Anyone have a dog with Diabetes?

[Lirpa]

My 11 year old, blind, male and one-eyed Pug, Charlie, was diagnosed today with Diabetes.

Normal blood sugar levels in dogs is 110, Charlie's are at 600!

The past week he has been drinking an enormous amount of water. The Pugs share a huge ceramic bowl of water and it usually lasts a day and a half. Charlie is drinking on the hour and is drinking that whole bowl himself if not more a day. His appetite is voracious but he has lost two pounds since last week. At 20.77 pounds he is thin for a Pug.

The vet said that he may also have Hypothyroidism on top of the Diabetes but he had too many fat globules in his liver blood test to get a correct reading. We are re-testing after a overnight fast for the thyroid.

Does anyone else have or had a dog with Diabetes? If so, what course of action did you take? What were the factors you took into consideration when choosing treatment verses no treatment? I want Charlie to be with me as long as he can BUT I do not want to be selfish and keep him here beyond what is best for him. Pug free will there!

The treatment is insulin injections two times a day. While it weighs heavily on my heart and it grieves me to consider this...I am trying to do the pros and cons of treatment or no treatment in a "calm" manner ( as if, since I am quite a mess now).

If I choose not to do treatment, I will not put him down immediately as he is "okay" now but of course will not allow it to get to the point where he is severely wasting and/or in any amount of pain.

*edited punctuation*

 

[Lilou]

My girlfriend had a chocolate lab with diabetes. She gave her dog the injections twice a day and the vet also recommended a special dog food. I don't know what the brand of dog food was, but the dog didn't particularly like it...she was more keen on table scraps.

Her dog was on insulin injections for 2 years when she finally had her put down. The dog had severe cataracts and in the end, had lost control of her bladder and was pee-ing all over the house.

I hope this helps and I wish you and Charlie the best.

Edit: I just wanted to add that her lab did well on the insulin and did not seem to be suffering in any way, prior to the bladder control problem.

 

[Al Today]

A few months back our cat Moo passed away. She was over 16 y/o. She was on insulin for a little over a year. At first the insulin was a wonder drug. But... there came a time when we wondered if we were at fault, if we were wrong to prolong her suffering and she finally gave up the ghost in a very sad day that must have been terrible for her. 'Twas for us... BUT... as I said for the first 9 months or so we had our old Moo back. But after time she seemed to fade away and her life appeared to us as a mechanical robot (hard to explain). It's tough for you. You wanna love the critter, then again don't wanna be the one to cause unnecessary pain and suffering. My heart goes out to you and you will know in your heart what needs to be done.

 

[primechild]

Gluten and Toxins in Pet Foods: Are they Poisoning Your Pets?
_http://www.celiac.com/articles/1129/1/Gluten-and-Toxins-in-Pet-Foods-Are-they-Poisoning-Your-Pets-By-Jefferson-Adams/Page1.html

my suggestion is to go with Grain free dog food

My Cat has been happy and healthy since I switched him to grain free food.
he hated it at the beginning because it didn't have addictive junk in it, he's so addictive to corn/wheat.
( yikes as per forum rules do I have to re-research that to post this line?)
so addictive that he used to always prefer the conventional dry stuff better than natural canned or real chicken or tuna

there are lots of articles online and how to switch your pet to healthier diet (wished I bookmarked the pages years ago when I research it)

What I Use
used to be wynsong but they went into petsmart some years ago it was cheaper _http://wysong.net/grain-free-dog-food.php
switched to "Instinct" by Natures Variety _http://www.naturesvariety.com/instinct

 

[anart]

My 11 year old, blind, male and one-eyed Pug, Charlie, was diagnosed today with Diabetes.

I'm sorry to hear about this April. I know how painful it is to have an animal who is sick, and I think your thinking on prolonging his life if he ends up in a state of suffering is a good one. Sometimes, our furry friends are simply ready to move on, so to allow them to do that gracefully and with compassion is the best gift we can give. I've never had an animal with diabetes, so I don't know much about it, but I'll see if my holistic vet has any information on it that might help. Hang in there!

 

[theos]

I agree with kokiri. Your doggie needs a diet overhaul and mainstream pet foods are no good. Is there a holistic vet in your area you could take your pup to?

Wishing you and Charlie the best.

 

[Lirpa]

Thank all of you for the support and information! Both of my Pugs have been on organic grain-free food for years and they do get a lot of fresh chopped vegetables as snacks when I am cutting stuff up for my salads. I do not give them any doggie treats and such. I do supplement their dry organic grain-free kibble with plain unseasoned cooked organic meat a couple of times a week.

An excellent grain-free diet is crucial and it does help in managing Canine Diabetes but the only way to properly get it under control and manage it is with insulin injections. It is my understanding that Canine Diabetes is akin to Type I Diabetes in humans verses Type II. Both Type I and Type II in humans does require eating proper food but food alone will not stabilize a Type I Diabetic, they have to take insulin injections.

I live in a coastal back woods town of 1500. The nearest holistic vet is three to four hours away. The vet I take them to here while she does not practice holistic veterinary medicine, she is very open and I am able to advocate well for my Pugs with her on what I want to do and what I feel is best.

Anart, thank you for checking with your holistic vet for tips.

 

[primechild]

I don't have a dog but my friend has one that is allergic/other problems and I did this research for her a long time ago.
Maybe it will help Charlie. Thank you! your question has restarted me to start again getting my cat to a full carnivore diet.

