Hattie passed away March 11, 2013

[kitrose08]

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

Yes it is the Vet that is further away.. I called her and she got me right in tomorrow morning...I could tell by her voice when I mentioned how much insulin Hattie was getting she was very surprised and concerned.....Have to bring her insulin, the needles, what I usually feed her and then she will be tested thru out the day..No food after 10..Thanks for all the information......it is really helpful!

[CarolW]

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

I am SO relieved you're seeing the GOOD vet tomorrow! She sounds very capable. I'm so glad she'll take you through everything step-by-step. WONDERFUL!

I'll be here watching and cheering you on - you and Hattie! Please report back when you can!

Hugs,
Sun, 10 Apr 2011 18:07:15 (PDT)

[SandyL]

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

So glad Hattie is feeling better and that you have an appointment tomorrow!!

Make sure you make out a DETAILED list of everything you want to ask tomorrow or to be shown and take it with you!! You will be thrown so much information that your will feel totally overloaded so take notes if need be!

This will all get easier, not that you still won't have bumps in the road, just you'll be able to deal with them better emotionally and mentally

Good Luck tomorrow,

Sandy and Tiggy

[kitrose08]

Hattie's diagnosis

Just picked up Hattie from the Vet. They did blood work and did the blood glucose curve test...He put her on 7 units of Humilen 2x a day.. He told me to inject her in the neck and to give her the shot before she gets her food. I have to bring her in next Monday for another test.He won't charge me for the visit, just the test. He said her bloodwork looked good...wasn't too bad 245.00 which included the heartworm test......So we shall see how that goes.. I am crossing my fingers!

[SandyL]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

So glad you got her in today after the scare this weekend.

Just a suggestion..which is also usually the standard...You should really inject her AFTER she eats. Anywhere from 15 min to 30 min after. If by any chance she doesn't eat OR throws up her food, she won't have that 7 units in her with no food....which wouldn't be a good thing.

I'm sure the more seasoned members will also chime in tonight and ask the usual questions like....what kind of insulin, can you post the numbers to her curve that was done, what is her exact weight, just to name a few so get ready with all that so they can provide you with the best info for you to succeed in taking care of your baby Hattie. IMHO these members on here have the utmost knowledge and I personally trust them more than ANY vet I have seen about this and I have learned sooo much from Natalie, Patty and Pat to name a few

Keep us posted
Sandy and Tiggy

[CarolW]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

I completely agree with Sandy and Tiggy - best inject AFTER Hattie eats, and I like waiting between 15 and 30 minutes before injecting, just to make sure Hattie doesn't vomit her meal.

Also, it's recommended not to inject in the scruff, as insulin tends to be poorly absorbed from that location. There are some diagrams and pictures that show where best to inject insulin in a dog. I can point only to one, but there are others as well; you would have a lot of flexibility about where on the body to inject.

The one I can point to right away is here:

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

You could extend the "saddle blankets" in that picture most of the way down the dogs' bodies, and come out with good places to inject.

Others might point you to another picture that shows some of the other places.

I'm SO bad with numbers, I can't really judge that recommendation for dose - just wanted to mention that maybe it's a bit high - maybe not!

I'll let Natalie, Patty or Peggy comment on that.

Is this Humulin-N again, that Hattie is on? I hope so! It's a very good insulin!

I'm really thrilled that Hattie's blood work turned out so well!

During the coming week, before Hattie's next curve, you might work on learning to do the blood glucose (BG) tests yourself, at home. If you're lucky, you might actually learn to do that during the week. Then you could do the curve yourself (we can help you with that), and take the numbers in to the vet when you take Hattie a week from today.

I am SO GLAD you got her to this much more capable vet!

If you can't learn in a week (it takes some people longer to learn - don't let that worry you, if it does take longer), you can have the vet do the curve, and keep working on learning.

If you can get Hattie's curve numbers from the vet, and post them, that will be good!

Please do keep us posted.

