Diabetic Dog - Support Please?

li'l_p

My Mum & Dad have just found out from the vet that their dog is diabetic and is going to need insulin injections for the rest of his life. I am sure they are going to be fine, however I just wanted some words of encouragement from people that are going through, or have been through, the same thing.

I have told them they will become accustomed to giving the daily injections, and it will just become like giving him his tea!

Your experiences would be most appreciated...

Eels100

Basically, they will indeed get accustomed and it will be just like giving him his tea!

It's a really daunting diagnosis for an owner but provided they're committed and they are willing to spend time really learning about the condition from the vet, they'll be absolutely fine. Dogs generally tolerate injections way better than they tolerate pills, and your parents will get loads of help to start with so they're confident treating him at home. Most importantly they need to get good support from their practice nurse or the vet in charge of the case, because they'll need to learn about what routine to stick to, what foods to allow him and what to do in various situations, eg if he's sick or if he won't eat.

I would say that in 90% of diabetic cases the owners manage fine once the animal is stabilised - all it means is a wee change to routine and regular monitoring, and a pretty normal quality of life.

laurz

my dads working (gun dog) lab is diabetic (she has the injections) he also carries a mini mars bar if he's going to be out on a long walk, just in case she gets shakey.

petrichor

We had a cairn terrier some years ago that was diabetic and needed insulin injections daily. Whilst the vet assessed the required amount of insulin, for two weeks we had to get a sample of urine first thing each morning which we managed by putting a soup ladle into the 'stream'. During these two weeks the vet made sure that we were competent in giving the daily injections.

It became a part of our lives and wasn't a problem, the worst thing was the vet's bill :eek: but our cairn was worth it and lived quite happily with it all.

SmallAnimalVet

Most owners are pertified about the idea of giving injections but, after the 1st week, they feel confident about doing it. However they are embarking on a lifelong treatment, so reservations are natural.

If the quality of life is severely affected by the diabetes and owners are reluctent to embark on insulin injections then I would always counsel that euthanasia is always a valid option.

If they want to embark on treatment then hurrah!

Stability in the daily regime is the key to success - if the food intake and exercise levels are kept stable, then the insulin requirements will not vary from day to day either. This means that after the initial stabilisation period the insulin doseage should remain pretty stable.
There are many ways of monitoring your parents' dog's insulin requirements - urine samples, blood glucose (sugar) levels or frucotsamine levels (gives an indication of the average blood sugar levelsover the previous 1-3 weeks). Which method is used will depend on how easy it is to stabilise the dog, financial funds, your parents' view and your vet's preference.
A special diet may also be advised. It is worth thinking about - in most animals it will make the control of the diabetes easier. In some lucky animals it may mean that you can get away without using insulin at all. Macdonalds and choccie biscuits are not advised!

90% of my clients with diabetic pets that start treatment are successful and give their pets a happy life. Good luck!

With good control a good quality of life is achievable

SnowyOwl_2

laurz wrote: »

my dads working (gun dog) lab is diabetic (she has the injections) he also carries a mini mars bar if he's going to be out on a long walk, just in case she gets shakey.

Isn't chocolate toxic to dogs??

blue_monkey_2

I know it is not a dog but my cat has diabetes - and was diagnosed about a year ago now. Yes, it does become part of life gving the injections - my cat has to have one morning and one night at the same time of day so 10am and 10pm - the difference being is that cats like to go out and not come in. I give the injection while she is eating and she hardly notices - however, the other day I was trying to call her in, she saw it in my hand and did a runner. At the end of the day, your parents know how your dog is and will notice a change in their behaviour, my cat has to have a fructomine (sp. sorry) test every 2-3 months and this gives an 'overall picture' on how the insulin has worked in this time. Because she was really stressed whenever she had the blood test at the vets they have stopped doing this as it was always high but the fructomine test came back as well maintained. Because my cat is not doing her disappearing act a few times a week we are not giving her more insuline but are going to see how the fructomine test is at the end of the month with her missing one or two each week.

The only think we have to change is the feed times as it has to be the same time each day - for us with 2 jabs it is twice a day - so I have to be around for this time of day which can be a bind at times as you can't really change it around. We have though been able to teach my sister and mum to give the jabs so we do have people to fall back on if we go on holiday. We do not have to give any sorts of different foods but you won't be able to give the cheaper foods, we have to stick to the higher quality cat foods (such as felix or whiskas) as the other made her sugar level change and the special diet foods would not have been an option as we have 5 cats and they tended to 'pick' my vet told me a change in diet was not going to be neccessary but looking around on the internet all the sites told me that I was going to have to buy this high cost prescription food - the vet told me that this would not be neccessary at all as it would have been no good for my other cats and there was no reason that she could not stick to the food she was already getting so they might want to be careful they are not talking into this and find out if their dog is going to be OK with the food they are on.

Your parents will find a way of dealing with it, when my cat was dignosed she had trouble walking and controlling her back legs and was incontinent (this is how we found out otherwise we would not have known - their back legs only go when they get really bad but she did not show any other signs at all) and after a month of treatment she was a different cat, it took around 6 months for her legs to work properly again but now you would not even know.

I hope this helps set your mind at rest a little. It is easy to live with but they might have to adapt their lifestyle to fit in with the dogs daily routine they will need but they should not think about putting their dog down just because of this - that is not realy fair. i personally find the condition easy to live with and manage and with having a cat I can imagine it is far easier with a dog - for a star you've not got to crawl around in the dark hunting under vans to see where she is hiding and why she has ot come in!! She is just getting wise to the injections but she does come in the nexy day as by then she is starving and can't resist any longer!!

Wish them luck from me.

eira

Agree totally with previoius poster-my cat used to come and ask for the injection. It is harder to control diabetes in cats than in dogs because of their diet. She had a good life and died peacefully in her sleep-she was 13

You get used to it-and I used to be a needle phobic.

JennyW_2

SnowyOwl wrote: »

Isn't chocolate toxic to dogs??

:eek: yes very much so.

Laurz - can you let your dad know it's dangerous for dogs?

NoelDundas

There are some really poor quality post here - but also som excellent ones which, alas... are likely to go above most peoples heads as they are too technical in wording.

I know because many years ago one of our dogs was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. It is the most common form, affecting twice as many males as females, and the misinformation on the internet drove us to develop our own site, dedicated to the truth about dogs diabetes, causes, symptoms, treatment, as well as treats and aternatives to presription dog food - which can save a fortune.

Chocolate for dogs is a definate no! It is not poisonous, but it do them no good and at least there may be a mess to clear up in the moring. Human chocolate, such as a Mars Bar, is often carried by a human diabetic, but it can be deadly to a diabetic dog.

If you are treating your diabetic dog correctly, you will not need to worry. The important aspect is monitoring their blood sugar levels regularly, keeping to a strict routine and administering food and insulin at the prescribed times.

No you should not give a diabetic dog treats, yes you can if it is safe to do so and no there are none on the market primarily for diabetic dogs.

Sould like a contradiction?

We have five Pomeranian dogs; one is diabetic but we cannot give treats to some and not him. Thus over time we discovered treats which he could have and publish them on our web site (No link to it here, PM me for details) and we have fact sheets with lots more information, all free.

kazl_2

I'm in the same situation as your Mum and Dad. My dog was diagnosed on Monday and I have given her an injection for the first time today. Now that I've got over the initial shock we're just trying to get on with things and hope we can all cope with the new routine.