Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

[CraigM]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

i always thought it was funny that the vets do allot of testing at the clinic but once home they say dont test

I've often thought the same! Another thought is that if you had a diabetic child (human kind) would you test at home, or just every few weeks / months at the doctor's office?

Looks like you've had a lot of great comments!

Craig

[momofdecker]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

I don't have much positive to say about my boy's diagnosing vet as I feel pretty strongly he was outright negligent with Decker's care. However, he did do us one favor and presented home testing as if it were not an option - it was something we needed to do. We were basically told that it would be our new reality to check his bg before morning and evening fasting daily. It came as quite a shock as neither my husband nor myself had any prior experience with human nor canine diabetes.

Even with home testing we put our boy in great danger by giving him way too much insulin, all per his diagnosing vet's instructions. Given how much he was overdosed by, I can't imagine what would have happened had we not been home testing as I don't believe he would have survived for long at all. He was left with the vet for two days for that dose to be determined. We were told after two days he would come home and be regulated. And given our inexperience at the time, we were naive enough to believe it was that simple.

It took me four months to gather the courage to call and ask for a copy of those records. My heart broke when I saw them. He dropped my boys bg under 20 (coma & death range) with one shot and told us to give him that dose twice a day. Ever since seeing that, I've become a huge believer in asking for copies of all records. This was a vet we'd taken two cats and two dogs to for over ten years without incident. Long story short, he no longer has the privilege of treating any of my animals.

We also encountered several other occasions where home testing became invaluable to us. Switching insulin. Reducing insulin dose by 50% after starting thyroid meds. Keeping him safe when he was put on steroids. Having the data we collected over time made all of that possible. I truly can't imagine having managed his diabetes blindly with all he had going on.

If you are interested and willing, I say give it a try. It's always nice to have the support of your vet and for the care of your pet to be partnership experience, but in the end Bo is your dog and your vet can't really tell you not to home test.

[Bo's Mom]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

Once again, so very thankful for all the great feedback. I spoke with the vet and they are letting me take him home this evening! They seem to think today that he is doing very well. Yesterday they decided that they needed to increase his insulin, which they did, and now seem much more pleased with his numbers. They have told me that technically he is "not" regulated because obviously that takes time. They are using the human kind of insulin and want us to administer 5 units morning and evening. They said this is a comfortable start, as it is not bringing his bg down to where they want it, but it is bringing it down enough for his system to adjust over the next 2 weeks. They told me to bring him back in 2 weeks, 6 hours after I have given him his morning shot and they will go from there. I do want to home test but they told me they will talk with me more about that when we come back in two weeks. Like what you all said below, they don't want me freaking out. I will home test whether they want me to or not, but I will go with the flow for the next couple weeks until his next visit. I have a paper full of questions for them! My absolute #1 concern is knowing and recognizing trouble symptoms at home and how to react properly. I have a good feeling all will be well as we progress as a family through this. I'll keep everyone posted! Wish me luck on learning how to give him his shots! Thanks again!!!

[Patty]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

Sounds like they were conservative with his insulin at first which is good. How much does Bo weigh? I would be sure to ask for a copy of his chart notes that include his bgs (blood glucose numbers) while he was there.

Welcome!
Patty

[CraigM]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

Sounds like he plans to adjust the insulin based on a single reading at 6 hours after breakfast / injection. As I mentioned, this is not a great way to adjust dosage. It will probably be OK this time because Bo is probably still on a low- starting dosage, but as his numbers get lower it could be a problem.

Many diabetes books and literature indicates the lowest number will be at the 6 hour point. Trouble is most dogs haven't read the text books!. My Annie usually has her lowest reading about 10-11 hours after injection. True 12 hour curves will tell much more.

Please report to us the name of the insulin he gives you later today.

Looking forward to hearing more about Bo's new adventure.

Oh, about injections. You've already been advised that cold insulin can sting. I store my insulin in the refrigerator (not really necessary) and when I pull the insulin into the syringe I hold the syringe in my closed fist for a minute to get it to near body temperature. I also have a small battery powered grooming razor that I use to trim Annie's fur short along the spot where I inject so that I can see her skin and be sure the needle goes in. Lots of praise and maybe a diabetic friendly treat (frozen green bean in my case) after the injection for Bo, and an adult beverage for you!

