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Just do not use āRā regular insulin if you use human insulins. It will drop the blood sugar like a rock and possibly kill the dog.
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Sorry, incorrect information.
Cat diabetes is very different than in dogs.
Starting at a lower dose and titrating up based on monitoring trough levels (generally 4-6 hours post insulin) works quite well to get a diabetic dog under control without the owner needing to test at home routinely.
Itās great if an owner is willing to invest the time, training and equipment in home testing, but most wonāt or simply canāt for a variety of reasons. Most vets are happy just to make sure the patient is treated even if it isnāt āperfectā!
I worked with a doctor who did have her (feline only at this practice) owners test and adjust insulin based on BG, mostly due to a fear of sudden remission and causing hypoglycemia ( again this is really a cat thing so not totally relevant to OP). I think she actually had more trouble getting patients regulated and also caused a lot more stress for owner and pet.
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My mistake
Cats are not dogs. I believe you mean well, but please stop giving poor advice. Vetsulin is a perfectly appropriate first choice insulin for a dog. Please also refrain from comparing doses of one insulin (likely glargine/Lantus in a cat) to an entirely different molecule in a dog. They arenāt comparable.
Dogs are like type I (juvenile onset) diabetics. They do not go into remission. Diet can be helpful, but isnāt enough.
Cats are like type II (adult onset) diabetics. They can sometimes be managed with diet, and can sometimes go into remission or have transient hyperglycemia.
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I donāt know whether to laugh or cry.
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Thank you. I was getting confused because what Iām reading and learning does not jive with some of the advice. Obviously we will be leaning on our vet to ensure the best treatment plan, though I am a fan of also trying to heal/treat through natural methods to the extent possible but we know she will always need insulin now and I look forward to our follow up this week and getting the monitor to insure that she is getting the most efficacious treatment possible.
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And yes, the vast majority of diabetic dogs develop cataracts. These can be treated surgically by an ophthalmologist if the DM is relatively well controlled and the dog is healthy enough for anesthesia.
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Sheās a pug and is already blind in one eye and has limited sight in the other, so that ship has sailed lol. Fortunately, she does really well with her limited sight and we have figured out how to communicate with her and help her through it 
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Glad youāre here to help her now, Iāll gladly turn it over to you!
You were clear, but the information is already difficult to disseminate so trying to compare dogs vs cats was getting confusing. I appreciate everyoneās feedback and advice, this is a bit of a learning curve and I am grateful to you for the link especially, I found it very helpful!
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But good luck to you and your pug.
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Our dog diagnosed with the diabetes yesterday, still canāt understand how is that even possible. Except the insulin, what kind of changes did you make in the petās diet? We decided to Buy Vetsulin Online cause it is much cheaper than in the local vet clinic next to us. Is there something i should know when ordering meds online?
There are diabetic specific foods you can feed (prescription based). I have a friend who is a small animal vet who recommended trying a GOOD diet food first as itās less $ and easier to obtain. We are using Wellness Core weight management formula and so far so good! We are prepared to switch though if this method stops working. Snacks/treats look different now, scrambled eggs or some pieces of chicken breast are what she gets.
So far weāve been through 3 insulin adjustments to find her āsweet spotā, but that may continue to change over time. If your dog is acting confused, stumbling, or spacey, they may have low blood sugar and you need to fix that quickly. We put a little peanut butter on our finger dipped into maple or agave syrup when she drops.
I highly recommend getting a monitor installed so that you can identify when they are likely to be high or low BS and that way you can give snacks or your vet will know that the insulin adjustments are needed. Itās not too difficult to manage at all, it just requires a lot of observation and learning their patterns.
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My 11 year old chihuahua was just diagnosed with diabetes last Wednesday. Started insulin on Thursday and over the weekend his vision went kapok due to cataracts. One eye is almost white, the other halfway there. Heās learning to navigate with this new condition (Iām struggling and nearly crying watching him) and weāve got to remove some furniture and put a gate across the steps- stupid bi-level house.
We do the glucose curve test next week. He super about getting the shots.
My small pack was still a little off since loosing the aged Alpha female due heart failure last summer. She ruled the roost, another chihuahua. The remaining 3 were getting along fine but this now diabetes guy was the sparring partner to my 5 year old poodle cross. That dog is upside not having his buddy to play with. Itās a heartbreaking to watch this all unfold.
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I am so sorry to hear about your poor pup. My girl is still doing great, weāve had to make some changes from time to time with her insulin and food but so far so good. Her eyesight definitely has gotten worse since her diagnosis though. However, she is happy as ever, and still the biggest love bug on earth.
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Thank you, this one is tough. Iāve dealt with many conditions & illnesses in pets of mature/old age but none with the effect of this one. Pup wasnāt firing on all cylinders this morning 3 hours after insulin so gave him corn syrup and he started moving around.
The poodle guy always has his tail flipped up over his back. This is the 3ed day that he is carrying it down low, like a Labrador. Definitely depressed, concerned.
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The glucose curve test will help. In our case if sheās lethargic or confused, sheās usually low, if sheās hyper or panting or having accidents in the house sheās usually high. We have a great relationship with our vet who helps us navigate the changes as they come. I hope you can find the right cocktail for your guy, itās very hard and even with us both working from home our dog occasionally dips down and we need to give some syrup. The good thing is that within about 10 minutes (the longest 10 min of your life) sheās usually back to normal after some sugar. Hang in there!!!
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3 hours after insulin is generally around the time when our girl gets low if her dosage isnāt quite right. She gets breakfast and insulin at 7am and we give her a snack (small handful of dry diet dog food usually) around 9:30 to prevent the drop from getting too bad. Reducing her insulin helps but it still changes over time and Iād rather she be a bit high than too low so we err on that side with our vetās blessing. The curve will really help you learn your dogās specific patterns. We usually do a Free Libre monitor every couple of months, itās good for 3 weeks and we can use it for updated curve tests at home too.
