Miah diagnosed with Diabetes
 

Miah has been diagnosed with Diabetes . .

She hadn't been acting normal for several weeks and than just recently we noticed she was getting thinner I though due to summer and her getting more exercise as usual. It started after she had been in a fight with our other female and had gotten her leg hurt. Wish some tlc it took her a couple weeks to heal from that but she never recovered mentally. I just thought she was depressed and would eventually bounce back but four weeks in she hadn't. Well she never did get back to her spunky self. Than we noticed more significant weight loss. I just wish I had seen it sooner but I had been so busy with home projects and improvements than now the new grand baby I just didn't.

So now that we know what the issue is it all makes scene after the vet explained it to me. I've never really knew what it was and what to watch for so it didn't dawn on me what could be wrong with her. Dr. Andrea has her on 2 shots a day for a week, back for a check up, a second round of blood work and than see where we go from there.

Has anyone ever had a diabetic pup before and if so what was your experience ?

After getting the initial round how often did insulin need to be administered ?

Any advise would be greatly appreciated . .

I don't have any experience with diabetic pups, but I'm here offering my support and prayers.

Some good friends had a diabetic Jack Russell. He lived for several years getting a couple of insulin shots a day. The needle is so small, they don't even know they are getting a shot.

I have a little jack Russell I rescued 7 yrs ago that someone had just "dumped" The vet thought she was about a year old at the time. She has been diabetic for 3 years. I give her 2 shots a day and she has a blood curve every 6mo. After we finally got her regulated I have had no problems . Every now and again ( when I forget to put Spices ,my yorkie, food up after she eats and Sugar will come along and eat it! ( she will have a little ,what I call , episode . She will be kinda lethargic but I will give her a couple T of SD AD and she comes right out of it. She is blind now from diabetes but she handles it so well. She is what I call my perfect baby as she is about as perfect as any furbaby can be. She has been from day one. BIG difference in her and my little crazy Spice! LOL Spice keeps me on my toes for sure but I wouldnt part with that ornery little imp for anything. Sugar and Spice are day and night, I sure named them right too ! LOL
Anyway diabetes is a terrible thing but the shots are very important and the diet. After your little one gets regulated it will be easier for you and her too. Took Sugar about 6 mo. I joined a diabetic forum for dogs and I feel some go way too far , they will do blood checks and curves themselves and decide how much insulin to give, I do not agree with that. I feel I have a very good vet and I leave that in her hands as long as Sugar is doing well.

I don't have experience w/ diabetes but MauiGirl did with her fur child who now has passed (not from diabetes).

I hope the insulin treatment goes smoothly!

I am so sorry Miah has diabetes, and I know the shock of getting that diagnosis for your pup. What you need to know is that diabetes can be controlled in dogs, and with proper insulin dose and diet she can live a long life. Diabetes cannot be cured, but can be managed. It is important to establish the proper dose to prevent blindness and other complications.

Last year my Meika was diagnosed with diabetes after symptoms of excessive thirst and urination. The vet started her on a moderately low dose of insulin shots 2 x/day, rechecked every 2 weeks and had to increase the dose gradually trying to find the effective level.

The "glucose curve" testing is important to establish the correct level, but it is expensive (over $200) when you have to repeat it every 2 weeks. I bought the glucose meter and strips and learned how to do it myself. It was the hardest thing I ever did, having to prick her to get the drop of blood every hour over an 8 hr day, but I finally nailed it.

We were making progress in finding the proper insulin level, but about 3 months later, Meika was poisoned by a toad and died. The YT members were so supportive of me though all of that. Her story is here http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...-diabetes.html

Diabetes is not very common in Yorkies, and I had a hard time getting information. I only dealt with it for a few months, but found so much information on the internet.Here are a couple links I saved that were helpful:
Diabetes in Dogs: Learn to manage Your Dog's Diabetes - Insulin, Food, Monitoring, Testing - Forum
Diabetes In Your Dog

I wish you lots of luck in controlling Miah's diabetes. It is possible, so stick with it.

