Dog woes

So, I adopted my Dog Henry from Boulder Humane Society in November. He seemed healthy, we did not bother with taking him to a vet when we got him. Fast forward about 6 months to may, he was getting progressively more sluggish and drinking lots of water so I took him to the Vet who looked him over and said well he is just over weight cut his food. So, fast forward to this week. I noticed a sore on his tail, he yelped when I touched it. I cleaned it with warm soapy water and iodine. Took him in the the vet who ran blood work finally at my request. He came back with a UTI, and Diabetes. I am kinda pissed at Boulder Humane Society and the previous owners because I feel like they both ignored this dog. I will be taking care of Henry with 2x a day insulin for the rest of his life because He is a great dog and deserves to be healthy. Any other tips on dealing with a dog with Diabetes.

My neighbor had a lab that needed the shots 2x a day. Lived a long happy life. Must make sure he has water all the time and keep him at a proper weight. He will be just dandy

I have an almost identical story but I adopted my cat from Longmont Humane who ended up being diabetic. It's a good thing they didn't find the diabetes in Henry (or my Hobbes) because they would likely have put them down. So it's a blessing in disguise IMHO.

Anyhoo.....I have to give Hobbes insulin twice daily too. I've been doing it for the past 7 years since I adopted him. The biggest thing to remember is to take Henry in for his fructosamine tests once the vet decides his insulin levels are set properly (it took us around three weeks to get to the optimal insulin dosage). We take Hobbes in once every 6 weeks or so for the fructosamine test - it gives an average of the blood glucose levels so they can tell if the insulin dosage is right. There's no doubt you will have to adjust it at some point.

Keep a tube of cake frosting (or some other high sugar thing) on hand in case you need it in an emergency (Henry may need a strong dose of sugar at some point if his glucose level hits a ditch).

Dogs who are diabetic will always be insulin-dependent according to my vet. And since the problem tends to advance in dogs, his insulin needs may likely increase. That's why regular testing is important. I don't advocate doing the daily ear prick for blood test because my vet told me it was unnecessary as glucose levels don't generally tend to change that much between the fructosamine tests where the ear prick test is worthwhile.

Diet Diet Diet...and exercise. We make sure Hobbes gets a regulated diet every day. We feed him the same amount and always feed him when we give him his insulin. They have to eat if they're going to get their insulin. If they don't eat, I think that's when they go into insulin shock. Our Hobbes is a good eater so I put down his food and give him his shot while he's eating. He never even flinches because he's focussed on his food. You have to keep their general health even keel too. That's why the exercise is important.

Hobbes has lived the last 7 years with no major issues except that we got lazy about his fructosamine tests. During that time his insulin requirements dropped dramatically so it turned out that we were giving him nearly three times the dosage he needed. As it turns out, cats (unlike dogs) can actually recover from diabetes and even totally get off of insulin at some point (though you have to still maintain their diet). So again, the regular fructosamine (or maybe your vet prefers glucosamine) tests are very important to make sure Henry is getting what he needs.

I'm glad you've decided to take care of Henry even though he has diabetes. Not everybody would do that because it's a lifetime commitment and it isn't cheap (between the insulin, syringes and tests). That reminds me.....we get our syringes from 1800PetMeds.com. They're quite a bit cheaper than we could get through our vet.

OK, I've rambled on but hope I've helped some. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try and help if I can.

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Originally Posted by colorider

My neighbor had a lab that needed the shots 2x a day. Lived a long happy life. Must make sure he has water all the time and keep him at a proper weight. He will be just dandy

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And you've got an RC buddy with a diabetic cat too, Andy :)

Glad your sticking with him, a lot of people might have given him back up for adoption or tried to have him put down. I guess it's like with humans and diabetes, watch food intake, get exercise, keep a healthy weight and take meds. But yeah, keep plenty of water around. You may want to get an extra bowl for him if you have a larger house, just keep them at opposite ends so he isn't having to go as far.

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Originally Posted by strm_trpr

I will be taking care of Henry with 2x a day insulin for the rest of his life because He is a great dog and deserves to be healthy.

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He's lucky he found a good home.

Thank you for taking care of him, I love dogs.

Good for you for taking care of Henry. He will reward you with love and devotion. We have 2 special needs rescue dogs right now and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

A dog is the only thing that loves you more than he loves himself.
We have a lupus boy, meds every day, never would think of doing anything else.

im glad Henry found a caring owner. :)

I'd just like to echo that while I understand your anger it sounds to me like you two were meant to be united. Cherish every day because before you know it they're gone and the things that annoyed you (administering meds maybe) will be the things you miss the most.

Yeah, Thanks guys, Henry has been on insulin for a few days now and seems to be responding well so far. We need to take him in for a bloodcheck next week and we will see if 3 units, twice a day is enough.

We had a dog (Cica) that became diabetic. Shortly after that diagnosis, she went totally blind (diabetic cataracts). We had her lenses replaced, and it's the best money we ever spent.

She did fine on twice daily injections. We had a hard time trying to get her blood sugar regulated at first. Human glucometers don't work reliably in dogs. Once we got an AlphaTrak veterinary glucometer, we dialed her in quickly. For us, it was easier to check levels at home, and learn to adjust the insulin dose. She had a crazy high dose (25 units twice daily). The cost of the glucometer was offset by all the vet visits we didn't have to pay for.

It is possible that Henry wasnt diabetic when you adopted him, and developed it after you got him home. Cica developed it quickly. Regardless, I'm glad you're taking care of your boy.

Could be the dogs diet. i have a friend that had an overweight diabetic cat that they were giving insulin. They moved at one point and the cat became more of an outdoor cat. The thing started feeding itself with baby rabbits and whatever else it could find outside and lost a ton of weight and they actually quit giving it insulin shots. The cat has been fine for 3 years now.

Weight control and staying religious with his shots
And excercise...Had a Beagel with diabetes and he lasted 16 yrs

Best of luck!