Tammy & Bam / Hello everyone in Canine Diabetes Forum

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Tammy & Bam / Hello everyone

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Jody921	Tammy & Bam / Hello everyone		Lead	[-]
Posts: 3852 01/25/11 09:13 AM Administrator	Tags : None Moving you here now Tammy! Lots of good information to share with others! So I started his curve at 8AM before his insulin and food, he was at 21.8, (never had a problem with low blood sugar) fed him and gave him his needle half way through his food being done, now just waiting on 10AM to show up lol. Johanna13 I have no idea what needles I should be looking for. I switched his food to Blue Wilderness You can move to the other forum, I don't think I'll get lost now since I am on here all the time now lol. Jody 8AM-8PM works great for me hehe. Yes there were a few curves done on him, I do not have these anymore. We went to 5 1/2 units as we were going to go to 6 units but his blood was stable at 4 and I was nervous about it going any lower so she said to stay at 5 1/2 instead of going to 6 units, now its all over the place again so thats why I started over with the new food and schedule being a lot more strict. Last Edited By: Johanna13 01/25/11 10:07 AM. Edited 1 time.
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Tammy	Hello everyone . . .	#1	[url]	[-]
Posts: 106 01/23/11 04:49 PM	Hi there, My name is Tammy and I have an almost 4 y/o Yorkshire terrier Bam. He was diagnosed with Diabetes in February of 2010. I took him to the emergency vet on Feb 15, 2010. He was there for a couple days. They called me to confirm he had diabetes, pancreatitis and keytones. He was transfered to our regular vet and they showed me how to give the insulin and take his blood sugar levels from his ear. He has been eating W/D since he took sick, but since insulin, needles and food is getting quite costly I would really love to try and start making homemade food for him but I have no idea how to even start this. The vet told me I could give him carrots as treats but it seems like the carrots just make his sugar go up. I heard that carrots have sugar in them so is it a good idea to give them to a diabetic dog even though my vet did not say anything about carrots having sugar. I'm still so very LOST at what I should be doing. It seems like his sugar is STILL not quite under control. If anyone could please help me with this, or any words of wisdom it would be greatly appreciated. How long has your dog been Diabetic? ----- Almost 1 year How much does your dog weigh? ---------13-15lbs How much insulin are you using? --------5 1/2 units in the morning, 5 1/2 units in the evening What type of insulin are you using?------- Humilin N What times are you giving insulin? ----8AM & 6-8PM (His insulin only lasts for 10 hours so the vet said I have some leeway with his time) What are you feeding your dog?------- Science Diet W/D How often and how much are you feeding? ----------1/2 cup in the morning, 1/2 cup lunch, 1/2 cup evening What type of dog do you have?---------- Yorkshire Terrier Do you home test? ---------Yes Last Edited By: Johanna13 02/17/11 05:01 PM. Edited 1 time.
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Johanna13	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#2	[url]	[-]
Administrator Posts: 7346 01/23/11 06:40 PM Administrator & Owner	Hello & Welcome Tammy. Carrots are very high in sugar. String beans would be a good choice. There is so many ways to save money ... Are you using the Insulin and syringes from Wall mart? Insulin $23.00 a bottle and $13.00 for a box of 100 syringes. This use to be under the ReliOn label... I think that label has changed .. someone will post back with the information on this, There are so many food choices,, I don't know if its all necessarily cheaper.. But many here home cook. Soon many will come to this thread and welcome you both... I also will have to move this thread to our canine diabetic forum so you get the attention and support you need... So if you see that It was moved just go to the canine diabetes forum. Again welcome...
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mzizgayle	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#3	[url]	[-]
Moderator Posts: 3053 01/23/11 06:57 PM	Welcome Tammy, I am Gayle the human Diabetic of the group, and yes carrots are high in sugar, green beans are much better. I have a chi who thinks they are better than cookies lol...ask all the questions you want, we are all here to guide you thru this new way of life for you and Bam. It is great you are monitoring his blood sugars, testing is very important.
