Hi all - I am new to this list - haven't been on prior due to dial up that makes downloading this format difficult, however, I'm feeling a bit desperate at this point and I'm looking for support and advice from anyone in a similar situation - my Min Pin, Chester, was dx'd with Cushing's in Dec of 2011 - he was treated with Trilostane for 4 mos and went into crisis on Apr 19, 2012 - at the same time his adrenals quit altogether, so did his pancreas, and he became diabetic at the same time he became Addisonian - he has remained Addisonian since, and must have Prednisone every morning - I have gotten him down to the lowest effective dose, and he gets 0.25 mg/day - nonetheless, the Pred has wreaked havoc with his blood glucose - his numbers are wildly erratic, and rarely good - he has been on Humulin NPH and at the advice of his internal medicine specialist, he has rec'd as much as 10.5 iu BID - at that dose, he has been even more screwed up, with LOs and HIs and one hypoglycemic episode on Jan 5th that nearly killed him because he couldn't keep food down - we got him thru with IV therapy - I have insisted on keeping his insulin reduced by 20% until his bgs stabilize, but they never seem to - and the Humulin does not seem to last him 12 hrs - he is currently on 8 iu BID, and oddly, for the first time since this started last April, he has been consistently in the mid-300's for over 3 days now at both of his fasting bgs - and, it figures since I just went and got Levemir as a last ditch effort to try and stabilize and lower his bgs the IMS is suggesting I start him on 0.5 iu of the Levemir - it's such a tiny amount I'm worried I'll mess up and not get that little half a drip into him! but, my big concern is how much risk there may be of hypoglycemia occurring - has anyone had experience you would be willing to share on making the transition to Levemir? particularly if you have an Addisonian dog? I would be so grateful - I plan to start him Saturday when I will be able to have 5 straight days with him if necessary - I already worry I'm going to come home some day to a dead dog because of a hypo- episode again, and now I'm a wreck about actually getting decent bgs finally! crazy, eh?
I apologize for my length - trying to paint the whole picture - many here already know Chester from the Cushing's, Addison's, and other diabetes lists, and most will agree he is a complicated case - he does not respond normally to any protocol for any of his issues - he's a happy guy, tho, and eats well, exercises happily, and has adapted to 100% blindness as of Sept 24, 2012 - and he makes me laugh every day with his antics, so I want to do what's right for him -
thank you for your time, thoughts, and experiences!
Gayle - caregiver for Chester, the complicated Min Pin, 10 yrs, M/N, 6.1 kg
I apologize for my length - trying to paint the whole picture - many here already know Chester from the Cushing's, Addison's, and other diabetes lists, and most will agree he is a complicated case - he does not respond normally to any protocol for any of his issues - he's a happy guy, tho, and eats well, exercises happily, and has adapted to 100% blindness as of Sept 24, 2012 - and he makes me laugh every day with his antics, so I want to do what's right for him -
thank you for your time, thoughts, and experiences!
Gayle - caregiver for Chester, the complicated Min Pin, 10 yrs, M/N, 6.1 kg
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