|
Post by Snake Eyes on Feb 16, 2008 1:23:57 GMT 12.75
I certainly do not mean to offend any person here,but the vet told us yesterday that our basset hound is diabetic.He had been acting a little out of character for about 2weeks.His appetite was great but he could not keep it down for more than an hour.He was drinking an unusual amount of water.But the final straw was he started to pee in the house, and lost a noticeable amount of weight.He is almost 6 and has never done that since he was maybe 2months old.Vet wants to see us again today about treatment. Daily shots etc.. Anyone else have any experience with a diabetic dog? It sounds like it is going to be expensive,especially going thru a vet. Anyone had any dealings with www.petmeds.com or other on line pet folks. I know this sounds silly but between my wife & I we have 5 children(none between us) and 13 grandkids that we see on occasion and that we love dearly. At our age this basset is our child, that we love and he loves us, and we share it on a daily basis...... THOUGHTS PLEASE
snake-eyes
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 16, 2008 2:35:19 GMT 12.75
Your basset has a life expectancy of around twelve to fourteen years if he remains healthy. Pretty normal for a dog. See your vet. He'll need at least initially a special diet tightly controlled, several itterations of tests to determine his glucose level and the proper dosage for insulin requirements. After that if you can get a deal on his food and medication sure, go ahead but keep up with regular clinical care including weight checks and blood tests for glucose. I have a diabetic cat. His insulin is $108.00 per bottle and lasts for forty four days. Syringes are $26.00 for a hundred and shots are given twice a day. His special diet is $1.24 per can and lasts two days. His visits run between $31.00 and $65.00and he gets seen about every three months. Initial testing will run around a hundred and a half. The good news is that sometimes, actually pretty often the condition will reverse itself and treatment can be suspended if this happens. Also, some of the new fangled glucometers require such small samples of blood that glucose testing for animals can now be done at home. Your vet can tell you more about that. You'll need to get a system that uses very small samples . The test strips, lancets, and peripherals are a lot cheaper than regular blood tests at the vet and a good idea to have at hand. You'll also need to get a bottle of Karo corn syrup in case his glucose should drop drastically and he need sugar quickly. Just rub it on his gums lips and tongue until he comes around. No need to force him to swallow with this stuff. Keep us informed.
|
|
|
Post by Snake Eyes on Feb 16, 2008 18:56:47 GMT 12.75
Paws, Thank you very much for your information. We got back from the Vets around 6p. He pretty much told us what you did. He put him on 10units twice a day after his meals, which we will start in the A.M. Vet didn't mention the syrup thing but we will certainly get a bottle.He did mention sugar water,but the syrup sounds like a better idea. Thanks again for your information.I will for sure keep you posted.This is all new to both my wife and myself. snake-eyes
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 16, 2008 22:24:04 GMT 12.75
You are welcome and your mutt will be in our s. Hey, they work!
|
|
|
Post by Snake Eyes on Feb 17, 2008 20:13:22 GMT 12.75
Paws, Well he has had 2 shots and does seem to have perked up a bit. He has kept his food down,which is a high fiber food that we mix with his Kibbles&Bits. So,so far so good Called Kroger's where we get all our R/X and his insulin run about $38 a month.Could be worse I guess. Vet never said anything about a condition reversal,but everything else I have read and have been told indicates that can be.Well here is hoping. snake-eyes
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 18, 2008 1:09:16 GMT 12.75
Oh, vet may not hae mentiond too that insulin produces weight gain and you should consider increasing his exercise and reducing his chow some. Look at the lower end of recommended feeding amount even for an active dog given by your pet food manufacturer. Cut way way back on snacks, especially dog biscuits and crackers.
|
|
|
Post by OLKoot on Feb 18, 2008 10:50:43 GMT 12.75
Its all controllable you just have to stay on top of it....I've also had animals for years, but never had one with diabetes........ I've checked the PETMEDS site numeruse times and made comparisons on prices between them and my vet and I find that PETMEDS can be higher in price, plus you have to pay shipping and handling I believe, which can run into some extra money......NOW I WONT GO ON MY LOW CARB KICK, but as Phil says, watch those snacks and ask the vet what he feels would be the appropriate food for the animal if you havent done so already.......Good luck....
