You just learned that your dog is diabetic. The first thing that you need to do is take a deep breath and know that you are not alone! Tens of thousands of us have gone before you and are here to help you. I can’t imagine having this diagnosis during a pandemic when you can’t even go into the exam room with your pup, let alone be shown how to do injections properly! For those of you that have received this news in these trying times, I am so sorry.
Dogs With Diabetes Can Be Happy
Let me start off by saying that this is NOT a death sentence! Your pup can live a long, happy life even though he/she is diabetic. The second thing that I will share with you is that you did NOT cause this disease in your pup. If we knew exactly what causes diabetes in dogs, the disease would be on the decline instead of on the rise. We do know that it’s not your fault, so stop beating yourself up and learn all that you can to manage this disease. It is manageable.
Support For Parents Of Dogs With Diabetes
I recommend that you join a group and get yourself some support. I am an Administrator on the largest Canine Diabetes Facebook page with over 18,000 members and growing at the rate of about 100 new members a week! The name of this group is Canine Diabetes Support and Information and you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineDiabetesSupportandInformation
Unless you have lived with a diabetic dog, there is no way to know all of the nuances of the disease let alone all of the tips and tricks that will save you time, money, and your peace of mind. The most important thing to remember is that you can do this, you are not hurting your pup, you are saving his/her life one day at a time.
Tips For Dealing With A Diabetic Dog
Home testing is an important part of your dog’s daily care. If you are not keeping a journal, start NOW! Go and get yourself a notebook so that you can be diligent with tracking your progress. This is a “must do” to manage this disease properly. Please don’t rely on your memory to do this. It is important that you have a record of what works and what doesn’t and that you are tracking several things on a daily basis. It may seem like “just one more thing to do”, but trust me, you’ll be glad that you spent that extra 5 minutes a day to journal.
Next, if you don’t have a blood glucose meter, you are going to want to get one. Once you join Canine Diabetes Support And Information Group on Facebook, we will teach you how to use the meter and how to interpret your results. You don’t want to blindly inject insulin without knowing that it’s safe to do so. How do you know for sure? You test, then feed, then inject. Repeat after me, Test, Feed, Inject. We will cover other nuances in the following posts, but we are starting here with the basics.
Other items you will need are namely some extra strips for your new meter. You will also need some ketone strips especially when newly diagnosed and BG (Blood Glucose) is running high. These are very easy to use and can save your dog’s life. Please also get some Glucose SOS for pets, you may never have to use it, but if the situation presents itself, you’ll be so glad that you have it! All of these items can be obtained for discounted rates via the CDSI Facebook group.
Caring For A Dog With Diabetes Is Manageable
So, let’s review…. Your dog is diabetic, this is manageable, YOU did NOT cause this, you need to join a support group (see link above), get a notebook so you can journal, make your first order of supplies using the codes above at checkout. Do these few things and you are on your way to successfully treating this disease. Remember to breathe! You’ve got this!!
At Muffin’s Halo, your dog’s health is our number one goal. Call us at (818) 943-9673 or email us at muffinshalo@gmail.com to learn more about how our blind dog halo can help for your blind diabetic dog navigate safely. Dogs with diabetes are likely to require more medical attention as they get older, but they can still live happy, quality lives with your help.
Article Written by Nancy O. For Muffins Halo
AAHA Certified Diabetes Educator