Harry - New dog with diabetes

[Dodgeball]

Hey everyone -

Looks to be a forum full of useful information and will be browsing through the threads to soak up what I can. My dog, a six year old mutt had lost a lot of weight in recent months. He was around 90 pounds and went down to about 50. He had lost his sight and was drinking excessively, all of this occurring sometime after having a few of his teeth pulled.

I was sure it was diabetes and after going to the vet, they confirmed my suspicions. Initially, the vet told me it would cost about $400.00 a month for the insulin and vet appointments to monitor his blood glucose and I was honestly contemplating putting him down, which I really did not want to do. After doing a little bit of research, I found the insulin and syringes could be purchased for dirt cheap at Wal-Mart compared to what the vet was wanting to charge me.

I gathered the bulk of the cost would come from these vet appointments, which they suggested occur every 10 days after I start giving him his insulin. We are three days in at the recommended dose, 12 units twice a day, after feeding and he is already seeming a little happier.

My big question is about the testing. There are a ton of monitors and test strips out there. In what I can see on this forum, the AlphaTrek 2 seems to be the go to monitor and I think I saw someone mention the Freestyle strips work. I have no idea how often I really need to test my dog. Some places say I need to do it every two hours, which isn't feasible with my work schedule and my vet only wanted to see him every 10 days...which at $90 a pop can get pricey fast.

Is it just during the initial phase where I need to test him often to make sure the insulin dosage is correct and then just test him once a week? Or do I really need to test his levels every day? I'm also not entirely sure what my goal should be for his blood sugar. Some assistance with that would also be appreciated.

[Riliey and Mo]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

welcome to you and your Harry

glad you want to hometest you,ll be in control of Harry,s bg

i use the alphatrack2 with the freestyle lite strips and also the One touch ultra.

at first i tested often its good to test at fasting then 2 hours later, midday then againat dinner fasting. to get more data on your dog i would do a curve asap to where his sugar is at. anything below 250 for the better portion of the day to me is regulation

what is your dog eating and how much?

[Dodgeball]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

Right now we have him and our other dogs on Iam's adult lamb and rice I believe is what it is called. They all get a good scoop in the morning and a scoop at a night, which is what is recommended based on their weight.

[CraigM]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

Welcome to the forum.

Most test 2, or 3, times a day with possibly a weekly "curve" (testing every 2-3 hours) until you get the dosage worked out.

Many meters to choose from. The AlphaTrak is great, but test strips can be expensive for frequent testing. Yes, some of us do use FreeStyle Lite strips in the AlphaTrak meter, but realize they are not recommended by Abbott and their use are at your own risk. You'll have to determine what setting to set the meter on your own by comparing the FreeStyle Lite readings to true AlphaTrak strip readings.

Human meters are used by many. Although the readings might be off a bit because of the differences between dog and human blood, they will usually be good enough to keep your pup safe.

Whatever meter system you select, buying online is almost always much less expensive. The exception to online savings would be the Walmart ReliOn Prime meter and test strips that are inexpensive at your local Walmart.

What insulin are you currently using? Are you trying to feed two identical meals, giving injections at that time?

Craig

[Dodgeball]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

I'm at work currently, but I believe it was Novolin R? I could be wrong on that. I feed the dogs before I leave for work in the morning at 8 and around 8 at night when we put the kids to bed. I'll give him his shots right after feeding.

[CraigM]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

Right now we have him and our other dogs on Iam's adult lamb and rice I believe is what it is called. They all get a good scoop in the morning and a scoop at a night, which is what is recommended based on their weight.

"Scoops" might be ok for large dogs, but keep in mind consistently is very important. Some of us use a kitchen food scale to weigh the food to be sure the meals don't vary much. I'm sure you measure the 12 units of insulin as accurately as you can, so it just makes sence to accurately measure the food also?

Craig

[CraigM]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

I'm at work currently, but I believe it was Novolin R? I could be wrong on that. I feed the dogs before I leave for work in the morning at 8 and around 8 at night when we put the kids to bed. I'll give him his shots right after feeding.

I hope it's actually Novolin-N. Novolin-N lasts about 12 hours in most dogs, each dog / situation is different. Novolin-R is a fast acting insulin that generally only lasts 5 hours, or so.

Craig

[farrwf]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

Hello & welcome to you & Harry to the best place on the planet for doggy diabetes information, advice & fellowship! You're one of the lucky ones who found this resource.

Agree with Craig, ... hope it's the "n" insulin you have. Funny, I'm developing a real dislike for your vet, and I don't know very much about him. I wonder why???

