Diagnosis

On September 4, I took Little Dog to the vet after a week of excessive water-drinking and the sudden act of peeing on the floor in the house (she came home with us in April and hasn't ever had a problem until late August).  The vet wanted to run some blood tests and a urinalysis.  I was shocked when the results came back that Lola is diabetic.  Normal blood sugar levels in dogs are somewhere between 75 and 120 mg per deciliter.  She was at 422 that day.

Seeing my surprised/helpless look, the vet told me the options.  Insulin injections twice a day and monitor her food intake and exercise like a hawk.  The alternative, he said, "Do you know any people who are diabetic and don't take care of themselves?"  I said yes.  He said, "Ya, it's basically like that for a dog.  Are you willing to give her the shots?"

I was almost angry at this initially.  I am certainly not the kind of person who is going to let my pet suffer if I know treatment is within my reach and control.  I then realized that maybe he meant is it something I can do financially.  I replied with a solid yes.

The vet also wanted to see if Lola was possibly suffering from Cushing's disease also (or instead) of diabetes.  (A common symptom of Cushing's is diabetes, so sometimes, if you treat the Cushing's, you in turn treat the diabetes without injections, etc.)  The test came back later as faintly positive, but to such a small degree, the vet called it "insignificant" and suggested not running more tests for this.

NOTE: If a vet recommends that I do less rather than do more, I'm going to believe him.  This vet isn't looking for a new boat or for me to personally send his children to college with Lola visits; I trust him and for good reason.  I don't want to publish his name without his permission, but if you want to know who I'm talking about, let me know.

So all of this happened in the middle of my heavy travel season at work, with three more trips in the three weeks following her diagnosis.  I knew I could absolutely count on Pat to cover the injections while I was gone.  He wasn't so sure at first and both of us have gone through shaky hands and racing hearts, but what pros we are now!  The trick for Lola is distraction: we set out treats (pieces of banana or green beans) at eye level for her and get her to focus on them without taking them.  (This is also an exercise in discipline for the mind, if you are a Cesar Millan fan, like I am.)  She goes nuts when she gets the treat and gets a ton of love after.

We've had to increase her dose once since the diagnosis, and the accidents in the house are a lot fewer than before.  Of course, this is partly because while I was in Kotzebue, Pat surprised me and installed a dog door for her out to the back yard.  He's the best.

Pat's first attempt to get Little Dog to use the dog door.

Overall, the diagnosis has made us a lot more aware of that Little Dog and I think we've pretty much gotten over feeling sorry for her.  (That was a big road block.  I kept saying, "She's a dog and she doesn't know she has diabetes.  We have to treat her the same."  Easier said than done, let me tell you!)  She's still a couch potato, but just as darn loveable and sweet as ever.

Here are a couple of photos to tack on!

Poor Pat.

Interested, but hesitant about Pat's spoils.

I figured a candy corn bandana was perfect for a (diabetically) sweet little dog!

MOAR LOLA PLS

Item 1: Lola is down to a svelte 15.5 lbs.  She's a lot more active than she was when we got her, which makes our hearts happy!

Her distaste for inclement weather has been tested in the craptastic June we've been having.  She is much less hesitant to go outside for a walk when it's raining than when we got her, which is easier on me, too!  I think it's cause we have so much fun outside!  

Item 2:

Trail dog with the man

Where's Waldola?

Best cold medicine I've found to date.

We've only had her a month an a half, but this is my favorite so far.

Garden pic was photobombed by cute dog.

Knitting buddy.

Spot.

That's all for now, folks!

Random Lady

So here are a few shots of our favorite little lady from the past couple of weeks.

This dog is at least 40% cat.  Take the following examples: 

1. Loves to sleep on top of laptop, but only when open and in use. (Fig. 1) 
2. HATES rain
3. Preens self constantly 
4. Stretches elegantly upon arising from sleep 
5. Side-eye (Fig. 2)

Fig. 1 (Minor case)

Fig. 2 (Major case)

Ooh!  And I said I'd give an updated weigh-in!  Today was 16.1lbs!  Down a pound and a half in three weeks!  And dragging her down the street in the rain is a resistance workout for me, too, right??

RIBCAGE!  Can you see it?  I should be a personal trainer...

WALK! WALK!  SNIFF THAT TREE!  AGAIN!

This dog is seriously chill.  She hangs with whoever she thinks she can get the most love from.  This day, it was my cousin, Stef.

Love hog.

This little possessive-looking demon dog is actually pulling a "hang dog" here.  We gave her a brand new Nylabone to chew on and she wanted to enjoy it on the couch.  We said, "No, in your bed" (on the floor would have been fine, too).  She said, "Well, eff you, too," and sat like this, staring us down for several minutes.  She hasn't so much as glanced at this bone since.  

Garage Sale: Nylabone, like new 

(only four small, resentful teeth marks), 50¢.