Newly diabetic and insulin doesn't seem to be helping

[Raysaint]

Re: Newly diabetic and insulin doesn't seem to be helping

It sounds like some other issue besides resistance. 15-17 units for a 22 lb dog is a lot. So if that much isn't achieving better numbers, something else is at play in my opinion, not just general "resistance". What's causing the resistance.

[ReidWHopkins]

Re: Newly diabetic and insulin doesn't seem to be helping

It sounds like some other issue besides resistance. 15-17 units for a 22 lb dog is a lot. So if that much isn't achieving better numbers, something else is at play in my opinion, not just general "resistance". What's causing the resistance.

Agree completely. Have had 3 different vets, I like them all but they don't seem to know what to do except increase the dose. I have made a graph with the all the BG curves, haven't figured out how to post it! It's really weird how the numbers and curve shape don't change much from 5 U to 15 U of Vetsulin. I just wonder if I should try another type of insulin. BTW, I have questioned myself for this also - always shake the vial of insulin, he gets no snacks, shots 12 hrs apart, etc.

[ReidWHopkins]

Re: Newly diabetic and insulin doesn't seem to be helping

Hi and welcome. You might want to open a new thread for Paxton, so that we can track everything about his journey with diabetes.

At 17 units and weighing 22 lbs, you are starting to approach the possibility that he is insulin resistant. Have the vets rule out any concurrent disorders like hypothyroidism or any infections? Hypothyroidism, in particular, can cause insulin resistance. After being diagnosed with diabetes, my dog Lily went 4 months with similar BG numbers as Paxton. We took her to an Internal Medicine Specialist who diagnosed her as hypothyroid. Once on the thyroid meds, her BG numbers came down to a manageable range.

The vets haven't done any specialized tests, they check for the usual stuff during wellness visits - don't know if that would show thyroid problems. I'll start a new thread if I can figure out how. Thanks.

[Raysaint]

Re: Newly diabetic and insulin doesn't seem to be helping

You need to get the vet to do thyroid tests, either at least a free T4 test or full panel. If they don't know how to do that, they shouldn't be vets.

Also have them check the lipids and tryglycerides. If those are high, that can cause insulin resistance.

Check this link.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20219491