Oh No, My Dog's Diabetic...

**GUEST AUTHOR**

*This summer the Elmsdale Animal Hospital has been focusing on educating people about different endochrine diseases. This effort has been spearheaded by one of our Registered Veterinary Technicians, Jacy McNutt, who as you'll see from this blog, is heavily invested in these particular illnesses. Check out our Facebook Page for more information on endochrine diseases!*

​My dog, Tabby has been in my life as long as I can remember! My parents decided to surprise me with a Yorkie puppy when I was 11 years old. Tabby has always been a very active dog and had always been relatively healthy. 

​In November of 2015, I was starting my second year of the Veterinary Technology program on the path to become a Registered Veterinary Technician. At the time, Tabby was almost 11 years old. I felt she was in great shape for an older dog, although she might have been a little on the chubby side. Over the course of that month I started to notice some very subtle changes in Tabby. 

​The first change I noticed was the increased amount of water Tabby was drinking in a day. At the time, an extra bowl of water per day didn’t seem completely out of the ordinary for her. Along with the increase in her thirst came an increase in the frequency of how often she would bark to go outside to the bathroom.  These changes were so subtle, that I really didn’t think much of it then.

​It wasn’t until later in November that I saw a major sign telling me that Tabby wasn’t feeling great. While she was sleeping one day I found that she had urinated herself and didn’t seem to notice. At first, I was unsure that the liquid I was seeing was even urine. It was an extremely large amount of fluid and was very pale yellow in color. When I tried to clean it up the fluid was sticky and it smelled different than regular urine… it was sweet smelling. 

​I took a sample of the urine, packed Tabby up and headed to the vet. Dr. Juanita Ashton started with obtaining a detailed history from me and then performed a full exam on Tabby. Dr. Ashton then ran a urinalysis on the sample I brought to her. My heart dropped when I saw the Glucose indictor turn dark green on the dipstick part of the urine test, meaning there was sugar in her urine. 
​At that time, alarms and lightbulbs started going off in my head. Of course!! The increase in thirst and urination, overweight, sticky, sweet smelling urine … DIABETES.

Dr. Ashton ran some blood work as well and Diabetes Mellitus was confirmed when the glucose levels in her blood were also found to be elevated. 

​Tabby was then prescribed Insulin that was to be given by subcutaneous (under the skin) injections every 12 hours with a meal. I was very thankful that I was a vet tech student at the time and I was more comfortable than the average person giving these types of injections. Between Dr. Ashton and myself, we taught my parents how to give the injections and they quickly became comfortable. 

​Tabby was in and out of the vet’s office frequently after her diagnosis. She had numerous blood glucose curves performed to ensure she was on the correct dose of insulin. After about 4 months, Tabby’s blood glucose was finally regulated.
A lot of changes needed to be made at home. We had to create new systems and new habits for Tabby (and our family) to adjust to accommodating her insulin injections. Tabby quickly caught on that she got a special treat (a couple cheerios) when she got her insulin injections. She caught on even quicker that she would get extra cheerios if she sat still! 

​It’s now July 2018, and Tabby is 13 and a half years old! I remember thinking when Tabby was first diagnosed with Diabetes that it was the end of the world. I realized though over time, and as we all adjusted to her new lifestyle, that it definitely was not the end of the world.  Working as a RVT I find myself quite grateful that my dog’s disease is something I can manage for her, while Tabby is still able to thrive and enjoy her life! 

---

- Jacy McNutt, RVT