Free forum to share dog and puppy information, news and tips

Mon 06 Aug 2007 06:50PM PDT

westieboyz 5 post(s)

Our new Westie, Westley, is a diabetic, and I was wondering if there was anyone else out there with this condition. My husband is diabetic, so we are all-too familiar with the ins and outs of low/high blood sugar, possible complications, and insulin shots, but we are finding there are some differences between dogs and people when it comes to this condition. Wes is taking Vetsulin (pork-derived insulin) and is currently on about 6 units at each meal. If anyone else is interested, we could discuss insulin dosages, home glucose (urine/blood) monitoring, food/diet, or anything else! Thanks!

Mon 06 Aug 2007 07:11PM PDT

TinaValant 840 post(s)

I am on a weekly conference call with a holistic vet, please email me with Westley's meds/dosages so I can ask her abt it this Thur!!! tina

Sun 19 Aug 2007 09:18PM PDT

charm 6 post(s)

I have just discovered this site yesterday and it is great. My Border Collie is also a diabetic. She has been one for quite some time now, about 5-6 years i think. It has it up and downs at times, as with human diabetes i assume. The hardest thing that I found when she was first diagnosed, was the lack of info and support out there. I am in australia and there nothing over here for animals with diabetes. It angered me very much at first, as there was so much for humans and nothing for animals and even when I contacted our national diabetes organisation, they werent interested. Skye is on twice daily injections of caninsulin of 16 i/u and on prescription diet food twice daily as well. We use human urine sticks to test her urine for glucose and we get her 6 monthly glucose curves at the vet as well to help control her diabetes. Would love to chat further about this topic with you and any other owners of diabetic dogs. Char and Skye :)

Wed 22 Aug 2007 06:16PM PDT

westieboyz 5 post(s)

Hi Char and Skye! Nice to hear from you. It's encouraging to hear that your border collie has lived with diabetes for so long. Does her blood sugar stay pretty regular? Have you ever had a hypoglycemic episode? Do you give her any treats outside of her regular food? Sorry for all of the questions, but this is my first real chat with another owner of a diabetic dog! Thanks, Amy and Wes

Wed 22 Aug 2007 09:38PM PDT

charm 6 post(s)

Hi, No worries about all the questions, I totally understand. It is often hard to get answers about it or find other people in the same position. Skyes blood sugar levels stay pretty regular. Obviously every case is different and in her case, at least every 1 to 2 years we have had to alter her insulin dosage according to what her glucose levels are doing. She has occasionally gone down in dosage, but not often. I think it all depends on the degree of damage done to the pancreas. She has suffered many hypoglycemic episodes before. I always keep a jar of glucose syrup or honey in my cupboard in case. If they look lethargy and cant walk, falling over, sorta looks like there drunk!, that is usually the symptoms to look for. It can be quite scary when it first happens, but we have been very lucky that we have been with her every time it has happened. She can only eat dry Science Diet - Prescription Diet twice a day. However, what i do instead of treats, since she cant have any, is i use a ice cube tray and freeze 2 biscuits with water in each cube slot. We call them doggy treats and she gets so excited when she gets one, obviously in moderation! Skye is doing quite well for her age and I only hope that she continues like this for many more years. One of the main things i was concerned about, was if the life expectancy would be shortened. I have since found that as long as you keep on top of it and control it, they is every chance that dogs with diabetes can live just as long as dogs without it. Wow, I keep talking about this for ages! I am very passionate about this topic! I hope that i have answered all your questions for you so far. How long has westley had diabetes for? Hope to chat again soon. Char and Skye :)

Sat 25 Aug 2007 07:29PM PDT

westieboyz 5 post(s)

Thanks for the answers! I like the biscuit idea. We will take Wes back sometime next week for another serial blood glucose curve, but I have a feeling he's still running a little high. He's on Wellness food (Core - which is largely protein based). I also make food for both the dogs from Dr. Pitcairn's book. The vet seems to be okay with that. I think Wes has only has diabetes for a few months (we got him through Westie rescue and he was already diagnosed). He seems to be doing well though - I guess the biggest thing I worry about is the development of cataracts. I'm assuming Skye gets a lot of activity being a border collie! We try and make sure Wes gets a lot of activity as well, which has to help with the blood sugar.