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sissysmommy.petswithdiabetes	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#4	[url]	[-]
Moderator Posts: 1494 01/23/11 07:05 PM	Hi Tammy - my name is Jerri and my diabetic girl left us almost 2 years ago. But I still try to keep up with canine diabetes and I am really thankful for the good information that I got here. I just love Yorkies! I will try to help you with a couple of things. Johanna is right about the carrots - they are full of sugar! You could use broccoli, squash, beans, or cauliflower. You can also use pure protein snacks. I made chicken jerky for Sissy and I still make it for Fritz. I just slice boneless skinless chicken breasts and dry them in the dehydrator. There are so many sources of hidden sugar - on labels, that is anything with an -ose after it. I couldn't tell from your information sheet if your Yorkie is a male or female. My question is - has he/she been neutered or spayed? This is really important because hormones can cause havoc with blood glucose levels. I am really glad that your vet encourages you to do home blood testing. This is one of the most powerful tools that you have. Sissy, a 15 1/2 year old lhasa apso left for the Rainbow Bridge on February 28, 2009. She was diagnosed on September 21, 2007. You can run and your eyes are clear, my girl. On March 8, 2009, we adopted Fritz, a Bichon Frise puppy. He is a rescue dog with a beautiful spirit.
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Jody921	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#5	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3852 01/23/11 08:27 PM Administrator	Welcome to CSG Tammy! I had a diabetic dog for 6.5 years, and believe me - I cut lots of corners when I could. I bought my insulin at Walmart for $25 a bottle and syringes there also - $13.00! Test strips were bought on ebay for my freestyle flash meter that I got at Walgreens with a full money back coupon! I used many different brands of food with Taffy, you just have to find one that your dog will consistently eat, and one that is good for your budget. Just look at the ingredient panel for diabetic friendly ingredients. There are some homecooked diets on here and with a small dog like Bam, it might be pretty reasonable for you to cook for him. It's no easy task though and you have to do your homework to make sure that he is getting all the basics covered in his diet. That is one good thing about feeding good brands of food - it's all figured out for you! Taffy loved her treats! They were pieces of veggies and she used to sit by the frig and wait patiently! Broccoli, green beans, yellow squash, and califlower. The only thing she didn't like was green peppers. Silly dog! W.D. is usually a good match with the NPH. Not always though!
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Brandy mom	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#6	[url]	[-]
Administrator Moderator Posts: 3887 01/23/11 10:22 PM	Hello and Welcome to our group. I see many have given you some hits on saving money. I think you are feeding the dry W/D not the canned. This will make a difference. So let us know please. Home cooking isn't to hard just a little work once you find the right amout of food and ingredients. You home test and this is a must if you are going to home cook. If you have a curve could you post it. I would like to see how Bam is using food and insulin. Walmart insulin is still under the Reilion Name it just now Humilin N not Novilin. It is the same exact insulin. Dawn
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mommytoNash	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#7	[url]	[-]
Posts: 10009 01/24/11 08:09 AM Administrator	Hi and welcome to CSG. I'm Cindy, and I have Nash who has been diabetic for over 3 years. The ladies have given you great information. Yes, as Dawn said, the insulin is Humulin by Eli Lilly, and is packaged under Walmarts private label called Relion. Just ask for the Relion Humulin N, here in Michigan it's just under $25 a vial and around $13 for the syringes. Insulin only lasts 30 days once it's pierced, so I end up throwing it out. I've never fed Nash W/D so I'm not sure of the feeding instructions for weight. Nash is 30 lbs and is on 3/4 cup AM and PM. He is on a grain free/gluten free food after some issues we experienced with his tummy. It's a premium food that I find very reasonably priced. Several here use other foods that would probably be more reasonable than W/D if you're trying to save money. But I am thinking you might be feeding too much food for the amount of insulin. Is Bam at a good weight? Dawn mentioned a curve. Have you done a curve? A curve is where you take bg's for 12 hours, ever two hours starting with AM fasting. This way we can see how Bam is using his insulin. Looking forward to getting to know you. Take care. Cindy and Nash Nash was born 9/2/1998, and is my sweet 1/2 breed Cocker Spaniel/English Springer Spaniel. He was dx'd with diabetes in November 2007 and is currently on 9 units of Novelin N twice a day. Nash went blind approximately 6 mnths after dx, has glaucoma and gets eye drops 5x day
