Any veternarians here?/Blind and diabetic dog care advice?

crunky

crunky

Joined
Apr 6, 2010
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349
First let me say that I am typing this up on a laptop with a broken keyboard, it likes to randomly jump to different lines and tab and return as I am typing. So I apologize in advance if there is any gibberish in this post.

So back in January I moved to Phoenix temporarily for a job. I was living in an apartment and could not bring my dog with me, so he was staying with my parents for a while. He also seemed to be in pretty good overall health at the time.

They own land out in the boonies and they aren't on the grid. They produce their own electricity and haul their water in, no ac, just swamp coolers. Buddy had to be an outdoor dog here, and recently his health has really started to decline. I don't know exactly how old he is as I rescued him when I was in high school, but we estimate that he is around 10 or 11.

Anyways, I am getting ready to bring him back to Tucson with me where he can enjoy the air conditioning. I am watching over my parents place right now while they are out of town; I took him to the vet here and he has been diagnosed with diabetes. Also over the last couple of weeks he has completely lost all vision. The vet said that he has cataracts and uveitis, and supposedly both can stem from diabetes.

He is taking insulin 2x a day now and they perscribed some type of ointment for his eyes. They also perscribed some sort of special dog food for him, the label says Hills Perscription Diet, W/D Canine- low fat diabetic. I was reading around online about raw food dieting and I am wondering about doing that, or some mix of the two. That way if I have to go somewhere and my sister or somebody besides me has to feed him, they can just give him the dry perscription food. Is it a bad idea to mix the dry food with whole/raw food? Or to alternate between them? They didn't tell me much about the dry food other than its special and has complex carbs so its good for diabetics.

Any other tips about caring for a blind/diabetic dog would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: Also, I will not be able to respond to any questions for at least a few hours. A lightening storm knocked out the electric system here a week back, so I only have internet while I run the generator.
 
It's always sad when a beloved pet comes to the end of its years. I have felt worse losing two great dogs than a few relatives. But there comes a point when it is not a kindness to extend an animal's life. That's always a tough decision. I wish you the best in this difficult time.
 
Thanks Ed, I understand this, but I should have added that he is still very happy and he shows no signs of pain or suffering. I know he is getting there in years, but I feel it is still too early for him to go. He still gets excited and jumps up on me even though he can't see me. It will be a very hard decision, but I think he still has a couple of good years left
 
Mongo will probably be along with some advice. It always sucks when a pet is sick. I like my pets more than 99% of the population.
 
this'll be quick, i'm between appts, but hopefully i can help a little. veterinarian in spokane, WA

re: the food - two trains of thought on diet for diabetics - one (the more common one) is go high fiber and less (simple) carbs b/c diabetes is an insulin problem and if you drop carbs down, you need insulin less. plus lots of fiber slows down absorption of nutrients across the gi tract, which means less sugar spikes in the blood right after meals, which means easier control with the insulin you're giving. w/d is actually a weight control diet that happens to work well for diabetics b/c of those two reasons.

train of thought 2 for diabetic nutrition is go the Atkins route - hi protein, hi fat, no carbs. if you don't eat carbs, you don't need insulin much, you circumvent the problem. good in theory, works in some cases, but works LOTS better for cats than dogs, b/c they are carnivores and set up for that nutritional plan. in addition, hi protein hi fat can be tough on the kidneys, and lots of diabetics have questionable kidney function already, so you need to be cautious on that front.

the whole 'raw food diet' for a diabetic makes sense only in the generic 'we didn't evolve to eat processed foods, go organic b/c millions of years of evolution developed us for it' train of thought; less processed foods = less carbs/sugars. in and of itself it's not a fix or a cure for diabetes. but the low carb part of it will help, if the kidneys are ok to handle it.

honestly, i think i'd pick just one instead of mixing the two back and forth, b/c the ABSOLUTE best thing for a diabetic is consistency. consistent diet, consistent injections, consistent lifestyle. their endocrine system is screwed up, that impacts every part of how their entire body works. so the more stable the rest of their life is, the easier a time they have managing a systemic issue like diabetes.

good luck!

oh yeah, the eyes - the diabetic cataracts are sticking around, sorry. they don't resolve or reverse back to normal. but dogs do fine with it if you don't rearrange the furniture much, they're pretty smart. the ointment is probably for the uveitis (inflammation of the uvea, inside the eye itself - probably a steroid ointment). use it, uveitis is uncomfortable until it gets fixed.
 
