today

Depending on the size of the vets practice they may not see many caretakers that proactive with the disease

[Halloweenqueen]

Re: Introducing Luna

We seemed to be on the right track last week until Saturday. I was supposed to do Luna's second curve (daily testing in between) when I woke up to find Luna throwing up last night's supper.

She became very lethargic and refused to move. She is usually quite the climber, but stayed on the floor. I was concerned about her blood sugar, but she tested in the mid 300s so I gave her her insulin after coaxing her to take in a little breakfast.

With no improvement around lunch I took her to the emergency vet. They determined that she had somehow hurt her back and gave me pain meds. The symptoms (with the exception of the vomiting) seemed to fit.

We were told two weeks rest. She was very restless not having a human to sleep with, so my husband volunteered to sleep on the floor with her that night.

Sunday was tough. She didn't want to eat. She barely moved. I cooked some boiled chicken and she finally had a couple of pieces for dinner. I checked her blood often and she kept in the mid 300 to mid 200 range throughout the weekend.

My husband spent a second night on the floor. He woke up to find that she had pooped in the bathroom. (running diarrhea with streaks of blood)

It's too early for the vet. The office doesn't open for another 30 minutes and this happens to be the busiest week of the year for me at work. I'm an emotional mess. I don't feel good about this. I was so relieved to find out it was back strain, but now it is looking that it is something far more dangerous.

I've taken a bm sample for the vet and hopefully can go in once they have opened. I've combed through the board and I don't think these symptoms are diabetes related. The internet certainly can be a positive or negative thing. I'm thinking the worst.

Positive thoughts...I'll post an update later.

[Halloweenqueen]

Re: Introducing Luna

Just tested her and she is 467. That sounds like I should give her a full dose. She is supposed to have her shot in 30 minutes.

[jesse girl]

Re: Introducing Luna

Could have made a miss diagnosis and it sounds more like pancreatitis . I probably would not try to feed anything . positive thoughts and prayers for luna

[Lolo]

Re: Introducing Luna

I don’t have any advice, but sending good thoughts to you and Luna.