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Jody921	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#8	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3852 01/24/11 08:37 AM Administrator	Dee mentioned seeing numbers from a curve. That would be very helpful here, as I see you are feeding him a meal at noon. I only fed twice a day, then gave insulin. Insulin and food work together. However, you have a little yorkie and I know they need snacks during the day. So, post the last glucose curve if you can! =)
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Tammy	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#9	[url]	[-]
Posts: 106 01/24/11 11:57 AM	Thank you all so much for the info, so much to process lol. I have taken carrots out all together and just doing a couple of levels to see how his sugar has been,(not a curve, just checking blood). He seems to be very good between 4-7 the few times I took it, until its time for his next needle, thats when its the highest. I also have 2 other dogs which I have to make sure Bam doesn't get at their food. We have a treadmill, so if its too cold outside I just put him on it for his walk, I'm trying to get him to walk at least 2hrs a day but breaking it up during the day. Johanna13 I will definitely try string beans, Bam always pretty much use to eat whatever was put in front of him. No, I buy my insulin and needles at Shoppers Drugmart, the insulin is about $25, but the needles are about $35. Gayle Not too sure how often I should be testing him? Diabetes runs in my family also, pretty much all my aunts and uncles have it, even my dad just found out he has it. Jerri Sorry for your lost. He is a male and yes he is neutered. I can do the testing, I'm just not sure how often I should be doing it. Jody What are considered diabetic friendly ingredients? What are considered good brands besides the actual W/D from the vet? Bam adores green peppers. Dawn Yes it is W/D dry, he would not touch the canned wet food at all. I'm sorry but I don't have a curve of recent blood sugar. I can do a curve tomorrow starting in the morning and post it later in the day. Cindy He eats 1/2 cup in the morning, 1/2 cup lunch, 1/2 cup evening plus carrots in between as snacks, this is what the vet set up for him but he did not start with 5 1/2 units in the morning, 5 1/2 units in the evening, this is what he is at now, but they never changed his food intake. His food intake has always been the same. Jody I do not have a recent curve. His snacks were carrots but it seems to make his blood sugar go erratic and up and down. Last Edited By: Tammy 01/24/11 12:06 PM. Edited 1 time.
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Jody921	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#10	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3852 01/24/11 01:24 PM Administrator	Shoppers Drug Mart? Are you in Canada? We've got a few members in Canada if you are....they can point you in a good direction for cost cutting factors. I am in Michigan. You are paying a bit more for syringes I see. In fact, quite a bit more. Do you have Walmart near you? The insulin is a good price though! Go figure! What kind of food was he eating prior to diabetes? How do you keep him away from your other dog's food? Are they free fed or do they eat at the same time as Bam? Glad no more carrots. Some vets are not well versed in diabetes 101. Last Edited By: Jody921 01/24/11 01:26 PM. Edited 1 time.
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Tammy	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#11	[url]	[-]
Posts: 106 01/24/11 02:00 PM	Hi Jody, Yes I am from Canada. Yes I have a Walmart near by, I will check later tonight on their prices for needles. He was eating Beneful and vet told me to switch, so he was on Ol' Roy, (there were a few recalls on these products but not on the one he was on). I sit and watch while they eat lol, they don't take too long to eat so I don't have to wait long hehe. They are fed at the same times everyday. Yeah I have noticed that here, espically since they told me carrots were fine for him.
