So Now You Have a Diabetic Dog: Part 3
In the first two parts of this series we talked about saving money while ordering your supplies and the importance of food. Today we talk about those of you that can’t home test for whatever reason. There is no judgement here about that. Do I want everyone to test at home? Of course I do, but I understand that not everyone can. My biggest concern for you is that you may be in store for some very hefty vet bills. So let’s focus on what you CAN do to keep your pup safe.
The first thing that you need to do is pay very strict attention to what your pup eats. Make sure that you are feeding a Diabetic friendly food in the proper amounts and that the treats that you give are those that will not impact BG (Blood Glucose) in a negative way. This is very important because we want to be sure that you are doing all that you can while “flying blind” as far as numbers go.
I will suggest that you buy some ketone strips, they are available here: https://shoppettest.com/ketone-strips-for-pets/
These strips have both an indicator for ketones and BG (Blood Glucose). The ketone strips will be a good tool to have in the event that your pup is running very high numbers and is producing ketones. If I wasn’t able to test, I would be using these strips faithfully at least 2 times a day or maybe 3 times. The first pee of the day, a midday pee and one before evening meal pee. How can this help you ask? Read on.
The glucose indicator on the strip will not give you a real time number; it will only tell you what the glucose has been since your pup last peed. Glucose spills into urine when it is above 180 so if you are testing urine and there is no color on the strip, your pup is below 180 since he/she last peed. You will have to make a judgement call as to whether to give a full dose of insulin if this is the case. You will not know how far below 180 your pup is, but you will know that he/she is running a bit low potentially. It is not an accurate way to know real time numbers, but when it comes to low BG (Blood Glucose) it is better than nothing.
If you have been following along, you know that the Diabetic Dog community shoots for a range of 150-250 to keep your pup safe. If you are seeing no reaction on the strip frequently, it may be time for a vet visit to be sure that your pup isn’t getting a bit too much insulin. Again, this is not a replacement for home blood testing, but it is better than not having any idea where your pup’s BG (Blood Glucose) is.
Another thing that you can do is to give D-Mannose the last thing at night before bed to keep the bladder clear of infection. There is a blog post about this here:
https://shoppettest.com/blog/dmannose-and-your-diabetic-dog/
Just because you can’t home test, doesn’t mean that you can’t do everything in your power to keep your pup as healthy and safe as possible. I will tell you that if you can’t test blood at home, the advice that the Diabetic Community can give you is limited so you will need to tuck a bit of money away each month for some vet bills. It’s not the end of the world, but for those on a tight budget, it can be difficult. Here is where I encourage you not to give up on blood testing. Please keep trying, it really is the very best way to manage this disease and to keep costs down going forward.
The last thing that I would be sure to have at home is a Glucose SOS. This product will bring your pup out of a hypoglycemic event and keep them safe for about an hour while you get to the vet or can feed a bit of food. Without the ability to monitor your pup during and after a hypo event, this is your best option. You can get the SOS here: https://shoppettest.com/glucose-sos-for-pets/
Keep in mind that by the time your pup is showing visible signs of a hypo, every second counts. I would make sure that you have the SOS handy and when your pup comes out of the event that you head to the vet right away. I have shared before that I only had one hypo and the reading was 32!!!! Eeeeeeek!!! Max showed no visible sign of being that low, not a one, so being prepared is so very important.
I know that if you are not a home tester and belong to one of the two large Facebook groups you probably don’t post much because you know that the first question that you will be asked is “what is BG” and you won’t have an answer. I will say that many people are not so understanding when it comes to not being able to home test (I know that there are several reasons that testing is impossible), but don’t let that stand in your way of learning everything that you can and doing all that you can to help your pup live a full, healthy, safe life even with Diabetes.
Notice that for most of the products 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…