So Now You Have a Diabetic Dog: Part 4
Today we recap this series “So Now You Have a Diabetic Dog” and what that means. Let’s start off by saying that your pup is still your lovable, sweet, love giving pup. They didn’t ask for this disease just like you didn’t. So now, it’s finding your way to manage this disease as affordably as possible. Sure it is costly at the onset, but it doesn’t have to break the bank going forward.
Learning how to test your pup is the greatest gift that you can give yourself and your dog. You will always know that your pup is safe and you will also get “in range” much quicker which will give you a good chance to keep your pup sighted and healthy. Testing is a technique that you will develop that works for you and your pup. Once you master it, there will be no stopping you and this journey should be pretty smooth sailing after that. I know that many vets don’t encourage home testing which makes me sad, but that is not to say that you can’t or shouldn’t. Your vet may tell you not to eat chicken, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t! Please don’t let ANYONE rob you of the comfort and peace of mind that home testing provides. There’s nothing that says that you have to share your numbers with your vet if they are a naysayer. If you had a diabetic child, you would test them several times a day to keep them safe. Your pup is no different.
Probably the biggest changes going forward are keeping to a schedule which while at the onset seems like a huge chore, it really can be viewed as a gift of sorts. Now you know that you will be up and out of bed every day at the same time and can plan accordingly. If you were a “sleep in on the weekends” person, now you can embrace the idea of naps! You may find that you are much more productive than you used to be!
Getting your pup on a 12 hour schedule may take some time, but with a little effort, you should both acclimate quickly. I know that for the picky, not hungry in the morning pups, this may make your mornings frustrating, but there are work arounds for that. If your pup is a bit nauseous in the morning and not inclined to eat, you can take measures to get rid of the nausea and make your mornings a little more pleasant. I know that for some of you your kitchen counters are strewn with everything from your fridge and pantry giving options just praying that your pup will eat. There are days that we have all felt like a “short order cook”! Perhaps try a short walk before feeding to get things moving. If you live in the brutally cold climates, maybe a bit of play time before trying to attempt breakfast. Instead of viewing this as a real pain, try viewing it as a bonding experience for you and your pup to start your day off on a happy note.
Now the order of things… we test, feed, inject. Repeat after me, test, feed inject. There are several posts that discuss how to alter a dose if your pup is below 200 at fasting or if you can’t get your pup to eat their full meal. One of those posts can be found here: https://shoppettest.com/blog/yikes-my-diabetic-dog-wont-eat-/
Master the basics and then learn the nuances of this disease. One of the temptations is that you read everything and want to try everything at once. Please resist the temptation! If you make a change, just change one thing at a time. If you are changing food, only change that, don’t change food, injection site, add a new supplement start a new exercise regimen. One thing at a time as even a slight variation can affect your pup’s numbers and if you’ve changed a bunch of things at once, you will never know what had the positive or negative impact. Food takes the longest to settle, so if you are thinking about changing food, maybe do that last and implement any other changes before that one. As you learn more about the disease, you will be able to think through a plan and do things in the smoothest possible way.
Find your community (https://shoppettest.com/blog/how-do-i-find-community-for-my-diabetic-dog/ ), ask questions, learn all that you can and while you’re doing that, remember that your pup is the victim in all of this. Try to manage your stress as your pup will definitely feel it and it will likely impact your numbers. I will ask you to make a pact with your pup… “We will both do our best to be understanding and cooperative and support each other through this new development called Diabetes”.
You’ve got this!!!
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…