Blood sugar level before bed

[Monty Gohl]

Monty has been diabetic for over 2 yrs now, 8 units Vetsulin twice a day.
He has gone blind now, but he's able to get around the house and go outside.
But 2 wks ago I got home and he's not able stand up and walk. Took him to the vet as he also has an infection in his paw. We got some antibiotics for his paw, but still he wasn't able to walk on his own for a few days, then when he started to walk he was walking in circles. Vet thinks he may have Vestibular disease (or old dog syndrome). He is eating now, not drinking much, blood sugar is under control after a week, but he's still walking in circles, its been 2 wks now. Has anyone else had experience with Vestibular disease in a diabetic blind dog. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he will recover soon.

[jesse girl]

Re: Vestibular Disease

Jesse i believe had vestibular disease early in her diabetic career . it happened after we went for a run she came back with her head tilted to one side and kept shaking it which made walking a bit difficult . She did not walk in circles . She recovered after about a week . She also got crooked tail a bit after that where her tail was bent halfway down .She also had epilepsy so I am sure it was neurological in nature but it all cleared up over time on its own

Dogs we have seen on he forum with circling pointed to some type of neurological issue . Which is difficult to identify . I guess an ear infection could have an affect . We also have seen dogs that went blind that began to circle . whether that was do to the blindness we cant be sure .

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Vestibular Disease

My Riliey was 17 when he developed Alzheimers
Walking in circles was his first symptom then he laid down on just the edge of his bed instead of the whole bed. Then he couldnt find his water bowl or food dish which were both together
Just saying because there are other reasons for walking in circles.
Thinking of you both

[bgdavis]

Re: Vestibular Disease

My non-diabetic dig, Hank, had it. You can read his story about 5 posts down on this form.

Bonnie and Angel Crissy Ann

[Monty Gohl]

Re: Vestibular Disease / Seizures

Thanks for the response everyone! I took Monty back to the vet on Friday, as he is still walking in circles. Still wasn't sure the cause, maybe an ear infection and Vestibular! But I was pleased with his progress since the last visit. He was doing ok as we entered the vet, was able to stand on the scale and was ok on the table for a minute, then he collapsed and went into a seizure, I guess he was telling us what was wrong!
Vet is not very hopeful, but has given us some anti seizure medication to try. He had another seizure at 2 am as well.
Anyone else have experience with seizures and if recovery is possible.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Vestibular Disease

The vet should be able to easily determine whether there’s a vestibular problem or something like cognitive disease or pain (our nondiabetic dog has circled in one direction when his back hurt). Vestibular disorders cause particular symptoms such as eye movements.

The vet might not be able to determine the cause of vestibular issues if they are present. At one point, Our diabetic dog Chris had what was eventually thought to be a transient stroke. He was dizzy and couldn’t stand and when our (exceptionally goid) GP vet examined him, some eye movements, etc. fit vestibular and some did not. We needed a canine neurologist to sort it out.

You can learn a lot about vestibular disorders from googling veterinary pages about it. They often fully recover in a week or two.

Natalie

[k9diabetes]

Re: Vestibular Disease

Hope the meds help! Seizures can be “just” epilepsy but can also be caused by brain tumors, reactions to meds, etc. hoping for good news for him! I know it’s scary and stressful for all.

[Monty Gohl]

Hemp Oil for diabetic dog

Has anyone had any experience/results with hemp oil?
I'm thinking of trying it to help Monty with his anxiety/siezures and walking in circles.

[MikeMurphy]

Re: Hemp Oil for diabetic dog

On the advice of one of my Lily’s vets, I started giving her CBD oil for her arthritis. She’s been on it for about a month now. It seems to help and I’ve been able to keep her insulin dose the same.

I’ve been giving her the drops under her tongue. She likes it

[Monty Gohl]

Re: Hemp Oil for diabetic dog

Which one do you use? There are so many on the market its confusing.

[MikeMurphy]

Re: Hemp Oil for diabetic dog

I know. There are so many to choose from. We can now buy CBD oil from retail stores in New York State.

Her vet did a lot of research and recommended Cbdistillery in Colorado. She said the most important thing to look for is that everything is sourced in the USA.

https://www.thecbdistillery.com/prod...-pet-tincture/

I also have Suzie’s CBD drops...

https://www.suziespettreats.com/cbd-products

[Monty Gohl]

Re: Hemp Oil for diabetic dog

Thank you so much! I was having difficulty choosing one without knowing someone who had tried it with a diabetic dog. I just placed my order and hopefully will arrive this week. Thank you!

[Monty Gohl]

Blood sugar level before bed

What is your dogs blood sugar level before bed and when he wakes up?

I recently changed Monty's food and need to get his numbers regulated again.
He is currently showing really low at night(down to 47 before bed last night), so I gave 1 treat, then he's back up to 200's this morning.
Since changing his food, I have been bringing his insulin down slowly over the last week. From 6.5 to 6 to 5.5 to 5 units this morning (hopefully get to that perfect number soon). I'm thinking with the change to 5 units he won't get so low before bed. Even tho he was in 200's this morning, he seemed to be functioning much better today.
What is the best number before bed and in the morning?

[jesse girl]

Re: Blood sugar level before bed

There is no best number in general . sometimes i think my jesse feels her best in that low 200s and seems to be more sluggish in the lower 100s and below

You would like to stay away from 80 and below as not much wiggle room to go lower during an unexpected drop in sugar

[Raysaint]

Re: Blood sugar level before bed

It kinda depends on the blood sugar pattern (curve) during the night. Sometimes it's different than the day curve pattern.

My dog seems to have more of a straight line decrease during the night, whereas during he day he has a bowl type, and climbs a bit after nadir period.

I haven't done an overnight curve, but I'm assuming this because his morning fastings can be as low as 4.0 or 5.0 (72 - 90), so I assume he wasn't lower than that as a nadir, or he probably would have rebounded, which he does once in a while.

His pre-dinner fasting can be anywhere from 6 - 10 (106 - 180).

Better safe than sorry overnight, so give yourself some wiggle room.