My Dog Has Diabetes - Need Advice

[Disneylvr]

Daisy, my sweet 11 year old terrier/poodle mix, started drinking excessively and was peeing in the house while we were at work so we took her to the vet Monday evening. They took blood and got back to us last night and said they definitely thought she had diabetes and we needed to consider starting insulin injections at home or putting her to sleep because she would only get sicker and sicker. Of course we wanted to do the insulin and planned to pick it up and get directions on how to administer it the next morning. Over night Daisy got worse and started throwing up this morning. We took her to the vet right away fearing we would have to put her to sleep today. Our vet said they wanted to keep her for a couple of days and see if they can stabilize her and give her insulin right away and monitor her blood sugar. I pray she can be stabilized. We are supposed to leave on Saturday for WDW and thought we might need to cancel. The doctor said no, don't cancel we can keep her here at the hospital while you are gone. That way they can get her insulin dosage regulated and give her the TLC she needs right now. I am hopeful that she becomes stabilized and that she will eventually return home and I need advice on diabetic pets. Is injecting insulin easy? How do you monitor blood sugar?

 

[gris gris]

I don't know anything about diabetes in dogs but just wanted to give you a hug. It sounds like you have a great vet who is willing to help you through this. I hope she feels a little better by the time you leave on your trip.

 

[Disney-Kim]

I don't know either, but wanted to give you a "hug"

 

[golfgal]

My FIL has had 2 dogs with diabetes. The first one they did the insulin for quite a while but they had to give it every 4 hours around the clock. It got to be really difficult and ended up putting the dog to sleep. The second one they put to sleep right away since they had experience with the condition. This was about 8 years ago so hopefully the treatments have improved so you don't have to medicate so often. Good luck to you.

 

[wovenwonder]

My cat has diabetes for 3 years now. The shots are not hard to give. He is also on a special food [Purina DM - for diabetes management]. Here are a few sites to get support and information

http://www.caninediabetes.org/

http://www.petdiabetes.com/

http://pub141.************/fpetswithdiabetescaninediabetes

 

[RSoxFan]

My cat was diagnosed with diabetes over two years ago. From what the vet has told me, treatment is pretty much the same with dogs. We give the cat two insulin shots per day, twelve hours apart (for us, it's 7AM and 7PM) Finding the right dose is really trial and error. It is unbelievably easy to give him the insulin. I put it in the scruff of his neck and he doesn't even flinch. Now I just say, "Misty, medicine" and he puts his head down.

It can be difficult to get them regulated at first. We had times when Misty would go up and down. And it can be a crimp on your social life to have to be home every twelve hours, but you make do. You should ask your vet, but we keep a jar of Caro syrup (sp?) in case Misty's sugar ever gets dangerously low. It will bring his sugar up enough for us to get him to a treatment center.

to you. PM me if you'd like to talk!

 

[Disneylvr]

Thank you everyone for the hugs and the advice. It seems like the animals hospital is the best place for her right now. I hate to leave town with her there but I know she will be in good hands. My MIL will be checking on her frequently too. Daisy is loved by many.

 

[Blondie]

This goes back to 1997, but our Weim was 10 1/2 when he was diagnosed.

One of his eyes had some kind of diabetic related problem where the lens pushed through and the eye and became necrotic. We had to make the decision to remove the eye and sewing it shut, and then he went blind in the other eye. His quality of life went from a 10 to a minus 1. It was very sad. We put him down. It was only fair to him. He let us know it was his time to go. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

Giving him insulin was never a problem. He was such a trooper in that respect. It did take almost 3 weeks to get him regulated and to a point where he wasn't spilling ketones. We monitored his sugar by using 'pee' sticks.


Good luck!

 

[disneychick05]

I am very sorry to hear about your dog. My parents had a miniature schnauzer who had diabetes. He lived happliy for many years getting insluin 2 x per day. He eventually developed some other problems and had to be put to sleep. The care thay gave the dog became a routine that was just as easy as anything else. I did the shots and babysat him when they went away. It was easy. I hope everything works out & have a nice trip!!