89 days ago

DoriLuvsDogs 4 post(s)

Hi my Dog Mickey who is almost 6 yrs old and a Bichon/Poodle is suspected of having diabetes...My Vet is doing blood work as we speak...I am knew to this problem we have 7 dogs and I never had a pup with this problem...can anyone tell me the appox cost of insulin per month ? Believe me we love our Mickey and will do what it takes to keep him healthy and happy..Im just trying to do a possible budget before hand so that it isnt any harder on the family then need be...I do not work ,so I will be here for my baby to make sure he gets the care he needs..also is it difficult to give them the shots?? Any help would be appreciated!!

89 days ago

westieboyz 5 post(s)

Hi Dori,

First off, I'm sorry to hear about the impending diagnosis, but it's definitely not the end of the world. We spend about $40 a month on insulin. A lot of that cost is for the shipping (online pharmacies have to ship it overnight). You might find a pharmacy near you to avoid shipping costs. A box of syringes is about $12 and lasts about 3 months (I want to say about 100 come in a box). The other cost to keep in mind is if he is diabetic is that he'll probably have to have a serial blood glucose curve done at the vet periodically, at least until you get his insulin levels right. That's usually about $150 and you might have to do that once or twice the first month or so until he gets adjusted. Once you get him stabilized the main costs are the insulin and syringes. We just had Westley's teeth cleaned (which we should do anyway) as a preventive measure, as diabetics are more prone to infection. I can give you more details about diet and insulin if your dog does have diabetes, but I will hope for a negative diagnosis for you - best of luck! Amy

78 days ago

DoriLuvsDogs 4 post(s)

Mickey has diabetes and is on his 5 th day of insulin, atypical Cushings is also suspected, but we will do everything to keep our Mickey Pain free and happy

77 days ago

westieboyz 5 post(s)

I'm sorry to hear about the diagnosis, but I want to restate how important it is to keep in mind that Mickey still has many good years ahead of him. I don't know much about Cushings, but you may want to put out a question on the forums here about that. Please let me know if you have any questions about the diabetes as you go along - best of luck!

Diabetes and dogs

100% FREE Online Community For Dog Lovers!

Mon 06 Aug 2007 06:50PM PDT westieboyz 5 post(s)	Our new Westie, Westley, is a diabetic, and I was wondering if there was anyone else out there with this condition. My husband is diabetic, so we are all-too familiar with the ins and outs of low/high blood sugar, possible complications, and insulin shots, but we are finding there are some differences between dogs and people when it comes to this condition. Wes is taking Vetsulin (pork-derived insulin) and is currently on about 6 units at each meal. If anyone else is interested, we could discuss insulin dosages, home glucose (urine/blood) monitoring, food/diet, or anything else! Thanks!

Mon 06 Aug 2007 07:11PM PDT TinaValant 840 post(s)	I am on a weekly conference call with a holistic vet, please email me with Westley's meds/dosages so I can ask her abt it this Thur!!! tina


Sun 19 Aug 2007 09:18PM PDT charm 6 post(s)	I have just discovered this site yesterday and it is great. My Border Collie is also a diabetic. She has been one for quite some time now, about 5-6 years i think. It has it up and downs at times, as with human diabetes i assume. The hardest thing that I found when she was first diagnosed, was the lack of info and support out there. I am in australia and there nothing over here for animals with diabetes. It angered me very much at first, as there was so much for humans and nothing for animals and even when I contacted our national diabetes organisation, they werent interested. Skye is on twice daily injections of caninsulin of 16 i/u and on prescription diet food twice daily as well. We use human urine sticks to test her urine for glucose and we get her 6 monthly glucose curves at the vet as well to help control her diabetes. Would love to chat further about this topic with you and any other owners of diabetic dogs. Char and Skye :)

Wed 22 Aug 2007 06:16PM PDT westieboyz 5 post(s)	Hi Char and Skye! Nice to hear from you. It's encouraging to hear that your border collie has lived with diabetes for so long. Does her blood sugar stay pretty regular? Have you ever had a hypoglycemic episode? Do you give her any treats outside of her regular food? Sorry for all of the questions, but this is my first real chat with another owner of a diabetic dog! Thanks, Amy and Wes