Eat, Drink and Happy Wagging podcast (lots of announcements, skip to 7:00 if impatient)
6. Dull coats, itchy skin, hotspots, allergies, arthritis, diabetes in our dogs
_http://www.animaltalknaturally.com/2006/06/13/eat-drink-and-happy-wagging-show-36/

Domesticated Dogs vs Wild Dogs podcast (click up to 1:50 unless you want to hear jingle, insurance company)
_http://www.animaltalknaturally.com/2010/05/12/domesticated-dogs-versus-wild-dogs-show-314/

Myth: Dogs are Omnivores.
This is false. Dogs are carnivores, not omnivores. Dogs ARE very adaptable, but just because they can survive on an omnivorous diet does not mean it is the best diet for them.
_http://rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html

Do I have to feed vegetables with ... Carnivore program?
Strict carnivores, cats need only animal foods. In nature, dogs will eat vegetation on a seasonal basis or when preferred foods are scarce. Vegetables 'n' Fruit and Green Tripe are not essential but can be included in the diet of normal, healthy pets and may benefit pets with certain health disorders.

Can I just chop up some vegetables or give them whole?
Dogs and cats can't properly grind plant matter as their jaw structure isn't designed in the same fashion as an herbivore such as a cow. Their digestive system can't process the outer cellulose wall of uncrushed plant foods all that efficiently either. In order for plant foods to be nutritionally valuable, vegetables and fruits need to be pulped or cooked prior to feeding them. Over-ripe fruit can be digested without processing. You can feed pieces of whole vegetables as treats, but in most cases they come out looking almost the same as they went in!
_http://www.carnivora.ca/html/FAQs/

Rawfeeding group, maybe ask your question here
_http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/rawfeeding/

 

[Lirpa]

Thank you again, all of you, for the information! I do appreciate the help.

My initial emotional reaction was that I was not ready to lose him so I started to get on the bandwagon with the vet to do insulin injections.

After calming down after a few days, doing some research, thinking deeply about it, reading Al Today’s post, reading other stories in Canine Diabetes forums, etc. I have decided to not do the insulin injections.

I am still emotional about it as this is very painful but I am working towards having a calmer process about the whole thing.

In hindsight, I realize that Charlie has been Diabetic for several years so I don‘t think he will last that much longer or with a better quality of life even with insulin injections. I read up on Diabetes in dogs and learned that cataracts are caused by Diabetes and he went blind in his remaining eye due to a cataract back in 2006. The ophthalmologist recommended not doing cataract surgery as he has too many issues with that eye as Pugs often do.

He also went from 33 lbs to 25 lbs over a six month period back in 2007 which is a HUGE weight loss for a dog. I realize now that it was not the exercise that caused that weight loss but the Diabetes. He is now down to 20 lbs.

I think that the Diabetes has progressed far enough that insulin injections twice a day, poking for blood to do glucose testing twice a day, weekly visits to the vet, etc. would not improve his quality and quantity of life by that much. Pets just do not understand all of that poking and going to the “evil vet” so I don't want to put him through that for my own selfish reason to keep him longer here for me when he has his own doggie journey.

There are positive stories on the Canine Diabetes forums that talk about “great success” (this may be subjective though as it is the owner’s point of view and since the animal cannot talk we really do not know how they feel about it). I also see stories elsewhere where the dog does not do that well on insulin, it can be very hard to regulate the insulin correctly and the dog hates the treatment/testing.

I am going to get some holistic supplements for Diabetes and will give those a try to make his last months more easy on him. He is "okay" now just tired, drinks a lot of water, pees a lot and sleeps a lot. He does bark at me to feed him so he must be feeling okay for now. He tricked me the other day thinking that he was refusing food so I though oh noes the end must be near! Instead he has became a bit of a Diva and refused to eat his organic dry food and will only hungrily scarf down the baked chicken and brown rice.

He is too weak to walk to the beach two blocks away so I carry him to the beach or haul him in the red wagon we have here so he can hang out while Ruby and I play fetch with the tennis ball.

So I am providing calm, nurturing care (I keep the sobbing to in the shower or in the car away from him so as to not vomit my emotions all over him) and will not allow him to suffer at all. I am keeping close watch on him to monitor his mood and any subtle signs of pain as I know they like to hide pain.

I just wish our pets would die quietly, pain free and unexpectedly in their sleep instead of having to make the decision to euthanize them.

 

[anart]

I just wish our pets would die quietly, pain free and unexpectedly in their sleep instead of having to make the decision to euthanize them.

I've had that same thought on many occasions, hoping they would pass in the night, relatively swiftly and not suffer so. I think your decision is sound and kind, April.

 

[Caustic]

My cat developed diabetes.

We noticed something was wrong when he began to walk funny because he was losing control of his legs. We tried the insulin injections but he eventually lost all bladder control and could barely walk. About a year later we decided it was time to put him down. I still get sad when I think about it

The insulin did nothing but delay the inevitable. At least it gave us a few more precious months with him. I sure miss that cat.

He was always overweight and loved to eat brocolli and corn on the cob off our dinner plates when we werent looking.

I wish you good luck with your dog, but sadly I think the end is near.

 

[Ares]

I'm so sorry about your dog April, I have many cats at home so I understand how tough this decision must be for you

my best wishes, if that helps...

 

[Lirpa]

Thank you again, everyone. I appreciate the feedback and support.

 

[Nienna]

Good luck, April, I think that you've made the right choice. I certainly understand how the emotions get riled up when these types of things happen to our beloved 2D friends, you and Charlie are in my thoughts.

 

[Lirpa]

Charlie went downhill quickly these past few days. He went "on his way" at the Vet's Office around 9:15 AM with Ruby and I present while the vet helped him out of his body.