Kitty

[kitty]

Hi guys,

I am completely new to this forum so i would like to make an introduction of me and my dog. I am Wendy and my maltese dog's name is Kitty (i know i know, dog with a name kitty! She's a girl and kitty is a girl's name and sometimes she kinda acts like a kitty too )

Kitty was at the vet this past Tues. and on Friday the vet diagnosed her with diabetes over the phone. My heart literally dropped and I felt like maybe at that moment I didn't ask all the questions I should have. So I called the vet back and he told me to bring her in on Friday to show me how to administer the shots. Then I asked him if I should feed her differently and if i should continue exercising her. He then asked me how many meals i give kitty and continue to give her moderate exercise. This is where all my questioning comes from. But i felt like he was in a hurry to hang up on me and just told me to come in next Friday.

Then I proceeded to call my other vet (which I love, but changed vets for the last 3 years because of price and kitty was healthy when i changed vets). And she will be back this Tues. I definitely made an appt with her so maybe kitty can start on her insulin shots Tues. instead of Fri.

Right now, I am doing as much research as I can to know what kind of questions I need to be asking on Tues. Which brought me to you guys . You guys seems so knowledgeable and experience that I feel the need to talk to somebody until i actually get to see the vet.

From what I've been reading all over the internet. It seems like all dogs diagnose with diabetes are put onto insulin right away. I'm not too sure why this vet is making me wait til Friday to get the shots. And I'm just really confused about how to feed her for the next 2 days.

Kitty usually starts her day off with some green veggie stalks ( 3 x 1 inch piece of stalks of whatever veggies we can find). Then she'll get a piece of chicken jerky strip when my parents wake up. After that, we'll give 1/2 a cup of HALO chicken stew dry kibble ( kitty is a nibbler, so we just leave that out for the day). Dinner time, we usually boil about 2.5 ounces of chicken thigh meat. Kitty usually saves the dry kibble til the chicken is done at night, then she'll nibble the rest before we go to bed.

After talking to the vet over the phone, he said to stop giving her the kibble because it's a carb base diet. So I asked if I should just feed her chicken. But he said that's not going to be enough and to add some rice. So yesterday, I've made some chicken with chickpeas, veggies and brown rice and cooked it with water so it has a porridge consistency. Split the 3 ounce of chicken into 2 meals and each meal was about 3/4 cup. She was so hungry she ended up eating her own poop a while later . So I'm wondering, should I give her more protein? Maybe 2.5 ounces of protein without the kibbles was not enough? Her last weigh in said she was 9.1 lbs. Before this weightloss, she was always ~ 10.2 lbs ( maybe a little chubby, but now i can feel her ribs and her spine).

Also, I've read online about ketones and how exercising might affect the ketones level especially if the dog doesn't have insulin. The vet said he found slight ketones in her urine. Didn't give me any numbers but he said I can give her moderate exercise. I'm not sure what moderate exercise mean for a 10 lb dog. My dog has always been able to follow me wherever I walk. On a normal day, we'll do about 2 miles of walk. Sometimes, we'll walk 5 miles if the day is nice. Other times, I'll do 2 miles with her and my parents will take her out for another 2 miles at might. I've never seen her not able to keep up. But after reading about the ketones and not having insulin. I'm actually very afraid to even walk out of the house with her because she has lost weight these past 2 weeks? And the ketone traces in her urine. But I'm confused as to whether i should maybe at least walk her for 10 minutes to burn up some glucose or leave her alone to not let her body produce more ketones

Sorry for the long post, all this information if so overwhelming and I can't seem to find any information with diabetic dogs not having insulin besides " all diabetic dog needs insulin". I have 2 more days to wait for that to happen and just really want to make sure I'm not stressing her body out more then it already is.

Thanks for reading my long story

[Emily]

Re: Kitty

Welcome to you and Kitty!

Glad to hear you have a vet you trust and feel comfortable with for your Tuesday appt. I am sure she will be able to address your questions regarding diet.

