Hattie passed away March 11, 2013

[LilyBell]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

I just came online and saw your post. How are things going right now? It is hard to know for sure if she is too high or too low, but my guess would be too low since 10 units starting point for a small dog is alot. Do you have a meter and could you do a quick check? If not, you may need to run her to an emergency facility to see what her blood sugar is at.

I'll stay online for a while if you want to ask some questions..

And, you did nothing wrong!! Don't blame yourself. You are doing everything you can to protect your furbaby. You wouldn't be here (on this board) if you weren't.

[SandyL]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

No don't give her anything else to eat. You haven't done anything wrong as long as you've been consistant with the amount you are feeding her. If she's had the exact same foods and amout since you began this on thursday. If her BG was low, she wouldn't be drinking all the water and she would be more on the listless side. If anything she's probably running high (and I know it sounds strange but that's the lesser of two evils) Her insulin is taking awhile to kick in....My tiggy doesn't go down immediatly, usually takes a couple of hours with the Humilin....it's slow acting so it may take a couple of hours. That's one of the BIG reasons everyone here is so proactive about home testing....brings peace of mind and some viable answers to why our furbabies are acting the way they do

This may not even be related to her diabetes, so that's another factor to consider Even before her diagnosis, tiggy would have those warm shaking, panting episodes...vet could never figure out what was wrong with her, even thought we would get her in when it was occuring!

Most emergency vets are just that...emergency! You can generally call any of them that has emergency hours and get your baby in.

Hopefully she will calm down shortly, but if she doesn't, I'd place that call!!

[kitrose08]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

She weighs 30 pounds.....so she is kind of heavy...She is breathing faster then usual..I don't have a meter yet...I am going to get one...I don't know if I should feed her tonight?????Why did the vet talk about karo syrup???I don't know much about this disease is this makes it scary....I am watching her like a hawk.....I fed her maybe too much at 7....she was doing good the last 3 days.. so something is wrong..Have to bring her in tomorrow at 8.. hope this episode passes...Never had a dog with this.. I have had over 17 dogs in my life,,, all lived to be old....she is only 6.. this is heartbreaking...thank you for all your help.. I am trying to stay positive..Just wish she would take a nap.....the breathing is just bothering me....

[SandyL]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

The Kayro syrup the vet mentioned is for VERY LOW BG. If she was unusually listless and sleepy then that's the time you would rub the kayro on her gums so that the sugar would get into her system immediatly and perk her up.

Does she seem to be getting ANY better?? Keep calm, and keep us posted

Sandy

[LilyBell]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

Yes, I agree the syrup is for lows to bring her sugar up. The only problem is that when Lily has had lows over our three years of dealing with this it has been hard to tell by the symptoms if she was dealing with a high or low. She has had excess panting, not wanting to play, during a low. She has had those symptoms during a high also.

Is there any way you can get her bg checked? Can you call an emergency vet and see what they would charge to do a quick bg check? I really feel it would be worth the time to find out what you are dealing with here if she is really out of sorts.

[kitrose08]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

She is laying down now.. breathing faster then usual..I was lying by her.. maybe she is just tired.. I can't tell if she is listless..I need to get a meter.. ASAP..Thank you for your help...I am by myself and am very appreciative of all your suggestions!

[kitrose08]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

The Vet bill would be over 100.00.. I just spent 130 on Thursday..I figure the test tomorrow will be around 80.00 taking her to another more expensive Vet this week.. probably will be over 200.00..and buying the meter and the strips..I just don't have the funds.. Trying to get her thru today..SHOULD I FEED HER TONIGHT AT 7?????I don't know.. Trying to ride this out..If she gets worse I will take her in.. just hope she will feel better soon....

[Mickey'sMom123]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

Do you have any Keto-Diastix in the house? It's not an optimum test - it's testing by urine instead of blood (you will want to learn to home test by glucose monitor), but it will tell you if she's high (because if she's low, glucose won't show on the stix - the problem is that it doesn't tell you how low). It will also tell you if she has ketones - and that's an emergency.

[kitrose08]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

If I would have known more about this I would have been more prepared..She was just diagnosed late Thursday afternoon. I had to go to the pharmacy here and buy her insulin and that was 65.00.. I don't even know what keotones are????