Awesome, thanks Gentemanndvm. So it sounds like it would be best to keep him on this new food for a while and see if he likes it. I expected the blindness will be life long, I'm thinking of ways to set up landmarks around the house/in the yard so he can find his way in and out of the dog door.
 
yep, that's what i'd do. if he stabilizes on that and the insulin, you can start playing science experiment with diet changes, see if it improves control, lowers insulin need, etc. very very doable. good quality of life when diabetes is controlled, as long as he doesn't stress out about the loss of vision. sounds like he's pretty ok with it.

just walk him through his new space a lot, help him figure out where everything is, and he'll do fine. landmarks is a great idea!

-once you get the diabetes in control (85% of them are controllable with insulin and diet), then those urine glucose strips you can get at any pharmacy/grocery store are a great at-home 'how's the diabetes doing' test. if you can keep his blood sugar under 200 most of the time and under 250 the vast majority of the time, he won't have any sugar spillover and those strips will read negative (and most of the clinical signs of diabetes will go away). so you can tell how you're doing by sticking the strip in the urine stream when he goes out to pee. if there's urine, something changed, he's not controlling it as well as normal...
 
Yeah, he seems to be doing fine with the vision loss; hes learned to stick his legs out more and paw around when he isn't sure around steps and hills and the like. Thankfully there are no steps to get in or out of the house in Tucson, and the yard is totally flat, so I think he will be fine.
The vet here said that most likely he will always have high blood sugar no matter what we do, when they first did the lab work his blood sugar was over 500. I am supposed to do his first curve test next Tuesday, so hopefully it will be down quite a bit by then. Can I ask what is considered normal for a dog? He is a beagle if that makes any difference.
Thanks again for your advice, I really appreciate it.
 
Well, Doc Gentemann has done most of the work here already, and we are of the same thought and advice. One comment however... I do NOT recommend the raw food diet. I have seen quite a few attempt this, and NOT ONE did well on it... at least in dogs. I've never had a cat owner try it to my knowledge. Stick with the Hill's W/D if he likes it. There are other prescription diets designed for diabetics if he doesn't.

I'd also consider removal of the cataracts when you get his diabetes stabilized. Not cheap, and you will likely need to find a Veterinary ophthalmologist for that. But... does restore decent vision.

Good luck!
 
I don't now how true this is but I have been told that
many vets recommend Natural Balance Sweet Potato
and Venison for diabetic dogs.
 
I agree with Mongo and gentemanndvm. Skip the raw and use the W/D. Hill's veterinary diets are better products than their Science Diet line. I use one of them for my Doberman who has IBD and she does fine on it.

When we do feed raw and kibble (rarely, but it does happen), we don't mix them. They get raw one meal and processed food at another meal. I wouldn't try to do that with your guy. And he will be fine once he learns his way around the new digs. Just help him learn where everything is and don't move stuff around. It would be good to advise guests ahead of time that you live with a blind dog and they need to take that into consideration when they come over.

And thanks for recognizing his challenges and adjusting your world to make things easier for him. Too many people would consider him "too much trouble" and throw him away.
 
i agree, dont go with the raw food diet and don't feed your dogs bones! I'd agree with getting the cataracts removed if you have enough cash for it or you could always hope and wait that they become hypermature.

How many vets are on this board?


Mongo said:
Well, Doc Gentemann has done most of the work here already, and we are of the same thought and advice. One comment however... I do NOT recommend the raw food diet. I have seen quite a few attempt this, and NOT ONE did well on it... at least in dogs. I've never had a cat owner try it to my knowledge. Stick with the Hill's W/D if he likes it. There are other prescription diets designed for diabetics if he doesn't.

I'd also consider removal of the cataracts when you get his diabetes stabilized. Not cheap, and you will likely need to find a Veterinary ophthalmologist for that. But... does restore decent vision.

Good luck!
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