Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

[alyssak]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Thank you all for the information, and for updating the thread!

I've been doing a bit of reading about cataracts, but can't seem to find what I'm looking for. Carlie had cataracts at some point, and now they are (as far as the vet can tell) completely liquified. She doesn't seem to be experiencing any pain and she can see decently - at least, I've never seen her run into anything and she can chase squirrels/birds pretty well. Has anyone had any experience with this situation? I'm curious about possible complications (glaucoma?) and things that I should be looking for. Since I've only had her for a month, it's hard to know what is "normal" looking. Have any of you had experience with this kind of situation? I'd appreciate any tips!

[alyssak]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

PS - Carlie's no longer having eating problems! I think she was just learning that if she didn't eat, she'd get yummy canned food instead - she would sniff her dry food and sit by the fridge. I'm onto her games now - if I take her regular food away for about 10 seconds, she eats it all up when I put it back

[Rubytuesday]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Very clever with taking the food away briefly to get her to eat.

Ruby has cataracts...I wish they would liquify, but no such luck for us.
Blind as a bat.

[Shellie]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Oh they are tricky when food is involved! lol They know just how to work us to their advantage and goodness help us if we give even an inch! LOL I'm about to embark on that with Hank...not sure it will be pretty but I'm determined to win! LOL Great job with Carlie tho! Hugs!

[alyssak]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Tara - Best of luck to Ruby with her cataracts! I can only imagine how cool it is for them to be able to see again after being blind for so long.

Shellie - Thank you! It definitely takes determination, which is difficult when they're so darn cute! Carlie nabbed a sandwich from the counter the other day - she only got a bite, luckily, but she yelped like i was killing her when I took it away... stinker. I hope everything goes well with Hank, with as little stress to both of you as possible!

[alyssak]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Hey all,

I've been working with the vet the past couple weeks with Carlie's glucose, because it's being really strange. I thought I'd ask if anyone else has had similar problems? A couple weeks ago, I took Carlie in for a curve - before her shot, her BG was about 240. Throughout the day, it continued to rise. The vet recommended another curve, and today her glucose was 153 before her shot (after eating all of her food), so she didn't get her shot and we're going to try again next week. I've been attempting to test intermittently but have had bad luck with getting a good drop of blood - the vet gave me some tips so hopefully it'll work better tonight!

Anyway, the vet has never seen another case of juvenile diabetes in a dog (apparently it's more rare in dogs than in humans) and thinks that it might be more difficult to regulate because of that. Does anyone else have a pup with juvenile diabetes, or any insight about this situation?

Thanks!

Alyssa

[Cebe]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Sorry, don't have any tips on juvenile diabetes, but with regard to getting the blood out for testing, make sure you're using larger lancets, and frankly, I get better results poking by hand, rather than using a lancet device. But, that's a personal preference. HOwever, the lancet size makes a big difference in how the blood flows and how big a drop you can get.

[jesse girl]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

where are you testing now my jesse is a beagle and her inner lip works great she has big lips but there are sweet spots that work well and other spots not so good depending on the meter you use (some require more blood than others )

most times when i use a meter that requires more blood i have to milk the spot a bit to get enough i use another meter that requires less blood and many times i dont need to milk but as they say with the lip above the canine tooth is the best spot

it was described that carlie was diabetic as a puppy and now she maybe almost 7 years old is this correct?

if so and if i am reading this correctly she may have been diabetic for seven years i guess we dont know how her treatment has been over those years

my jesse at the beginning had huge swings in blood sugar i could see my vet was completely confused at the time and they thought this was quite unusual and not a typical diabetic

i came to the forum and started posting and realized it was not all that uncommon jesses trends and many others follow her pattern

first thing you want to do is establish her trends and multiple test throughout the day is the only way to determine this with a curve

its very possible that lower number may get a rise at that time and may need a full dose but without enough information you dont know

i would put most of your effort into home testing do a couple of curves if you can the next couple weeks you want to find a dose you can give during that time where she does not go to low and try to keep everything constant unless you see low numbers thats why you want to have a dose that does not approach that level even if it is a bit higher that is ok you just want to try to establish a trend and 2 curves would be a start to determine that

[alyssak]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

I've been trying to do her lip but she keeps sticking her tongue out as soon as I prick! When I'm a bit more coordinated with the system, I'll definitely try that spot again (hopefully soon!). I've been trying on her ear, which she sits pretty nicely for. I'm going to try to warm it with a cloth instead of just rubbing it before I prick this time to see if that helps, otherwise I'll try a bigger lancet.

Yes, Carlie's 7 now and she's been diabetic since she was a puppy. She was given to the shelter when she was 4 months, and adopted right away. From what I understand, she was not taken care of very well and was in pretty bad condition when she returned to the shelter last year. She's still settling in with me, and I think it'll be a challenge for a while since she has about 4 pounds to lose (didn't get much exercise at the shelter) and I know that can affect her BG. Phew, I can't wait to get to the point where testing is as easy as you guys make it look in the videos! Better late than never

[Cebe]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Have you considered using the carpal pad? It's what I use, and I find it so easy. That's the unused foot-pad above the paw. Zoe just lies down through the whole thing.

I had the same problems you did - getting the blood from the lip. Zoe would lick it off,and I could never get myself organized in time to get the drop. The carpal pad gives me more time. But, you need big lancets for it, cuz the skin is tough.

[jesse girl]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

yes the tongue can get in a way jesse does the same thing and i cant really explain how to avoid it completely but somehow my fingers are able to intercept the tongue before they get the blood but on a rare occasion the tongue will win

you will find what works for carlie and you and she will get on the wright path and enjoy many wonderful years together

[alyssak]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Cebe, the lancets I have are 25 gauge - definitely too small! What size do you use?

[CraigM]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Cebe, the lancets I have are 25 gauge - definitely too small! What size do you use?

25 gauge is about the thickest you can usually find! Lancets are sized like syringes: higher the number = the thinnest ; lower the number = thicker the lancet. Common sizes I've found locally are 25, 26, 30 and 31 I think. I understand 21 or 23 gauge (thick) can sometimes found online.

[alyssak]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Whoops, I meant 28. Though, maybe it's just the AlphaTrak lancing device. On her carpal pad it didn't break the skin at all, and I tried it on my arm and didn't get much either. Maybe I'll get better results without the device?

[Cebe]

Re: Carlie - newly adopted dog with diabetes

Yes, you will get much better results without the device on the carpal pad. I just poke really quickly and squeeze. I also massage the pad a bit before poking.