Thank you ladies for your support !!

Thank you that is very much appreciated.

Yes it is ... vey tiny and she doesn't even know that I've pricked her. :thumbup:

We'll see once we go back for her follow up on Tues.

Thank you for your input, I am glad that your pup is doing well with her diabetes, its so sad thou that not only do they have this horrible disease that it can take their sight as well. I do not look forward to that at all.

What do the initials mean in the highlighted sentence ?

Right now she is on her regular diet. I give her her shots at 9am & 9pm with a tiny portion of can puppy and her regular kibble. Just enough so she has something in her tummy which the doc says is Very important. I too have a very good vet. She's the best and cares for my babies very well.

Oh I will Sandy. . that's the plan !! Yes, I realize this will be a long process and something that both she and I and my family will need to be on top of for the rest of her life . . . hoping for a long life to come. I just need to get my son and husband on board with helping with her care. Both of them are SCARED to death of needles. My husband freaked when I just showed him the needle. They help with their care in some way but I am the pups primary care taker since I am a stay at home mom and child care provider. So until now I've been able to do it ALL and of course will more than likely continue but now I need their help. Lets face it, I cant' be here 24/7. They have to learn the signs and know exactly how to respond as I do and together will be stay on top of this as a family.

Thank you for taking the time to post and for the links. I will read your thread and will most defiantly save the links. I can not get enough information on this horrible disease and want to read as much as I can, which I hadn't found much.

I am so sorry about your pup, I remember that. How horrible !

The initials in my post are Science Diet canned food AD , Sugar eats SD WD dry and a little ID twice a day, after her shots . I make her treats to make sure there is nothing she cant have in them . She also has several allergies. Right now is the worse time for her too.

Oh ok, no special diet for Miah for now but I am sure that is something that we will need to look in to. Thank goodness she doesn't have any allergies unlike the other two pups.

sending prayers

Miah is doing really great with her shots, so simple to do and we've got our routine down. I've got my son on board with administering her insulin shots . . Yay ! Now to work on my husband, it's got to be done, there's no avoiding it simply because I can not be here every minute of every day. Her check up is Tues. so we'll see how things are progressing and it her sugar levels are down. Hoping that we've made some progress in the right direction.

Our visit went ok , not great but its a step in the right direction. Her sugar levels are 450 which is still very high but there has been some improvement from 532. Unfortunately she has lost about a pound in the past week. So, insulin level has been raised to 2 units and we are doing anything we can to encourage her to eat more. Preferably not poop but her regular dog food. We are trying puppy food mixed with her regular kibble. I chose to add it to all three pups food instead of keeping it separate from the other two pups and when they saw that new bag of food come in and when I started mixed it 50/50 they all got pretty excited. Quincy wasted no time separating his favorite from the rest, Ruby dug right in and Miah decided that she was going to pick out the ones she didn't want and toss them aside. So I had dog food piled up all over the kitchen and living room that eventually got picked over and gobbled up by one of the other pups. . . LOL Geesh ! :)

Out overall goal is to get her sugar level down and her weight up. We need to do something to get her weight up. She's such a finicky eater and other than upping her food intake I am at a loss of what I can do. I am open to suggestions. Anything other than cooking for her which is something I have no interest in doing.

I am just so not familiar with this diabetic stuff I don't know how to quite handle the food part of it and don't want to do something that would hurt her. What is Safe and what is NOT? Please Help . . :confused:

Doc said it would hurt to give her some treats in between meals. Does anyone know a high calorie, diabetic safe Dog or Human treat that I could give her ?

