Confused as to what to do next with dog.

jamesf85

Hi all,

Just looking for anyone who may have been in a similar position or anyone who might have any knowledge on the subject, it'd be great appreciated.

So we have a 7 year old husky. He's like a member of the family, so friendly and playful. Basically 3 months ago he started acting very down and depressed which seemed odd as he's usually full of life. We took him to the vet and were told he had diabetes. This was a pretty traumatic thing for us to hear as we were caught so off guard by it. It means injections twice daily but is a small price to pay as he was back to his normal best within a week.

Then just two weeks ago we noticed his eyesight seemed worse, he was banging into stuff more regularly. Again we brought him to the vet and this time we were told he ha cataracts. He's been to the vet since for a check up and they said they would try and book him in to get the cataracts removed at a cost of over 1,000 an eye, but in the meantime they said he needed a few teeth removed, 7 in total!

I know when things like these happen people tend to blame others, it's the easiest thing to do when you're upset but this all seems so crazy considering he went for regular check ups for the past 7 years and nothing was flagged. It's also tough knowing he's going through all this and we can't know if he's in pain or how traumatic it is for him. I really don't know whats the best thing to do. Also we're still left in the dark regarding the cataracts, with something like this it would seem to me the earlier it's operated on the better. I don't know though.

Sorry for the long spiel, it's just that we have no prior experience with this.Anyone here been in a similar situation? At this point we just want whats best for him.

Thanks for reading

JoannieG

I really feel for you! Dunno what I'd do if I got the same news about one of my dogs. If you have confidence in your vet then follow his advice - if not, get a second opinion. It seems a bit strange that, even though he had regular check-ups, your dog needs 7 teeth removed. In our case, we're lucky that our vet is a personal friend and I trust her judgement implicitly. Bu if you haven't a similar relationship with your vet I'd seek a second opinion.

pwurple

Well, i know some diabetic people, and their teeth, eyes and kidneys are in bad shape with it. So maybe the other issues came from that? One for the vet really.

DBB

Ah jayney OP, that's rotten bad luck
However, I'd argue that routine check-ups won't tell you that the diabetes train is coming unless those check-ups included blood testing, urinalysis etc. Most annual check-ups for young dogs do not include these tests unless specifically asked for by the owner.
We have a great husky expert here (muddypaws) who might be able to tell you if there's a breed predisposition.
What I'd want to know is, if he were to have the surgery, given that he's diabetic, what are the chances (if any) that the eye condition would recur? As for getting it done sooner rather than later, again I think a full and frank conversation with your vet, or the eye-specialist you're referred to is called for.
I know others here can and will give their own experiences, and they will be very helpful and even comforting to you, but I think the person you really need to talk to probably isn't on this forum

muddypaws

Cataracts aren't uncommon in huskies, whereabouts are you OP, if you're anywhere near Dublin, or will make the journey up, Michael Woods in Primrose Hill Vets in Dun Laoghaire is a fantastic eye specialist and may be able to give you more advice on what to do. I have one husky with corneal dystrophy and one with cataracts, and he hasn't advised operating on either of them. However, neither of them are bumping into things, so your poor boy may be much worse off.

As far as I am aware, huskies aren't predisposed to diabetes, but I can find out more.

DBB

muddypaws wrote: »

Michael Woods in Primrose Hill Vets in Dun Laoghaire is a fantastic eye specialist and may be able to give you more advice on what to do.

+1
Michael has a great reputation not only for being a super eye-specialist, he's also a straight-talker and will make your decisions easier for you.
A nice fella too!:)

jamesf85

Thank you for all the replies, it really does mean a lot.

When I said he was bumping into stuff it isn't that often but one or two things happened where I thought his vision might be somewhat impaired. One of his eyes looks slightly glazed over now. Unfortunately I'm not near Dublin but would be willing to travel if I thought it was for the best. The vet they're going to refer us to is in Limerick which is slightly closer.

The main thing is I hate the thought of him being in pain or discomfort. I know with diabetes his health was always going to go downhill but I hoped it might be manageable and he could live a pretty normal life with it. Unfortunately in the past tweo weeks he's had an awful time, first with the cataracts and now the 7 teeth.

muddypaws

jamesf85 wrote: »

Thank you for all the replies, it really does mean a lot.

When I said he was bumping into stuff it isn't that often but one or two things happened where I thought his vision might be somewhat impaired. One of his eyes looks slightly glazed over now. Unfortunately I'm not near Dublin but would be willing to travel if I thought it was for the best. The vet they're going to refer us to is in Limerick which is slightly closer.

The main thing is I hate the thought of him being in pain or discomfort. I know with diabetes his health was always going to go downhill but I hoped it might be manageable and he could live a pretty normal life with it. Unfortunately in the past tweo weeks he's had an awful time, first with the cataracts and now the 7 teeth.

