How Do I Find Community for My Diabetic Dog?

Not too long ago, I wrote a blog about finding community.  What I meant by that is that you need to find a group of like-minded, like-hearted people to support you in your journey with your Diabetic dog.  Especially in the beginning as you are learning the “ins and outs” of this disease.  Well, since that time, I have spent a bit of time looking into other groups than the one that I chose as my “Facebook Home”.

I need to take a deep breath here because, let me tell you that what I have found is not just shocking, it’s downright horrifying!  The misinformation that is running rampant out there is almost criminal.  Dogs’ lives are being affected in some of these groups and not in a good way!  The combination of vets being expected to be specialists on this disease and people just giving advice that is absolutely wrong is killing these poor babies.

So let me share what to look for in a “support group” to help you along your diabetic journey with your beloved pup.  Please look for a group that:

Has a large number of members (5,000 or more) – they got to be that big because people joined, trusted the information there, learned and stayed because their dog got better. The membership has been well taught and feel confident in their knowledge of the disease and can help others and identify with them.

Is active – when you see a question posted, are there responses by either other members or a member of the Administrator/Moderator team.  Read the comments in the posts and do a gut check, does that seem to make sense?

Has enough Administrators and Moderators to monitor the traffic on the page – if there are several hundred members and only one or two Administrators or Moderators, they can’t possibly monitor the page properly to make sure that the information and advice being given is accurate.  In the group that I chose ( CDSI), we have an Admin/Mod team of 29 extremely knowledgeable people that know their stuff when it comes to Canine Diabetes and some of the other peripheral diseases that can go hand in hand with it. I know that 29 may seem like a huge number, but when your group has just shy of 12,000 members, over 9,000 of which are active members, you need a team… A big strong team!  We make sure that our page is covered 24 hours a day by someone on the team.  We have Moderators in all time zones around the globe so that no matter where you live, there is someone there to help if needed. The larger groups are well monitored and typically have someone available around the clock.

Look in the files of the group – does the group have extensive files that if you took the time to read them, you would be able to answer most of your questions.  Sometimes you just need a quick answer so posting is just easier.  Let’s be honest, most of us are lazy and it’s just easier to ask a question of the membership than to take the time to search the files for your answer.  Lol

Do the members seem knowledgeable – or is it just a lot of “I have the same issue, but am just ignoring it.” Or “I know that I should be testing, but I just don’t want to.” It’s fine to have someone identify with you or commiserate, but when you need help, it’s good to have people that can actually provide useful information and guidance.  Your vet isn’t available 24/7 and likely hasn’t lived with this disease 24/7 so having access to people that do or have is priceless.

Does the group have discounts with suppliers – the larger groups are well organized and go above and beyond to help their members as much as possible.  They approach the companies that make or sell the supplies that we need on a daily basis and work out great discounts to make this disease as affordable as possible.

Honestly, there are only two groups on Facebook that I would even consider.  When I first realized that there are groups on Facebook, I joined them all (the ones for Canine Diabetes).  As I spent time reading and trying to learn, I began leaving the groups that I didn’t feel had anything positive to add to my journey.  There was just too much drama and not enough useful information.  I personally chose Canine Diabetes Support and Information as my “Facebook Home”.  The other group is called Diabetic Dog Owners and has very knowledgeable Administrators, Moderators members and checks all the boxes above also.

Please be careful of the newer “pop-up” groups that have used these two group names and altered them slightly.  The way to know that you are joining the correct group is to check the number of members in the group.  The newer ones don’t have the thousands of members that the well-established, tried and true groups do.

If Facebook isn’t for you, there are some web based groups that were much more active before Facebook came along, but to be truthful, I have lost touch with them.  And last but certainly not least, you can begin a discussion in the comments below or email me (my email is in the last paragraph) and I can help or maybe put you in touch with people who can.

I wish you luck finding “community” to help you in your Canine Diabetes journey.  There is help and support out there; you just have to take the steps to find it.  You don’t have to do this alone; there are those out there to help you succeed.

You’ll notice that for most of the products, previous blog entries or groups that I mention, the text is linked to a website that you can purchase that item or a link to join the group mentioned.  Just click on the colored text (red or blue, depending what device you are on) and it should take you right to the item or group.  If you have any thoughts or ideas for topics that you’d like to see covered here, please feel free to comment below or send me an email at NancyForPetTest@PharmaSupply.com.  As always, please “like” this blog post or any of the others that have helped you or just refreshed your memory.Look for new posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!

Until next time…