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:30:53 (PDT)

[SandyL]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

Or....if you want a laugh, take a look at my thread on "Making injections Fun" I too used to inject in the scruff until I found my new diabetic family...just one more thing I learned on here!!

Sandy

[jesse girl]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

I agree with the others shot before food is not a good idea I know some do it and they are season veterans and know there dog well .

the problem especially at the beginning is will your dog eat the whole meal half or nothing and you have given a full dose of insulin and you cant take it back

[kitrose08]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

Well .. I think Hattie has a good Vet.. My birthday was today so maybe that will prove to be my birthday present....I will post the curve,, I was so overwhelmed today I forgot to get a copy.. Go back next Monday.. Thanks for all your help!.. I will feed her first and then the shot.. and will check out the other injection sites....

[kitrose08]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

Actually it wasn't the scruff..I just saw the diagram.. more like by the shoulder blades!

[CarolW]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

Actually it wasn't the scruff..I just saw the diagram.. more like by the shoulder blades!

Oh, that should be just fine! It's good to change the location a little bit with each shot, so you don't build up scar tissue. I also used to alternate sides on Kumbi - left side in the morning, right in the evening (or vice-versa). And on subsequent days, I'd move just a bit more down his body, and then start all over again.

Your vet does sound capable, and I'm greatly relieved. Keep up the good work!

Tue, 12 Apr 2011 01:02:38 (PDT)

[kitrose08]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

Hattie did fine today...She actually comes and stands by me waiting for her shot...she is so even tempered I am very lucky..What about giving her canned salt free green beans? She won't eat the prescription type food. I have been feeding her 1 cup of poached white meat chicken and 1/2 can of little caesers 2 x a day......I hope that is going to be okay,, and that she doesn't get tired of it.. Can you feed them like a cube steak??I know probably stupid question.. I want to do this the right way so she feels good and I can have some peace of mind...

[CarolW]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

I forgot to wish you a happy birthday! But - it seems you had one, with Hattie's improvement! So, two days late - Happy Birthday!

I'm REALLY not an expert on food, but I wonder if you could give frozen, rather than canned, green beans. I believe the nutrition is likely to be far better. You could cook the beans if you want (haha). EVen human food they put in cans has had quite "relaxed" requirements in the last decade or so, I think - such as, allowing irradiation of the food WITHOUT PUTTING THAT ON THE LABEL!

So the QUALITY may not be there.

And I'm suspicious of "salt-free." That may not mean free of sodium of some sort - in canned beans.

You could cook up a batch of frozen beans for a few days ahead.

I think the Caesar's food is supposed to be good, though how suitable for diabetics, I have no idea. I think the principle, though, is, work first with the insulin, getting the dose adjusted, and then after that, you can tweak food.

I'm really pleased that you and Hattie are doing so well together. It's not JUST luck, though of course, Hattie's nature being so good is a bit of luck to begin with; let's say you chose well, when you rescued her [happy smile]. Also, you must be doing well with the "painless" part of "painless injections," since Hattie is coming to you for them!

Congratulations on your good work, and on getting to the right vet!

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 06:54:22 (PDT)

[Mickey'sMom123]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

Regarding the canned beans - we buy the bagged green beans that can be microwaved, and we have found some that we steam. All of our dogs (3), get these as treats, together with steamed baby carrots (Mickey doesn't get the baby carrots anymore, because of the sugar content). In fact, we keep two or three green beans on the counter where Mickey can see them while he gets his shot. After his shot, he gets his beans.

[kitrose08]

Re: Hattie's diagnosis

Called the Vet and told him I was feeding her first before she got her shot.. He said fine.. just give her the shot soon after. Then I had him call the prescription for insulin at Walmart...almost 25.00 but the other places wanted 65.00...She is doing well.. just feel bad because she can't have her treats.....She has tried to outsmart me.. eats the chicken first and then doesn't want her dogfood.. so I give her the dogfood first and then the chicken....Everything is going pretty good.. Just keeping my fingers crossed. Bringing her back in Monday at 8..Thanks everyone!