Pansy-Paws
Presenting a Chow Chow's perspective
Other Pets in my Household - Baron Chow - Living with Diabetes
About
a year ago, I was diagnosed as having diabetes. My parents did lots of
reading and research about the disease, and for awhile it seemed like I was
continually at the "witch lady's" office (our local Veterinarian). I don't like
it there very much ... even the dog treats have a funny antiseptic smell, so
although I'm offered some, I never take any.
Lately though, it seems that I haven't gone there as much, so my diabetes must be getting more under control - my parents say that it is 'managed'. My back legs are still weak (this is also due to my advanced arthritis), so I take the stairs one at a time to get upstairs, or sometimes I'll bark for Dad to carry me up.
You can read more about my diabetes below. It is not an uncommon thing in dogs, although it is most often seen in cats.
The first signs
My diabetes was the quick onset type, and in the spring of 2002, I started getting really thirsty. Since I know how to open toilet lids, I didn't have any problem getting my drinks, but then I sure had to pee often. My parents noticed that I was asking to go outside on a frequent basis (sometimes asking my Mom to go out 3 or 4 times during the night), and that I had less energy (which can be tough to recognize in a Chow since we are rather sedate dogs anyways ... ). My back legs then started to collapse on me, like they didn't have any strength in them. My lower eyelids looked saggy and my Mom made an appointment with our Vet.
Initial Diagnosis & Treatment
A trip to witch lady* confirmed that my glucose (sugar) levels were off the scale, not a good sign. This was done with a glucose test stick dipped in my urine. It's a rather crude test but does show if there is a problem. Our Vet did think it was diabetes, but needed to know more about the degree of the disease and other things about my overall health. Sometimes, the pancreas can be really injured with diabetes and only further tests can show this. So I gave them more urine and they took some blood that was sent to a lab. The diagnosis came back as diabetes, but the good news was that - for my age - everything else looked pretty good.
I was put on canine insulin for awhile, but the results weren't as good as they should have been. I was still drinking quite a lot and still having low energy - and high glucose levels. There are a variety of canine and human insulins available, and witch lady wanted to try some others, but also thought that further diagnosis might be wise. Perhaps my pancreas was having problems (there is always the scary thought of tumors).
Further Diagnosis & Treatment
Originally, I had to visit witch lady every two weeks, and they did a glucose curve (that's where they poke me every few hours to take blood to see how the sugar is changing throughout the day, as I receive my normal food and insulin injections). Since I don't like it there very much, I'm stressed out, and I don't eat anything. That doesn't help them get good readings through the day ... but Mom kept sending me there nonetheless.
So, when I didn't respond as well as witch lady was hoping for, she
arranged to have an ultrasound done of my internal organs. It was done at a
special clinic and let me tell you ...
being held upside down, having your tummy shaved, getting cold
Vaseline-like
gel rubbed over your body, and having a medical probe
pushed against your tummy is not an enjoyable experience. But my Mom and Dad
were in the room with me and I put up with it
as best I could - everyone said how good I was.
The ultrasound showed that my pancreas, kidneys and other organs looked fine, so we experimented with increased dosages of different insulins, and eventually I started to feel better. The picture on the right is of my pancreas.
Current Treatment
I started out getting 12 units of insulin twice a day, and slowly worked up to larger does over 3-4 months. Originally, the witch lady thought that I was getting into dosages that were too large, but the specialist doctor said that was just fine ... getting to the correct dosage is a very individual thing.
At this point, I am taking Humulin L (27 units) insulin twice a day, after breakfast and dinner. I used to only have dinner, but now I get smaller meals more frequently. It took a bit of getting used to, but I like the new routine. That way, I've eaten food when I get my insulin treatment. The needle shot goes under the skin (I think it's called subcutaneous), right behind my neck. I hardly feel it at all.
One thing my parents are on the alert for is my blood sugar getting too low. This can happen when I haven't eaten enough, after extreme exercise, or if I'm getting too much insulin. The symptoms would be that I'd look "drunk". I'd be very wobbly, my eyes would be closing, I'd be wanting to lay down, I might be panting a lot. This has never happened to me yet, and the chances of it happening with the routine that we've worked out is quite slim. But there is always a jar of Karo syrup in the house and in the car - just in case. (That's what you do when a dog goes into low blood sugar shock -- pour some sugary syrup on his tongue and gums.)
Changes in my lifestyle
Being adaptable, having great Vets and having a Mom who is home all the time has really helped me deal with this disease. Now life is going on much as before, but with changes that I can put up with. My quality of life is excellent and some dogs can live a long good life with diabetes -- I'm going to be one of them!
Food: Even though I never ate lots of human food or junky dog food, my diet has become even healthier. I'm on a hard food that is super healthy and contains no sugars, has a low grain component and very little additives. Lean ground beef or chicken is sometimes put on top of my kibble. The treats I get are Milkbones, small dried salmon strips, and pig strips -- all in moderation.
Exercise: I don't do many walks anymore. I roam around our yard and sometimes get taken to my favourite dog walk areas, but I don't walk for very long. The diabetes along with my arthritis means that I do get tired easily (and I'm also 10 human years old, remember).
Grooming: Dogs with diabetes, like people with diabetes, are more
susceptible to infections. So my parents check me over - especially my paws - to
make sure that I have no cuts or sores. One time a small nick (probably from a
stone or something) did get infected and became abscessed. It was cleaned out,
bandaged, and I was put on antibiotics.
More information
This has been my experience with diabetes. To learn more, have a look at the websites listed below. As with any disease, the more you know, the better you are able to deal with it. But remember that diabetes is a serious disease and needs the expert advice and treatment that is available through Veterinarians.
* I call her "witch lady", but her real name is Tina Gemeinhardt and she is one of the nicest Vets I've ever met. The other Vets at her office are very good, too, and the technicians there are all sweet on me which makes my visits a bit more pleasant.