Who took their dog to a specialist? Advice?

[anotherk9lover]

Re: Please help me regulate her sugar??

[QUOTE=Raysaint;167927]

Well how do we explain then the fact that many pet owners are now switching over to raw diet, and claim that it has healed their pet and works best for them? A raw diet is mostly meat. Technically if dogs should be following a diet that they ate in the wild, then they wouldn't have access to things that we're feeding them today.

I don't know, i'm genuinely confused because I was under the impression that low carb and high protein is what's recommended for diabetic dogs.

[anotherk9lover]

Diabetes and Dental Health

What are you guys doing regarding dental hygiene? My Daisy is 8 years old now and has a moderate amount of tartar buildup on her back teeth. I tried brushing but that didn't go over well, nor will it do much at this point. What's safe and effective to use for diabetic dogs? I don't want to put her under for any kind of dental cleaning unless things get really bad where she needs teeth pulled. We're not at that point.

[jesse girl]

Re: Diabetes and Dental Health

Oratene from Zymox is a good product . Its a gel you rub on the teeth and gums .You are not required to brush

[jesse girl]

Re: Please help me regulate her sugar??

I started jesse on a raw diet and did it for sometime which was a mistake for diabetic jesse . Big swings in sugar . Not so good stools . What we have seen on the forum is a balanced diet with carbs works best with blood sugar and thats the goal to have the best stable blood sugar that can be attained

I dont think you can compare wolves to dogs . First off wolves maybe last 6 to 8 years at best . They do try to get balance in the wild besides meat protein

I do feel a balanced homemade diet is superior to a commercial processed diet even though it is frond upon by the professionals but thats my opinion and what I have seen with jesse

[Raysaint]

Re: Please help me regulate her sugar??

I think many people switching to raw aren't diabetic dog owners. In my opinion, it's a trend propagated by marketing. And when you say healed, healed what condition?

I have a different opinion on the whole raw thing. Animals ate raw meat in the wild because that's all they had access to. It doesn't mean that fruits and veggies are not good for them. They didn't have easy access to that. You eat what you can get.
And domestic dogs are not the same as wild dogs or canines I believe. The progression of breeding habits and and genetic mixing has created a different animal.
Cavemen ate mainly meat too, it's mostly what they could get. But now humans have access to lots of other natural foods that we know are good for us.

Lots of information out there but as we know a lot can be not credible. I've never had my endocrinologist tell me that high protein low carb is best for diabetics (dogs, humans or otherwise)but the science says a balanced diet is usually better. And I think most of the people on here would concur. The people on here have gobs of experience, which can't be dismissed. I think experience is hard to beat when learning about anything.

https://www.aaha.org/globalassets/02...ines_final.pdf

The link above is a good basic resource. They indicate fiber is important, and most fiber comes from veggies/fruits/beans/grains (good grains).

[Raysaint]

Re: Diabetes and Dental Health

Dechra is also a top brand. Link below. Your vet can order these.
I use the wipes (when he lets me.) And the spray on our chihuahua, who has bad dental issues.

https://www.dechra-us.com/therapy-ar...ental/products

[anotherk9lover]

Re: Diabetes and Dental Health

Dechra is also a top brand. Link below. Your vet can order these.
I use the wipes (when he lets me.) And the spray on our chihuahua, who has bad dental issues.

https://www.dechra-us.com/therapy-ar...ental/products

Have you noticed a difference?

[anotherk9lover]

Re: Diabetes and Dental Health

Oratene from Zymox is a good product . Its a gel you rub on the teeth and gums .You are not required to brush

does it help clean teeth or its more of an anti-inflammatory for the gums?

[Raysaint]

Re: Diabetes and Dental Health

Most of these products work to get rid of the bacteria, that can cause gum issues.

A dog dental specialist here in Toronto said that they won't necessarily clean, it's the brushing action that helps clean. So if you don't use a brush, not much cleaning will happen. But fighting bacteria is a good thing.

[anotherk9lover]

Who took their dog to a specialist? Advice?

Hi again, I decided to take Daisy in to see a specialist to develop a plan for her since she may also have a concurrent Cushing's. Just wondering if anyone took their pet to a specialist before, and what are the questions I should ask? I want to get everything out of this appointment and not miss anything, as I won't be able to take her back in for a long time (having a baby end of Jan). So I'm hoping that things can somewhat get clarified for me on her Diabetes management as well as Cushing's.

