Case:Chris
Disclaimer: Case studies are user-contributed, and may contain opinions and unsourced information.
| Chris:Canine | |
|---|---|
| Male Aust. Shepherd/Large terrier mix most likely. White with black spots. | |
 | |
| Born | April-1994 |
| Dx | Sept-2003 |
| Oral meds | No: |
| Regulated | Aug-2005 |
|
Regulated between 100 and 250 | |
|
Chris has many challenges - delayed processing of L, allergic to N, lack of duration on all insulins tried, now using R four times daily | |
| Remission | DNA- |
| Insulin | R given 4 times a day 6 hours apart. |
Chris was born in 1994 and passed away August 1, 2008, at 14.5 years from cancer. He lived with diabetes for 1 month short of five years. He was the "mystery dog" of diabetes - never doing anything the way the doctors expected him to. We started out on Humulin L but Chris did very poorly on it. It would sit around in his system doing nothing for nearly seven hours and then abruptly kick in and drop his blood sugar drastically from 400s down to 100s. We then went to Humulin 50/50 briefly before going to Humulin Regular three times a day 8 hours apart. His response was more normal but the insulin did not last 8 hours, so eventually we went to Regular four times a day 6 hours apart and that was what worked for him. He was allergic to NPH and we didn't try Vetsulin mainly because its action is extended the same way L's was.
We did briefly try Lantus a couple of times to see if we could reduce the number of injections per day Chris needed but he seemed get extremely uneven bursts of activty from it. It was making life harder instead of easier, so we went back to four injections a day of Regular and stayed withthat.
Most of the story of Chris' long road to regulation is contained in this case study:[1]
We tested Chris' blood sugar daily at home using a One Touch Ultra meter and occasionally used several other brands. I can't imagine maintaining Chris' diabetes without home testing. I would have worried about him all the time or have to let his blood sugar be so much higher to ensure no hypos. It is without a doubt the most important tool we had in giving him good regulation.
Chris went blind in 2004 but adjusted well. He just forged ahead anywhere we took him - waded in the river, combed the beach, loved his walks. And he didn't let a few bumps into lamp posts or walls bother him! :) Although I still can't watch a dog run full tilt toward a tree or lamp post without cringing... I got so used to working with Chris being blind that it was hard to remember that other dogs could see.
For a long time Chris wasn't well enough regulated to even consider cataract surgery. But we ruled out surgery early on anyway because of all his allergies to eye medications and his heart problems from a PDA as a puppy. We felt that the risks outweighed the benefits since he was happy and healthy. The six weeks he spent at the end of 2005 in an e-collar with what turned out to be a viral corneal ulcer confirmed for us that an eye operation would not be in his best interest. His corneas were very slow to heal.
It is important to know that cataracts that are left in place tend to cause inflammation in the eye. Chris got a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drop in his eyes to control that inflammation and saw the veterinary ophthalmologist periodically.
In 2006 he started seeing a cardiologist for a longstanding heart murmur and irregular beat. I believe he had had this problem since he was very young as his exercise and heat tolerance had always been poor.
Chris' medications, in addition to insulin, included Metacam for arthritis, Voltaren to control eye inflammation, a glucosamine supplement, and the beta blocker.
The most important thing is that he was so happy. The diabetes for him was no big deal. In fact, it had a few benefits. He got 4 meals a day! Plus he a baby milkbone after each injection and he really looked forward to those.
Diabetes was, for me, a bonding experience... I knew that dog better than I knew myself. Everything about him. And he was an integral part of every moment of my day. Diabetes did not shorten his life at all. Even his fairly severe heart disease did not slow him down as much as it should have. It was eventually cancer that we couldn't beat.
In Chris' honor, I started a website for canine diabetics, www.k9diabetes.com [2], and there is a video there of me testing Chris' blood sugar (with him looking bored) made just a few months before he died.
We miss him so much...
