Thank you, Thank you!

[IzzyfromTexas]

I cannot thank you enough for all the wonderful information I have been reading on this site. Our Izzie (8 yrs old/ chocolate lab) was diagnosed on Weds before Thanksgiving, and by Monday she was completely blind (I think she sees shadows maybe?) By the time I went back to the vet on Monday for her glucose curve, I felt confident enough to ask questions and be a tiny bit knowledgeable. We are home testing- except I think my strips are expired, so I need to go get more tomorrow, and I think I will follow the instructions of the member who suggested making a chart. We have two other dogs- one a rowdy GSD 12 week old pup. Also hanging about are 4 cats. They all get along famously, and with 3 teens we have a busy home. But- when I get the kids all trained to test and how to react I think we will have this at least in hand. Her sugars are so high- she was testing at 550 and they never really got her below 390 I think. We are giving 10 U of humulin n 2X a day. The blindness is what really has me upset, but again, I feel better after reading other experiences here. Sorry this is so long, and I will most likely be back with more pesky questions but what a stressbuster you all have been already!

Michelle - Izzy's mom

[Patty]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Michelle,
Welcome to you and Izzie! A chart is a wonderful idea, especially with a busy household. I keep track of shot times w/amount of insulin given, food amount, exercise, bg (blood glucose) tests, and any meds given.

That's great that Izzie has had a curve at the vet and that you are home testing already. What type of meter are you using?

Also wondering what type of food is Izzie eating?

I'm sorry to hear she lost her vision so quickly. There are many here that have gone through cataract surgery with their dogs but just as many who adapt well without it. You'll find a lot of support here.

Again, welcome to you!
Patty

[SeattleCraig]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Welcome, Izzy and Michelle!

So fast on the loss of vision! How scary that must have been, although it's amazing how resilient they are--and then we learn to follow their lead.

I hope Izzy is feeling better soon.

Craig (& Bob)

[CarolW]

Re: Thank you, Thank you! - Izzy and Michelle

Oh, Michelle, you are WAY ahead of the game! - how wonderful that you found this forum and studied so much here - and that you've jumped in, testing BG (blood glucose) levels.

Here's a whole bunch of charts you might enjoy looking at:

http://www.coherentdog.org/vek/curvejourney.php

Excel is probably the easiest program to use to make these, though there are also similar chart models online in places; sorry I don't have the links handy right now.

The charts on those pages are really dressed up; took me ages to do them, because I don't really use spreadsheets that well, and ended up using my Poor Woman's Photoshop (Paint Shop Pro) to make additions to the charts. I'm not making those charts now; too time-consuming, as I cope with my house-move and an aftermath of some losses of crucial stuff! But, hard work as they were, I found doing them instructive.

I used Open Office - a free program - its spreadsheet, Calc, to make these to begin with. For me, doing that was a BIG learning curve; some people are lots better at computer-stuff than I am!

However you might choose to make charts, I do recommend doing it. Maybe some of your children could do stuff like that!

The only other suggestion I have is that you keep records in a central place, and whoever does the BG test or feeds or gives a shot should record the event and any numbers on that central chart shared by the whole family. Obviously, that's to prevent double-feeding, or double-shot (Yikes!).

The trick for me would be to remember to RECORD the event and the numbers!

Sorry about Izzy's fast loss of vision. Kumbi lost his quite suddenly, but it was about five months after his diagnosis. He did just fine, with no cataract surgery possible for financial and other logistic reasons. He REALLY enjoyed his life. And when he died, it was from cancer, not diabetes.

I'm deeply trusting that with a family (and talents) like yours, Izzy will have a lovely, long happy life, blind or not.

The GSD pup sounds like a handful! Might have to watch Izzy's BG responses when playing with the pup!

Oh, before I forget, a big, fat welcome to you!

Wed, 1 Dec 2010 06:53:35 (PST)

[IzzyfromTexas]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Hi Patty and Craig. Shot went well this morning, and she is a bit more playful than she has been. She lost a lot of weight over the past couple of months, but with the new puppy and us having her on a diet anyway we didn't realize how much she had lost. She was very round, but now we need to put a little weight back on her. I am feeding her a Senior food with high fiber at the recommendation of the vet. I have a OneTouch ultra that someone gave me, but the strips are expensive, so I think I am going to get a store brand one from HEB (our grocery store here in San Antonio) as the strips are under $20. A nurse friend says she has good results with it at the nursing home she works for.

Thanks again!

[IzzyfromTexas]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Thanks Carol! I will look at those (and probably steal one!) as soon as I get my girl off this morning. She wants to be a vet, so she is being super helpful with Izzie. I didn't think I would ever, ever, ever be giving anyone a shot- but I did it this morning! My husband did the ones yesterday. We all survived

[CarolW]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Well, we can do what we have to, can't we! I think your family is great! Hope your daughter finds her studies and practicing rewarding! I have a funny feeling she'd make a great vet - the kind we need, so I'm sending my encouragement to her!

