Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Natalie's Chris

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Natalie's Chris

    As I write this, Chris is approaching his 14th birthday and has been diabetic for more than four years. He has many health problems - truly, it's a miracle that he's still with us. An expensive medical miracle! His diabetes is not one of those problems. Even though Chris was difficult to regulate at first, we found a regimen that works for him and his diabetes management has been on cruise control for a couple of years.

    Chris uses an unusual insulin. He did not respond well to the lente insulin that was tried first (Humulin L, a human insulin that is no longer available; Vetsulin/Caninsulin is a lente insulin also). He responded very well to NPH insulin but was allergic to it. So he wound up on Regular, which is human insulin with nothing added. That makes it a faster acting insulin. It lasts about six hours and he gets four meals and injections a day, six hours apart.

    To learn more about Chris' road to regulation, please see his case study.





    We were fortunate that I have a flexible schedule, which makes Chris' every-six-hours routine possible. It has allowed us to give Chris fairly tight regulation of his diabetes. If we couldn't manage this schedule, as many people can't, we probably would have had to let his blood sugar run higher.

    We aim to keep Chris' blood sugar in the 100s. Not that we always succeed. Especially these days as his age and many other medications sometimes make that challenging. But he spends most of his time with blood sugar in the 100s.

    This tight regulation is made possible by home blood glucose testing. We use primarily a OneTouch Ultra that has been compared many many times with lab values and is a pretty consistent 30 points lower than the actual blood glucose value.

    We test on the inside of Chris' upper lip. He's great about this - doesn't mind it at all even though, because of his schedule, we must test fairly often.

    I check his blood sugar before three of his four meals a day and base his insulin dose on his blood sugar. Since there's nothing added to his insulin to slow down its absorption, he uses a very small dose more frequently.

    Usually about 7 units per injection. He has needed as much as 10 units and as little as 5 units at various time, depending on his health, his diet, and his other medications.

    Because his veterinarians did not understand the problems Chris was having with Humulin L, his diabetes was very poorly controlled for about a year. He started to have problems in March 2004, when his pancreas' ability to produce insulin finally gave out completely, and by July 2004 he was blind from diabetes-induced cataracts. This is the primary side effect that Chris has had to endure from his diabetes. He adjusted well to blindness and we opted not to have cataract surgery done because of his many other health problems.

    Chris never let his blindness slow him down. Point him in a direction and off he goes. He figures we will watch out for obstacles. He continued to comb riverbanks and even swim on a long lead after losing his sight.

    Chris never does anything the way a dog is supposed to so his road to regulation of diabetes was a bumpy one, just like his start in life. He came from a county pound as a puppy with fleas, ticks, worms, and kennel cough. After those started to clear up, we learned about his congenital heart defect (patent ductus arteriosis or PDA). At six months, he was too tired to walk to the end of the block because the heart defect was robbing him of oxygen. At about 8 months, the PDA was surgically repaired and Chris turned into a happy energetic puppy who was thrilled to suddenly feel so good. There was some damage to his heart from his months with the defect - his stamina and tolerance of hot temperatures were low. But he never let that slow him down and his only other periodic problem was allergies that made him itchy.

    It was treatment for the allergies with Temaril-P, a combination of anti-histamine and steroid, that led to his diabetes diagnosis. The day of his diagnosis, his blood sugar was 478 mg/dL, quite a bit higher than the normal 80-120.

    Chris is an old dog these days but is happy and well regulated and has survived his many health problems - he has severe heart problems, some arthritis, and chronic lung inflammation - no doubt in part because we have regulated his diabetes as tightly as possible. It was a challenge to get there but definitely worth it!

  • #2
    Re: Natalie's Chris
    • Name - Chris
    • Age - will be 14 at the end of March 2008
    • Breed - not certain, most likely Australian shepherd/terrier mix, DNA test pending may give us some answers
    • Weight -62-65 pounds
    • Date diagnosed with diabetes - September 2003
    • Type of insulin and how often given - Regular four times a day every six hours
    • Diet - Canidae canned chicken, lamb, and fish mixed with an equal portion of ground chicken or beef, 1 small milkbone after injection
    • Method of monitoring - regular home blood glucose testing, usually at least 3 times per day
    • Other medical issues - many... Heart: dilated cardiomyopathy, mitral valve disease, atrial fibrillation, premature ventricular contractions. Chronic lung disease (noninfectious inflammation). Also arthritis, blindness caused by diabetes induced cataracts, and some allergies.
    _____________

    August 2008

    Chris' story ended at 2:30pm Friday August 1, 2008.

    He lived with diabetes for just a month short of five of his almost 14 and a half years and was blind for the last four years.

