Should I Look After This Sick Dog?

[Snowshoe]

My poor neighbour. Her dog is only 11 but in very poor health. Neighbour Lady (NL) has a wedding to attend and asked if we would think, no pressure, about looking after the dog for the afternoon and evening. I am flattered she would consider me/us but after a trial run, not so sure I should do this.

The dog took some seizures, has lost control of her hind legs, can't walk, is diabetic. She is Oban's size. She is not incontinent and can manoeuvre outside with the help of a belly band. At first NL's Vet was hopeful the dog would regain use of her back legs but is now pessimistic and urging euthanasia. But the dog is alert, can hear and see, seems fairly happy. It's such a horrible, tough situation.

It's the blood sugar test I'm most worried about. NL was doing them every 2 hours on Sunday and she could not, could not, could not get enough blood out of the last pinprick thingie. She needs to track sugar levels, too high and the dog might seizure again. The levels varied widely throughout the day. She needs the levels to adjust the food as well and maybe add in something sweet. And the blood tests are supposed to precede the insulin injection which is SubQ and which I expect no problem with.

I tried too, the pinprick to get blood, and the dog went to bite me. She has tried to bite the Vets. To be fair, I was in the wrong position. I don't know if she really would bite me, did she miss or just get scared, fed up and panic last Sunday?

We have two more days to do a trial run before the wedding, which is Thanksgiving Sunday.

P.S. I may have written the blood sugar stuff wrongly, no experience with diabetes. But I know what I'm supposed to do.

[Sue]

Question first: Where is the owner getting the blood from? There are multiple sites, in dogs I believe the recommended area is inside the upper lip, but the outside of the lip would work, as would the paw pad, the calloused area on the leg, the chin area, a pinch of skin on the rump. Those may be a better choice for a stranger.
There's also the possibility of using an unused insulin syringe to draw up a little blood to use.
Secondly, if the worry of a bite is putting you off, is it possible to use a muzzle? Even if it's just a homemade one, like a piece of pantyhose or knee high wrapped around the muzzle. That would eliminate the worry, and it wouldn't be long term, so should be no trauma or stress for the pup.
Poor baby. It's a testament to your ability with dogs that your neighbor is willing to trust you with her. I hope you can work it out.

[SunDance]

I'd have her arrange something with the vet...perhaps a tech would be willing to care for the dog so that she'd have constant supervision/care as required. That's an awful lot to expect a neighbor to do...too many issues. And what happens if something goes wrong while you're watching/taking care of her? I wouldn't.

[Snowshoe]

NL is doing the pinpricks inside the ear, a spot where hair is sparse or there's none. The dog has Collie type ears and fur. I know so little about diabetes I've never seen this pinprick thing up close before, it's pretty neat. The reason the ears are used is because it's easy to put a bit of pressure behind the ear while administering the prick and then again to sort of "milk" a small drop of blood out.

What I'm most worried about is not being able to get the blood and then food and insulin amount is a guess. And of course what if the blood is really off and the dog seizes? Not so much a bite, OH is going to help me.

It's the Sunday of a holiday weekend. People will be away. I'd really like to do this, NL needs a break. Her mother who looks after the dog while NL is at work will be at the wedding and she needs a break too.

[Sue]

Hmmm, now what I read is that the inner ear works on cats, but not so much dogs, since they don't have a particular marginal vein like cats.

I personally would not want to try the mouth, but it seems the elbow callous area would be a good spot to try. Perhaps you can get together with the owner and see if an alternative spot would be a better way to get the blood. Only a very small amount is needed, fortunately.

[smartrock]

You'd want to know when the dog's last dose of insulin was, when the last meal was and when the next medication and meal is due. How often will you need to check the dog's blood sugar and what to do if it falls outside a given range of values?

I'd want to know what the owner does if the dog becomes symptomatic or has a seizure. In humans you assume a low blood sugar in the absence of an actual blood glucose result. What does she do if the dog has a seizure? Can you rub cake icing or honey on the gums/mucous membranes of the dog if it can be done safely? One site I saw recommends Haagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream for the same purpose. Hypoglycemia - Low Blood Sugar Diabetes in Dogs | petMD

I might give it a try but I've worked with diabetic humans. If I didn't have that background, I don't know how confident I'd be.

[Snowshoe]

WEll heck, now I'm more worried. When she first asked me about this the blood tests weren't mentionned. Only the injection which I have no problem with, having done SubQ Cartrophen Vet on a dog and a cat and hydration on another cat. Maybe she thought I would know the blood tests were required but being unfamiliar with diabetes close up, I didn't.

I am sure she will leave me with exhaustive directions on what to, if all goes to plan and if it doesn't.

[Sue]

I'm married to a Type 1 diabetic, and am also a former paramedic (and was an Instructor also), so I just want to mention there is no need to worry. At least not much.

Your body, especially the brain, needs glucose. In diabetics, the glucose "floats" around in the blood stream and can't get to the cells. Insulin is the key that opens up that locked in glucose and allows it to feed your cells. By the way, the reason above is the BEST reason for brownies. Or cake. Or pie. Or a milkshakes. Ooops, I digress, I'm so easily distracted.

The reason for checking before giving the shot, is if the blood glucose is low (in a human, 100 or below, not sure about dogs), that insulin injection will drop it further, and fast. That can (and will) be fatal. The higher the glucose, although damaging, will not immediately kill. With my husband, if his is too low, he'll eat first, then have the insulin afterwards. He's had some damn close calls, being a stubborn old fool and leaving the house without eating, having a low blood glucose yet taking his insulin injection and thus crashing his truck.

For a one day thing, you shouldn't have many problems. Get the number from the neighbor and stick with them on the decision to inject. I might also want to add that cake icing or honey rubbed on a dog's gums is pretty ineffective if they're at the point of having a seizure. Just like with humans. At that point, they'll be needing IV glucose. And the risk of aspiration and choking is quite high.

[Charlotte K.]

I would do it if one could safely care for the dog without the blood draw/ test. Treats first, then shot (tiny needle), then meal. However: If the dog is too fragile to not have a completely accurate number for that short a time, or if she will bite you because of the shot, she needs a vet tech as a sitter or hospital boarding. I had to guestimate on a sweet old cat born feral, as he would not eat after vet visits or tests. It was not perfect, but it extended his life and happiness by years.

[Lauranj]

I would want to help my neighbor out, however it sounds like this dog really needs a professional when the owner isn't there. I would be worried about if something went wrong while under my care, which seems like a possibility given the age and other issues. If you do watch the dog I would definitely fashion a temporary muzzle so you don't have to worry about being bit. Hard situation to know what is the right thing to do.