Any1 ever had a dog w/ diabetes

I have a 100lb dog that was just diagnosed with diabetes. His blood sugar level was 474. Vet has put him on human insulin twice a day. My dog is having a hard time getting around. His back legs are bothering him. He rarely walks around due to the disease. I dont want to put him to sleep. I love my pet. Is this really a life for him though, to lay on the floor to look at us and not to move only to just to get up to go outside to use the bathroom. He does not want to excercise, nor does he want to play. He is only 6 years old. Has anyone had any experience with this disease with their dog? Will the dog get better in time? Any advice will be appreciated

 

Hopefully, he will start feeling better once his blood sugar is under control. I know with people, excessively high blood sugar just makes them feel like crap, and it's probably the same with dogs. Do you test his blood sugar levels daily?

 

Have not had to do that yet

 

Give it time to let the meds kick in and really control his sugar levels.

Start taking him for short walks... even though he seems tired it will help.

 

An insulin shot should work within minutes. In the normal insulin pathway, a glucose challenge causes the pancreas (actually islets of Langerhans) to produce insulin from beta cells. Once the insulin level reaches a peak and transports the glucose to the cells, it should begin to fall off to a post glucose challenge. Until another glucose event (meal or snack) happens, the normal insulin production is small.

In diabetes, the body doesn't produce enough insulin to meet the glucose challenge. So, insulin is added, via injection.

I'm guessing that the vets Rxed humulin or novolin, possibly NPH. Since the owner can usually control they dog's meal intake by allowing it to eat at specific times and a specific amount, it should be fairly easy to learn to inject the correct amount of insulin to keep the pet in a normal range. You'll probably want to get a fasting sugar and a after the meal one, as well. in humans, we usually check a 2 hour post meal, to make sure that the insulin level has fallen back into the normal range. Ask your vet for the correct post meal check time. Once you have that, check the dog's glucose then. If it's back in the normal range, it's all good. If not, call the vet.

The needles nowadays are smaller than the probocis of a 'skeeter, so the amount of needle stick felt is usually unnoticeable.

Make sure Dog gets plenty of water, and controlled meal amounts and meal times, and he should respond well.

 

Thank you Dr. Hatteras. :mrgreen:

 

hey doc -not what can you do for Cushings Disease....pitiatary or adreanal not yet confirmed....

 

An insulin shot should start working within minutes, but it's not going to return blood sugar from an extremely high level to normal within minutes. I think it would not be unusual for it to take a little time before the dog starts feeling much better. I don't have any experience with diabetic dogs, but I do know people who have resisted going on insulin for months or even years, trying to control their Type II diabetes with oral meds and diet and exercise, and when they finally went on insulin, felt so much better they said they wished they had done it sooner.

 

The insulin will act to return the bg to normal. It won't affect the A1C, which is the glycolsylated hemoglobin count. The A1C is a 6 week count, in humans, which is a good indicator of how well controlled the blood glucose has been over a 6 week period. Lots of folks do a good fast at the doctors office. When the doc gets the A1C, he knows how bg conscious the patient has been.

The dog will probably have to lose some weight, as well. Unless it's a giant breed, excess fat affects dogs the same as humans. Not good for any of us.

disclaimer....I'm not a physician or health care worker, nor do I play one on TV!

 

if he was just diagnosed, then it's going to take sometime to find the happy medium of insulin dosage that will work for him. make sure you dont miss your check ups, as they will be what determines if his dosage is OK or not. also make sure to not waiver from the vet recommended diet.

 

i had a cat with diabetes, and it took us about 6 months to find the right dose, and his hind legs were floppy, said it was neuropathy, but it got better when he did. he lived 4.5 years after he was diagnosed, he was 16 when he died, he lived a long life. he had always been a difficult patient so it was hard to get his sugar checked, but i dont think dogs are as bad as cats at the vet. after he got used to the needle if you called him he would come and wait for his shot!

 

Wow Hatteras-you know alot about it. Are you diabetic? My daughter has type 1 diabetes-not a fun thing to deal with at all! I would think handling a dog with diabetes would be so much easier!

 

No, I'm not a person with diabetes. I had the fortune of working with Novo Nordisk for some time as a Senior Diabetes Care Specialist. Part of my advanced training was in Miami, where our entire class was "treated" to a HUGE feast where high carb foods and desserts were pushed on us. Surprise, the facilitators then told us that we had been diagnosed as insulin dependent and I volunteered for an insulin pump (it dispensed sterile water). We monitored our BG as most Type Ones do. I've even conducted some training for patients with insulin devices, needles, and glucose monitors.

I worked with many of the local physicians, endo's at UNC, Duke, and in Raleigh. It's pretty much a passion of mine, in that we've only seen the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, as to the numbers of diabetes cases, so far. The latest figure I heard was 18 million. I'm thinking closer to 23 or 25.
I've gotten to know some interesting young people with diabetes. Two are 'pumpers".

We can defeat diabetes. We're much closer than we ever were.

 

My 8 year old nephew was just diagnosed with Juvenille diabetes.

We are all very scared and in shock.

There is all no diabetes in the family.

Does anyone know if this is rare in this neck of the woods?

I mean, is he going to be the only kid in the school with this?

His mother was planning on homeschooling him next year, but in the case she doesn't, I was wondering how common this is.

Hatteras, do you think there will be a cure anytime soon for these kids?

 

Best of luck to you and your family. My niece's daughter was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when she was just a toddler. If you have not already done so, you should contact the American Diabetes Association, they offer support groups and summer camp for kids with diabetes. They have been a great help to my niece and her family.

The best hope for a cure seems to lie with stem cell research, so I'm thankful that is progressing.

 

Thank you Kd

How old is your neice now? Has she been able to maintain the disease?
I believe his mom is on the lists for the ADA and the Joslyn? center.

 

She's a beautiful 13-year-old, and she is very active in dance and basketball. Of course the activity helps her maintain her health, exercise is very good for diabetics. You have to check their sugar often, and know the signs of low blood sugar, but overall it keeps them healthier. She has gone to camp every summer since she was about 6, I think, and it helps her to feel more normal - being with so many other kids in the same boat. Of course they have bad times as well as good times, but overall the family seems to be coping very well and keeping her life as normal as possible.

 

I work with a lot of diabetic dogs and cats. It takes a bit of time to get their insulin dosage just right. Once that happens, you will notice that your pet will know - I mean really KNOW when it is time for their shot. Because they feel better after having it, and they sense when their last dosage is wearing off, many will actually go to the refrigerator and wait for you to get their syringe filled. Seriously.

I have known dogs and cats who were insulin dependent for over 3 years and other than the fact that they had injections 2 x a day, and they were eating only wholesome treats, nothing really was different about the pet - the lead a perfectly "normal" life.

 

Just have to brag on my niece a little bit - she was just named MVP on her basketball team! Yay Larissa!

 

this must be the reason our cat would meow after his shot,like thanking us for it!:iagree: