Diabetic Doggy..

paddypaws101

I do use them more than once,,,never had a problem. They are very cheap to buy though....I get all these things on ebay, or go back to the chemist and ask.
How is the testing going?

buddys_mum

Okay. I tested him first thing this morning just before he had his breakfast and it read 9.1.

Good piece of kit, i know someone else near me who has a diabetic dog. I shall ask him whether or not he uses one of the glucose meters, if not i shall reccommend one and if he has the internet to come on here if he has a question.

I know he hasnt long had his dogs cateracts done and it cost him £5000.

paddypaws101

Having a glucose meter and home testing really puts you in charge with diabetes. This way you always know if it is safe to administer a dose of insulin...and you can even adjust dosages if you follow a specific protocol. Buddy is being well looked after, and dogs handle diabetes pretty well when BG is controlled.

buddys_mum

Ive bought some antibacterial gel stuff from boots to clean his ear before i take a bit of blood. Its reduced to £1 so bought 3 bottles

Mayflower10cat

BuddysMum - Congratulations on your awesome achievement! I'm chuffed to bits that you managed to get a good test pretty much first time - Yeh for you!!!!! Did you do an earprick or pawpad?? You were asking about lancets - we used the penlet device with appropriate lancets that came with our glucometer, but you can simply buy a box of lancets from the chemist and use them without a pricking device, whatever you find easiest. A nice pre-warmed ear gives a good sample, but you've obviously cracked it without. Back when we used the One Touch Ultra meter, the penlet that came with it took a particular lancet & I always bought the branded one. Until my very helpful local chemist pointed out to me that another, much cheaper, generic lancet also fitted my penlet... What a nice man, he saved me a few pence per lancet, but gosh it all adds up.

Yes, you can reuse a lancet, no problem. I would suggest storing it in the fridge to lower the risk of infection. My diabetic friend, when asked how long she used a lancet, said - "... I use them 'til they're too blunt to draw blood.....(Ugh!!!!!)" We never bothered disinfecting the area, so don't worry too much about that. A little tip that might help is, to smear a little petroleum jelly over the area to be pricked as it helps the blood to 'bead up'.

I'm very, very proud of you = you have taken such a massive step in managing your beloved dog's diabetes. I'll bet your Vet is amazed! Our current lovely vet who treated our sugarcat (only briefly, he died from cancer) said - "I only wish I could get ALL my diabetic carers to bloodtest at home, it really is the ONLY way to manage a diabetic pet..."

paddypaws101

I am with Mayflower...using vaseline rather than any antiseptic gel.
And I agree...home testing really is the only way to keep an accurate eye on the diabetes, I wish more vets were prepared to work with clients to achieve this.

buddys_mum

My vet is brilliant, he always explains things clearly. Buddy is equally as brilliant, he goes straight into vet and lifts his paw ready for him to take some blood. No restraining is needed what so ever.

I have been taking blood from his ear. Poor Buddy has his ears drops in the morning as he has bad infection, looks like little blisters in the ear. Blood test before breakfast, then insulin after breakfast and he ripped his dewclaw and im busy cleaning that twice a day too. He will be glad when his ears and claw heals. He feels so poked and prodded about at the moment.

buddys_mum

Poor Buddy isnt feeling to good this morning, his glucose is a quite low. I am gradually changing his food over to burn high oats, although he was a little low last week - before i started to change his food. I shall get him booked into the vets and get a appointment as late in the afternoon as possible (closer to tea-time). In the mean while i shall take glucose tests every 2 hrs.

Thanks for helping me to get the monitor, its been such a great help.

Just rang vets and got an apponitment at 5.40pm and done a test it reads 2.1

paddypaws101

How did Buddy get on at the vet office? I hope he is doing well.
As I have said before, my experience is limited to cats but.....
If I got a reading of 2.1 I would feed a small low carb snack, just a spoon full or two of food. I would check BG again in 30 mins and repeat if necessary.
This is illustrating the idea that a set dose of insulin is not always the RIGHT dose. I use a system with a sliding scale of dosage. Ask your vet, they may be open to the idea as you have been so pro-active in managing this situation with home testing.

buddys_mum

Buddys doing just fine, really okay today. I compared my meter to the one vet used and there was a 4 point difference, so a reading of 2.1 was really 6.1 which was good. I got some glucose tablets from the chemist today, just incase we have another episode.