Diabetic dog

[Fletcher921]

We have a wonderful older (11) dog that has been diagnosed with diabetes. We have not been able to get her insulin dosage regulated - her sugar levels are out of control. She is voraciously hungry - actually ravenous. Incredible thirst - and incredible urinating - whenever her bladder is full. We have to crate her at night so she won't wet the bed. We have been doing glucose curves tests on her almost weekly - her vet and a specialist are both baffled as to why she is so insulin resistant. We have checked for cushings disease already. We have done sonograms - checked her urine - lots of different blood tests. She has gone from 12 pounds in May this year to just over 7 pounds and is just looking like a bag of bones. She jerks terribly when we give her the insulin after eating twice a day. But - other than disliking the insulin shots and her voracious appetite - she seems so happy and perky and more agile than she has been in years.

A piece of us just wants to withdraw all the treatment and just let her have whatever she wants until we see that she is no longer happy. But when we let her eat more - she gets very uncomfortable - panting and drinking and urinating a LOT more - like her body just can't handle the added food.

We have talked about wondering how (and if) we will know when the appropriate time comes that we must consider laying her to rest. How can we ever make that decision...

 

[BevL]

My suggestion is to have a frank discussion with your vet. We lost one of our dogs to cancer. When it was originally disagnosed, he had emergency surgery to remove his spleen. We were told that there was a chance that they got it all, maybe not.

A few years later, he developed a growth on one toe - we had it amputated. About a year later, he just started failing. Our vet, who had encouraged us on prevoius occasions, told us it was time. He said we could buy more time with pain meds, etc., but in his opinion, there was nothing long term that could be done. It's a hard decision but one we know in hindsight was the right decision.

If you have a good vet, he'll tell you when there isn't much that realistically can be done, if that's what your situation is heading for.

I wish you the best - don't know if this is your first dog or not. As I mentioned, it's an incredibly tough decision but when I think back about Gizmo today, I don't really feel that sad about it, just remembering the great times our family had with him while he was active and healthy.

Bev

 

[Fletcher921]

Thank you Bev - our vet still suggests trying to get under control with insulin - says it can take up to a year to get canine diabetes under control. And - she is our first dog as "adults" I guess. We picked out Taco when she was only 2 days old, while our youngest was in third grade. Both "human" kids are college students now.
Thank you again for your kind words.

 

[Eli Mairs]

I would definitely keep trying, as long as she seems happy, and not in distress. Diabetes is not a death sentence. It is can be controlled.

Our cat, Woody, developed diabetes at about the age of twelve. It took quite a while for us to get it under control, but once we did, the insulin injections became part of the daily routine, and he didn't even notice it.

Woody lasted six years, but it was cancer, and not diabetes that ended his life.

Good luck.

 

[Ginny]

It sounds like you are taking wonderful care of your dog, to work with your vets try to figure out the root causes of the problem.

We, too, had a cat who developed diabetes, and it took a long time to figure out why the insulin wasn't working. A thyroid problem was discovered, and ultimately, cancer. When that was finally discovered, the vets hit on a combination of insulin and pills that gave him a few extra months where he seemed like his old self. We were happy, but knew we were on borrowed time. He had the diabetes 4 years -- 2 years with thyroid problem -- and 4 months with cancer.

Finally, the disease progressed and he was obviously failing. We made the hard decision to have him put to sleep. It was heartwrenching, but the injection was quick and seemed merciful, and he slipped away in our arms very peacefully. I was glad that I could ease his suffering. My heart goes out to you as you go down this road with your dog. Best of luck, and hugs!

 

[mamiecarter]

Your dog can do well for a long time

We had a cat with diabetes for 6 years. No big deal. We just gave her shots.

Be patient. This is a common health problem with dogs, cats and people. If she has lost a lot of weight it is because she hasn't been able to use carbohydrates. Now that she is taking insulin she can metabolize the sugars and starches in her food so she feels better and is eating a lot. Before you started her on insulin she was literally starving. People loose a lot of weight when they first develop diabetes too.

Try to keep her from gaining TOO much weight because it can make diabetes worse. However she needs to gain back a lot of the weight she lost. Ask your vet what an ideal weight for her is.

Ask your vet about putting her on puppy chow or some more concentrated source of nutrition than regular dog food. I would feed her several smaller meals a day instead of two large meals. It would even out her blood sugar and keep her from being so hungry. Your vet can tell you how to coordinate the insulin dose with her meals. Think about adding something like chopped cooked chicken as a dietary supplement.

Your dog is feeling great and has lots of energy right now because the insulin is helping her. She is responding well to treatment. If you stop the insulin she will probably go into keto-acidosis sooner or later and then into a coma, which is a bad way to die.

You say she jerks after you give her the insulin shots. Again talk to your vet about this. Low blood glucose can cause seizures. Make sure she is eating enough food to compensate for the insulin. I would feed her first and inject her after she eats. Hypoglycemic seizures ( from low blood sugar) can be dramatic and even fatal.

I am a nurse so I am used to dealing with human diabetes but it is physiologically almost identical. If this were a person I would be asking the doctor about testing blood sugar with one of those little glucose meters before I gave the insulin and maybe adjusting the dose according to the blood sugar level. And breaking the dose up into 3 shots a day and useing long acting insulin.Now is this usual procedure in veterinary medicine? I don't know but you vet does.

Do what you can and it sounds like you are doing very well. None of this is easy.

 

[Fletcher921]

Thank you Mamie - The the problem with our dog is that she is not responding to the insulin - her sugar levels are random but all very high; not following the curve that would be expected if the insulin was working. And she is withering away - doesn't seem to be digesting much of anything. Wants to eat intensely but when she eats more than her normal 1/3 cup - ends up panting and sweating and drinking and peeing all night - not a happy girl. We are continuing to try... I'll talk to the vet and maybe we'll try 3 smaller meals - and we could switch her to the puppy food - I just hate having to add another shot to her regiment.

 

[luvgoldns]

...
We have talked about wondering how (and if) we will know when the appropriate time comes that we must consider laying her to rest. How can we ever make that decision...

I put my (2nd) newfy down a couple of weeks ago. She was the 5th dog in 20 years that I was able to give the gift of peace. It never seems to get easier and with each one, the decision came under very different circumstances.

This time I found comfort on this website: http://www.klance.com/Animal_Mind.htm

and these two sections in particular:
A Vow to Make to Your Pet on the Day of Adoption
and
Too Early, Too Late--or the Right Time?

Maybe this will help you (and others) as well.

ilene

 

[Fletcher921]

Ilene - Thank you - Sorry about your sweetheart. I just read and cried through the page you referred to and I know we will know when that time comes - it definitely isn't now. Reading that was helpful.

And - I can never wait to go back to Maui either...

 

[luvgoldns]

Babs - It made/makes me cry too; I am glad you found it helpful. Separating the emotion from the intellect helps as well.

Enjoy her each and everyday and know you will do the right thing when the time is right.

BTW - your little "doxie" is very cute!

"Maui No Ka Oi"
(Maui is the best)

ilene