|
|
|
Post by Snake Eyes on Feb 19, 2008 0:57:41 GMT 12.75
To both of you! Yes the vet put him on a high fiber diet that we can put small amounts of his canned Kibbles&Bits in.The biggest change was feeding him twice a day.He has only ate once a day + treats since he was a pup. It's really funny,but he still begs for his treats but if you give him one,he spits it out and leaves it....I guess it is a learning experience for all of us,him,me & my wife. But you guys have helped a bunch.Again thanks snake-eyes
|
|
|
Post by OLKoot on Feb 19, 2008 5:09:47 GMT 12.75
The increase to two feedings a day is to insure that his blood sugar doesnt drop, just watch the amounts so he doesnt gain too much weight which is consistant with a lot of diabetics, and if you have a place to run him, do so as often as you can....The excersize will help....Just like with humans doctors will put a person on 5 small meals a day for the same reason.....If you buy treats just make sure it has minimal amounts of sugar and as low carbed as you can get....
|
|
|
Post by Snake Eyes on Feb 20, 2008 1:58:40 GMT 12.75
We started his shots Saturday,and as of today,Tuesday,its like we have a new dog.Maybe not a new dog but the dog we had prior to his problem being diagnosed . It is really nice to see him again. You that own pets know what I mean. snake-eyes
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 20, 2008 4:22:23 GMT 12.75
That's good news. Now just keep an eye on his weight and adjust everything accordingly. He'll need a tolerance test for dosage adjustments in a month or so.
|
|
|
Post by brittonfaith on Feb 20, 2008 7:03:51 GMT 12.75
I just noticed this thread. We had a black lab, "Snoopster", given to us one time that was diabetic. So bad that it had gone blind, couldn't breath without trouble, and had hot spots all over it's body and both ears were caulifowered. When she arrived, she literally plopped out of the back of the station wagon. She was pushing 300 pounds and came complete with 300 lbs of dog food, which the owner told us she ate free choice. We were told she was just old, probably around 12 yrs, and needed a farm to live out what was left of her days. Uh-huh........right.
First thing we did was have our farm vet give her a check up to verify that our hunches were right. Next thing was to take away ALL commercial dog food and turned her loose with our young and frisky Irish setter to hunt for their vittles. We figured in her health, she wouldn't live than a week. It wasn't long before Snoopster was loosing weight, starting to get her sight back, and the hot spots were healing. She was with us another two years before being hit by the feed truck.
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 20, 2008 11:47:42 GMT 12.75
So in the end it was the excess feed that killed her anyway!
|
|
|
Post by Snake Eyes on Feb 22, 2008 0:00:29 GMT 12.75
So in the end it was the excess feed that killed her anyway! Paws, snake-eyes
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 22, 2008 1:45:34 GMT 12.75
I sorry.
|
|
|
Post by Snake Eyes on Feb 22, 2008 22:53:01 GMT 12.75
Well Deuce is still doing well. He figured out the shot routine after his meals and would eat and run . So in order to outsmart him,we started to let him eat some of his meal and give him his shot while he was still eating. It works great,he could care less about the shot while eating........Now that makes us smarter than a basset hound. Ain't that something to brag about. snake-eyes
|
|
|
Post by Snake Eyes on Feb 29, 2008 1:21:12 GMT 12.75
Well,Deuce goes back to the vet on Friday, for follow-up. He has been doing great on his insulin.He acts like a pup at times and like a starved dog on others.We have been very careful about feeding to the directions of the vet.....I guess we will have to wait to see what the vet says Friday. snake-eyes
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Feb 29, 2008 2:12:39 GMT 12.75
Sounds great Snake! Just keep it up. How is his weight doing?
|
|
|
Post by Snake Eyes on Mar 1, 2008 20:48:02 GMT 12.75
Sounds great Snake! Just keep it up. How is his weight doing? Paws, Got him to the vet and found out he had gained 1 pound which the vet thought was a good thing sense he had lost 10 before being diagnosed. They took blood and they called about 7:30p Fri nite and said his count was at 300 and to increase his insulin from 10 to 11.She would like the count to be at 200.Want to see him in two weeks. We told her he is still drinking excessive amounts of water.She said he is still adjusting. snake-eyes
|
|
|
Post by Paws on Mar 1, 2008 22:41:06 GMT 12.75
Yep. His weight gain is probably from the water too so he should stablilize now pretty quick. I'm guessing that he was probably overweight to start with. Sounds like he is doing pretty good now.
|
|