I can only speak from my experience....I stopped all treats and food between meals with my dog, Elliot. However, he wasn't as much of a grazer as Kitty Consistency is key with regulating diabetes, so it's important for me to know exactly how much Elliot is eating each day. Kitty shouldn't be hungry....I found the calculator at dogfoodadvisor.com helpful in determining how many calories I should be feeding each day.

I would encourage you to speak to your vet about home testing on Tuesday. It is the best way to monitor Kitty's blood sugar levels and make informed decisions about insulin dosage.

Best of luck!

[kitty]

Re: Kitty

Thank you!

I think I might be overwhelming myself with all the information I'm reading about. Since her diagnose, I did figure out the calories she is " suppose" to have (about 410) which the first day I might have went under a little. Maybe that's why she was starving. We used to feed her fruits here and there, but I am too afraid to give her anything right now except for the 2 meals because I honestly do not know how the blood sugar thing will work without actually having insulin shots. Too afraid to even walk her. So at the moment, she is either just getting up to drink water/ urinate or sleeping. All day sleeping! Unless she needs to greet someone at the door

[Judi]

Re: Kitty

since she had a trace of ketones already I'm glad you are getting her into your vet on Tuesday. I'm a worrier but I'd either get the strips to test for ketones or see if they can get you in on Monday.

I love her name! please keep us updated

[amydunn19]

Re: Kitty

Hi - so glad you and Kitty found this forum! You will find lots of experience here and good information.

I am concerned your vet found slight ketones in her urine. I think getting in with the other vet on Tuesday is wise. You can actually buy urine testing strips at the pharmacy to monitor glucose if it will ease your mind before you see the vet.

To successfully manage diabetes, you will need to stop free-feeding. It is best when working with insulin to go with two meals a day, twelve hours apart and administering insulin after both meals. Perhaps, start thinking about the schedule that will work for you. I feed at 6am and 6pm. A consistent schedule will yield consistent results.

As far as food, you need to feed something your dog will eat willingly. People feed many different foods with success - kibble, canned, freeze dried, prescription, raw, dehydrated, home-cooked or a combination. Many people think they need low carb but whatever you feed will need a carb component to balance with the insulin. Most people try to avoid feeding simple carbs but look for something that will not go quickly through their system.

As Emily mentioned, you can test blood sugar at home. Most on the forum do - you will save money, time and your sanity if you test at home. My dog would not have lived this long without it.

[farrwf]

Re: Kitty

Hello Wendy, and welcome to you and Kitty. You couldn't have found a better place for canine diabetes information, advice and fellowship if you'd searched forever. We've all been where you are and know what you're going through regarding the diagnosis.

I would guess, and remember it's a guess, Kitty's b/g numbers were'nt outrageously "off the charts" high nor that she showed any ketones. If the numbers were real bad, no doubt, your doctor would have had you back in pronto.

If she's not drinking water like a maniac and peeing inappropriately, the numbers probably aren't real bad, and no harm in waiting a few days to get started.

[kitty]

Re: Kitty

thank you for all the warm welcomes and the insights!

One of the reasons I quickly switch the vets back because I need a vet that will talk to me instead of giving me instructions with no information. He never gave me any numbers regarding her glucose level nor the ketones. All i remember hearing was " she's diabetic and there is slight ketones in her urine." The stupid in me forgot to asks for numbers because I didn't even realize how dangerous ketones CAN be.

She is drinking a lot of water and peeing a lot so maybe that's why the vet didn't rush her in. I'm a worrier too, but alas, the other vet won't be around til Tues. so I guess I'll have to learn how to be patience already lol.

I've already started breaking up her meals into 12 hr apart and feeding her that way. Cooked food, we feed her by hand, so she'll always eat that up. Kibbles are going to be a problem, I already know its going to be hard to get her to finish the whole meal at a set time. Already looking at cooking food to get her fed. But that's probably a whole new world to explore.

I'll stop trying to freak myself out before Tues. since she's drinking plenty and peeing plenty. Thank you for pointing that out, it puts my mind at ease, somewhat.