This is what I found in the info from Sally:

The ideal diet for a dog with diabetes

After a meal is digested glucose is released into the bloodstream. The type of food that your diabetic dog eats can have a significant effect on this:
A meal full of sugar causes a sudden increase in blood glucose.
If a meal is high in complex carbohydrates (starch and fiber) glucose is released over a longer period in a more controlled way.
An ideal diabetes diet is usually:
restricted in fat content
has a high complex carbohydrate content
is high in fiber
This is helpful, Thank you !
I still have so much more to learn.

Miah
 

So sorry for the diabetes diagnosis. It does sound scary, but a friend who has a diabetic dog says that now the levels are stabilized the two shots a day keep his dog well. One side effect can be cataracts and I pray that your baby does not have that additional health issue. Even though, my friend's dog has adapted well to reduced vision and it does not affect his life.
Hoping the levels can soon be brought under control and that you and your family can accept this sad development with your baby girl.

Thank you for you kind works. Its good that your friends pup is doing so well.

I've never known of any dog that had or has diabetes which is why I am so unprepared and nervous about keeping it under control.

Diabetes
 

I do understand what a shock it is to get such a diagnosis and how unprepared we are to deal with the new and scary situation.
My friend who has a Labradoodle, seven years old, found that it did take some time and tests to get the stabilization, so don't get despondent if the right levels are not found immediately. It sounds as if you have your hands full with other family matters and I am sure you find it so hard to take this extra stressful blow.
And to cap it all, a hubby who is scared of needles!!! I must say I would not care to give the shots, but my friend says the dog does not even notice. He also does not seem to have any problem with diet now the dog is on the right regimen.
This is all so new to you, but things will become easier as the tests settle down and you all get used to the regimen.
I know when my dog was diagnosed with pancreatitis I thought the world had come to an end, but after the initial panic, with diet and management he has done fine. Good luck, and thoughts and prayers are with you.

Thought I would offer this....
Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Glycobalance Formula Dry Dog Food
By Royal Canin Veterinary Diet

Chat LiveList Price: $35.79
Price: $28.79 & FREE Shipping on $49+
You Save: $7.00 (20%)

Select Autoship at checkout and get this item for $27.35 (save 5%)
Product Description
Give your troubled pup the sweet life without the risk of sugar shock! High levels of soluble and insoluble fiber and reduced fat levels help make veterinary-prescribed Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Canine Glycobalance Dry Dog Food the perfect kibble for helping your four-legged pal manage diabetes or gastrointestinal diseases and symptoms like constipation and diarrhea. A prescription from the vet is needed to order.

Key Benefits

Specifically formulated for dogs suffering from canine diabetes mellitus
Biotin nourishes the skin and coat
Low fat content
Preserved naturally with mixed tocopherols that boost the immune system
B12 supplement assists gastrointestinal function
NOTE: Royal Canin veterinary diets require a veterinary prescription. This product ships directly from Royal Canin and will arrive separately from other products ordered from Chewy.com. This product will not be shipped until a copy of a valid prescription authorization is faxed to 786-528-6088 or e-mailed to rx@chewy.com.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have never needed this diet from RC, but I have raised all my dogs for the last 30+ years on RC, with excellent results....I am sure this one is excellent also.

Thank You, we've had to rounds of testing and are going back next week.

Yes, and to top it all off now she has e-coli in her urine. She's on antibiotics.

Thank you very much, this is very helpful. She is still able to be on her regular diet with the addition of the puppy food but I assume that will change soon.

Thank you ! :thumbup: :thumbup:

Miah
 

Poor baby, now a UTI!! Troubles never come singly:(
Hopefully the antibiotics will knock out the e-coli quickly. But how I hate giving these little mites all these meds.
Hang in there with the tests, it is a pain for you and Miah, but hope you are homing in on a solution and effective meds dose.
So sorry you are going through all this.

Just wanted to check up on Miah -- how is she, how is the diabetes treatment, and what's new with her? :)

Diabetes is generally soooo easy to treat, so I hope she is doing well now.

