No pics- been a long day. The past few days, Ginger has been drinking an extraordinary amount of water and having “mistakes” on the carpet, and this morning her nose was a dry and rough as a pumice stone. I took her to the vet, and my suspicions were confirmed and she is diabetic. She is staying over night to get her blood sugar levels stabilized and to get hydrated, and tomorrow I will pick her up and learn how to give her insulin shots twice daily.
Another day in paradise.
Baud
Poor girl.
JPL
Poor pup. John you are a good man.
mellowjohn
sorry to hear that, but over they years we’ve had numerous cats who were diabetic. giving shots is no big deal.
Mnemosyne (iPhone)
Eh, insulin shots are no big deal. You give them to her while she’s eating and she’ll barely notice.
Do dogs get gestational diabetes? Inquiring minds want to know.
raven
@Mnemosyne (iPhone): It may not be a big deal to do t but it can’t help find her a home
Keith G
Watching Better Call Saul. Great writing. Hilarious bleak comedy.
Buddy H
She’s lucky to have a loving home and a caring human.
I remember giving insulin injections to my old cat George years ago. I was worried, but he the shots didn’t annoy him. You can do it.
This brief dog & cat video always cheers me up:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_uuN5kuq74
PhoenixRising
John, I am so sorry to read this. Do not read below the fold.
__________________________________
The rest of you: Dogs are cats are as different as…cats and dogs, folks. Shooting a small dog 2x daily is a huge commitment.
This is a fucking disaster, for Ginger and the rescue. And no, I’m not ever again giving a pet insulin, because no matter how good you are at it, the dog dies a horrible death at the end. My kid still has nightmares. She is a 9th grader. The dog died in her arms when she was finishing 4th grade.
La Caterina
Oh the poor dear. We’ll find the right home for her.
indycat32
I’ve had two diabetic cats. Giving the injections were never a problem, but the cost of insulin and syringes adds up. No Obamacare for kitties, unfortunately.
FlyingToaster
@Mnemosyne (iPhone): Yes, but it normally goes away with birth. Or, in this human’s case, 10 days before birth (a whole week of eating normally, woo woo!).
The theory IIRC is that it’s insulin resistance caused by the metabolic load of pregnancy; the metabolic load drops, the insulin resistance goes away. It can recur (in humans, it’s 50% at the 28-years-later mark), but usually takes longer than a week.
If Ginger had undiagnosed gestational diabetes, it’s all too likely that going untreated has made the insulin resistance chronic.
raven
@PhoenixRising: I put 5 medications in my cocker’s eye’s twice a day and have done so for six years.
WaterGirl
Poor thing. She’s had a tough life, and now this. I’m sorry, John, but thank god she’s in good hands.
WaterGirl
@raven: My heart skipped a beat a few minutes ago when I read that you got back to the car and found the door open with your girl in it. What a scare.
Gin & Tonic
@PhoenixRising: I disagree. Our dog developed diabetes when he was 10, so we learned the routine of test strips and shots and diet control, and he lived for five more years, not in any pain, let alone agony. Sure it cost us money and effort, and his accidents were bad news for the wood floor in the kitchen, but he was a great companion for five years, even after he went more or less blind. The end came quickly. But we had five years.
Anne Laurie
Poor munchkin! (And poor John!) For the last several months, Ginger’s body has been under extraordinary stress — she was rehomed at least twice, shifted cities, carried birthed & nursed two huge puppies, and then underwent major surgery. No wonder her hormones are out of whack. Bless you, Cole, for being there to give her shots & a good diet while you all decide on the next step…
Lymie
Sorry that you know so much about diabetes, john, so you knew right away. But it is not a tragedy, and I have no idea what @phoenixrising is talking about – the end can be managed, or, if not, the crises of low blood sugar are pass out and pass away, no agony.
Pogonip
This may be a blessing in disguise for Mary G. The rescue won’t be able to be too picky and may look more kindly on Mary.
jl
Thanks for pupdate. Hope things go well for Ginger.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@PhoenixRising: I’ve had two diabetic cats, the first in the days before insulin for pets was routine. I was a part of MUFFIN-L. One thing we noticed was that female dogs and male cats seemed to be easiest to regulate.
We’ve only had one bad death out of the four we’ve lost, and that was the melamine poisoning case. I’d treat a diabetic pet again in a heartbeat.
Pogonip
I know a couple of people with elderly, diabetic pets. Apparently it’s no big deal these days, so don’t feel you have to put Ginger down, at least not yet. I don’t know how much dog insulin costs but I have a feeling that if you need help with the cost, readers will be waving fistfuls of green.
raven
@WaterGirl: And Bohdi was sooo good. He was in his seat in the back right at the open door. I know he wouldn’t go far but still. . .
