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Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer II
Oct 17, 2016

Add me to the list of diabetic-dog owners....

So I guess I've been too lucky all these decades; plus adding a breed that is more likely to get diabetes (poodles) upped my chances anyway - but 8 year old Jimmy (mini Aussie/Mini poodle cross) delivered a nice urine specimen this morning that is loaded with sugar :-( We go back to the Vet this afternoon to get bloodwork done. The Vet tech said the good news was that he didn't have ketones in his urine. Jimmy had lost a bit of weight, was sort of listless - and the lightbulb finally went on in my brain when he started guzzling water and needing to go outside more frequently the last few days. We practiced "getting a catch" a few times - which sort of makes him do a doggy eye-roll for the intrusion on his privacy; but he does cooperate.

My Mom and my M-I-L were diabetic; plus I helped care for my "dog-nephew" - a Bichon who was diabetic. I sort of know the basics - and am somewhat dreading getting Jimmy to eat a whole "meal" since he's been a nibbler all his life. I'm not afraid to give shots; and Jimmy's a pretty stoic guy - so that aspect isn't scary. But if anyone has any hints to help prolong his life and protect his vision - I'd love to hear them? (Ironically, I remember thinking that if we crossed a short-lived breed like an Aussie with a longer-lived breed like a poodle - maybe we could space out the heartbreaks a bit further?) Or is there any kind of diabetes preventative for Ben, who's 3 and also an Aussie/poodle mix, but not related to Jimmy in any way.
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    Oct 19, 2016
    keepmotoring wrote:
    We had a diabetic dog for many, many years. We did use Humulin N for her. My only advice is to get the insulin from Wal Mart. When we first started, we went to CVS and they needed a prescription plus back then they charged $72.00. We started going to Wal Mart and their price was $24.00!!! Good luck!


    Oooh - thanks for the tip!

    I'm headed back to the vet, sans dog. She gave me a bunch of Novolog Flex Pens (for free!); but last night, the pen malfunctioned (clicked from 4 to 2, not zero; so I injected the last bit in a different spot).... and Ed and I spent the night letting Jimmy out/cleaning up a wet spot on the carpet/listening to him guzzle water, etc. I'm perfectly comfortable giving an injection with a syringe; and at least with that I know he got the proper dose. I also suspect I can give him a gentler injection with the syringe - the Novolog pen seems kind of clunky.
  • keepmotoring's avatar
    keepmotoring
    Explorer
    Oct 19, 2016
    We had a diabetic dog for many, many years. We did use Humulin N for her. My only advice is to get the insulin from Wal Mart. When we first started, we went to CVS and they needed a prescription plus back then they charged $72.00. We started going to Wal Mart and their price was $24.00!!! Good luck!
  • dturm's avatar
    dturm
    Moderator
    Oct 18, 2016
    Deb and Ed M wrote:
    But of course that's also when he gets his shot of insulin.... does that "spike" after the injection; or is it used at a fairly proportional rate? Am I overthinking this? I just remember that my sis-in-law took her diabetic dog on a longer-than usual walk; and he keeled over from low blood sugar and scared her to death thinking she'd killed him....


    Depends on the type of insulin. Humulin N is "bi-phasic" in dogs. There is an initial spike shortly after injection then another peak phase later (several hours). That time and degree of action is a little different in each individual, thus the differences in achieving control. It rarely lasts more than 12 hours in dogs, thus dosing is usually 2X/day.

    You may be overthinking it a little, but much better to be prepared than be confronted with a situation like your SIL. I'd carry come sugar substance with you on walks - talk to your vet about dog appropriate substances. Sandy does OJ when she gets the low glucose.

    Doug
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    Oct 18, 2016
    So back to "consistency when dealing with a diabetic dog": When at home, I can just let the dogs out the door to do their business in our fenced yard. When we Snowbird in FL - they have to be walked; and the usual scenic route we walk in the morning is 1/2 mile; might do it again in the afternoon. We all come back to Michigan a little slimmer ;-)

    Is there a "best" time to walk Jimmy? My brain is saying don't walk him before a meal, because he needs that extra glucose for exercise after a meal?? But of course that's also when he gets his shot of insulin.... does that "spike" after the injection; or is it used at a fairly proportional rate? Am I overthinking this? I just remember that my sis-in-law took her diabetic dog on a longer-than usual walk; and he keeled over from low blood sugar and scared her to death thinking she'd killed him....
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    Oct 18, 2016
    Crowe wrote:
    Ask the vet but him being a "nibbler" might not be an issue. I'm a diabetic and I am supposed to eat multiple smaller meals rather than 3 big meals.


    My Vet said to leave the dog food dish filled, so he can nibble if he wants (and Ben is a nibbler, too). According to his dog food label, he's supposed to get 2.5 cups of dry food per day; so I figure if he gets a full cup in the morning and again at night, he'll be eating "enough" - and if he's hungry, he can nibble on more. They have a dish of food at work, too. I'll adjust this, depending on his weight - right now, he's thinner than usual.
  • Crowe's avatar
    Crowe
    Explorer
    Oct 18, 2016
    Ask the vet but him being a "nibbler" might not be an issue. I'm a diabetic and I am supposed to eat multiple smaller meals rather than 3 big meals.
  • Deb_and_Ed_M's avatar
    Deb_and_Ed_M
    Explorer II
    Oct 18, 2016
    Thanks, Sher - I agree that this could be a genetic thing, because Jimmy's never really been overweight; and we try to feed him good food and his treats are generally people food in very tiny quantities. My Vet stressed consistency, so we'll begin to measure his food that we entice him to eat before his shots. So far, a teeny bit of beef boullion with some warm water made his dinner amazing, judging by the way he scarfed it down....LOL!

    His blood sugar was 400; and his liver enzymes showed that we caught this rather early. He goes back on Friday to see if his dose is doing a good job.
  • sher9570's avatar
    sher9570
    Explorer
    Oct 17, 2016
    Deb we are on our 4th Poodle and have never had one be diabetic.
    Our Csepki just turned 15, we adopted him 2 1/2 years ago.
    To my point, I read once when our Pomeranian Zachery became diabetic at 8 years of age that diabetes in dogs was genetic and not necessarily from the same reasons as they are in humans...I don't know if this is true or not or if there is any way to prevent it in dogs.

    Zachery was a dog that did not want to eat every meal and it was a challenge to get him to do so.
    What I did was add a little protein to top off his dish, it might be chicken or steak but it always assured me he would eat so it was easier to keep his levels normal.

    Good luck, you do have a good handle on it and you know the shots are really the easy part.

    Sher
  • dturm's avatar
    dturm
    Moderator
    Oct 17, 2016
    ... hints to help prolong his life and protect his vision ...


    The main way to assure both is to get good blood glucose control. Monitoring early while regulating insulin needs and then long term being tuned in to changes, like urination and water consumption are necessary.

    Sounds like you have a great base of knowledge, so this should be a piece of cake (sugar free of course).

    Good luck, and if you have any questions, feel free to PM me.

    Doug, DVM

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