Your dog's diet, insulin, and meter used

[pvriz]

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

Name: Jinx -- Silky Terrier 9 yrs old
Diagnosed 9-13-2013
Diet: Raw
Insulin: Vetsulin 2 units twice a day
Meter: One Touch Ultra 2

We took Jinx to the vet because he was bumping into things and suspected he was going blind. A few weeks before that he started drinking a lot of water and peeing on the floor a lot. I feel terrible that we waited so long but we did.

We took him to the vet and his Bg was at 527. They told us on a Friday and to bring him back Monday. Well after talking to my brother who feeds his dog a raw diet, (I didn't. Jinx ate kibble and anything he begged for off the table which is most likely what got him to this point) we decided to see how a raw diet would do. So we called the vet and told her we were going to try raw and get him checked after a couple of weeks. So we did. And even though he acted happy, stopped drinking gallons of water, stopped peeing on the floor, and his eyes that were constantly leaking and crusty cleared up; he was losing weight. So we took him back and his Bg was at 487 on 10-25-13.

So this time he was definitely going to have to get on insulin no matter how hopeful and delusional we were.

He started on vetsulin on Tuesday the 29th. His reading at 5:00pm before leaving the Vet office was 433. We gave him his 8pm shot and the next morning the 30th took him to the vet and he was at 344 at 8:30am. After breakfast and after 2 units of insulin at 9:30am he was at 314. At 11:30 he was at 173, 1:30 248, 3:30 283, 5:00pm 310. We brought him home and gave him his 8pm meal and his shot. I did not measure the one touch to the vets meter so I'm not sure how much difference it is, but they did say they use human meters too and when we left on Wednesday they gave us the alpha trak 2 DVD. So this morning the 31st on the one touch he was at 254 before breakfast and insulin at 8am , 146 at 9:30am, and 76 at 11:30am. Which I called in late to work because if he dropped at the same time as the day before I was nervous it might be low. I called the vet and they said as long as he was not wobbly don't worry and agreed that his bg would probably start going back up like yesterday. So I went to work. I took his bg again at 8:00pm today and it was at 203. So now I'm wondering what will happen with 2 units. I was nervous that he might go too low. So I asked my brother, and he recommended 1 unit and see. So ive read it's better for him to be high than low so was going to do that but guess what!! I gave him his shot and felt wetness. I went right through the other side!! I was upset and crying and shaking. Just feel so stupid and that I'm hurting my dog instead of helping after not taking good care of him his whole life. Anyway after feeling sorry for myself I read it's better to just skip the dose so I did. I took his bg an hour later anyway and it went up to 254. So I'm guessing he will be close to 400 in the morning if his pattern is the same. We will see.
I'm very thankful for this forum. It has helped a lot the past couple of days.
I just hope this gets easier.

I'm a newby too. So stressful isn't it? From what I've learned it sounds like you are doing great. My 15lb chihuahua couldn't get his bg down until I was up to 7.5 units twice daily. Everyone here is great and assured me that it becomes more routine over time. I sure am looking forward to that. Good luck.

[brettg]

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

I am fairly new to this, only a couple of months, but have learned a lot.

You can ask a vet tech to help teach you how to do shots etc, Also, get a better vet.

Unfortunately your own feelings of fear of both the process and your dog can feed her behavioural problems. stay calm and get help. Ask for help as often as you need. If you can do it together, it helps.

Get a meter and ask for help until you can do it.

My dog has cancer, diabetes, addisons, and pancreatic insufficiencies.

Compare prices on line, at the vet and at the drugstore. I buy my needles at walgreens for nineteen dollars. at the vets they are over forty dollars.

good luck

[ceruleanblue]

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

Dog's name, breed: Piper, German Shepherd/Border Collie Mix

DOB: January 1, 2002

Diagnosed: September 18, 2012

Dog's weight: Usually between 60-65 lbs, ideally around 63 (Was overweight at 88lbs when she was diagnosed with diabetes)

Diet: 180 grams Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon dry food and 54 grams TOTW Southwest Canyon Stew, fed twice a day at 6 am and 6 pm

Insulin: Mix of ReliOn Novolin N and ReliOn Novolin R

Number of units per injection and injections per day: Currently at 5 units of R am & pm, plus 14 units of N am & pm.

