please help..new at this

[mash57]

Hi so happy to have found this site. I need encouragement with my newly diagnosed 9 year old Minpin, Dixie. Is there a diabetic chat room? Shots are going ok but beside myself seeing my Dixie girls eyesight failing and FAST..please someone I need encouragement..can't sleep at night she is part of our family and I am so worried about her.
thanks so much!
Barbara

[nikki]

Re: please help..new at this

Hi Barbara,
It is very hard to watch your baby go through this, but they do adjust and do very well. they learn to do just fine she or he may not lose all of her sight. you will find alot of help from this sight just hang in there and know we are all going through the same thing and we all want the best for our fur babies.

[Shellie]

Re: please help..new at this

Welcome to our group, Barbara! You've found a good home here among the rest of us diabetic moms and dads! We'll listen and advise and just be here for you to talk to! Some rather fantastic folks on here!

Hank and I are just diagnosed a month ago and we're still in the new stage and it's still very hard but having the people here...it's been amazing! We have all been or are still right where you are!

One thing to remember...Dixie doesn't know she has diabetes and doesn't know she's going blind. She just knows she has some yucky days and boy, is it getting dark in here, mom really should turn on some lights. I'm also terrified of Hank losing his sight but I know that I'm the one who is scared... not him. Many of the moms and dads here have babies that have lost their sight and the first thing they will tell you is that they get along so well without their sight.

It really will be ok and we'll all hang in there with you! I promise! Hugs!!!

[Patty]

Re: please help..new at this

Hi and welcome Barbara! Can you tell us more about Dixie?

- How much does she weigh?
- What type of insulin is she on?
- What is her current dose (is it twice a day 12 hours apart?)?
- What type of food is she eating?

Have you considered home testing her? There are some great videos of the different places you could try here: http://www.k9diabetes.com/bgtestvideos.html

Has she had a curve done at the vet yet? This is where they test her blood sugar starting before food/insulin, then every 2 hours after until next shot time.

Again, welcome to you!
Patty

[Patty]

Re: please help..new at this

Barabara, I just saw that you posted this on 9/23 and will copy it here from your Visitor Message area for more info:

Hi everyone I am new. since joining found tips and advise that are so helpful. My 9 year Minpin, Dixie just diagnosed in July. Will she ever get used to the shots? My guess is no. of course she does not have an option. Tried a soft muzzel but my husband felt it caused her too much distress. Now, I hold her and he gives the shot. Started at 4units now up to 7. Dixie has gone from 27 lbs to just 16.5 since June. We pray she maintains this weight or at least does not loose anymore. For her blood levels we take her once a month to tech. Feel bad doing everything we can buying all the equipment to test ourselves and we can't. Vet said not as accurate better than nothing to bring her back once a month we monitor her weight, behavior, thirst etc. Wonderful site and I am happy to have found it. Love to know I am not alone and pets can survive more than a year or two. Dixie is family to us so any extra time she has with us we will be so thankful for!
thanks in advance everyone!

[Cebe]

Re: please help..new at this

Barbara, I was discouraged from home testing by my vet at first because he didn't know me well and didn't trust that I could handle it as he could. As cynical as I can be I do not attribute any pecuniary motive to my vet's discouragement. Really I think he thought that I would start adjusting the insulin on my own and hurt my dog. But we compromised and I got the alphatrak meter made for animals and you can do that too.

But now that I have been learnIng a few month, I know that I actually can adjust the insulin as long as I do it in small increments and give each change time to settle. That said I am still following my dr.'s dosing but testing at home. I have to let the doctor learn to trust me and you might need to do the same with your vet. So go slow and be gentle with your vet. He's only human. I suggest that your dog will adjust faster than your vet to you taking charge. But do go slowly.

If you want to get an alphatrak the best price is at diabeteswholesale.com.

[Cebe]

Re: please help..new at this

That's www.amercandiabeteswholesale.com. I got mine used on craigslist but they are rarely advertised there. Also compare prices on eBay and amazon.

I advise you to get the alphatrak because it might make the vet trust what you are doing more but many people use human meters with success. The numbers are different but people have found a way to deal with that.

[SubluxT7]

Re: please help..new at this

Hi there,

I am new at this too (around a week or so in myself). As far as her going blind, if it does happen it isn't the end of the world. I didn't find out till my fatty patty went completely blind. She is just fine with it. Remember dogs use there noses far more than their eyes to get around. Not to say my fatty doesn't run into stuff, but she is still adjusting herself (went completely blind about a week or so ago. If it happens it happens. It may be getting dark but she will adjust if the chips fall that way.

There is alot of information and supportive people here. I have learned so much myself just reading over posts. I do home testing with a freestyle light as we are trying to get things striaghtenend with my dogs blood glucose level. Its not completely accurate but it is better than nothing.

Good luck I am sure your girl will do fine!

[Sadie's Mom]

Re: please help..new at this

Sadie lost her eyesight right after she was diagnosed about 4 weeks ago. She too is adjusting well. Much better then me I have noticed this past week she seems to have a little more pep in her step!!! She isn't moving as slowly as she was when she first lost her sight. She is even venturing into more territory around the house. At first she only went into spots she was comfortable with. Has been walking around more lately. She does bump into things but just keeps trying. I think it is harder on us to watch them, we just want to protect them. I have learned that babying her isn't good, it is better for her to find her way. She seems more like her old self. Of course she walks into her doggy brother all the time, since he doesn't move out of her way!!! She still wags her tail and is happy in her own way and that is what's most important! Good luck to you and Dixie.

