Puppies Can Get Diabetes Too

When we first brought home Roxy she was 8 weeks old and was like any other puppy: playful, energetic, and in desperate need of some house breaking. Three weeks later we marveled at how fast she was growing and what a quick learner she was. Two days after that everything changed. She went from being completely house trained to having accidents at an alarming rate. We could take her out and 5 minutes later she would leave a puddle on the carpet. She also began to drink water like we had never seen. We couldn't keep her huge water dispenser filled. Assuming she had a bladder infection of some sort we made a trip to see our local veterinarian.

The vet couldn't believe it when the tests came back. Our 3 month old pup had diabetes! It's very rare in an animal her age and dealing with it takes more effort than it does in an older animal. The main issue was getting the dosage for her insulin correct. Insulin dose is based largely on the size and weight of the animal and with a growing puppy like our Roxy it was a constantly changing equation. We started conservative and gradually increased the dosage until she began to show signs of improvement. The vet followed her progress with frequent glucose curves that first year and we upped her insulin as she grew and her need for it increased.

That first year we had overall success with one scary setback. As she neared the end of her long growth spurt her metabolism began to slow to a normal level and her insulin needs dropped. We didn't realize it and being new to all of this failed to pick up on the signs. We had seen her stumble but each time it was out of the corner of our eyes or could be written off to her slipping on the wet floor. Eventually her body could no longer fight the overdose and her blood sugar plummeted. Luckily we were prepared and some Karo syrup followed by a trip to the animal hospital set things back on the right track.

Eventually she reached her full 75 pounds and things became much easier. Now she's on a set dosage that she receives twice a day and is a very happy (if not less energetic) 3 ½ year old. I know that a lot of people would not have taken on the extra work she was for the first year and some wouldn't even take on the extra work she is now. But, to us from the day she came home she was a member of the family and that is how we treated her. All I have to do is look at the love my children have for her and the way that my oldest tenderly gives her stuffed animal "insulin" shots with her crayon and I know without a doubt that her legacy will be one of compassion.