Other Medications/Supplements: Currently takes a 20mg Prilosec and 25mg Deramaxx with breakfast and 1250mcg B12 Methylcobalamin supplement with both meals. I also add in 14 grams of Nupro Joint & Immunity formula, 1 tsp Now Foods D-Mannose Powder, and 1/4 tsp Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes & Probiotics to both meals. She gets 2 drops Restore Tears (Walmart brand of Refresh tears) in each eye twice a day, and I also flush her left eye with Bausch & Lomb Eye Wash. She gets two scoops of NaturVet Cranberry Relief with both meals twice a week.

Brand of BG meter if home testing: AlphaTrak 2 or One Touch Ultra 2

Additional Comments:
She was originally fed Pedigree Adult Complete dry and Pedigree wet food, and ate that for about a year after her diagnosis. We were able to get her regulated on it briefly. Piper ended up getting several different infections, which threw off her BG. It also became very erratic. By August 2013, her BG was steadily rising, and she started refusing to eat. I was taking her in to the vet at least once a week, looking for the cause. She was eventually diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer. I put her on a bland, homemade diet and we switched her Pepcid twice a day to Prilosec once a day, and stopped her prescription pain medications. Once she seemed feeling better, I tried putting her back on the Pedigree, but she immediately got worse again. I switched back to the bland diet for six weeks, and researched new dog foods, because I suspect the corn in the Pedigree food was irritating her stomach and was hard to digest. I put her on Diamond Naturals Adult Chicken & Rice dry with a topper of 4Health wet food, after researching higher quality foods that may be easier on her stomach and digestion. In August 2014, I decided to try a grain free food to see if that would help eliminate some recurring infections and occasional stomach upset. We switched to Taste of the Wild Southwest Canyon formula.

Piper also has mild arthritis in her back legs.

We switched her from Novolin N to Novolin 70/30 on 4/9/14. The vet recommended switching, to hopefully get a flatter curve. After a couple months on the 70/30, it appeared she needed more N insulin to carry her through the 12 hours, so I switched to a custom mix of R & N.

As of 7/2014, Piper is mostly blind in her left eye due to cataract formation, right eye cataract is developing more, but not as bad yet.

9/18/14: Diagnosed with a mass in her bladder (likely cancer) after an ultrasound, following recurrent, antibiotic resistant UTIs. She was started on 25mg Deramaxx once daily.

[LouieLily's mom]

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

Dogs Name, Breed: Boston Terrier, Louie

Date of Birth: August 2007

Diagnosed: November 2013

Dogs Weight: 23 pounds. Has lost almost 10 pounds in 6 months. He was overweight at 33 pounds but is very thin now

Diet: Science Diet W/D (3/4 cup in a.m. 2 tablespoons chicken, 2 tablespoons green beans and a tablespoon W/D can Feed at 6:30am

Evening- 1cup science diet dry, 1/2 c ground cooked chicken w/green beans, tablespoon cottage cheese (low fat)
I have estimated the calories and his total intake is around 730 a day, which if I have done my research correctly, that is about how much he needs if he was 28 pounds.

Insulin: 3 units in a.m while eating. Only one injection a day at this time. I might need to start one in the evening.

Meds: I apply cyclosporine 2x a day for dry eyes.

Meters: Use the ReliOn Prime

Concerns: I am concerned about his weight. I check his Bg in the morning before eating, in the evening before eating and at night around 9-9:30p.m. Blood glucose sugars for a week are

259-221-233
219-166-399
237-194-365
336-289-368 I think he started moving when I gave him his shot
348-206-291
313-168-372

He gets more exercise on weekends than during the week due to my work schedule right now. I am taking Louie to the vet's office this week to weigh him again. If he has lost any more weight, we are changing his food.

I have been reading this web site for about a month, and think it is great. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

[allanworks]

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

Dog's name, breed: woody 12yo min pin
Dog's weight: 21lbs
Diet: hill's w/d
Insulin: Novolin relion u-100
Number of units per injection and injections per day: 5 units once a day
Brand of BG meter if home testing: relion prime

right now he wont eat and its been 4 days bs levels ranging 350 to 500

[pearls mom]

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

Hello I am new to this forum but have been reading it as a non member for many months.

