Penny went everywhere with us, even on most family vacations, especially after she was diagnosed with diabetes. It was too hard leaving her behind because any change in her routine would make her very sick. Truth be told, I just didn’t have the heart to leave her behind either, I was just as much attached to her as she was to me. She was my little shadow, no more then 2 feet away from me at any one time. She would come on what we called “parking lot duty” with me, when I would wait to pick up my daughter after school. She knew when it was getting close to parking lot duty time everyday like clockwork. It was very endearing. But during Dec of 2017 she didn’t seem as excited and even used to wince when I would try to pick her up. That sent up a red flag because parking lot duty was her life.
We took her into the vet and sure enough her insulin needed to be adjusted again she was having more pain in her hind quarter and she was given a pain medication safe for dogs to help with her mobility.
She did well during Christmas but shortly after we started to see her become tired again and she couldn’t eat much. I would bring her breakfast or supper and she would sniff it and then lay down as if to say, “I just can’t mommy.” I found her thirst was unquenchable and I would have to try to give her small amounts every 3-5 minutes in order for her to keep it down. If she had free range of her bowl she would drink it dry then throw it all back up again. Monitoring her water worked very well for her, I would give her a ½ a cup every few minutes so that it would be better absorbed in smaller quantities then if she drank a few cups all at once. Then eventually after an hour she would settle having the water properly absorbed instead of back up on the floor. She would sleep for 20-40 minutes then I’d wake her again for her to drink unless it seemed like she had enough, then she would turn her nose from the bowl and settle again.
We purchased a glucose monitor for dogs/cats at our vet clinic, it was not too pricey, about $80 Canadian, and this started the glucose monitoring twice a day on top of adjusting her insulin throughout the day. It came with the monitor, strips and lancets, so strips and lancets would need to purchased as we needed them.
In the new year of 2018, Penny had another illness and once again I was up all throughout the night monitoring her water intake. From time to time she would have illnesses where her insulin amounts were not enough and her sugars would soar. She started to be monitored 3 times a day to figure out the right amount of insulin to give. At this point she was receiving 5 units in the am 2-3 units in the afternoon and 5 units at night. She stabilized once again for a few weeks.
OK… this is where those tissues are going to be put to good use.
But..in the 3rdweek of January 2018, she became sick again and it was just too soon from her last illness, so we immediately took her in to the vet. Now during the whole time she struggled with diabetes we were in CONSTANT contact with our vet and vet hospital. I would never have thought, in a million years, that during this visit, I would receive the news that this was going to be her last day.
Her little body was in ketoacidosis. She could have a treatment through a specialized vet hospital but there was no guarantee she would even make it through the night. The attachment that had been formed between myself and Penny was insurmountable and there was no way possible I could leave her and she die without me there. If she made it through the procedure she may get a month or two, or it could be a few weeks, it would be hard to say. Her body just could not get regulated with the insulin. I felt like someone punched me right in the stomach. She didn’t even seem as bad as she had gotten many times previous, but the vet consoled me that she would not make it through the day, yet to look at her, you would have thought she just needed antibiotics or something, it was hard to bear.
Ketoacidosis
Ketoacidosis, is when the diabetes has become uncontrolled or uncontrollable, causing pre meal blood glucose levels to soar above 14.0 mmol/L in turn causing breakdowns in fat releasing acid (Ketones) into the blood stream. Ketone levels should be less then 0.6 mmol/L. When blood glucose levels become higher then 14.0 mmol/L, and you check your ketone levels and they are above 0.6 mmol/L, then your body is in ketoacidosis and requires immediate attention because it is life threatening. It requires one to be admitted, and undergo an exuberant amount of intravenous fluids with potassium to flush the kidneys and organs, and larger insulin doses periodically throughout the day being monitored hourly. I will explain some of the preventative symptoms of ketoacidosis under this post, but as for now I will continue with the story.
I decided I couldn’t put her through the described procedure only for her to have to be contstantly poked at for the next month or two of her life if she made it. She would have to of had her sugars monitored 3-4 times a day and then 3-4 needles a day and her prognosis for recovery was very bleak. Even before this visit, the 3 times a day monitoring and insulin injections throughout the day was becoming scary for her, and she started to cower when she saw me come with medicine. So, I took her home for the last few hours she had and called my daughter home from school to say good bye.
My veterinarian came to our house to help her pass on peacefully so she wouldn’t have to be stressed going back to the hospital again that day. I cannot ask for a better, more loving verterinarian and staff that had helped us and Penny through this time. She explained that we did everything possible even more then she had seen in any of her clients/patients but that Penny was just not well from the beginning. More then likely her pancreas was just not able to function as her body needed it to. She passed away at 4 ½ years old.
We’ve had many family pets and I have LOVED them all as my own children. A couple have passed on, but Penny was, as my daughter said, “the sick sibling” and it was very difficult to accept, still is. I constantly questioned had she of been diagnosed faster, had I had realized myself about her weight gain being diabetes, but as a pet owner and parent, being responsible for a life always comes with many questions.
So, if this post can help anyone with a pet with similar symptoms to be able to ask… is it possibly diabetes???, then I will feel like she will have had a greater purpose.
When Penny passed, it was heart wrenching, and I told my daughter it may be a while before we have another puppy, and at this time we had a cat that I had inherited through my mom’s passing, that’s another story for later, so thankfully Ernie, the cat, helped, with being able to cuddle him to pieces. Then one evening, a couple of weeks after Penny passed, I went on the computer as the news was on, and nonchalantly, looked up puppies in my area. Well, low and behold, a breeder who was connected to Penny’s birth had Puppies ready to go to good homes. I was like… what are the odds of that!!!!! Penny’s family were waiting to find a home. It was CRAZY!!!!!! Even though we knew they could be a possibility they may have diabetes in their DNA, I didn’t care it was her family. We called the breeder and by the next morning we had the last 2 puppies of the litter.