Winnie Frolik
Poor John. Poor Ginger. I wonder if all these medical issues have anything to do with her ignoring her puppies?!?
jak
Sorry to hear about Ginger.
Our dog (jrt) developed diabetes around the age of 8. Twice daily shots of insulin. Not to mention he went blind at this time. He regained his sight after cataract surgery. He was a member of the family and went on long cross country trips with us. He lived to be 15. He was a great dog.
TriassicSands
Poor Ginger. Poor John. Poor forever companion(s). So much woe for such a little critter. Life just isn’t fair.
PhoenixRising
Glad all of you have had such an easy time keeping glucose regulated in dogs after pancreatic failure. That was not my experience, as I said, and I’d never do it again.
The attempts to convince pet owners that treating diabetes in a dog is no big deal are both offensive and incorrect, which adds up to all kinds of wrong. It is a big deal; respect to Raven’s comment, it’s not like putting the eye drops in the cat (which we did for 7 years until she asked us to stop).
If it’s your choice, good on ya, but the suggestion that insulin-dependent diabetes is typically easily managed in a dog is flat-out irresponsible.
Also, whoever the wise witch is who knows that we just didn’t do it right…think about yourself. Really? My kid’s puppy lived for 3 dramatic years after pancreatic failure at 4, in which we couldn’t go on vacation because she shocked out whenever anyone but the Mrs was in charge and also we couldn’t afford a vacation, and died horribly…because we handled her care wrong? Meditate on that for a minute.
OGLiberal
I don’t know if I’ve had experience with diabetes in either cats or dogs. I do have experience with flat out kidney failure in both. With cats, even without getting shots/fluids, they can last a while..and because they are cats you often don’t know until it’s too late…but that may be two years or so after the initial problem begins. (accidents often, but not always, the first sign) With dogs kidney failure is like humans – you can give the hydration shots but without a transplant – and you don’t give dogs kidney transplants – you’re just delaying the inevitable, which may come soon. But that’s flat out failure – I don’t know about diabetes in either. PetMD implies that it’s manageable but smaller dogs require more frequent shots and female dogs may benefit from a hysterectomy (is getting fixed the same thing? – honestly have no idea). Thinking that the condition may be manageable, especially in a relatively young dog, but adopting her out may be more difficult…and you may be stuck with a third pup.
Anne Laurie
@PhoenixRising: I’m so sorry you & your family had such a tragedy with your puppy. That kind of tragedy is going to leave scars, and I don’t think anyone intended to minimize your suffering or your puppy’s.
But it sounds like your household companion had ‘pancreatic failure’, as opposed to Ginger’s ‘glucose resistance’… which, if I understand correctly, is the difference between what we (used to) call Type 1 ‘juvenile’ diabetes and Type 2 ‘insulin resistant/adult’ diabetes in humans. I know it’s hella harder for humans with Type 1 than Type 2 to get & stay stable, so I’m guessing the same might be true for dogs.
Gin & Tonic
@PhoenixRising: I don’t think any of us here is holding him/herself out as a vet or offering advice. Seems to me we are all just sharing our personal experiences. I’m sorry yours was not good. In our case, we managed for five years, and have no regrets.
maeve
My Mom had a diabetic cat that lived for many years and died at age 16+.
She gave shots with microneedles between the shoulder blades – he got so he looked forward to it and he’d jump on the counter for a treat when it came time to give the shot.
Dogs can wear diapers too – they make cute cloth ones with ruffles that you put a liner in,
gogol's wife
I’m sorry, John. I hope Ginger’s diabetes can be managed without too much stress. She is a sweetie.
cmorenc
@raven:
I suspect John’s might have been
hornswoggledunwittingly maneuvered into a de facto permanent third dog in his household..Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@Anne Laurie:
That’s why I was wondering if dogs can get gestational diabetes (and per FlyingToaster’s comment, it looks like they can). In humans, gestational diabetes puts you at higher risk of type II diabetes, and it sounds as though it could happen that way in dogs as well.
Mnemosyne (iPad Mini)
@FlyingToaster:
My (human) BFF switched to a vegan diet a few years ago because type II diabetes is very common in her family even at a normal weight and she had some issues with gestational diabetes while she was pregnant, which put her at even higher risk. Some of her nieces are getting kidney stones as young adults, which is another potential warning sign of eventual type II problems, so I think she made the right call.
Violet
I’m so sorry, John. And for Ginger. She seems like such a sweetie. You’re a good man to take good care of her like that.