Dog's name, breed: Pearl, apx. 14 yr old beagel
Dog's weight: 12lbs
Diet: home cooked diet
Insulin: Novolin relion u-100
Number of units per injection and injections per day: 1/2 unit 3 times per day
Brand of BG meter if home testing: true track

I got Pearl April of last year she had been thrown out to fend for herself and our local Humane Society had taken her in and with her age and being a diabetic I figured no one would want her. So I took her in and the next day we went to the vet so I could get her straightened out and I could learn how to properly care for her. At first we did dry kibble that was recommended for diabetic dogs but she did not do well on it so I researched foods to make for her. I started cooking for her in August and all was going well and she was needing less and less insulin - I spoke to a internist and she suggested I cut Pearl back to 1/2 u per day but increase her food. (Pearl is very skinny and really needs to gain about 5 pounds) Of course when I increased her food she needed more insulin which is no problem. I test Pearl no less then 3 times a day sometimes many more times per day. Pearl was doing perfect she was eating perfect and her Blood Glucose levels were staying almost exact. Then 10 days ago she started cutting back on her food intake NOW 10 days later I can only get her to eat meat and occasionally some cheese, and today her BGL's are extremely high for her. She went from 180 yesterday to 420. Her normal are typically 120 - 160. She is dropping weight and is sleeping most of the day. I do not know what to do to bring her back.

[gohlmann]

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

Dog's name, breed: Scamp, Mini Schnauzer
Dog's weight: 28lbs
Diet: Hill's W/D
Insulin: Novolin 70/30
Number of units per injection and injections per day: 10 units 2x daily
Brand of BG meter if home testing: Freestyle Insulinx

Scamp went blind suddenly about 1.5 years ago (over a weekend) and was diagnosed with diabetes about 4 months ago.

[inteltek2]

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

Hi,

Pepper, 6 yr old female Bichon Frise, neutered
W/D Hill Science canned diet
NPH, 3 units, bid with meals
Awaiting Vet recommendation for meter

I am also diabetic, and recognized Pepper's symptoms last year-before the Banfield Vet was willing to diagnose them. Pepper was finally diagnosed last month, after I insisted the Vet redraw and test her blood/urine for diabetes. she will undergo a day-long monitoring tomorrow, 1/24/14 at Banfield, to reevaluate her correct insulin levels. She seems to be under control during the day, but all night long, she is barking, drinking, and barking again to go out. Hopefully we can get this regulated soon. My work performance is suffering from lack of sleep.

[Natcle]

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

Teddy, 5lb toy poodle age 11.
Humulin N, 2.5u
Diastix

When first diagnosed (11/2013) he would eat the prescription Hills with no issue. Then as time went along he became more picky. We mixed his old food, then started feeding him boiled chicken mixed w/prescription hills.
His eating has gotten so picky that tonight I fed him ham, turkey, pastrami w/Gerber baby food (sweet potatoes). Unless it is something he can't refuse, he will hide under the bed and not come out unless we trick him.

I don't know how to test him with a meter. The vet is still trying to figure out his insulin level and just told me to use Diastix, but when I do they go right to brown.

I messed up with his insulin dose three weeks ago and was giving him 4units instead of 2. When they did a curve on him with 4units (thinking he was on 2) they said it was fine but still on the high side. Then when I started with the correct dosage (and told the vet what I'd been doing) he had high ketones and was at the vet for 4 days being flushed out.
They sent him home on 3units, and his latest curve was yesterday and they told me his first glucose reading was 47. They don't understand why when he was on 4units his curve was on the high side, now he's on less and it's like this. So now he is getting 2.5u.

The vet said in the beginning what's going on with Teddy is common. Maybe he's not eating enough, so she did a fructosimine (sp?). Has anyone else experienced this?

I want to do the glucose meter, but I need a very gentle one. My dog is really starting to hate me. The Diastix definitely are not helpful.

Thank you,
Natalie & Teddy

[CraigM]

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

Teddy, 5lb toy poodle age 11.
Humulin N, 2.5u
Diastix

When first diagnosed (11/2013) he would eat the prescription Hills with no issue. Then as time went along he became more picky. We mixed his old food, then started feeding him boiled chicken mixed w/prescription hills.
His eating has gotten so picky that tonight I fed him ham, turkey, pastrami w/Gerber baby food (sweet potatoes). Unless it is something he can't refuse, he will hide under the bed and not come out unless we trick him.

I don't know how to test him with a meter. The vet is still trying to figure out his insulin level and just told me to use Diastix, but when I do they go right to brown.

I messed up with his insulin dose three weeks ago and was giving him 4units instead of 2. When they did a curve on him with 4units (thinking he was on 2) they said it was fine but still on the high side. Then when I started with the correct dosage (and told the vet what I'd been doing) he had high ketones and was at the vet for 4 days being flushed out.
They sent him home on 3units, and his latest curve was yesterday and they told me his first glucose reading was 47. They don't understand why when he was on 4units his curve was on the high side, now he's on less and it's like this. So now he is getting 2.5u.