Also, somewhat unrelated, but has anyone experienced their pet with a foul breath? This week we took Daisy on a long road trip, and she was barking up a storm. When she barked she would fill the car with a very unpleasant smell, sewage like is the best I can describe it. We haven't really smelled that before, and it seems like it came from her insides bc of her barking, not from her teeth. From a quick google search it said that diabetes or liver issues can cause that sort of smell. Has anyone experienced it? Any thoughts?

[jesse girl]

Re: Who took their dog to a specialist? Advice?

I have not used a specialist and actually jesse hasn't been to the vet for sometime

What are you looking to get from the pow wow ? We have seen some dogs with both diseases and most have done well . Its far from perfect for most

Maybe the specialist can give some tips that is not public knowledge and something to listen for

If you hear what you already know than there may not be much to offer to the discussion

[Judi]

Re: Who took their dog to a specialist? Advice?

Hi: My dog had cushings and diabetes and I resisted taking her to a specialist for a long time. Once I finally did I wished I had done it sooner. So I think this is a smart move.

My primary vet emailed all of her records to the specialist before our visit but they still wanted to do their own work ups. My Jenny was on Lysodren for her cushings when most vets were using Trilostane (it's been so long I think that is what it is called). The specialist told me that while he might have initiated a different treatment for her, what she was doing was working so we stayed the course. My biggest questions were about the concurrent treatment for the 2 diseases. Plus her sludgy liver, etc.

I think I asked what they recommend food wise too

I think the specialist visit was around $700 and I still felt like it was worth it. I was there on a Saturday and they stayed past their normal closing time because we'd driven so far to get there and spent a lot of time with us.

my dog's icky breath was always dental related so I can't answer that.

Good Luck!

I still have the letter from the specialist on my computer. I think it helped a lot that he had her previous tests. They compared, kidney, calcium, liver, everything to her previous tests. Definitely try to get those records to them.

[anotherk9lover]

Re: Who took their dog to a specialist? Advice?

My main reason for taking her to a specialist is to help understand how to regulate diabetes with the cushings. My vet suggested to take her to a specialist because the cushing's vetoryl dose isn't working too well for her, even the smallest dose, is a bit too much for her. So he doesn't seem to know what else to do at this point. the sugars have also been difficult to control

[anotherk9lover]

Re: Who took their dog to a specialist? Advice?

$700?! wow that's a lot, is that with all the blood workup? I will try to avoid any extra labs, i'm there purely for advice. They always upsell labs, but daisy had them done recently so I don't see the need for redoing them.

Did you have to keep coming in for follow ups? How has the specialist helped you?

[Judi]

Re: Who took their dog to a specialist? Advice?

my Jenny died a few years ago. I stick around the boards to try to help with cushings/diabetes and keep up with some of the people who helped us.

We only saw the specialist the one time. He was in conjunction with our regular vet. I think the biggest expense was the ultrasound that he insisted on doing and in our case it was good. My regular vet was wrong about the type of cushings Jenny had.

Everyone advised me to see a specialist because the 2 diseases can be tricky to regulate together. I balked and we almost killed off Jenny's cortisol. The specialists see these conditions more often.

In December Jenny's ACTH was perfect for her cortisol and her blood sugar was pretty well controlled. over the next few months her insulin need decreased rapidly (at one point her blood sugar was 40!)

I'm a CPA so I just thought we were doing a great job and kept reducing her insulin till after April 15th.

Once we went to the vet after the 15th we found out her cortisol was barely registering.

That is when we went to the specialist.

We went to Blue Pearl and their goal was just to advise and work with our regular vet.

We never needed to go with them and Jenny managed with both diseases for 3 1/2 years. We let her go when she was getting dementia, walking in circles, and really not enjoying her life anymore. She was 14 1/2 and I don't think it was cushings or diabetes related.

So, I think seeing the specialist is an excellent idea and another resource for you and your vet. Getting their advice on the treatment for both diseases is beneficial because they see things so often. Jenny was a 7 pound poodle so we were doing crazy things like giving her cushings meds every 3 days or twice a week. We had to keep a calendar in the kitchen just for her medicine schedule.

I just wanted to warn you about the cost because I had the ultrasound my regular vet had done but the specialist felt he would be more accurate if he did his own.

hang in there. I tried to not sweat the small stuff and focus on if my dog was enjoying her life. There are ups and downs managing both of these at once but if I can do it anyone can. After Jenny's sugar went scary low I did learn how to test blood sugar at home. It took me 3 horrible days but it was worth it.

Judi