You will want to check your local laws concerning "sharps" disposal. Some locals are very strict on disposal. My local garbage service requires us to deliver the container of needles to their office, some places are less strict.

Craig

[Patty]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

I agree with Craig on the 6 hour post insulin testing. Often dogs do not follow the text book low point of the day. My preference would be for a full curve (testing every 2 hours starting at AM shot time through the next 12 hours - or as close as you can with vet office hours).

[Bo's Mom]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

Thats the thing with Bo, he is not typical. He looks and acts just like a Cairn, but he is twice the size of an average Cairn. He weighs 34 lbs! He is very big boned and was as a puppy. In fact the first time I held him I said "Whoa, look at the feet on this guy"! They are really wanting him to loose weight but he is never gonna be 18 lbs, just isn't going to happen. I'll post the name of the insulin and what kind of food they are switching him to first thing in the morning. I think it is going to be an interesting night getting him home and settled in. Cyrus has missed him like crazy so I'm sure we'll have our hands full. I'm going to ask the vet about the two week visit, because I understand how it would be better to test him on a curve rather than after the 6 hrs. I'll be reporting back soon.

[nikkismomjill]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

A tip. I live in Kansas. In Kansas we pay about 9% sales tax on everything at the drug store EXCEPT prescriptions. Prescriptions are tax free. I got my vet to write prescriptions for both the insulin and the syringes, which I get in boxes of 100.

Saves a little money.

[Bo's Mom]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

Well we made it home with Bo. Turns out giving him his shot is no big deal, I spazed over nothing. He doesn't seem to mind at all and I done a better job this morning for my first try than I expected. I was very pleased with talking to the vet yesterday. She was more than happy to give me copies of his records and she agreed it would be great to have him tested in two weeks multiple times throughout the day rather than the 6 hrs after his A.M. shot that was originally mentioned. Right now, Bo is taking 5 units of Humulin N (nph?) twice per day. They have put him on Hills Prescription Diet R/D to promote weight loss, but will change him to W/D as soon as he has dropped a few pounds. He was ready to eat his breakfast this morning and didn't have any issues keeping it down. About an hour or so after his shot, he just seemed a little sluggish to me. Not his normal jolly, happy self. He just acted like he wanted to lay around and rest. Should I be concerned about this or is it maybe just him/his body adjusting to getting insulin on a regular basis?

[nikkismomjill]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

My vet told me to watch for this type of behavior. If it were me, I'd call the vet.

[Patty]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

Higher and lower blood sugar can sometimes have the same symptoms. A sluggish dog may feel sleepy or unwell with high blood sugar or he may feel weak and unstable with dropping blood sugar.

Do you already have a copy of the vet's numbers? This would tell you whether Bo seems to rise or drop after food/injection.

[CraigM]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

I'm not saying its nothing to worry about, but I think we diabetic pup parents are more observent to our kids.

Annie zonks out soon after her evening meal / injection. She retires to either to her puppy bed, or the end of the sofa within 15 minutes and I use to worry. She also dreams, moving her legs and making little barking sounds, that still freak me out

This is another good reason to start home testing.

Craig

[cottons mom]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

Cotton usually has a nice spurt of engery in the am and plays with her housemate Auz for awhile. Then she goes to one of her many beds that are spread out throughout the house in every room... All I need to do is go outside or in a very low hush voice whisper the word GO and she is at my feet. If I am not doing anything very intresting then she is snoozing.... If you have any doubt test to see where the blood level is.

[nikkismomjill]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

How is Bo doing?

[Bo's Mom]

Re: Bo, 2 yrs old, has diabetes.

Bo seems to be doing very well so far. He is eating really well and he picks and chooses when he wants to play or nap. I bought some 31 guage needles instead of what the vet sent home. I feel like I am doing pretty well giving the shots considering I've never done this before, but the last 3 shots, he has kind of flinched when I push the insulin in. I am giving the shots in different spots around the scruff of his neck. Sometimes he flinches when I insert the needle, sometimes he doesn't, but he has started to flinch when the insulin goes in. I try to warm it between my fingers before the shot and make sure the flat side is down. The harder I think the shot is on him, the harder it is on me too. Does anyone have any advice on making the shots as easy as possible? I wonder if I am doing something wrong? He doesn't go back to the vet until next week. Hope everyone else's pets are well!!