Is there any chance that it could be a temporary situation and not require lifelong shots? Maybe her rough life and pregnancy and two huge puppies taking all her reserves stressed her body too much. If her hormones stabilize maybe her blood sugar could too? I have no idea how it might work in dogs but in humans sometimes diabetes can be controlled with diet and exercise and people can get off medications.
Wishing you all the best.
Elizabelle
Ginger’s still better off for having crossed John’s radar screen.
Hope this might be temporary. Little pup has enough challenges.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
I’m sorry to hear that, but the shots are subQ and therefore easier to give than an IM for most novice needle wielders.
Mason
I gave daily shots to a diabetic dog and cat for years. It truly is no big deal. I don’t know about your state, but in Texas, insulin needles and the insulin I needed were both OTC and available via any pharmacy drive thru. Used needles went into a 2-liter bottle and were brought to the vet every so often for proper disposal.
Don’t sweat about it. The first few shots are hairy for the human, but once you get a feel for it, it’s really just a few extra seconds in the day.
Montarvillois
For 2 years I injected insulin twice daily and tested blood once a day for my cat. Not too bad once you get the hang of it and probably easier going with a dog. It does mean, however, you have to be around when the shot is due. I put him down at age 18 when control of blood sugar became impossible. I was using Caninsulin which was initially developed for dogs but, from my experience, wouldn’t recommend it for cats. If he had been a younger animal, I would have started the process over (testing for correct dosage) with a different medication.
Rebecca
Insulin shots super easy! I had two diabetic cats who had to have shots twice-daily for 10 years. Much, much easier than pills – even for pet-sitters when necessary. Also, while it’s the same insulin and needles you can get at the pharmacy, we found it much cheaper to buy through the local animal hospital. (One warning if you don’t already know it – different types of needles have different measurements on them, so we overdosed one cat when the hospital gave us the wrong type – of course no charge when poor kitty had to spend the night in the hospital on a glucose drip.) Anyway, you and Ginger will do fine!
tjlabs
Our oldest dog Kara was diagnosed four months ago. The insulin shot is intimidating at first but once you get the hang of it, it takes about five seconds. The cost of the insulin (we use Humulin N) is steep. $132 a vial. Give her the shot right after she eats. Just lift up the nape of her neck and inject it. Insulin needles are very short. She won’t even feel it. Also we found this company, The Old Dog Cookie Company that makes diabetic biscuits. Good luck. Feel free to email me of you have any questions.
Paul in KY
@PhoenixRising: Should they just put Ginger down then?
jake the antisoshul soshulist
We have a diabetic cat. We have been trying to get her insulin dosage adjusted for six months. It is a good thing we love our cats, since they ruin the furniture and now the carpet. How do you do a cost/benefit analysis on a pet?
FridayNext
@mellowjohn:
A lot of people have already said this but even lack-of-misery loves company. We have a cat right now with several maladies, and diabetes is the most manageable and easily dealt with on a daily basis. Wiping her ass with a chlorhexidine solution twice a day? Nobody enjoys that.
The Moar You Know
Just released a foster back to the original owners, over my objections. She needs multiple eye irrigations a day due to tear gland failure, and multiple tramadols a day due to the said original owner letting her play off leash which led to her getting run over by a car. Twice. The dog, not (sadly) the owner.
This is not hard to do but really tedious to do every day. But she needed it.
She’s 12, big lab, a total sweetheart and doesn’t have that long to live, and frankly I was hoping that she’d die while with us because at least we have enough responsibility to take care of her medical issues and make sure she went without pain. The original owners do not have any of this, neither the ability to be responsible or the desire. They sure have the time, if they would only take it.
That was a hard foster return. Very hard.
I’m meeting more and more people like this these days, they just throw their hands in the air and say “eh, fuck it” whether it’s their dogs or cats or property or kids. I don’t fucking understand at all. These are not people overwhelmed by responsibility. It’s more like they’re allergic to it.
mellowjohn
@FridayNext:
had a cat once (also diabetic) who got so fat she couldn’t clean herself. she’d waddle up to my wife, roll over on her back with her legs spread, and wait for the wet paper towel.
Kass
I think how to manage one’s chronically ill pet is a highly personal decision. I’m taken aback by the implications that if one pet owner has “no problem” nursing perpetually-ill dogs or kitties, then nobody should be having a problem. Some folks will go to any lengths to keep sick pets going, and sometimes it results in forcing a suffering animal to go on simply because the owner can’t bear to give up. Euthanizing pets is agony, agony; I was forced to go through it last month, so it is very fresh to me. Give Phoenix a break, please. We all love our animals to an excruciatingly passionate degree. What we do next as stewards of their happiest life possible is a matter of an individual’s conscientious choice.