Do you have any experience with canine diabetes?
I ask this because my dog was diagnosed a little over a year ago. He started out with 4 units of insulin twice daily. His ketones remain under control. However his glucose level very gradually gets over the safe level and I have to increase his insulin doseage. It's now at 11 units twice daily. Is this normal for canine diabetes? His vet checks him on a regular basis. He's on a very restricted diet and his weight is between 18 and 19 pounds-fine for his shoulder height and length measurements.
I've checked many web sites but none address the issue I'm dealing with: continued increase in insulin dosage.
Please, do you have any advice, incite or experience?
I am specifically concerned about the necessity of increaseing insulin to control glucose level. Is this normal?
Articulos relacionados
- No related posts
I have a couple of questions for you. First, how and when is your dog's urine being tested for glucose levels? Does your vet take samplings before, after and in between insulin injections throughout the day? If not, he is doing it wrong. A good blood glucose, which is usually done once a month, takes at least half a day to get good results. Your dog's glucose has peaks and valleys depending on when the injection was in relation to when the dog ate. Kind of complicated. Anyway, they do not ever stay at a consistent level throughout the day, so if your vet is testing at the wrong time or not enough, he could be overdosing your dog.
If he is doing it the right way, I would start asking about companion diseases for diabetes, such as Cushings Disease and Addison's Disease. Both of these diseases could be interfering with the success of the injections. In other words, the injections could be the right dosage, but the other diseases hamper the effectiveness.
veterinarypartner.com is a great website to get further info from.
I had a minpin with diabetes and it took us at least 6 months to get her regulated. It sounds like you already know about weight and diet. The experience we had with our vet is that alot of vets are not really sure how to treat this disease, as they have not familiarized themselves enough. My vet surfed the Net every night after we saw him to try to learn more about the disease, and finally referred us to a "dog" specialist. We actually were invited to a research forum on the disease with other owners, and most of them had the same problem-the vets didn't know enough.
Once we did get her regulated, there was no need for an increase in dosage at all. The only time her glucose would rise was when we got to the end of the insulin bottle(it loses some potency with age). So I would think that something else is going on here.
Good luck with your baby!
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:10 pmI know this is a common problem recently with animals. My aunt had a dog with diabetes and just close monitor his diabetes and regular check ups is the best you can do. Here is a website to maybe help you. Good luck.
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:10 pmIt is normal for a dog's insulin dose to increase as their bodies get use to the medication, as a vet tech and an insulin dependent diabetic, I can understand your frustration. It sounds like you have a very good relationship with your vet and his advice is right on the money. Things to watch for, and I am sure you are already aware, are his ketone levels in his urine and his appetite. If he doesn't eat don't give the insulin and have hi checked out. A good website to check out is http://www.veterinarypartner.com and search diabetes. Hope this helps
April 22nd, 2009 at 10:10 pm