Diabetes

So last night, after a very long a very through exam, we were diagnosed with diabetes in Chiquita. They are not sure what caused it, but our doctor thinks it is mostly genetics and age. We were always told that she was a pure bred terrier, but as she ages (we got her when she was 8) we are starting to strongly believe she is part Schnauzer. And Schnauzers are susceptible to diabetes, especially with age (she will be 11 in April). We want to start this blog to help others who think that a diabetes diagnosis may be too much to handle with their dogs or to help highlight and record or journey with this battle.

First, the signs we noticed that brought her in for the blood work. Thirst. An undeniable, unquenchable thirst. She was drinking multiple bowl fulls of water a day, and naturally, having to use the bathroom more to get rid of all the water.We had a very hard time online finding anything that said this could be a sign of diabetes, however our doctor told us it was the first and commonly most overlooked sign. Kita would urinate in the house, have to go multiple times throughout the night even though she usually sleeps through the night. Long story short, it was a long week with spotty sleep and too much drinking. However, last night was our very first time with the insulin, and it worked fast. We let her out right before bed and she slept through the night and barely drank anything all night.

We will continue to update regularly to give people an idea of costs of treating diabetes in dogs as well as other stories through our journey. We found it hard to find much when we first became diagnosed last night and want to help others.