Keep up the great work, and we'll look forward to your further reports. Camellia is reading over my shoulder, and adds her woof-greetings to Izzie and the pup.

Wed, 1 Dec 2010 07:19:59 (PST)

[Patty]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Hi Michelle,
I have a OneTouch meter as well and agree the strips are way too expensive! They run about $1 a strips retail. Just a tip if you decide you want to continue using that meter, you can buy OneTouch Ultra test strips at www.amazon.com for about .50-.60/strip.

www.hocks.com sells them for about .67/strip.

I buy mine from www.ebay.com Just watch for sellers with positive feedback, test strips are factory sealed, and good expiration dates. Lately, I've had to really watch for good deals as there seems to be more bidders willing to go higher in price.

Another meter you could look into is Walmart's Relion Micro. I bought it to compare readings recently with my OneTouch. My OneTouch has been a good consistent meter for me (around 47 points low in most ranges). I found the Relion Micro I bought to be about 80 points low on my dog but it was pretty consistent with its readings.

I don't know if you've read already that most human meters will measure your dog's blood sugar lower than actual due to the difference in their red blood cells size/shape. So it's a good idea to compare your meter (test as you normally would at home) at the same time your vet runs a sample on his lab machine.

Take care,
Patty

[IzzyfromTexas]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Hi everyone- thanks for all the good words of advice and encouragement. I have spent the last couple of days getting everything figured out. Izzy's numbers are looking much better- she is at about 250 a couple of hours after eating, and she seems to be adjusting pretty well to her blindness.

I do have a question though. She is hungry all the time and can smell out food, so we have to keep her out of the puppy's and cat's food. With the restricted diet she is on, I can't see how she can gain the 10 pounds she really needs to put on. I am feeding her a senior food, and giving her about 5 cups a day which is the recommended amount for her weight. Should I give her a little extra?
Thanks

[peggy0]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Yes, if she needs to gain weight give her extra. You will have to adjust her insulin accordingly

[MaryLea]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Welcome Izzy and Michelle (from another Texan). Glad to have you aboard.

We purchase our supplies at Wal-Mart. Never thought to look at HEB, even though I shop there frequently. Couldn't have made it this far without home BG testing! Glad you are already onto it.

BTW, your first post was not long compared to how most of us begin!

[k9diabetes]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Hi Michelle,

Any idea how much of her pre-diabetes diet would have more or less maintained her weight or how much she generally ate every day?

I find that the bag recommendations are often way too much food. So if you can even guestimate how much she was eating before, you can figure the number of calories that was and give her a similar number of calories of the new food. All of the manufacturers post calorie counts on their websites if you need to find out the calories per cup.

Definitely hold on to your OneTouch Ultra as it is usually a really good meter to use on larger dogs. Some human meters tend to work better for dogs than others. So you may find that the cheapest meter will not be the best one for cross-species testing. Dogs' blood is not the same as human blood and how the meter tests it seems to make a lot of difference in how accurate it is.

We used the OneTouch Ultra with Chris 99% of the time and it was a pretty reliable 34-40 points lower than actualy blood sugar levels. But you will need to test any meter you use with your dog and compare it to some lab values to know how accurate it is for you and your dog.

Glad to see you here!

Natalie

[IzzyfromTexas]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

Thanks Natalie. We were using a locally made dog food which was high protein, and I think probably exacerbated her diabetes. It was good for our German Shepherd puppy- who was abandoned and starving when we found her at 6 weeks old (and only 6 lbs!!), but we shouldn't have let Izzie get any. Hindsight and all. This morning she is looking better- her ribs aren't so pronounced, so I think she is gaining a little.

I decided to try an experiment. I have 2 meters that I had around from free coupons and used both when I took blood this morning. One read 450 and the other 230- from the same time. So confusing. She is not drinking as much water and is doing her business outside better so I just have to think that we are on the right track. We originally took her in because of the weight loss, but get this- we thought she had eaten a sock or something (gotta love labs!) because she wan't going poo! The vet was thinking cancer, so diabetes was a relief in a way.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

I'm curious - which meter read which? And if the OneTouch, was it with new strips or expired one?

Natalie

[IzzyfromTexas]

Re: Thank you, Thank you!

I don't have any OneTouch strips right now. I looked at the one I had in a drawer and the strips expired a month ago, so maybe that is why I got the really high readings?

I am giving it a break today- did kind of a curve yesterday, and she seems to be responding pretty well. When I take her back to the vet I will see about him doing readings with our meter when he does the curve to get a good comparison.