Why Home Testing Your Diabetic Dog is So Critically Important
This topic is one that we will revisit often as it is the MOST important topic to master in canine diabetes management. Home testing is the key to managing this disease, getting your pup in a safe range and keeping him/her there. I mentioned in a prior entry that I didn’t sleep much the first three months after my pup was diagnosed. Why? Because I was flying blind. Anyone that knows me will tell you that I’m not good with that!
We were traveling when my Max was diagnosed. Suffice it to say that the vet that diagnosed Max was not a fan of home testing. I called my vet at home after being frustrated at the lack of progress and he said the magic words, “Nancy, you can buy a meter and test him at home.” WHAT!? I had been led to believe that there was something mysterious about testing and it needed to be done at the vet’s office. Yup… I fell for it, spent $6,000 on curves 3 times a week and had made no progress! Well, my sleepless nights, going broke and never knowing what Max’s BG (blood glucose) was ended that day!
Where to begin... I know that many of you are thinking - that you don’t want to “hurt” your pup by getting a drop of blood from him/her twice a day. Let me tell you, there are many spots on a dog that don’t have a lot of nerve endings and make perfect testing spots. For my Max, he didn’t care about the poke at ALL; he just wanted the chicken breast cube that came before and after the test! He never flinched, whined or complained… “Just give me the treat Mama!” All I had to do was open the refrigerator door and reach for the Ziplock that had his chicken breast cubes in it and he’d come FLYING into the kitchen! Not too far behind him was his brother Finn, wanting to know what “we” are so excited about! All this to say that home testing your pup is the greatest gift that you can give them to keep them safe and happy. I even had to “test” (fake test) my Finn so that he didn’t feel left out of the “game”.
I know that you’re thinking that you take your pup to the vet for a curve so you don’t have to worry about numbers. Let me just say this, if your pup absolutely loves your vet and the clinic, then this may serve you. Although my boys were “ok” at the vet’s office, it wasn’t their favorite place to be. There was often some trembling, urinating in the lobby (much to my chagrin), whining... you get the picture. The point is that they were stressed being at the vet (stress is one of the many things that can affect BG). Look up the term “white coat syndrome” , yup, there’s actually a name for what happens to your pup when they go to the vet. What I’m getting at is that you want your dog to be on the correct dose of insulin and the best way to get there is to make sure that you have the most accurate numbers possible (not inflated by stress) . For me, that meant testing at home where we were all comfortable, relaxed and just going about our day. To say that there is a big cost difference is an understatement. For me a “curve” at the vet cost me about $150.00. What did I get for that? I got a stressed out dog and 3 readings. Sigh… To do a curve at home, you get a reading every two hours from fasting (before breakfast) to fasting (before dinner) and each test costs you less than a dollar. More about curves in a later entry.
Why do you care what your dog’s BG is? Insulin is a very powerful drug and you need
to know if your pup is in a safe range to give a full dose of insulin. You also want to know as much data about your
dog’s patterns as you can. After a
while, you’ll just know that when the UPS guy comes to the door, you better go
find a little biscuit for your sugar baby if that excitement makes him/her drop
OR you’ll know that you need to fill up the water bowls because that excitement
makes your pup run on the high side for about an hour or so.after your meter. The
PetTest Meter is an excellent meter and
the cost of strips is very reasonable.
The PetTest uses very little blood to get an accurate reading and give you peace of mind. I didn’t sleep until I got my meter and could test Max any time of the day or night. Once I started testing, our lives became MUCH more normal as I was far less stressed and because of that Max was far less stressed. Don’t forget that your pets cue off of your emotions and if you are worried and stressed by this diagnosis, so will they be. Once you take control and get comfortable with your “new normal”, life can go on in a much more calm way. What we forget is that our sugar baby is still our baby; he or she just has diabetes.I have said in a prior post that your journal will be the SECOND best tool in your tool belt
We will spend more time on testing in future posts as there is a lot to cover, but you get the message here that testing is the quickest way to getting your dog in a safe range and keeping him or her there.
As always, questions are welcome in the comments. I look forward to hearing what’s on your mind!