Meika~Diabetes

[MauiGirl]

Originally Posted by wemple2

Well so far so good, hope it continues. Really insulin needles are so tiny, it doesn't surprise me that she doesn't even notice. Just giving her a little extra love!!! Don't worry if the dose needs adjusting, that is totally normal and ongoing. Have you begun checking her glucose yet? Curious how that goes, hope you have better luck with it then I did...with Winston. Keep me posted...more well wishes being sent from Illinois to Hawaii!!!

I haven't received the glucometer yet, but it should be here soon and the vet will instruct me on home testing. I hope I can do that as having the vet do the glucose curve testing Monday runs $160, so I really want to be able to monitor at home after that.

Those needles are tiny, and so much shorter than the ones I used to use on my Schnauzer for allergy shots. He was difficult, and it took 2 people to do his shots. Meika is super easy.

Thanks for the well wishes.

[mimimomo]

What a good girl Meika is! So glad to read that she's handling the shots well.

[MauiGirl]

Jenny (mimimomo) thank you for forwarding me information from americandiabeteswholesale.com and leads to their canine diabetes newsletters and forum.

I spent quite a while last night reading and realized that the protocol my vet, Dr N uses for glucose curve testing is not advised, and can result in inaccurate readings. I'll explain more later.

I called the clinic this morning and discussed this with Dr C who disagrees with Dr N's method and agrees with the vet that writes the newsletters. So, I changed the test to Saturday so Dr C can do it. I also got my glucometer today and will take it so he can show me how to test at home.

So please send some good thoughts to Meika Saturday, as she will be at the vet's for 9 hours tomorrow getting poked hourly to test glucose levels. She gets very nervous at the vet's and shakes and pants a lot, and unfortunately stress increases her glucose levels. It will be better when I can test at home. Wish I could stay with her all day and calm her down.

[Zoey Zendaya]

Nutrisca boosts it's food good for diabetes too.
Might help.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by MauiGirl

Jenny (mimimomo) thank you for forwarding me information from americandiabeteswholesale.com and leads to their canine diabetes newsletters and forum.

I spent quite a while last night reading and realized that the protocol my vet, Dr N uses for glucose curve testing is not advised, and can result in inaccurate readings. I'll explain more later.

I called the clinic this morning and discussed this with Dr C who disagrees with Dr N's method and agrees with the vet that writes the newsletters. So, I changed the test to Saturday so Dr C can do it. I also got my glucometer today and will take it so he can show me how to test at home.

So please send some good thoughts to Meika Saturday, as she will be at the vet's for 9 hours tomorrow getting poked hourly to test glucose levels. She gets very nervous at the vet's and shakes and pants a lot, and unfortunately stress increases her glucose levels. It will be better when I can test at home. Wish I could stay with her all day and calm her down.

Good thoughts going out for Meika during her test - may it go smoothly and easily!!! Hugs!

[lisaly]

I am thinking of you and your precious Meika and hoping all goes well.

[MauiGirl]

Thanks for all your well wishes.

Meika is at the vet's, and I'm sitting home pouting on a windy, cold, rainy day, just waiting until 5:00 when I can go get her. I think the stress of the last 2 weeks just caught up with me, and I worry about her being there all stressed out.

In reality, I will probably find out that she did fine and slept most of the day. I'll let you know when she is home, and what the results are.

The vet said that most likely they will increase the insulin dose, and in the back of my mind I will be wondering if it is just diabetes, or if Cushings is the cause. Time will tell.

[wemple2]

Been thinking about you and Meika...hope she did well. Anxious to hear results!

[Patti]

I am hoping Meika is home resting with you and the day at the vet was not to stressful.

[MauiGirl]

Meika is home and they said she settled down just fine there all day.

Unfortunately, results were not good. After a week of insulin (3 units 2x/day) her glucose only came a little from the 558.... lowest today was around 400 and they want it down to 100.

So her dose was increased to 4 units, and we do another 12 hr. glucose curve test next Saturday. At least I can do that one at home and she will be more relaxed and hopefully better. He said she will likely need a couple more increases, but they do it slowly so the body adjusts, and so they don't send her into hypoglycemic shock.

In the back of my mind I'm still wondering if she also has Cushings which causes insulin resistance, but he doesn't want to test for that unless we can't get control in the next few weeks with increases.

We are exhausted, and just hope things look better in a week.

[wemple2]

The results of the tests today were expected, she's on a pretty low dose of insulin, I understand the slow increase. What type of insulin is she on?

[MauiGirl]

Originally Posted by wemple2

The results of the tests today were expected, she's on a pretty low dose of insulin, I understand the slow increase. What type of insulin is she on?

Humulin N. I've heard some do better with different brands, so that may be a factor. Is it true that they don't currently produce a canine insulin?

So much to learn. I'm sure that diet, exercise and weight loss can help, and I'm transitioning her into different food now. Vet approves of the Wellness Core grain free reduced fat for now, no treats except green beans, which is ok, she's used to that. I am also interested in Nutrisca that was recommended here.

[wemple2]

I know very little about canine diabetes, willing to learn right along with you. Humulin N is good...it's longer acting. Were you instructed on the glucose meter yet? If so where does your vet suggest you get the drop of blood from? Mine suggested the ear, I was not successful. Glad you talked to the vet about food changes...how much protein is in this one? Just trying to protect her kidneys...I agree with a balanced diet and exercise as tolerated, once her sugar is down some more. My husband is a type I diabetic, Insulin dependent since he was young, and I was a medical assistant for 22 years, so I have a little knowledge of human diabetes. Your little girl is going to be just fine...I know you have her best interest at heart.

[MauiGirl]

Originally Posted by wemple2

I know very little about canine diabetes, willing to learn right along with you. Humulin N is good...it's longer acting. Were you instructed on the glucose meter yet? If so where does your vet suggest you get the drop of blood from? Mine suggested the ear, I was not successful. Glad you talked to the vet about food changes...how much protein is in this one? Just trying to protect her kidneys...I agree with a balanced diet and exercise as tolerated, once her sugar is down some more. My husband is a type I diabetic, Insulin dependent since he was young, and I was a medical assistant for 22 years, so I have a little knowledge of human diabetes. Your little girl is going to be just fine...I know you have her best interest at heart.

Yes, they showed me how to test with my glucometer and suggest the ear. It will be a challenge and I will have to do it by myself most of the time; it's 8 pokes over 12 hrs. usually on Saturdays.

Were you testing Winston? I missed that part. Lil brain stressed here.

The food is 33% protein, and her previous foods were more like 25%. She actually lost 2 lbs since last July which I don't know is a result of her diet or because of diabetes.

[wemple2]

When Winston had his first seizure, I rushed him to my vet which is literally 2 blocks away, they rushed him in and checked him over...his glucose was low @ 22. The vet thought maybe the hypoglycemia was the cause of his seizure or the seizure was the cause of the low blood sugar. So she wanted me to check his glucose at the first sign of another seizure, showed me how...but I just could not get a single drop of blood out of him, in hopes of finding out which came first. Never have figured it out, but his glucose has been low on numerous occasions. That is why I'm so interested in how others are able to get the blood sample to test. He's fine now, fat and sassy...