While we were there we had explained about what had happened and the breeder had given us some background on Penny’s mom. Penny’s mom was much older and that Penny was the last litter born of this other mom, (who was not this breeders dog). This breeder had a relative to Penny, and so far has had all clean litters. I just could not believe Penny’s family were right in front of me not within 2 weeks after her passing. The other thing is, I’m NEVER on the computer in the evening, and especially never on the computer during the news, that’s my show. It was unexplainable why that night something made me question if there were puppies in our area. I believe it was Penny, our lucky Penny.
This by far is the most emotional post I have ever done. By the time Penny had passed away she was 8lbs, the smallest dog we had ever had, and she left the biggest hole which she filled with her 2 relations. I told you, you would need tissues.
IMPORTANT
So Recap, Pets With Diabetes…
You can get smaller gauged and shorter needles then most vets have to offer. You can find them at any pharmacy. I used the BD Short needle which was like night and day for Penny, a Chihuahua. After changing to a shorter, smaller gauged needle she never even flinched for her doses. The larger gauge needles may be just fine for larger dogs, but just know there is an option in case it is too uncomfortable for your pet.
Be sure to monitor water intake, foods, treats and other people giving treats unknowingly, all family members have to know for the pets health, it’s a no-no.
Be aware of rashes and dark spots on the animal, rashes can be due to extra sensitivities due to the diabetes and the darker spots can sometimes seemed raised and feel velvety to the touch, its called Acanthosis nigrican., yah alphabet soup. On animals, you may see them around the groin area first due to having less fur there. They can also be seen around the neck and in the folds of the skin, usually from being overweight and becoming insulin resistant. This is a big red flag for diabetes! Keep in mind they are dark colored, (brown/blackish grey), raised and velvety looking and feeling.
DO NOT USE FLAVORED ANYTHING, IT WILL CONTAIN SUGAR!! Always check alllll labels!!!! Some words do not look like sugar, but they are, such as; dextrose, barley malt, cane, caramel, carob, dates, etc… research research!!!!
Getting them to eat is not always easy. They may be queasy with belly upset if their sugars are out of whack. Use a PET glucose monitor to check at times when they seem not hungry it could be their way of saying, “my sugars are toooo high.” Make sure you keep a paper log of their glucose levels just in case the monitor gives out or gets damaged for some reason, better to be safe then sorry. (Do not use human glucose monitors for animals, they are calibrated differently. Use the specified pet glucose monitor and be sure to have it set properly for dog or cat depending on which pet you have.)
Be aware that people and animals living with diabetes are less cold and heat sensitive, so animals left out in the cold or in too hot weather may not realize they are burning the pads of their feet or that there paws are getting frost burn, they can also get too hot too fast and not even know it and vice versa too cold too fast. If you can, get your pet used to little booties it can help.
Use a thermometer for bath water to be sure its not too warm elevating their body temperature. It should feel room temperature to the touch, around 70 – 80 degrees C, and forego the hot blow dryer. Towel dry nicely and brush away.
Monitor joint pain and use pain medications from your vet especially with diabetic animals.
Use a grain and gluten free dog food to reduce the amount of carbohydrates (which their and our bodies turns into sugar) if possible. Always consult your vet first.
Moderate but frequent exercise is a must for weight control, a nice walk in the parker 30 minutes 3-5 times a week or even more, a little walk daily if you like. Just not a mad rush dash run for 40 minutes, it will elevate adrenalin and other hormones which could cause their glucose levels to rise temporarily.
When they seem under the weather or have contracted an illness they will more then likely need more insulin, so be sure to bring them into your vet so they can be monitored for safe recovery.
Keep all insulin doses on a strict timetable. They must be given within 12 hours (or whatever time period your vet has you scheduled) on the button, no later then 30 minutes from the previous time. If you give a morning dose of 7am then the evening dose is 7pm, 30 minutes before or after, no later or earlier. Keeping the doses at regulated times will help to maintain a better control of glucose levels.
Create a log for them with what they have eaten or drank and how much insulin was given, sleep patterns and exercise during regular daily periods and during sickness. It could be a way of seeing a problem, like ketoacidosis, before it becomes life threatening.
Helping to prevent Ketoacidosis
MONITOR MONITOR MONITOR MONITOR
If you are keeping a log of glucose levels before and after meals or at certain times throughout the day, it will help to see a problem before it gets tooooo out of hand.
It will also help to be sure your insulin works effectively. If their levels are off and you are seeing a pattern in your log within a day or two and their habits are changing, like becoming tired and overly thirsty, get new insulin! It could be the insulin itself not working efficiently.
If they are sick at any time be sure to visit the vet, do not pass it off as, could be the flu. With diabetes it could very well mean the insulin they are receiving is not enough and must be adjusted immediately.
Your furry family member can recover from ketoacidosis if caught fast enough. They will probably have some kidney damage and will need even more monitoring. Unfortunatley, there may always be a case like Penny, and knowing that you had done everything in your power to have helped this little dependant creature will be hard enough to bear if things are not going in their favor, let alone knowing somewhere along the line you dropped the ball. Cause knowing you’ve done everything possible, still leaves a gapping wound in your chest.
I TRULY hope that at least with some extra education Penny’s Story can help another, before it is too late.
I am happy to say that her brothers are eating and drinking quite well and running around having fun. I am sooo thankful I have them both, they keep all of us smiling and remembering their wonderful big sister.
HAPPY HEALING!!!