Do you or have you owned a diabetic dog?? Mine has just been diagnosed?

Question

I have a 13 year old female(desexed) Rottweiler, This afternoon she seemed flat just not herself, then at about 9.00pm I had to rush her to the vet, she was unbalanced and just looked sick. The vet took her blood sugar levels and she was 19.5! she has had her 1st shot of insulin and is back for more blood tests tomorrow. What I am after is anyone who has had a dog or cat with diabeties before, she will be on daily injections. Is there any tips that you can give me to help keep my baby happy and healthy, special food? Alternitive treatment? I really dont care how much it costs, I just want her to be happy, she is my baby after all.

Hey guys thanks for your advice, I got her tested again this morning and she was at 21 ( Were in Australia) we are now trying to get the right dose, went and bought a blood sugar monitor this morning,Good thing im trained to take blood and administer shots!. Her weight is quite good, I dont let my dogs fat and as for treats, that is, fresh bones and no table scraps, some of my friends think im mean, but my dogs are healthy, 13 is pretty good for a rotty. I will follow all your advice, Thanks heaps.

Answer 1

I am so sorry about your dog. Don't worry too much yet, diabetes is controllable, just like in humans.
First you need to make sure your vet is very familiar with this disease. If he/she is not, ask your vet to recommend someone who specializes in this. Time is important here, or other complications can set in, such as blindness.
The first thing they need to do is find out the proper dosage to keep your dog's sugar levels as normal as possible. This could take some time, and involve a test called a glucose curve. Once they get that down, it is simply a matter of giving the shot twice a day, every day, at the correct time, which will be before feeding. You will need to feed your dog twice a day, so if you haven't in the past, be prepared to change this. You may also need to adjust your schedule so you or someone can give the shots at the right time-late shots are not good.
As far as diet, you will be going to a high fiber diet with as little sugar and fat as you can find-ask your vet the details of what to look for on the dog food bags. And NO treats! We spent quite a bit of time at the pet stores looking for dog treats that didin't have sugar in them-and there are very few.
Also, NO people food at all!!!!! No table scraps.
You will need to make sure your dog stays at her optimum weight for the insulin to work the best, so is she is overweight right now, it is diet time.
You can buy some strips over the counter at the pharmacy that will measure keytones and blood sugar when she pees on them, so you can feel in better control of what is going on every day. Also make sure you have a bottle of honey on hand, just in case.
There are some holistic treatments out there, but I don't know too much about them. When my Jade got sick, I went straight to the vet. I didn't really think I had the time to mess around with this. That will be up to you.

The average cost of this disease is not too bad. The insulin a few years back was around $35 a bottle, and lasted about 1 1/2 months in a very small dog (14 pounds). The syringes were pretty cheap-around $40 for a really big box. Other than that you will only need to have blood glucose curve tests done as your vet advises. The reason for this is to make sure the insulin continues to be at the right level of dosage. For instance, if your dog is overweight, the dose will go down as she loses that weight.
The only real tip I have for you is to make sure you are changing the shot location on every injection. There should be a pattern of four different places on the back that will prevent your dog from building up scar tissue at the injections site. Many vets, I have found, forget to tell their clients that important detail.

Good luck with your girl-she will be fine!

Answer 2

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Answer 3

I had a diabetic cat. I gave him insulin shots twice a day. He was 14 at the time. It definitely improved his quality of life once the dose was regulated. And believe it or not, I think he learned to look forward to getting his shots. I think he knew that they were making him feel better. I don't know of any alternative therapies. Give the insulin a chance. It may take a little while to find the right dosage, but it will be well worth it. Good luck.

Answer 4

I had a Shih Tzu that was diagnosed with diabetes at 8 and he lived to be 14. He got daily shots and we watched his diet. We just fed him good quality food and nothing from the table. He was fine.. actually had no problems with him at all after we started giving him the shots. He did go to the vet more often to keep and eye on it but other than that and the shots his life was about the same.

Answer 5

Our lab/Weimeraner mix is diabetic, and the happiest dog you can imagine. From the way you list her blood sugar levels, you don't appear to be in the U.S. Here, normal levels are about 100-120, with 200 being very high, and when we first found out, hers were at about 400! She gets 28 units of insulin twice daily now, and she actually likes it--I think she knows it makes her feel better. There are weight maintenance foods that will help control her levels--check with your vet, since they sell them there. Make sure you are very careful to give her the insulin twice daily at about the same time each day. Molly gets hers at 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M., and we've actually set a "shot clock" in case we sleep in. And be very careful about treats--any foods that are high on carbohydrates can affect her sugar levels. When we get Mexican, we still get a soft taco for her, but she only gets the stuffing--the shell has too many carbs for her. Believe me, the shots will make a huge difference.

Answer 6

I don't really know if there are any complimentary therapies for diabetes. You could try contacting Ainsworhts homoeopathy. They are really helpful. Ask to speak to Dorothy and say Zeb suggested you call.
If you have to continue with the shots don't worry about it. They will teach you how to do it all. Watch her weight though, I know Rotties tend to be on the big side, so NO TREATS (sorry)
PS I love your horse. I to have a red & white and love him more than anything in the world!

Answer 7

I own a 10 year old pug her sugar level is driving me crazy just make sure no table scraps keep her shots on schedule and she will have lots doctor visits if you discover something new let me know but otherwise look for excessive drinking of water and peeing for no reason.