My Pretty Prissy Girl

[Elodie]

Hi everyone! I have been reading here since shortly after my 10 year old min pin, Prissy, was diagnosed on October 8th with diabetes. I tried signing up on the forum to be a member, but had a bit of a problem but that's all straightened out now.

Prissy is on 3 units of Vetsulin 2X a day, usually around 11:30 am and 11:30 pm. We had quite the time getting both of us used to giving and getting the injections. From reading here, I've found the easiest way to give them to her & now I usually just get a bit of a grrr and sometimes no reaction at all! (a miracle)

I've been feeding Prissy boiled chicken, pumpkin/squash, raw rolled oats with a little garlic, and sometimes a teeny bit of coconut oil. She had been on Merrick dry kibble, sometimes buffalo and sometimes chicken.

I think she had pancreatitis, quite a few times actually, but the worse was right before I took her in to the vet's. She lost a LOT of weight. She had been up to around 12 pounds and she weighed around 7 at the vet's. (I have to get out the records to see all the numbers for weight and blood sugar levels.) She has been doing terrific on her homecooked meals.

I am about to embark on learning how to test her blood glucose & will probably need a lot of help! I will be getting a new bottle of Vetsulin this week & want to begin then.

[CraigM]

Welcome to the forum!

I understand MinPins can be a handful, so it's good that you've been able to give the injections and still have all your fingers (I'm guessing you do have all your fingers?) We have other MinPins on the forum and I hope they will give you some advice on home testing.

Craig

[Charlie's mom]

Welcome to the family!
We initially had to muzzle Charlie for his eye drops, but now that he knows a piece of jerky follows the drops he's much more cooperative

[Grayson]

Welcome to you and Prissy! FYI...you should reconsider the use of garlic in her meals. Most people know about chocolate being dangerous for dogs, but many are not aware of several other common foods that can be deadly. Years ago, I had a dog that loved chasing green grapes like balls -I had no clue those were a no-no! Read about the garlic:


"It’s not just cats—a dog’s health can also be put at risk by onion ingestion. In both animals, the compunds thiosulfate and allyl propyl disulfide found in onions work to oxidize an oxygen-transporting protein called hemoglobin in the blood, making it less capable of carrying oxygen throughout the body.

All members of the allium family, which includes garlic, shallots and scallions, contain these compounds, which can wreak havoc on a pet’s red blood cells, if eaten in large enough amounts. Garlic tends to be much more toxic than the common onion. Also, garlic and onion powders, typical ingredients in many soups, baby food and meat sauces, can be quiet killers.

The veterinarians we spoke to say that symptoms typically don’t show up immediately, but eventually the animal becomes lethargic and there can be some physical changes, such as pale gums and dark-colored urine. In the most severe cases of onion poisoning, a blood transfusion might be needed to save the animal's life."

[amydunn19]

Hi and welcome to you and Prissy! Glad that you are considering testing - best thing I ever did for Maggie.

[Elodie]

Thanks, Grayson. I didn't know that about garlic. I knew dogs couldn't have onions, but not garlic.

I got the new Vetsulin today. Going to maybe go to Walmart later and get a blood meter.

Thank you for all the welcomes!

[jesse girl]

be patient with testing do some practice tests with a step by step procedure so you and your pup can get comfortable . get your pup use to the device and the sounds of the equipment

[Elodie]

Well, I got a Relion Meter & strips at Walmart a couple days ago. Practiced on myself and the rest of the family yesterday, lol! Today I started doing a curve on Prissy. These are the numbers so far:

11:35 - before eating: 294
11:45 - finished eating
11:50 - 3 units vetsulin
1:45 - 239
3:55- 194

I used a flashlight to see the veins along the edge of her ears. Even so, had a hard time sometimes getting the blood going.

How does it look to you all & what would the real numbers for a dog be since this is a human blood meter?

Thanks for any help!! : )

Ellie

[CraigM]

I convert my Relion Prime readings by dividing the meter reading by .7 to get a number close to what the AlphaTrak would have indicated. Not exact, but probably much closer to true than the number on the meter readout.

Craig

Originally Posted by Elodie

Well, I got a Relion Meter & strips at Walmart a couple days ago. Practiced on myself and the rest of the family yesterday, lol! Today I started doing a curve on Prissy. These are the numbers so far:

11:35 - before eating: 294 / .7 = 420
11:45 - finished eating
11:50 - 3 units vetsulin
1:45 - 239 / .7 = 341
3:55- 194 / .7 = 277

I used a flashlight to see the veins along the edge of her ears. Even so, had a hard time sometimes getting the blood going.

How does it look to you all & what would the real numbers for a dog be since this is a human blood meter?

Thanks for any help!! : )

Ellie

[Elodie]

Thanks, Craig!

I am having a heck of a time getting any blood for her next reading. I can't seem to get any more drops out of her ear veins. I tried her lip, warming it up first and using just the lancet in my hand. Couldn't get much and she was being too freaky. I'm so frustrated. Sigh.

(lancets are 26 gauge, btw)