[Dodgeball]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

Guys had me worried, but it is the N insulin. He seems to have a lot more energy today when I came home. Tail is wagging, walking a little faster. So far seems to be working ok.

Ordered the AlphaTrak and some test strips today. Gonna be expensive but worth it if I can keep him along longer and his quality of life is good.

[CraigM]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

Guys had me worried, but it is the N insulin. He seems to have a lot more energy today when I came home. Tail is wagging, walking a little faster. So far seems to be working ok.

Ordered the AlphaTrak and some test strips today. Gonna be expensive but worth it if I can keep him along longer and his quality of life is good.

Great on the "N".

Although the AlphaTrak2 is spendy, it's probably a nice kit that you got. Most everything you will need to get started. The only minor problem with the normal kit is that they only include a few test strips. You will likely be testing a lot to start, so you might order another box of test strips, if the bank account permits. At least it will be a lot less expensive, and will provide better info that your vet clinic.

If you haven't gone to the AlphaTrak website yet, they have good info and videos: http://www.alphatrakmeter.com/index.html

Craig

[Dodgeball]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

I imagine it will vary from dog to dog but how long can I expect it to be for my guy to start putting on weight?

[amydunn19]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

Once you get him on insulin for a while, he will eventually start to stabilize and gain weight but it is a gradual process. In fact, everything with diabetes is a gradual process if done correctly. Did he really lose 40 pounds? Wow.

The expenses can be cut tremendously from what the vet quoted you. But, don't be surprised if he doesn't fully get on board with home testing - some do and some don't. I made it non-negotiable so my vet had no choice on the matter. Vets are sometimes afraid that you will just start randomly raising insulin or changing things before you really understand how it works. And some hate to lose the money from you coming in for curves. But, many times, dogs are very anxious at the vet's office so their tests might not be as reliable. Anxiety can cause blood sugar to go down or up drastically. All dogs react differently - my dog's blood sugar can drop from a bath or a walk by a hundred points sometimes.

Also, some people test more than others but it is not like you can put them on autopilot once you get to regulation. Things change. You can also get a head start on infections and problems if you test regularly. High blood sugar will be the first clue many times before there are real symptoms. You don't have to be obsessed like some of us but I think you will find it will keep your dog on the right track.

[Pojo]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

I tested a lot the first couple of months. It was difficult to see a trend and often the results were littered with crazy high numbers. After a month or two, results seemed to trend with the dose. Once I got comfortable with Pojo's current dose, I pretty much shut down testing. That was knowing that if he eats, his BG will be in a range that I am comfortable with. The testing was hugely important during the dose adjustments and taking the time to see the dog adjust takes a lot of strips. Testing now is when I sense he is down, or I feel I should do a curve to relay to the vet.

[parje1]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

Welcome.

I use the AlphaTrak with the AlphaTrak test strips. I buy them from American Diabetes Wholesale or sometimes Amazon. I buy the Freestyle Lancets from Walmart to save a little bit.

I chose the AlphaTrak because everything was so overwhelming at first that I just wanted one less variable...and it's the meter my vet uses. I figure no matter which meter you use, it will save you a lot of money over what curves cost at the vet. Plus, it's nice to have it at home when your dog has an off night and you want to make sure it isn't low blood sugar. Better than running off to the emergency vet for a test on a weekend.

Once my vet and I were more comfortable with how things were progressing, she just has me email or call in my pup's numbers and what's going on and we just chat over the phone about what to do next. I don't take her in very often to actually see the vet unless I feel something needs more attention. My vet has been awesome about helping me keep costs as low as possible.

I hope you and your vet can work out a plan together or you find a new awesome vet.

This forum is amazing place. Lots of experts that help us all through this.

Jen & Mia

[CraigM]

Re: Harry - New dog with diabetes

As the song goes: Different Strokes For Different Folks (and pups) In Annie's 7+ years as a diabetic, I doubt I've skipped more than 7 days not testing. Even when she seemed stable for several weeks and I tried to skip a blood test I would worry that I was missing something. I guess Annie is more than my pup, she's my hobby!

As Amy mentioned, the BG levels usually rise with infections and testing can sometimes give you a heads-up. Here's a recent example with Annie. She had been on 7 units of "N" for months, but a couple of weeks ago I noted her numbers were inching higher, requiring an insulin increase. After a week or so I (actually my wife) noticed Annie's ears were red and smelly: infection! After just two days of ear treatment her BGs dropped (had to reduce the insulin) and the redness went away. Various infections are not uncommon in diabetics because the extra "sugar" seems to stoke infections.

Craig