Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

[Pauly]

Hi,my boy Jackjack has recently been diagnosed so i am completely new to this,he is a Golden Lab,14 ish and 38kg....i'm having a lot of problems with food and getting advice on whats best to feed him ...amounts etc ..He started with the uncontrollable pee pees the first weekend and was diagnosed finally when a second vet actually bothered to take his blood (the first vet said he had a heart murmur and water on the lung ,so gave him a diuretic and heart pills !!!!)The second weekend he had terrible diarrhea so the vet said keep him on chicken and rice and charcoal tablets until it cleared up, I am English but i live in Spain and it is very hard to get concise ,correct info from anyone here.Jack is on 0.3 ml of Caninsulin every 12 hours the vet has told me to try and find a human NPH insulin for him but says i need a bottle and that all the pharmacies only have the "pens" now ....i spoke to a nurse friend and she said she can't understand why i couldn't use "pens" as you regulate the dosage with the dial on the pen and she had no idea where i would get bottles from !!?? confused !!!
Although they are wonderful people 'the vets' i still feel i am lacking on a lot of info....I cant find any Diabetic dog food here,then i look online because someone recommends Hills for example and the someone else says Hills is bad....or i look on amazon and it says hasn't been in stock for a year....i'm quite prepared to hand make his food at home,i've tried mixes of chicken and fresh veg (carrot,broccoli ) which he's wolfed down in the evening but when it comes to the morning will turn his nose up and walk away....all this is obviously insulin related but my vet aslo says it's very hard to home test your dog but from all the videos i've seen here it looks pretty simple Now jacks back legs are starting to give (they've always been weak) ,which can be messy when he's trying to go to the toilet,yesterday he was so much happier and then today right down again...i know he's old but would just love to at least keep him comfortable and happy in his last days ....any advice sooo welcome ...thanks xx

[jesse girl]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

Hi and welcome

If caninsulin is available there is no reason why you cant use it . I have never used an insulin pen but see know reason why you cant make that work . I believe there were some members that used a syringe to remove insulin from the pen so that maybe an option .

As far as diet and the age of your dog finding something that is enjoyed to be consumed maybe at the top of the list . I have given my jesse a homemade diet for 8 years so that can work

Testing blood sugar at home is key and its not difficult especially with larger breeds . Probably not going to get much help from the vets which isnt that unusual when it comes to diabetes . The good thing its a very manageable disease that can be done at home . Thats the way i have done it for most of jesses diabetic life

Now i only feed jesse one meal so that is something that maybe doable but higher sugar could suppress appetite and exasperate leg weakness . So getting blood sugar in an adequate range may help with all that

Ask anything thats on your mind and the forum maybe able to help

[Raysaint]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

Home testing is important and it's not difficult. Sometimes vets discourage it to maintain control and make you visit them all the time.

As for food, you don't have to feed "diabetic" food if you don't want to. There are many foods that are satisfactory. Food should be low fat, moderate protein and fiber content. Whatever food you choose will have a suggested feeding amount.

A starting dose of insulin is 0.5 units per kg. of body weight. You should be able to find NPH insulin, whether in vials or pens.

managing this disease is not difficult, but requires being consistent and patient. Don't try and rush regulation. Learn to do blood sugar curves at home and then adjust insulin slightly each week.
Lots of good info on this forum to educate yourself.

[Lolo]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

Methyl b12 can help with the leg weakness. My dog had this when first diagnosed and the vet did B12 shots every other week. It’s been about two months since diagnosis for us and her legs are definitely better than when first diagnosed. That is something that can be reversed but can come back. Lucy’s seemed to be weakening again last week so we went in for another shot. You can also give them Methyl B12 supplements.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

hi and welcome

can you tell us what syringes u are using the u100 or the u40??

a 38kg dog would be 86 lbs in weight

0.3 ml would be 3 units of insulin

an 86 lb dog starting dose would be 16 units

others can chime in on my calculations but looks like 3 units is not enough insulin

[Pauly]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

Hi everyone and thanks for all your advice....i think i may seek some different advice from another vet after the holidays,Jack is very weak today ,his back legs just give way every time he tries to walk and he has slept all day but saying that his appetite is fine and he is still smiling and wagging his tail when he can stand .Maybe his doses are too low .I think getting human insulin out of pens might be the answer if i cant find the bottles...the trouble is the whole of Spain has been closed since thursday ..."fiesta".Again thanks for all your messages