The vet said in the beginning what's going on with Teddy is common. Maybe he's not eating enough, so she did a fructosimine (sp?). Has anyone else experienced this?

I want to do the glucose meter, but I need a very gentle one. My dog is really starting to hate me. The Diastix definitely are not helpful.

Thank you,
Natalie & Teddy

I copied your newest post into your regular thread so that folks might give you some ideas.

Craig

[jasper2008]

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

Hi! Jasper is a 5 year old king charles cavalier spaniel diagnosed with diabetes 2 days ago, we noticed him drinking a lot of water about 2 weeks ago although his urinating wasn't excessive & no accidents in the house.

At first we thought it was his heavy winter coat & he was over heating but his appetite became ravenous last week so I tried on several occasions to take his BG which were all to no avail could not get any blood, tried his pads his carpal pad his ears several times & even as a last resort the inside of his mouth which did produce blood but was quickly shook off. Finally we managed to get blood from his ear & his BG was 25.1 (UK) so we made an appointment for the vets and their reading was 23 we are going later today to get the caninsulin cartridges & VetPen & to find out his dosage.

We had a diabetic cat who was steroid induced, who we managed to test at home & who only just survived our last vets ignorance (nearly killed her with too much insulin & urine sticks ) so I found FDMB & managed to stabilise her with diet, insulin & home testing. She was 10 years old when dx diabetes & after 6 years on insulin went on honeymoon and stayed there until her death from cancer at the age of 18.

Jasper has had both ear canals removed last year due to a build up of dead skin in his inner ear which caused infection, he was treated with steroids for three months which I wasn't too happy about & asked if there was an alternative but told there wasn't and here we go again a diabetic pet.

wet food once a day + scraps from my meal (this will change)
caninsulin cartridges
One Touch Ultra meter
Dosage not yet confirmed

I know from reading a few of the sticky posts that it is going to be different from how I treated my cat. Am I correct in thinking I need to feed Jasper a couple of hours before his injections to allow the glucose from the meal to absorb first then give the injection?

I have only skimmed through the sticky posts as we are due at the vets in a couple of hours & would really like some information to take with me as I haven't got time to read through everything & ingest the info properly plus I would need to print it out & read it over & over to get it to sink in as I have recently had a stroke & info & memory are not so good now.

Any help or info would be so appreciated as we will need to feed him anytime soon if my assumptions about feeding before insulin are correct?

Thank You! So glad I have found this website it means a lot to know I will be able to get help with Jasper xx

kind regards

Hilary x

[kmatthiensen]

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

I am brand new to this site. I was browsing to see what everyone is feeding their pets with diabetis and came across this site. I am not happy with what we are using and definitely need to make a change.

My dog Tristan looks like just a plain black lab but he is mixed with Cocker Spaniel. his mother was full bred Cocker Spaniel. We adopted him and his sister Trinity when they were 7 weeks old from an SPCA in North Carolina. They are now 9 years old. Tristan was diagnosed back in October with diabetes. Over the course of about a week, he went from being fine to drinking constantly and then needing to go out almost every two hours and he did have accidents if we were not home. When we took him in, his level was over 700!! We began insulin right away and within 2 months he was blind and now suffers from Glaucoma. I recently purchased the AlphaTrak and we just did his first curve last week, which was very successful.

I believe his sister Trinity is now diabetic as well. I noticed that she had drank an entire bowl of water over night and then she did it again this afternoon. I usually only fill the bowl once every other day or every 2 days. She has also been needing to go out more. I took her blood this morning and it was 356. So we will be making a trip to the vet to confirm.

I would really like to get these guys eating right and see if that can help!

Dog's name, breed: Tristan & Trinity - Black Lab/Cocker Spaniel Mix

Dog's weight: Tristan started off over 80 lbs and is now down to 65 lbs. Trinity was about 75 last we checked and I doubt she has lost anything even though they are on a strict diet.