[AZPitasmom]

Re: please help..new at this

Pita was diagnosed on 8/25 - so it has been a month (today). I have to agree that my original vet (the one who diagnosed) was dead-set against home testing - but since she wanted $189.00 to do a curve and then spot checking at $57.00 each, I wonder if her concerns were for Pita...
She didn't even MENTION the chance that I would change the dose...come to think of it, she never gave any reason but that she didn't want me to do it.
As most of the folks here know, I fired her.
My new vet encourages home testing although she made it clear that her concern would be that I might try to adjust the dosage....yeah, right.
I just call her with the results and she gives me answers on the phone or via email. Of course, if things get weird, then she knows that I will bring Pita in.
So, my advise is - find a vet you trust and one who trusts YOU! Unless you live in the middle of nowhere, there are other vets.
Don't even think that you "have been doing there for years" and you have some "loyalty issue". Your main loyalty is to Dixie!
Good luck! If I can do this, you can do this!

[janspack]

Re: please help..new at this

welcome Barbara,

As everyone else has said, dogs do adjust to almost anything and I'm sure Dixie will too. I've had a dog with 3 legs, one who lost her eye to cancer etc etc. They don't think about tomorrow or worry about what has happened yesterday - that's our job.

Dazzle has been diabetic for over 2 1/2 yrs now and when she was first diagnosed, she was showing early signs of cataracts. She was referred to an ophthalmologist who said that at the point they weren't bad enough to warrant surgery.

Her eyesight has deteriorated somewhat but she hasn't gone totally blind still. There is surgery available but I'll think about that if the time comes and if she isn't coping. I'm sure she will though.

[Judi]

Re: please help..new at this

Jenny went blind on Labor Day and I am seeing almost exactly the same thing. She is getting her bearings, getting more confident but at night, when she is tired, she doesn't always want to try.

I'm trying really hard not to baby her or she will never find her way but it is hard. And yes, she bumps into her brother a lot and he is highly offended!

Sadie lost her eyesight right after she was diagnosed about 4 weeks ago. She too is adjusting well. Much better then me I have noticed this past week she seems to have a little more pep in her step!!! She isn't moving as slowly as she was when she first lost her sight. She is even venturing into more territory around the house. At first she only went into spots she was comfortable with. Has been walking around more lately. She does bump into things but just keeps trying. I think it is harder on us to watch them, we just want to protect them. I have learned that babying her isn't good, it is better for her to find her way. She seems more like her old self. Of course she walks into her doggy brother all the time, since he doesn't move out of her way!!! She still wags her tail and is happy in her own way and that is what's most important! Good luck to you and Dixie.

[MaryLea]

Re: please help..new at this

Welcome to the forum, Barbara and Dixie! You have found a safe place to ask questions and/or vent your frustration. We've all gone through what you are experiencing, at one level or another.

The people here are more than happy to give you the advantage of their experience. One thing you may hear alot is that in some ways, every dog is different. They don't all react the same way to food, insulin, exercise, etc. But you will learn your Dixie's "signals" and find ways to do what is best for her. She is one lucky pup to have you for a HumanMom.

We changed vets several times after Ruffles was diagnosed. Now we have a vet who trusts us as much as we trust him. We work together as a team. Unfortunately, we lost Ruffles rather suddenly in December; so now we're working together on behalf of a rescue dog with other special needs.

Please give us as much information as you can about Dixie's routine and BG results. We are glad to have you with us.

Mary

[CarolW]

Re: please help..new at this

Hi Barbara and Dixie,

My Kumbi was diagnosed when he was just short of 10 years old. He died last year, of CANCER, NOT diabetes, at age 13.5. He went blind about five months after diagnosis. He appeared to retain a tiny bit of peripheral vision, and could distinguish light and shadow at certain times.

On walks, he strode out in front, really enjoying them. He found his way around the house (I didn't move furniture, and I MADE SURE always to leave his water dish in the same place, and make sure it was full!). And he found his way in and out the dog-door, around the yard, and, in the house, up onto Our Bed and off it, too.

Some dogs get cataract surgery; I couldn't afford it, so we did without. The main thing is, Kumbi thoroughly enjoyed his life!

He bumped into his elder companion, Kwali, at times, and at first, she was offended, but then she seemed to catch on that Kumbi was blind, and no longer objected.

After you've been here on the forum for a time, you'll likely agree with me that it's the finest forum on canine diabetes (that I know of). A Big, Fat Welcome to you and Dixie!

My new dog (a rescue, not diabetic), Camellia, sends her regards to Dixie, and Kwali and Kumbi send theirs to Dixie from the Bridge.
Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:49:24 (PDT)

[mash57]

Re: please help..new at this

Thank you. thank you and thank you again ..means so much to hear of others positive experiences. Please add me as your friend and Dixie says much love and thanks to you all!
I still do not get the hang of this site..I mean it is wonderful but I dont know how to post w/out sending private messages. Once again from my heart , God bless u for ans. and thank so much!
Barbara