Today’s article is for our cat lovers. There is no known benefit to restricting carbohydrates for diabetic dogs provided they are complex carbohydrates and fed primarily at mealtime (when the insulin is given). Diabetic cats are a different story. Many vets, including myself, have found low carbohydrate diets extremely successful for managing diabetic cats.
Last year we discussed the typical cost of diabetes. We can expect diabetic pets to have at least an annual blood profile, rechecks, and evaluations of glucose curves even if they are uncomplicated diabetics. Some diabetics are more difficult to manage and get complications such as frequent urinary tract […]
How I love a fresh start! We all have goals for ourselves, but somehow we tend to dedicate ourselves to reaching them for at least the first few weeks of January. Whether it is exercising more, losing five pounds, writing the great American novel or simply taking time for ourselves, we all feel guilty for not […]
Every month I get questions on how families can save money treating a diabetic pet. Sometimes I even get suggestions on how to save money, such as from the client who found insulin for her dog, Molly, significantly less expensive at a big box store pharmacy compared to the neighborhood pharmacy. She was smart enough to […]
The other day I met a client with a several year old intact (non-spayed) female dog. I suggested to her that we perform an ovariohysterectomy. Her response was that she has had pets her whole life and had never spayed any of them. […]
Glucose levels do vary from day to day, so when we run a blood glucose curve we want as much as possible for the day to reflect the pet’s “typical” day. We are evaluating if we are giving enough, or maybe too much insulin. We are evaluating how long the insulin lasts in the pet, and […]
Just this week I had one of my clients ask me which part of the insulin syringe plunger is supposed to go to the unit mark I prescribed. He was a little embarrassed to ask, but I am so glad he did!
Before I opened my own veterinary clinic I did “relief work” at a lot of veterinary clinics. This goofy lifestyle worked well in my 30s because I often traveled to 3rd world areas and spent my winters doing veterinary volunteer work. […]
When we run a glucose curve, sometimes we may actually drop the insulin dose. Those who have read my newsletters know that I like to sneak up on an insulin dose. […]
Healthcare tips are all over the media. You can hardly turn on the television without seeing a commercial for ways of improving one’s body weight, diabetes control, blood pressure, etc. […]