Diet: PurinaOne Healthy Weight Formula Dry (suggested by vet, which surprised me, and it smells awful when wet) - Tristan is fed 2 cups twice a day when he has his insulin. Trinity is fed 1 1/2 cups twice a day. My husband got them used to eating it mixed with warm water (kinda like the Gravy Train idea / )

Insulin: Novolin

Number of units per injection and injections per day: We are up to 15 units twice a day

Brand of BG meter if home testing: AlphaTrak

I have read so many opinions on food that my head is spinning. If it is confirmed that Trinity is also diabetic, I will now be buying needles and insulin for both. BTW, if you do not do this already, you should all talk to your vet about having your pet prescriptions done through Walmart, they have the cheapest price on insulin!!! I pay $36 or maybe it is $38 for the bottle of insulin and a box of 100 needles! So with that said, I really need to find a food option that is inexpensive, even if I have to make it myself.

Thank you!

[tdpetunia]

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

Hi! Jasper is a 5 year old king charles cavalier spaniel diagnosed with diabetes 2 days ago, we noticed him drinking a lot of water about 2 weeks ago although his urinating wasn't excessive & no accidents in the house.

At first we thought it was his heavy winter coat & he was over heating but his appetite became ravenous last week so I tried on several occasions to take his BG which were all to no avail could not get any blood, tried his pads his carpal pad his ears several times & even as a last resort the inside of his mouth which did produce blood but was quickly shook off. Finally we managed to get blood from his ear & his BG was 25.1 (UK) so we made an appointment for the vets and their reading was 23 we are going later today to get the caninsulin cartridges & VetPen & to find out his dosage.

We had a diabetic cat who was steroid induced, who we managed to test at home & who only just survived our last vets ignorance (nearly killed her with too much insulin & urine sticks ) so I found FDMB & managed to stabilise her with diet, insulin & home testing. She was 10 years old when dx diabetes & after 6 years on insulin went on honeymoon and stayed there until her death from cancer at the age of 18.

Jasper has had both ear canals removed last year due to a build up of dead skin in his inner ear which caused infection, he was treated with steroids for three months which I wasn't too happy about & asked if there was an alternative but told there wasn't and here we go again a diabetic pet.

wet food once a day + scraps from my meal (this will change)
caninsulin cartridges
One Touch Ultra meter
Dosage not yet confirmed

I know from reading a few of the sticky posts that it is going to be different from how I treated my cat. Am I correct in thinking I need to feed Jasper a couple of hours before his injections to allow the glucose from the meal to absorb first then give the injection?

I have only skimmed through the sticky posts as we are due at the vets in a couple of hours & would really like some information to take with me as I haven't got time to read through everything & ingest the info properly plus I would need to print it out & read it over & over to get it to sink in as I have recently had a stroke & info & memory are not so good now.

Any help or info would be so appreciated as we will need to feed him anytime soon if my assumptions about feeding before insulin are correct?

Thank You! So glad I have found this website it means a lot to know I will be able to get help with Jasper xx

kind regards

Hilary x

Hilary, curious why you wait 2 hours to give injection. I always give mine right away. Can you elaborate?

[SidneyDog]

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

Sidney
Cattle Dog
12 years old
58 pounds
Diagnosed April 9th, 2014
Currently feeding him Hills' W/D glucose management dry and wet food mixed twice per day prior to insulin injection
We now have him up to 16 units twice per day on Novolin.
I use the Alphatrak 2 to monitor his blood sugar.

He is still very high in the 600's. I am very worried all the time and I feel like his insulin is not working. We had him down to the 400's and 300's last week, but then it spiked at 662 and has been high ever since.
I'm not sure if I gave him insulin incorrectly and thats why that happened, but we have been in the 500's and 600's since.

Does anyone have any experience with the insulin not working?

Help! I'm totally devastated.

[ABCisMe]

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

Phee

Breed: Boston Terrier

Weight: 15.5 lbs

Age: 4-5 years old, but he came from a shelter, so we're not 100% sure

Diagnosed: December 2012

Insulin: Mix of Novolin N and Novolin R

Meter: Alphatrak2 with Freestyle Lite test strips

Food: EVO Weight Management 2/3 cup a.m. and 3/4 cup p.m. (Low carb, low fiber. Phee cannot eat high fiber due to fecal incontinence issues.)

Supplements: 1/2 TBS Flax meal (for fiber) and 1 scoop Nupro Gold (for enzymes/vitamins/omegas)

Other medical issues:
Cataract removal and lens replacement in April 2013
Lost left eye to an ulcer in May 2013
Currently has glaucoma and dry eye
Eye drops: Dorzolamide 2x a day ~ Tacrolimus 2x a day ~ Diclofenac 2x a day