[martorso]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

Hi Pauly, Iīm from Spain, although I now live in the US (just recently moved)
Iīm not sure why youīd want to switch from Caninsulin, which is readily available at any vet in Spain, itīs meant for dogs, itīs cheap, it works.... for human insulin.....which nobody uses there for the dogs/cats???? Iīve been taking Rocco to several vets...no one would recommend anything but Caninsulin.
Anyways, what you should try (what Iīd do if I was you) is sticking to Caninsulin (it works just great with my lab, though) unless itīs clearly not working for your dog....which you donīt say thatīd be the case.
Regarding the food....all of those brands Hills and so are for sale in Spain. It shouldnīt be hard to find, I guess. Regarding home cooking, I do it for my dog: spinach, chard, boiled skinless chicken breasts and quinoa. All easy and cheap to buy.
Let me know where you live if you need any advice as where to find anything you need (needles, Caninsulin, diabetic food, a good vet...) but really, Spain has all you need for your pup, donīt worry, youīll be fine.

[martorso]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

Hi everyone and thanks for all your advice....i think i may seek some different advice from another vet after the holidays,Jack is very weak today ,his back legs just give way every time he tries to walk and he has slept all day but saying that his appetite is fine and he is still smiling and wagging his tail when he can stand .Maybe his doses are too low .I think getting human insulin out of pens might be the answer if i cant find the bottles...the trouble is the whole of Spain has been closed since thursday ..."fiesta".Again thanks for all your messages

Thatīs not true, Pauly. Stores where open on Friday night and Saturday all day. Please, show some respect to Spanish people, as Iīm from Spain and the way you say "fiesta" is not respectful or even true. As for vets, they are on call: but they charge extra for it, so itīs not a matter of "fiesta" but of money you want to spend. Also, there are pharmacies open everyday, even in "fiesta days"....not all of them open, but there has to be one near you, you can check online which one that is. Best to your pup.

[Judi]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

when my dog's blood sugar got way too low, her back legs gave out. Are you testing his blood sugar?

[Pauly]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

Thatīs not true, Pauly. Stores where open on Friday night and Saturday all day. Please, show some respect to Spanish people, as Iīm from Spain and the way you say "fiesta" is not respectful or even true. As for vets, they are on call: but they charge extra for it, so itīs not a matter of "fiesta" but of money you want to spend. Also, there are pharmacies open everyday, even in "fiesta days"....not all of them open, but there has to be one near you, you can check online which one that is. Best to your pup.

Hi Pauly, Iīm from Spain, although I now live in the US (just recently moved)
Iīm not sure why youīd want to switch from Caninsulin, which is readily available at any vet in Spain, itīs meant for dogs, itīs cheap, it works.... for human insulin.....which nobody uses there for the dogs/cats???? Iīve been taking Rocco to several vets...no one would recommend anything but Caninsulin.
Anyways, what you should try (what Iīd do if I was you) is sticking to Caninsulin (it works just great with my lab, though) unless itīs clearly not working for your dog....which you donīt say thatīd be the case.
Regarding the food....all of those brands Hills and so are for sale in Spain. It shouldnīt be hard to find, I guess. Regarding home cooking, I do it for my dog: spinach, chard, boiled skinless chicken breasts and quinoa. All easy and cheap to buy.
Let me know where you live if you need any advice as where to find anything you need (needles, Caninsulin, diabetic food, a good vet...) but really, Spain has all you need for your pup, donīt worry, youīll be fine.

Sorry Martorso i wasn't disrespecting the Spanish people at all ..I was talking about finding human Insulin which isn't available in stores anyway and if i did find a pharmacy that had what i needed i would have to wait until Tuesday to see my vet to talk about doses anyway.That's what i meant about "fiesta".dont be offended ,i love being in Spain,but i'm not in a city,i'm in a small town on the coast and things aren't always readily available or in stock when you want them,especially in fiesta times.
I was recommended by my vet on Thursday to put him on human insulin but i need to find it in bottles which is impossible,so the Pharmacies open near me over the weekend couldn't help ,a friend of mine had a rottweiler that she took off Caninsulin and put on human and she said the change in him was remarkable.All i want is a best chance for my boy and if it means trying something different then thats what i will do.

[amydunn19]

Re: Newly Diagnosed....My jackjack

I think you can get the pens. Especially being a larger type dog. You can always use the syringes to extract the insulin from the pen. Somebody used to do that on the forum but I can’t remember. Also, as long as the dosage is fine, there is no reason you shouldn’t be able to do just use the pen. Most here use the syringes for ease of obtaining and dosing. You should still be able to get it under the skin.