[jesse girl]

Re: Kitty

hi and welcome yes you can exercise but you might want to scale that back many dogs blood sugar can be affected by exercise and it can be dramatic . thats where home testing can be a huge tool .

we might get a bit pushy with testing blood sugar at home but everyone who does do it has said it has saved there pups life and gave them more of an opportunity at a normal life with some limitations

[Monsters Momma]

Re: Kitty

Hi and Welcome to you Wendy and Kitty
We all certainly understand that overwhelmed feeling, we've all had it. I just try to remember to take one step at a time! In no time you'll feel better and not so overwhelmed.

I would contact the vet that did Kitty's testing and ask for the results so that you can take them with you on Tuesday. The vet you trust will want to see them and it will be helpful for you to have them as well.

Tell us more about Kitty...anything you think you might want to share. Welcome again!
Mel

[Judi]

Re: Kitty

like Amy suggested, most pharmacies will sell ketone strips. You get the joyful pleasure of collecting urine and putting a strip in for 15 seconds. As long as she tests negative for ketones Tuesday should be fine.

If she tests positive for ketones you need to get her in somewhere. It is a very serious deal.

Please go buy some strips!

the peeing and drinking like crazy means her blood sugar is high

Judi

[CraigM]

Re: Kitty

Welcome!
You've received great advice from the others but I wanted to say "Hi!".

The current hunger is likely due to the low levels of insulin in her system. The body needs insulin to permit glucose to enter, and be used, by the cells. Now, she is eating, but the digested food is being converted to glucose, but it can't be used by the cells and is eliminated in the urine. That is why she is drinking / peeing so much: trying to rid the body of unusable glucose.

Here is a nice article I refer back to frequently: http://www.2ndchance.info/diabetesdog.htm

Craig

[CraigM]

Re: Kitty

like Amy suggested, most pharmacies will sell ketone strips. You get the joyful pleasure of collecting urine and putting a strip in for 15 seconds. As long as she tests negative for ketones Tuesday should be fine.

If she tests positive for ketones you need to get her in somewhere. It is a very serious deal.

Please go buy some strips!

the peeing and drinking like crazy means her blood sugar is high

Judi

I thought Natalie has said a trace isn't an emergency, but more than a trace can be? Would hate to have Wendy pay for an Emergency Room visit if it wasn't required. Then again, you want to be safe: hard decision.

Craig

[Auddog]

Re: Kitty

Welcome to the forum
I feel a bit sheepish wanting to write something seeing as how I'm still a bit of a newbie myself. If it makes you feel better, when Bazzle was first diagnosed we didn't put him on insulin for a whole month! It's come across to me that if their BG levels are high for a few days it's okay.
Exercise can have a big impact on blood sugar. Bazzle and I use to exercise an average of 3-4 miles a day, but we've had to cut back quite a bit. Now with just walking 1/2 a mile, it will drop his BG levels at least 100 points.
Like others have said the ketones are much more serious.
Good luck with everything, and keep us updated.

Audrey & Bazzle

P.S.
A Dog Called Kitty is one my favorite books written by Bill Wallace

[Judi]

Re: Kitty

I thought Natalie has said a trace isn't an emergency, but more than a trace can be? Would hate to have Wendy pay for an Emergency Room visit if it wasn't required. Then again, you want to be safe: hard decision.

Craig

I just thought she should test with the ketone strips not rush to the ER vet unless the test came back with ketones. But I've never personally dealt with them so I defer to your experience! thanks Craig

[CraigM]

Re: Kitty

I just thought she should test with the ketone strips not rush to the ER vet unless the test came back with ketones. But I've never personally dealt with them so I defer to your experience! thanks Craig

OK, I really don't have personal experience with ketones either. Yes, testing would probably be a good idea, but not to panic if there were just a trace.

I found a comment Natalie made in another post where the blood glucose was high, and will repost it here: "As others have noted, it is imperative that you start checking for ketones if you haven't already.

If they are present at levels higher than a trace, Sawyer needs immediate treatment to get his blood sugar down and flush the ketones out of his system. Ketoacidosis is one of the few ways that diabetes can kill a dog, and it can go downhill and beyond recovery very quickly.

If he has moderate to severe ketones, he needs to be seen by a vet (probably hospitalized) who thoroughly understands how to treat ketoacidosis. And he probably would be best served by an internal medicine specialist if possible.

Craig