The 4th Of July With Your Diabetic Dog
Today’s topic is to prepare us all for the looming holiday… The Fourth of July! While many of us love to celebrate the birth of our country with picnics, parties and those ever present fireworks, many of our pups don’t share our enthusiasm for this celebration. This is the holiday that sadly sees the highest number of pet runaway situations. It is not because they don’t love you or think that their home is the very best place that they could ever be. It is because they are terrified and trying to find a safe place where the loud noises, big flashes of light and sulfur smell are not present. It is not an act of defiance; it is an act of survival.
Now that you have a Diabetic dog, a runaway situation can be life threatening for your pup. In the post about Housekeeping we talked about updating your pup’s microchip information to include the fact that they are now diabetic, insulin dependent and also to reflect your current address if you have moved since your pup was “chipped”. If there was ever a time to make sure this information is up to date, it is before this holiday.
In my household, my Diabetic pup wasn’t the least bothered by fireworks, thunderstorms, or anything else that had my other pup cowering in the closet panting, trembling and behaving as if the world was coming to an end (for him, it was). That is not the case for many of you. We know how much stress can impact BG (Blood Glucose) numbers and for some of you, this holiday will absolutely prove that. So, while there is still time, let’s make sure that you have everything that you could possibly need and aren’t running around town frantic only to find out that everyone else planned ahead and there isn’t much left on the store shelves that can help you.
What can help calm your pup? There are several products on the market that can take the edge off of the stress of fireworks for your pup. The beauty of a planned event like fireworks is that you know they won’t start until after dusk so you can plan. With any of the treatments that I will mention, it is best to get them into your pup at least half an hour before the first rush of adrenaline floods your pup’s system. Once that happens, it will likely take a “big gun” prescription med to take the edge off of their stress. I would start giving a remedy an hour or two before the neighbors start shooting off their fireworks.
Thunder shirts are a very popular item, they seem to give comfort and make your pup feel more secure and during a thunderstorm, they keep the static electricity and ions from getting into your pup’s fur causing their skin to crawl. I will say that if you use a thunder shirt, please don’t leave your pup alone with it on as it is a “compression device” and should be monitored especially if your pup is freaked out.
Natural remedies are a favorite in my house for both two legged and four legged creatures. I used Bach’s Pet Remedy. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t. I had the most success with it the earlier that I gave it before the first clap of thunder or the first bottle rocket. You may also consider CBD oil. I have seen testimony after testimony that CBD oil has had a very calming effect on many pups that suffer from anxiety as well as its other success in treating joint and mobility issues, pain and inflammation, seizures and epilepsy disorders. PetTest/Oliver’s Harvest has a bacon flavored CBD oil that has no added sweeteners and is of the highest quality. I’m sure that there are many others remedies that you could share in the comments below to help the rest of us. So if you have some suggestions for what works for you, please share with the rest of us.
I had a bunker set up in my pantry under the stairs for these scary times. We had water, treats, music, a fan, battery powered lights, a white noise machine and anything else that I could think of. If my “sugar baby” had been the one that was terrified of storms or fireworks, I would also have my emergency supplies in the “bunker”.
If your pup reacts to stress with higher numbers, then water, water, water and maybe some pee pads strategically placed since I’m betting that your pup is not going to venture into the combat zone to potty. Now, if your pup has lower numbers during this type of stress, let’s review…
You will need all of the items that were mentioned in the Hypoglycemia post. In this situation especially, I would consider getting the Glucose SOS syringe or packets. You may be asking yourself, “Why should I buy this when I can just use Karo syrup or honey. Well, this is why… The Glucose SOS is specifically formulated to not only bring your pup’s BG (Blood Glucose) up, it is formulated to keep the level steady for an hour or so until some kibble can digest and get into the blood stream to take over and sustain a safe glucose level. Contrary to the Karo or honey, which will spike numbers and then BG (Blood Glucose) will plummet again (thereby needing potentially several applications); the SOS will raise the level and sustain it making low numbers much easier to treat without “over treating”. When I first saw the SOS, I thought, what a great idea, but never understood that there is a significant difference between this product and what we have in our pantry. The packets are marketed for human use, but will accomplish the same thing for your dog. The formula in the packets is in powder form and can be kept anywhere and everywhere… your purse, nightstand, car glove-box, in your walk kit, emergency kit, basically anywhere that you might need it. It is applied the same way; just rub it directly on the gums. You can use it as a powder or mix with a tiny bit of water to make a paste and smear it on the gums. If you consider the packets, I’d probably order the mixed berry flavor instead of the citrus or green apple. I wish that this product had been around when I had a “sugar baby”, it would have been stashed everywhere! I can’t tell you how many pancake syrup containers broke open in my purse and fanny pack. After the first one, Ziplocs became my friend! LOL
So now that we are all on high alert for the impending holiday, please enjoy the long weekend and keep your pups safe!
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 Tuesday!
Until next time…