Diabetes in dogs, any experience/advice?

[Eggybreadwithnuts]

My brothers dog has just been diagnosed with diabetes. All very new to them but have been told will need 2 insulin injections a day 😮

Anyone have any experience, advice?

Yes, my late dog was dx with it. The best thing to do is just go in with a mindset that it has to be done to,keep the dog alive. To inject pull up the ruff/loose skin at that back of neck until you have a sort of tent shape, then put the needle in and plunge quickly. Don’t faff, don’t make a big thing out of it, just get in there ans do it. A vet will demonstrate technique and will be there to support at every step - it is very scary at first, but it soon becomes normal. It will take a while to find the right dose of insulin and the vet may well want to do weekly glucose curves to find out how the dog is reacting to the insulin - when are the peaks and troughs etc. my dog went into the practice for a day ans hung out with the vet nurses whilst having samples taken hourly. He loved it. Sometimes the glucose curves don’t really work for the animal, my vet ditched it after a few months as it was easier to use dip sticks for the urine, but he was 10 by then and also had other health issues. I found that after a while I could tell when he needed an increase in dose by his behaviour - can’t explain why and it’s dependant on the dog.
food - I changed my dogs diet to royal canin diabetic dog food which is bloody expensive and was difficult to get hold of as this was happening in the middle of the pandemic. My vet said just put him back on normal food - I used chappie but that was due to his ibs. Whatever they decide they need to keep him on it and feed at the same time morning and evening, followed by the injection. It’s the opposite way to humans where the insulin comes before the food, but that’s because diabetic dogs sometimes don’t eat. If the dog doesn’t eat, call the vet for advice and they may say skip the dose or give half. Exercise is also important.
the main thing is that it is a change to their lives, but it is manageable and it’s amazing how quickly they will adapt and it becomes normal life. My boy lasted 3.5 years after his diagnosis and he died due to a splenic tumour ans not the diabetes. However, they do need to make sure they know how to spot hypoglycaemia and also watch out for UTIs.
bit of a brain dump, sorry, but itll be ok.

Great advice thank you

Ex MIL had a diabetic dog, it was fine didn’t phase him at all!

Injecting is pretty easy, just goes in the scruff of the neck.

Watch out for their eyes though, dog went blind and then later on injured one eye somehow and it had to be removed. Otherwise he lived a long time with no other issues.

Oh yes, I’d somehow forgotten about diabetic cataracts. My dog seemed to develop them very quickly. They were removed, but then he developed glaucoma in one eye and eventually had to have it removed. It didn’t phase him at all. Nothing phased him. He was a hero. But they need to watch out for the cataracts.

Strangely the dog had an ulcer on its eye a few weeks back and was treated with antibiotics. Wonder if related.

My cat had/has diabetes, currently in remission (dogs can’t go into remission, sadly). There will be a Facebook group with good advice but be warned it can became a bit obsessive.

Any other groups or sites as DB isnt on social media

Try Reddit but for the cat groups it’s mostly on FB, I have an account just for a few groups as FB is obviously a hellsite.

Yes could be. How are they? It’s such a shock to the system for the owners. My dog had diabetes for a long time before I noticed and ended up in ketoacidosis and had fits - which worked out for the best because it got him the dx. Whatever, the route, they know now and know what to do to keep their dog ok. What breed is it?

I don’t do social media so can’t help with support groups, sorry. My advice is trust in your vet and dont worry about asking stupid questions. I did see a few Facebook groups but mostly they were American and not really useful. I can’t stress enough that your brothers vet is the best friend he can have at this time. And keep this thread going for support. They have a long journey ahead of them, but I can’t empathise enough that their pup doesn’t have this angst, is just interested in living their best life and has no clue what is wrong with them. They are totally unfazed with twice daily injections and all the poking and prodding that comes with management or the condition. Dogs live for the moment and quickly forget anything uncomfortable so he/she will not be traumatised.

@stclementine eye cleared up nicely with antibiotics. But last few weeks dogs not himself, lost his spark abit so they took him to vets and asked to see the vet that knows the dog to a tee...must have had tests and turns out diagnosed with diabetes. They are also worried - although obviously not at the forefront - about costs as just forked out £700 for the eye treatment etc. Which they can claim back on their insurance.

It's a yorkie-poo

Hi tell him to go on FB group ‘UK Diabetic Dogs’ - a really great and helpful group from newly diagnosed owners. Our dog was diagnosed 4 years ago now, now blind but does ok. Stabilising it takes about 6 months. Takes the jabs no problem but you need to rotate the sites as that’s a whole lot of scar tissue over the years with twice per day injections. Make sure there at least two people comfortable to be able to feed and give the jabs otherwise that could be four years of never having a break unless you take dog away with you. Good luck. It’s hard work and stressful at the start but a tight regime is required - you take a pet on, you owe them that care. We live ours more than life but it’s been worth it.

Needles and Insulin
Any advice on where to buy from? Any subscription sites worth joining?
Alternatives to buying from vets?

There are various vet pharmacy sites, but to be honest it is going to work out expensive whichever option they use and getting it from the vet means that they have that professional oversight. At least for the insulin which is called caninsulin and comes in bottles. It needs to be refrigerated and handled very gently when mixing - invert the bottle a couple of times and not shake to mix otherwise it breaks up the insulin (which is a small molecule called a polypeptide). Getting it from the vet means that it has been treated and stored properly from the start. Needles are just usual syringes for insulin so could possibly get from Amazon. The size will depend on the dose the dog needs but I used to also get those from the vet. They’ll need a sharps bin and again the vet can provide those and also dispose of them when full. My dogs sharps bin was a huge bucket!
the vet may recommend something called an alphatrak to monitor blood glucose at home and/or dipsticks for urine.
it’s daunting and overwhelming so tell them just to concentrate on the basics for now - learning how to inject the insulin, the feeding regime and exercise as that’s vital for insulin to work properly.