Bo was diagnosed Feb 2004 at the age of 8. He was hard to regulate at first due to hyperlipidemia which resulted in insulin resistance. His Cushing's test was negative. He was placed on Science light and fish oil. I used chicken breast for enticement to feed 12 hours apart. His usual dose for regulation was NPH 24 units twice a day which is a lot of insulin for a 29 lb dog.
In April 2006 Bo became ill with chronic diarrhea. He was admitted to a local Vet College and has had numerous labs, xrays, ultrasound within the past few months. He is diagnosed with IBD. He has had severe diarrhea and weight loss of 8 lbs. for 7 months. With the wt. loss his insulin requirements changed to 12 units twice per day NPH. He is now on Neoral(cyclosporine) 25mg twice a day, Budesonide 1mg once per day, Tylan three times per day, and ketoconazole twice per day. Although not totally controlled his GI symptoms are much better on these medications. I am adjusting insulin as needed with the steroid(Budesonide)and his illness. He is back up to 23 units in the am and 15 in the pm. His PM meal is smaller to control his GI symptoms at night. I do home test as needed with the One Touch Ultra.
Ultrasound showed kidney stone, bladder stones, liver and kidney enlargement. GB enlarged with sludge. He is on a mixture of Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance Venison and rice twice a day as a novel protein diet.
Bo began going blind in May of 2006. As of November he is almost totally blind. He is adjusting and does well navigating at home. He still seems happy most of the time and continues to eat well and play with our other dog Emma. I have not considered surgery due to his chronic problems. It has been a real challenge these past months to control his diabetes and his IBD but well worth it to me and my family. Bo will be 11 in December of 2006.
