The material presented
here is not Al-Anon Conference Approved Literature. It is a method
to exchange
information, ideas, feelings, problems and solutions on a personal
level.
Now, I might not have all the medical terms right, or the process of diabetic episodes correct, but I'll try to tell you what my vet finally told me yesterday.
My dog Max is a diabetic... his pancreas is releasing too much insulin into his system and making his glucose and sugar level bottom out to the point of going into diabetic coma. Right now, he is stable, and I'm giving him Kero Syrup every 4-6 hours, and then we'll do more blood work and determine if he needs a daily shot to stop the insulin overage. Just like a human with diabetes for the most part. Yesterday morning I asked the Vet very bluntly..."do I need to start thinking about putting him down?" The response was "absolutely not". You wouldn't want to be put down if you had diabetes would you?"
I brought him home last night because vet office is closed and no one there on weekends. Max is doing relatively well. Not as active as I would like to see, but this morning, showed excitement about going outside to take care of his potty business, and ran with my other two dogs like he was his normal self. I think he pushed himself too hard to fast though... he came in and just kinda hangin out on the couch now... I gave him a syringe of sugared water, and a small bit of Kero Syrup... and he perked back up some. Just going to have to watch him closely over the next few days and make sure his sugar level stays good, temp is good, and he eats and drinks water. Then we'll do more blood work on Tues, and see if his system is stablizing on its own, or if he needs diabetic shots every few days, which they say I can do at home.
I know how to take care of healthy pets... but sick ones.. now thats questionable... but we're about to find out. I will do the very best I can, and ask my HP to do the very best He can too.
John
-- Edited by John on Saturday 23rd of February 2013 10:08:13 AM
__________________
" And what did we gain? A new life, with purpose, meaning and constant progress, and all the contentment and fulfillment that comes from such growth."
Hugs to you! So glad that Max is alive and that you are taking care of him. I remember giving one of our dogs injections because of seizures from distemper. She died, but we had bought her at a puppy mill and didn't know any better. She also had parvo, it was a mess. We became dog nurses 1 week after we purchased her.
My second dog, a lab mix named Liz, would search for her tennis balls under the bushes and TWICE she rammed her eye into a branch and scratched her cornea. We had to do eyedrops every 2 hours all day long for a few weeks but her cornea wouldn't heal so we agreed to surgery that cost $1000. The left eye happened one year, then she scratched the right eye the next year! Seriously, I should have just cut down my bushes, LOL! We started nicknaming her 2K, because that's how much her eye surgeries cost us!
It's amazing what we'll do for our animals, isn't it? You should see my puppy behind me right now. He's playing with a stick, tossing it up and down, and attacking his squeaker. It's like absolute chaos going on behind me, but I LOVE IT!
John I am not quite sure what makes the vet say diabetic when the symptom is a drop in blood sugar.
That is hypoglycemia.
If that is it, which is sure sounds like it, it may very well be controlled by diet and frequency of feeding!
What are you feeding your dogs? Some people do not realize we must feed small dogs food that is made for them. They cannot get the nutrition they need from regular large kibble as most is filler and they cannot eat enough to get what they need.
Besides this karo syrup, Max needs to be fed at the same time. It is important to know why he is having this problem but we hope it is the kind of dog he is, his age, etc.
Now I would not want to put a lot of stress on the pancreas. John you must get a higher carb dog food for him. It has to be for small dogs.Very, very important, you must feed him many small meals a day to keep his blood sugar normal.
I mean three times till noon and three times till bed.
"Many dogs with hypoglycemia caused by overuse of glucose, such as hunting dogs, toy breeds and newborn puppies, may be able to recover simply by increasing the frequency of their meals and enriching the nutritional composition of their diets with added fat, protein and complex carbohydrates. Simple sugars should be avoided as part of the diet in most cases."
From one of my vet books. So John trust me first lets see if it is controllable by diet. Get a good kibble or canned for little dogs, all of yours need to be fed like this.
Wish you were here I have a ton of fresh home grown eggs..Make a mix of carrots, and green beans. and plain canned pumpkin. add scrambled eggs. That gives the complex carbs and the fat and protein they need. Some people add some tuna too. Or you can boil chicken and put some chicken in this mix. I call it doggie stew.
