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Originally Posted by Scenie  Hi, My name is Scenie and our 15 year old dog was diagnosed in November with Diabetes. The Vet started him on Vetsulin and the poor fellow has had so many problems since November. He started with no appetite and vomitting and excessive thirsting and frequent urination(uncontrolably). They started giving him 5cc twice a day and gradually got him up to 8cc twice a day and the vet also changed his food right away to W/D. My doggy does not like that food. WHen his insuling level is high he is starving and when it is very low he won't eat and he vomits too no matter if it is high or low. He has lost over 3 lbs since November. This is not good as he is a Chihauhau (sp). We are at the vet's office 3-4 times a week. His insulin this last visit was only 30 so the vet started decreasing his insuling once again and gradully giving it back to him and now we are up to 7cc again. He goes back on Monday to stay all day again so the vet can check his insulin at 11 and again at 3. I think it is just guess work on his part right now. The vet doesn't seem to be very informative on dogs with diabeties. My mother suggested to boil chicken and pull the meat off bones and give it to him (no skin). And to feed him fresh cooked veggies. To treat him just like a diabetic human. I know his vet has referred to his condition as the same as a human. WIll this help or harm him. I don't have a way of checking his insulin to see if it is high or low. I just have to watch his behavior.
I know nothing on dogs with diabeties! Vet has nothing to offer us as far as information goes. Can anyone help by telling us what we can do to help our dog? He nees to eat but we're afraid to give him anything other than W/D. The vet really stresses the fact that he shouldn't eat anything but that. And he sells the stuff.
Thank you for any info you can share. I am very grateful!
Truely,
Scenie |
It is now May; how is your dog? You posted in January about an elderly dog with diabetes? My dog, Dakota, is only 9 1/2 and about 6 months ago has been diagnosed with diabetes. She is a mixed breed, mixed with a dog breed that is known for its longetivity. This disease has robbed her of her sight, her appetite and about 12 pounds. Which is quite a bit since she only weighed 37 pounds to begin with. She was a very playful, feisty dog and I look at her now and she has wasted away to a thin, sad, pitiful dog. She is on Vetsulin twice a day, once in the morning with 7 units and once at night with 4. We tried to do 7 in the morning and 7 at night, but the 7 at night just made her crash; she was very lethargic and wouldn't move. I gave her some maple syrup (only syrup I had on hand) and she perked up a bit. I fed her chicken breast for a few days and she seemed a little better. This was at the beginning. She quit eating her senior kibble, so the vet suggested I give her chicken breast, veggies, cottage cheese and steamed rice. Mix it up a little, he said, with some ground beef and change the veggies around a little; whatever was on hand or left over from your meal. Just don't have lots of butter and salt on it or none at all is better. I did that for a few weeks and then my daschund decided HE wasn't going to eat kibble, too, so I fed them both this diet. Now I have two kids and a husband to care for, too. I am a stay at home mom with little breaks from it all. Just keep that in mind. So I did some more research and he suggested Urban Wolf. Now he doesn't sell it, just heard it was good. That also requires some preparation and the meat is usually served raw. Well, he suggested I cook it some at first, not to give her raw meat at first, so I've been cooking it less and less as I prepare it. I only have to prepare it about once a week or six days, so it goes a little better. She LOVED it, put on a few pounds, felt better, even played around. It was also suggested I give her some raw soup bones from the butcher (about a buck a piece) and that would satisfy her hunger and her need for chewing, which I thought dogs grew out of, but really don't. We had to adjust her feeding amounts, but it seems to work. Now, this morning, I woke up to 5-6 urine, feces and vomit spots all over the house. We just bought this house in August of last year and no one lived in it before us. It was new; a model home. My son's room smells like a kennel; I've purchased a steam cleaner (DO NOT BUY BISSELL!) and no matter how much I run it, it still smells bad. Her favorite spot, though, is in front of the fireplace, which is where she really empties that bladder that seems to hold gallons. This morning, she was quite thirsty (all that vomiting, I guess) and drank her entire bowl in one sitting and has throw it up about 4 times. Three times on the carpet and once on the kitchen floor. I should not have let her drink it all, but I'm trying to get kids up and around for church, so I didn't pay much attention. Plus, I was kinda ticked at having to clean up all those spots on the carpet. Now, she won't eat breakfast; I've given her her shot, but she wants to lay in the dark bathroom on the rug. My husband's out of town; it's Sunday and I can't reach the vet. If I knew my husband would be home on Tuesday (which is what he thinks), then I'd hold off on taking her in, but I really think it's time to consider putting her down. She's blind, she can't jump on the bed anymore and she won't eat and can't keep anything down. She's been vomiting for about 4 days about 3 times a day, whatever I feed her. I skipped feeding her lunch yesterday because I'm afraid she'll just throw it up, but that may not have been good given she has diabetes. I just don't know what to do, but I'll post whatever it is I decide. It depends on how long I can go on, but she looks so miserable and I don't want her to live this way; I won't let her. She's so loyal and sweet and has been excellent with our kids since day one. She was here first; then they joined us. She's been around pretty much our entire married lives. I guess I just wanted to get off my chest my frustration; I can't reach my husband by cell or the vet, who has been very helpful and sympathetic. He's very gentle and loving with our pets and his family has been to the house for dinner. They are great people. I am lucky that way. Thanks fo reading this; let me know how your dog did.
Vetsulin 
This video scared the hell out of me! 
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