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Jody921	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#12	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3852 01/24/11 03:19 PM Administrator	Actually Tammy, that was a very good call on your vet's part to change Bam's food from Beneful. To be perfectly honest with you, it's just not a very good food. They make you believe that it's a great food with all the colorful packaging and inserts about meat and veggies. It's full of ingredients that your dog would love....and make him want to eat more. Here's the panel from Beneful: INGREDIENTS Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), beef, rice flour, soy flour, propylene glycol, tricalcium phosphate, sugar, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, sorbic acid (a preservative), non-fat yogurt, dried carrots, dried peas, calcium, propionate (a preservative), choline chloride, L-Lysine monohydrochloride, Vitamin E supplement, added color (red 40, yellow 5, yellow 6, blue 2), zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate, niacin, Vitamin A supplement, calcium carbonate, copper sulfate, Vitamin B-12 supplement, calcium pantothenate, thiamine, mononitrate, garlic oil, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin supplement, Vitamin D-3 supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of Vitamin K activity), calcium iodate, folic acid, biotin, sodium selenite Sugar, salt, propylene glycol, animal digest (you don't even want to know what that is) - so....you need to do some homework! Maybe the gals in Canada can point you in a better direction of what you have over there. If you can find a good kibble without all these nasty ingredients and sugar sources, you can probably get him off the W.D. The better foods are pricey as well... Did you see the section on the board here under DIET. I know at one time you mentioned home cooking for him. There are lots of choices there also. The only thing that you would have to strive for is consistency. Dogs with diabetes can be regulated because they pretty much eat the same thing, day after day, unlike humans. Ol'Roy probably doesn't have the best ingredients either. Your best choices for good dog food are probably at high end pet stores. Grocery store kibble is not really too good. I hope I didn't offend you in any way. Believe me when I first started noticing all the weight my dog was gaining, while eating horrible Pedigree Dog Food, someone pointed me in the direction of investigating labels. I went on a missionn to feed Taffy better foods, she lost weight and was doing so well, and then WHAM, diabetes. I tried, but I think I was just a bit too late. Her obesity came back to bite me in the fanny! Or she could of just been predisposed to it - who knows.
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Tammy	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#13	[url]	[-]
Posts: 106 01/24/11 04:27 PM	Hi Jody, No no, no offense taken lol. Thanks a lot for all the info on the food, gonna go take a look at the diet section now. =)
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rhodesian46	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#14	[url]	[-]
Posts: 1994 01/24/11 05:27 PM	Hi Tammy. I have a Siberian Husky named Jasmine with diabetes. Her sister that passed also had diabetes along with Cushings disease and Hypothyroidism, Yeas It is my second time around. I feed Jasmine Taste of the Wild grain free kibbles along with 99%fat free turkey. it comes in chubs here. I mix that with her food and add a Natures Variety Raw Medallion. As far a green bean s go make sure that they don't have a lot of sugar in them. I used Costco's organic frozen green beans. Anything ending in ose is sugar. The manufacturers love to hide it. I get my syringes here at Walmart. 100 syringes cost me $14. It is Walmarts brand called Relion. As you probably know already the higher the gauge needle the thinner it is. Walmart can get the 31 gauge. I have always been told that I have a hour either way to inject. That is if something comes up and I can't be there at the 12 hour mark. You want to try to stay on a 12 hour schedule if you can. As far as the carrots go I too was told by my ex vet to feed as many carrots as she wanted. Carrots are really high on the Glycemic index. I have never home cooked for Jasmine as she is a 64 lb dog. I would have to make enormous meals for her. A smaller dog such as Bam would benefit in home cooking. Also what kind of meter are you using? have you had it calibrated at your vets office?
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Tammy	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#15	[url]	[-]
Posts: 106 01/24/11 08:30 PM	Ok, so I'm starting over!! He is going to have a strict schedule, of excercise and eating. I'm not sure on how to even start homecooking for Bam so I bought him Blue Wilderness to try him out on. He really likes it btw lol. I also bought VitaLite Chicken and duck tenders as his treat which seem good because its only dried chicken and duck. So tomorrow morning I will do a curve, which I have to take his blood before eating and insulin, take it every 2 hours after. (I think thats right) Marianne I try and stay on a 12 hour scedule but the vet told me I can go either 10-12 hour because his insulin only lasts 10 hours instead of the 12. I've never had a problem with his sugar being too low, it's always been too high so I have to try and keep it down. I use a Contour and the vet and I checked it at her office and it was the same reading as the one the vet used which was great.