Wed 22 Aug 2007 09:38PM PDT charm 6 post(s)	Hi, No worries about all the questions, I totally understand. It is often hard to get answers about it or find other people in the same position. Skyes blood sugar levels stay pretty regular. Obviously every case is different and in her case, at least every 1 to 2 years we have had to alter her insulin dosage according to what her glucose levels are doing. She has occasionally gone down in dosage, but not often. I think it all depends on the degree of damage done to the pancreas. She has suffered many hypoglycemic episodes before. I always keep a jar of glucose syrup or honey in my cupboard in case. If they look lethargy and cant walk, falling over, sorta looks like there drunk!, that is usually the symptoms to look for. It can be quite scary when it first happens, but we have been very lucky that we have been with her every time it has happened. She can only eat dry Science Diet - Prescription Diet twice a day. However, what i do instead of treats, since she cant have any, is i use a ice cube tray and freeze 2 biscuits with water in each cube slot. We call them doggy treats and she gets so excited when she gets one, obviously in moderation! Skye is doing quite well for her age and I only hope that she continues like this for many more years. One of the main things i was concerned about, was if the life expectancy would be shortened. I have since found that as long as you keep on top of it and control it, they is every chance that dogs with diabetes can live just as long as dogs without it. Wow, I keep talking about this for ages! I am very passionate about this topic! I hope that i have answered all your questions for you so far. How long has westley had diabetes for? Hope to chat again soon. Char and Skye :)


Sat 25 Aug 2007 07:29PM PDT westieboyz 5 post(s)	Thanks for the answers! I like the biscuit idea. We will take Wes back sometime next week for another serial blood glucose curve, but I have a feeling he's still running a little high. He's on Wellness food (Core - which is largely protein based). I also make food for both the dogs from Dr. Pitcairn's book. The vet seems to be okay with that. I think Wes has only has diabetes for a few months (we got him through Westie rescue and he was already diagnosed). He seems to be doing well though - I guess the biggest thing I worry about is the development of cataracts. I'm assuming Skye gets a lot of activity being a border collie! We try and make sure Wes gets a lot of activity as well, which has to help with the blood sugar.

89 days ago DoriLuvsDogs 4 post(s)	Hi my Dog Mickey who is almost 6 yrs old and a Bichon/Poodle is suspected of having diabetes...My Vet is doing blood work as we speak...I am knew to this problem we have 7 dogs and I never had a pup with this problem...can anyone tell me the appox cost of insulin per month ? Believe me we love our Mickey and will do what it takes to keep him healthy and happy..Im just trying to do a possible budget before hand so that it isnt any harder on the family then need be...I do not work ,so I will be here for my baby to make sure he gets the care he needs..also is it difficult to give them the shots?? Any help would be appreciated!!

89 days ago westieboyz 5 post(s)	Hi Dori, First off, I'm sorry to hear about the impending diagnosis, but it's definitely not the end of the world. We spend about $40 a month on insulin. A lot of that cost is for the shipping (online pharmacies have to ship it overnight). You might find a pharmacy near you to avoid shipping costs. A box of syringes is about $12 and lasts about 3 months (I want to say about 100 come in a box). The other cost to keep in mind is if he is diabetic is that he'll probably have to have a serial blood glucose curve done at the vet periodically, at least until you get his insulin levels right. That's usually about $150 and you might have to do that once or twice the first month or so until he gets adjusted. Once you get him stabilized the main costs are the insulin and syringes. We just had Westley's teeth cleaned (which we should do anyway) as a preventive measure, as diabetics are more prone to infection. I can give you more details about diet and insulin if your dog does have diabetes, but I will hope for a negative diagnosis for you - best of luck! Amy

78 days ago DoriLuvsDogs 4 post(s)	Mickey has diabetes and is on his 5 th day of insulin, atypical Cushings is also suspected, but we will do everything to keep our Mickey Pain free and happy

77 days ago westieboyz 5 post(s)	I'm sorry to hear about the diagnosis, but I want to restate how important it is to keep in mind that Mickey still has many good years ahead of him. I don't know much about Cushings, but you may want to put out a question on the forums here about that. Please let me know if you have any questions about the diabetes as you go along - best of luck!