    If all he ever had to deal with was diabetes, he would still be here. His blood sugar was well controlled right up to his last day. What he couldn't overcome was a severely damaged heart and then cancer.

    Never ever let anyone tell you that a diabetic dog cannot live a long healthy happy life. Diabetes, even as difficult as Chris' was to manage at first, was a challenge, yes, but not an insurmountable one even with all of Chris' quirks.
    Last edited by k9diabetes; 08-03-2008, 05:55 PM. Reason: The end of the story

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Natalie's Chris

      Chris reminds me very much of a dog I had as a boy.
      I could look into his soul by looking him in the eyes.
      He sure looks like a happy guy!
      Mikey

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Natalie's Chris

        Well, several hundred dollars later, two DNA tests could not figure out what breeds Chris contains!!

        Apparently, he's such a mixed up mix that there are no identifiable patterns for any of the 130 some breeds tested for.

        I always knew that boy was an alien!

        Natalie

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Natalie's Chris

          Just a note to say how much we miss you guy... you are always in my thoughts.

          Natalie

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Natalie's Chris

            Awe, Natalie...thinking of you on the anniversary of Chris' passing.

            Patty
            Patty and Ali 13.5yrs 47lbs diagnosed May '08 Ali earned her wings October 27, 2012, 4 months after diagnosis of a meningioma ~ Time is precious ~

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Natalie's Chris

              Another year has passed and I know Chris will always hold a special part of your heart, Natalie.



              Just wanted to say we are thinking of you and especially offering thanks for all that you and Chris have taught us.

              Patty
              Patty and Ali 13.5yrs 47lbs diagnosed May '08 Ali earned her wings October 27, 2012, 4 months after diagnosis of a meningioma ~ Time is precious ~

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Natalie's Chris

                Remembering Chris. He had such an expressive face.

                Bonnie and Angel Criss

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Natalie's Chris

                  Originally posted by Patty View Post

                  Just wanted to say we are thinking of you and especially offering thanks for all that you and Chris have taught us.

                  Patty

                  I second that... thanks so much for what you and Chris have done for everyone else who are on this forum. I personally do not know where I would be today, if not for you and the others.

                  He will be forever in your heart, and will NEVER be forgotten.
                  Barb & Abby 12/24/1999-12/31/2013 ~ dx 5/10/2011 ~ Forever in my heart ~

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Natalie's Chris

                    wanted to add my thanks to everything you and Chris have taught us. He was a doll. xoxo Judi
                    Jenny: 6/6/2000 - 11/10/2014 She lived with diabetes and cushings for 3 1/2 years. She was one of a kind and we miss her.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Natalie's Chris

                      chris has helped so many other dogs with diabetes and jesse is one of them without him telling you in subtle ways on how to help others with this site is just amazing his legacy will last a very long time
                      Jesse-26 lbs - 16.5 years old ,11 years diabetic, one meal a day homemade and a vitabone snack . 3 shots of Novolin( under the Relion name ) a day . Total insulin for a 24 hour period is 6.5 units of NPH insulin .
                      Jesse earned her wings on 6/21/2021

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Natalie's Chris

                        I can't believe it's been three years. Sometimes it feels like yesterday he was here and sometimes it seems like he's been gone forever...

                        We miss you so much Chris and were honored to be part of your life.



                        Even when, as a young dog, you dug a mudbath in the backyard and then couldn't understand why you couldn't come in! LOL - would hate to have Chris thought of as entirely dignified!

                        Natalie

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Natalie's Chris

                          LOL, looks like he had a little 'fun' that day Natalie.
                          Patty and Ali 13.5yrs 47lbs diagnosed May '08 Ali earned her wings October 27, 2012, 4 months after diagnosis of a meningioma ~ Time is precious ~

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Natalie's Chris

                            From Chewy's thread today:
                            Originally posted by k9diabetes View Post
                            We had two weeks between our diabetic dog's cancer diagnosis and his abrupt decline due to bleeding from the cancer. We were just talking about him last night - reducing my husband and I to tears in the middle of IHOP and he's been gone four years.
                            For some reason Chris' date of Aug 1st stays with me Natalie and I think of you each year. Hugs to both of you.

                            Patty
                            Patty and Ali 13.5yrs 47lbs diagnosed May '08 Ali earned her wings October 27, 2012, 4 months after diagnosis of a meningioma ~ Time is precious ~

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Natalie's Chris

                              Thank you so much for using Chris's memory as a way to help others like him. I have no doubt he was a wonderful baby.
                              Tuxedo, 14 yrs. old. 24 lbs. Newly diagnosed. May have Cushings. Blind for all practical purposes. Still searching for effective treatment. Diapered.

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X