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Jody921	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#16	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3852 01/24/11 09:20 PM Administrator	I've heard good reviews about this food Tammy. Good for you! Now with that being said, you need to keep a good watch on Bam because of just changing his diet. I see no reason why you shouldn't do that curve right away - this will tell you for sure how this food is going to work. What about the feeding requirements? Will you stay with the same amount of food. According to their website, it said something like up to 15 lbs., feed 1/4 c up to 1 1/4 a day. I don't know how it compares with the W.D. I am wondering about that middle meal that you are giving. Food and insulin need to work together, so do the curve with the middle meal and see if the afternoon number sky rocket, which would indicate that maybe that middle meal is a bit too much. You may have to cut back on it, or just give a small treat or less kibble possibly. It's all trial and error in the beginning. You are doing great with the changes you have made so far. Also, you should compare your meter with lab results. Meter to meter really means nothing. It's the lab reading that is most imporant for comparison. Bam is a handsome guy btw. Thanks for sharing him -
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Jody921	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#17	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3852 01/24/11 09:29 PM Administrator	Oh, one more thing! Don't give up on the possibility of home cooking for Bam. Once you get settled in with how the diet works and you get more comfortable with understanding diabetes, you might stumble upon a recipe that is doable and you can give it a try. Some diabetic owners do feed home cooked, especially with a little dog - it wouldn't be that expensive, I don't think. Unless you go organic, and yes, some owners go that route too! Do try and stay with the 12 hr schedule. I would deviate sometimes by an hour either way, but that was mostly because I had to be somewhere. If not, Taffy was always fed and shot at 7am and 7pm. She let me know too as I swear she had a built in rolex.
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Tammy	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#18	[url]	[-]
Posts: 106 01/24/11 11:29 PM	Hi Jody, I think I will go with what the requirements on the bag are which is 1 1/4 - 1 3/4 cups since the last time he was weighed he was at 17lbs. I will go with the 1 1/4 cups a day, so 1/2 cup and 2tbsp in the morning, treat at lunch and 1/2 cup 2tbsp in the evening before needle time and see how that goes. The meter and lab results were the compared and they were the same, also the meter she used which was the dog meter one. Thanks for the comment, he is my handsome little guy!! I will do the 12 hour schedule. So 8AM- 8PM(too late??) and see how it goes. Also wondering how many treats should he get during the day?
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Johanna13	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#19	[url]	[-]
Administrator Posts: 7346 01/25/11 12:26 AM Administrator & Owner	Tammy Green beans have no sugar in them that's what makes them a good substitute. Most vegetables have no to very little sugar... Carrots are the one vegetable that is high in sugar and should be avoided. Some vegetables are high in carbs.. that is important... Carbs will raise the BG levels.. Safe vegetables for the diabetic are: Broccoli ,green beans, cauliflower, spinach, Mostly green vegetables... Cauliflower is a good vegetable that is low in carbs. I would not use can green beans or any other vegetable in the can.. If you have no choice but use can vegetables then put the vegetables in a strainer and run it under water to remove the salt . Frozen vegetables should be fine when you don't have the real thing. Your getting a good price on your insulin... but as Jody pointed out , your paying to much for syringes. Also the dog food you are using should be upgraded to a more canine diabetic friendly dog food. Please tell me when you are comfortable for me to move this thread to the Canine Diabetic forum....I just don't want you to get lost.. Last Edited By: Johanna13 01/25/11 12:49 AM. Edited 5 times.
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Jody921	Re: Hello everyone . . .	#20	[url]	[-]
Posts: 3852 01/25/11 08:43 AM Administrator	Hi Tammy! Any 12 hr time is fine, as long as it is one that you can pretty much stick with. I think Johanna might have missed the fact that you just switched his food to Blue Wilderness. Hope he does well on it! Check his blood sugar as you just never know how a food change is going to affect him. You said something about doing a curve - good idea. Yes, you do a fasting BS check before food and insulin, then feed, then every 2 hrs you take a reading and write it down. You can put your numbers on here, and Carolyn will graph it for you. This will clearly get you to see the curve of his insulin and how it is working with his food. I believe you said that Bam was dx last February. Was there curves done on Bam since dx?
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