Add this mix to their food when you feed them small amounts each time. My son made huge batches of this then froze individual amounts in cubcake tins. Then you can just take it out and thaw it when ya need more.
His dog, a very large Mastiff/Newfy cross had a horrible torsion. Stomach twists. He has spent thousands on Gabe. I researched and told mac how to feed him and how often etc. That dog is huge again!
Also please try to add some plain youghurt. See how they do. It keeps their gut in good flora, the bacteria that breaks down waste.
Please do this immediately. Do you have a blender? If you cannot afford it, take the kibble you have now, put it in a bag and get your hammer and pound it up.
Then add small amounts to the mix I shared with you. If you don't have what you need here tell me what you do have. We need to do this asap. Its vital John.
When his blood sugar drops, his cells are not getting what they need to function. That can cause serious damage. Also that is why he is so weak. No he should not run around with the rest hon. take him out on a leash for now. Yes he will get to the point he can run again if this is not caused by something else wrong.
Would not hurt to get plain pedialyte to ad to his water. Just a little. You can get cheap stuff at walmart.
My family has genetic blood problems. So we are hypoglycemic as well as diabetic.
I have delt with animal health issues all my life, and you know I had a sanctuary for 11 years. I only had my friend and vet here one time to do a dental on my horse! I did all the surgeries and everything. I learned by great vets who allowed me to watch them.
Here is my email rivercabin2@centurylink.net. now that I know what his diagnosis is I can help. I will send you a little money on the paypal thing for you to go get what you need to get started on his diet. I know the vet bill will be a killer. If you have a fb page you might post Max's picture and ask for donations to be sent directly to the vet.
If you send me a picture of max, remind me where he came from,was he a puppy mill puppy? send it in email I will post and share it all over the place. I know tons of people who help all kinds of animals. I have done this before for pigs whos owners could not afford the vet.
We need to act now on the food. I don't get paid till Wed. Maybe someone here can get you starte????? I am happy to help you. My life would not be even half as good as it is had it not been for MIP that you keep going!
Let me know if you want to accept. thank you John! love,debilyn
ps. eggs are the perfect food. If you can just add them and a can of green beans or peas that would be great. frozen vegies are better as they can be found with no salt.
-- Edited by Debilyn on Saturday 23rd of February 2013 06:29:34 PM
__________________
Putting HP first, always <(*@*)>
"It's not so much being loved for ourselves, but more for being loved in spite of ourselves."
Good to hear it's a disease that can be controlled with a little sweet meds and some TLC. Guess you will be planning your days around Max for a while but I'm sure it's well worth it.
Have a great weekend
__________________
Lord, put your arm around my shoulder and your hand over my mouth
Speak only when you feel that your words are better than your silence.
That is good news since diabetes is usually a very managable condition and I'm sure that once Max has you trained you'll be able to look after him just fine.
As I opened your post my own dog came and nuzzled (actually he is a big dog so it was more of a barging manoeuvre) and now he is outside playing in the snow.
So great to hear that Max is going to make it. My daughter's cat has diabetes, controlled with drops put in her eyes. Probably different for dogs. Give him a hug.
__________________
It's easy to be graceful until someone steals your cornbread. --Gray Charles
Oh Deb, you have no idea how much good it did for to read what you shared here. I tried to make that stew mix... but I'm not a cook of any sort, and when I got done, not one of my dogs would eat it... they just sniffed and backed away. I sent you an email to see if there is any specific dog food that you would recommend that will serve the purpose that I can buy over the counter.
I just took him to the animal emergency medical and trauma clinic (11pm) just to have him checked. Nothing but concern prompted me to do this. They say he is doing very good for all he has been through this week, and his body temp is 101.3, right where it should be. He is relatively active, very alert, and stable on his legs, with good motor skills. Glucose level is in a acceptable range.
John
__________________
" And what did we gain? A new life, with purpose, meaning and constant progress, and all the contentment and fulfillment that comes from such growth."
John, I just want you to know I have been reading your posts and praying for you and Max. I don't get on here as much as I would like to...but please know, you have a ton of support and love and prayers coming from all the MIP family!!!