[kitrose08]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

She is starting to look more perky!!!!I gave her the shot at 7...the last few days after the shot she was just fine...Should I feed her tonight?????I don't give her another shot til 7 in the morning....And what kind of meter should I get?? And where do I buy one?????Alot of questions.....Hattie is up and chewing a bone so maybe this episode is over.. Sorry for bothering you all.. I just don't know the signs of highs and lows of this mess....And when to give her the Karo syrup.. I don't want to harm her giving it to her...what would happen if I gave it to her and she was in the wrong mode..high or low????????

[SandyL]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

Ketones in the urine are made when the body breaks down fat for energy. They're not getting the sugar they need for their energy. Normally carbs in the diet is used for energy but when the diet doesn't have sufficient carbs, ie brown rice, potatoes etc, it uses the stored fat. They are definately an emergency!!!!

Unfortunately this new way of life is VERY expensive at the beginning.

What really bothers me is her labored breathing....Is she still doing it? How long has it gone on for? If she is, you may want to bite the bullit and take her in....I know it's hard on the finances believe me!!

Sandy

[kitrose08]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

Thanks.. Her breathing seems better...and in fact she wanted her rawhide and before she didn't touch it. makes me think she is better. I am afraid to feed her tonight...I don't know if I should???? she doesn't get anymore insulin til tomorrow at 7.a.m

[LilyBell]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

I am glad she is looking better. Believe me, you not being a bother. Unfortunately, I was there once too and I know how scary it all can be. IT DOES GET BETTER! You are very new to all of this and things will calm down. It is just part of our routine now.

As far as feeding her tonight goes, I'm hoping Natalie or Patty will chime in before then. I've been doing this a while with Lily, but just don't feel qualified enough to answer that for you. We really don't know if she was dealing with a high or low. The signs are hard to read with Lily and many other dogs. I wouldn't know unless I was able to test her. I just know she is acting off and I'm never quite sure what I'll find when I test although for us it is usually a low.

I am quite concerned that your vet is having you give one shot a day. To me that is a warning sign that he doesn't know a lot about diabetes. Two shots are required with NPH. I had bad advice from a vet in the beginning also. He was a great surgeon and wonderful the previous 10 years we knew him with my other dogs, but he knew squat about diabetes. I interviewed a number of vets in my area and found one that we are now very happy with. She encouraged home testing, knew to give shots 2x a day, start with a small dose and work our way up, open to high protein diets, etc.

If you can run to the pharmacy, do go get some Keto-Diastix strips. They aren't that expensive and would be a clue to her running high or low. I'd tell you to get a meter also, but sometimes it takes a while to get the hang of all of that. If you are up for it, go for it though. I think Natalie suggests the OneTouch Ultra. Check out the videos Natalie has posted to get an idea on how to begin. http://www.k9diabetes.com/monitoring.html

[kitrose08]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

Thanks for the information... I really have to know if I should feed her tonight???It is bothering me...As for the Vet...she is a country Vet here... I took Hattie there because it was 1 mile from the house and I could get in right away.. I am going this week to a Vet that I usually take my dogs to.. The good thing about them is they have emergency services there .. so that is important with Hattie's situation. I think the amount of insulin is too low, but then she might have wanted to start her low to see how things go...I know she won't eat the prescription canned food.. and they have to eat before the shot.. so I don't know what to do with that.. I wish she would eat the canned food it sure would be easier to monitor!

[LilyBell]

Re: Help!..Hattie got shot at 7 and is now acting strange!

I think the amount of insulin is too low, but then she might have wanted to start her low to see how things go

Just to give you an idea - my Lily weighs 45.5lbs. She get 6 units of insulin two times a day. Now she gets less than another dog her weight would get, but you just really can never tell. Ten units would be way too much for her and she weighs a good bit more than Hattie.

If the insulin dose was too low, then you were dealing with a high today. If the insulin was too high, then a low.

You have until 7 to decide whether or not to feed her. Just chill a bit and see if anyone else chimes in. lf you run out and get some keto strips, the decision will be a lot easier.