I just received a PM from someone updating me about Miah -- and I'm so very upset / disturbed to hear that you are getting rid of her!!! :(

This poor little girl is a senior dog who has been with you for years and years now. I don't understand this, I really do not. This poor baby.

She is a member of your family, is she not?

Oh no !!!! I just dont understand how anyone can "get rid" of a member of the family that easy. I have only had Spice for a year and cant imagine life without her. And my little diabetic blind Sugar I have had for 8 yrs and she is my angel. I have nothing but a small SS check but my girls get everything they need and usually want! LOL Sugar had a UTI a few months ago but with antibiotics was fine in a few days, she may be totally blind but is feisty and playful and has adjusted very well. I just cant imagine......

Don't EVEN get me started. I had heard this and it made me sick to my stomach. Brought back memories of Brandi. I almost messaged Dawn when I heard it to suggest rescue, but I remember the last time. Instead euth was chosen....all the excuses.

AND, to top it off I heard that some of the rescues that Dawn and her friend "rescued" are with Dawn. I don't know that one to be a fact, but fed up..yeah, pretty fed up.

Dawn, come back and call me a "b" again...and cry. Sorry, but this time is too much. You breed yorkies? I do hope you are retiring from that venture and certainly get out of rescue...you are not a rescuer.

If I get suspended for this post, so be it. I simply cannot hack this any more.

Lucky Sugar! :) You rock in my book. :)

You know, I just want to say that I am ALL about people surrendering pups they can no longer care for....

but, to do it only with select pups...and IF it is true others have come into the home, I cannot say it is anything but selfishness.

I don't want to ever discourage a person from asking for help for pups. But sometimes there are patterns...maybe someone needs to answer as to how many are there and what is really going on with all of them??? I am concerned

I dreaded coming here with this news, You all have no idea how hard this is for me and my family. Yes Miah is family and she always will be but for her own safety and happiness we have made the extremely difficult decision to re home her. Ruby has been attaching her and I can no longer sit back and allow this to happen. She deserves better, she deserves to be in a home where she no longer has to be in fear of when the next attack will be and why. It's just too much on her. All of my dogs are very well trained, I have no idea why Ruby does this but she does. I have tried to correct this behavior its not like she's just runs wild, she doesn't. We have had a couple of pretty bad injuries from the attacks and enough is enough.

I just don't understand, I get horrible things said about me for refusing to re homing Brandi but when I make the very difficult decision to do right by Miah which by the way are two very different situations, I get the same crap !!! I am sorry but this was NOT an easy decision for us. My babies are my family and this is killing me but if my babies are in a situation where they are being harmed and terrorized you can bet that I will do whatever it takes to protect them. This is one of the most heartbreaking things that I have ever had to do, I realize that some may not understand and I get that but please do not make this worse than it already for us.... She will be going to a great home with a women who is involved in rescues. We are so blessed to have this women and her family be willing to provide her with a home and we have no doubt that they will love and care for her and keep her safe.

So yea, we are not getting "rid" of Miah we are doing what it takes to provide her with a wonderful loving and most important safe home.

Same stuff, different pup. You can make all the excuses in the world...but I did not see you coming here for advice on how to help the girls get along.

Just wondering how you chose between the two (Ruby and Miah)?

If you are referring to the same woman I am thinking of who is "involved in rescues"...I have my own thoughts. Isn't she the same one who took in more pups from a breeder than she could afford? She publically said it...so I am NOT making it up. She said she could not say no...OMG that is a HUGE red flag. If she does not know limits for her "rescue" , how does she know them for her personal pups?

I really, really wish you would listen to people who know better....but no, once again, Dawn knows best and everyone else is mean. WhatEVER.

Yes, you will always hear about Brandi..she suffered. Actually so did Miah if you ask me...took forever and a day for you to get her diagnosed according to your original post.

Again, I suggest you take a looooooong look at your history with pups...helping a rescue, breeding...two things that most of the time don't mix well...especially with women who cannot afford to take care of their own.