I'm in Sligo, and travel up to see Michael

How is his appetite OP, and does he seem in discomfort with his teeth when he eats? Another of my dogs, not a husky, has very bad teeth, she had them cleaned in the vet on Monday, had to have a GA to get them done, she also had a biopsy at the same time as unfortunately she has had a mouth infection for months, so we're investigating whether its anything more sinister. But, I'm now using dentisept for her as well, which has been recommended by a few people for keeping the teeth clean of dogs that have a predisposition to bad teeth. I think its the third time she's had to go in and have the teeth cleaned under GA in 6 years, the other dogs manage to keep their teeth in pretty good condition from dry food, bones and chews but unfortunately some dogs just have really bad teeth. What are you feeding him?

jamesf85

Yea he's obviously just been unfortunate.

He's been on Royal Canin Veterinary Diet Diebetic nuts since he's been diagnosed, nothing else as we were told not to. We used to give him those dentrix sticks as we were told they were good for his teeth, maybe not though. I hate that I was possibly the catalyst for all of this. Not looking after his diet properly.

muddypaws

Don't beat yourself up, some dogs just have bad teeth, Didge eats exactly the same as all the other dogs, but she is the only one that has issues.

Go and see the eye specialist, see what they say, if they recommend an operation, then get the teeth done at the same time, to cut down on the anaesthetic time for the dog. If the injections are working, even if the poor fella has to go through a cataract operation and having teeth removed, hopefully, once those things are done, his quality of life will improve.

Well done for managing the injections though, thats a tough thing to do each day.

Rips

There does seem to be a relatively high incidence in huskies in my experience, well as much as any other breed but then, just in general, its those breeds that have a tendency to be overweight, labradors, cavaliers. Most of the huskies I've seen with diabetes were calm older females who were overweight just as a result of not enough exercise. Their coats as well, can hide that fact that they are carrying a bit extra.

Not directed at you OP, many dogs get diabetes regardless of their body condition.

Both cataracts and periodontal disease are complications of the disease, though personally, I've not seen periodontal disease quite as often.
It might be worth double checking that the diabetes is well controlled, did he go in for a full days monitoring etc? It seems like a lot of intervention but once you get a handle on it, he'll be fine. You'll probably need to have him rechecked (ie; a full days monitoring) at least every 6 months. It definitely is manageable, it seems you've just been unlucky OP

Diet, weight control, a good routine with his medication and regular monitoring is the key.

If you have concerns and the place you are being referred to does general practice, then it might be worth getting them to review the whole case?

jamesf85

Rips wrote: »

There does seem to be a relatively high incidence in huskies in my experience, well as much as any other breed but then, just in general, its those breeds that have a tendency to be overweight, labradors, cavaliers. Most of the huskies I've seen with diabetes were calm older females who were overweight just as a result of not enough exercise. Their coats as well, can hide that fact that they are carrying a bit extra.

I think this is a fair assessment, he was a little overweight, although not from a lack of exercise as we live on a farm and he was very active. Always with the other animals or on the tractor. We had cut down on his food for the past couple of years and he's been pretty lean since but obviously the damage was done.

Rips

Its difficult, my big dog is 8 and starting to slow down (joints, he has a pin in one hip) and he's starting to put on excess and keep it on. The only savings grace for him is that he likes to swim and we have access to a river.

mags16

I really feel for you, embarking on a journey that I've been for the last 3 years. I don't think weight or condition have brought on your dog's diabetes, as far as I know, dogs get type 1 which is not lifestyle related.

My dog's sight lasted for 18 months after diagnosis but has been blind and deaf for the last 18 months. But what a happy dog she is. I have relaxed her diet somewhat because the diabetes food was upsetting her tummy. Instead of 2 meals 12 hours apart, she gets 4 or 5 meals per day. She still gets 2 injections per day. Her blood sugars are pretty controlled - some foods set her off.

You might want to start home testing blood sugars. Your vet will guide you. I bought a human glucometer and that helped me a lot. I calibrated it against the vet's - the human ones read higher, I think.

An online forum k9diabetes was full of great advice and information.

Aru

I think you need need to go back to the vets for a recheck.

Diabetes can be the cause of sight issues in dogs if the disease is not fully under control and the blood sugars are to high...checking this would be the first step.

Teeth etc can wait.
Making sure your boy is on the correct dose of insulin to control the disease is incredibly important.

wupucus

Hi have you considered getting a referral to the vet college in UCD, I know it is a bit of a journey but they have all the different specialties under one roof and some of the top vets in the country- this is the main teaching hospital for vets in the country- I have had several of my dogs treated there- great staff and they give the animals the best of care-