Conscious Canine Cuisine and Your Pet’s Express Fitness Plan by Holistic veterinarian, author and pet lover, Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM.

Sharpen up your Pet Health Quotient and Ignite your pets life and longevity with Dr. Carol!

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Join us today at 6:30 PM EST for 30 minutes of pet fun and facts and ask Dr. Carol your pet questions live on air!

Time & Date: Feb. 4th, 6:30PM EST

The Boomster room opens at 6:20 PM – make sure you arrive before the show starts so that you can test your speakers!

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Pets and Diabetes
Pets and The Sugar Epidemic

The ABC’s of Diabetes Management, Insulin and Your Pet’s Diet

Welcome back to Boomster Live! This Thursday, 1/21 at 5:30 PM EST, Boomster’s in house pet expert, holistic veterinarian, Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM. returns to answer your pet health care questions, this time, regarding the growing problem of pet diabetes.

Unfortunately, diabetes is just as much of a problem for pets as it is for people. Dr. Carol will be providing insider secrets on how to maintain, monitor and feed your diabetic pet. It’s as easy as ABC!

For more information visit Boomster.com

So get Fido and Fluffy and join Dr. Carol and the Boomster Staff this Thursday 1/21 at 5:30PM EST!

Make sure you get to the show a few minutes beforehand so you can make sure your web browser is properly configured, your speakers are working and you have your pet diabetes questions ready to ask Dr. Carol.

The urine sugar Diastix readings are actually very accurate for diabetic pets. In fact, before home blood monitors became available they were used exclusively for owners to monitor sugar levels and insulin dosages.

Today Diabetes is Big Business! The number of pets and people affected with diabetes has sky rocked to epidemic levels. Fortune 500 corporations and pharmaceutical companies including Intervet/Schering-Plough are cashing in and making big bucks by selling all kinds of new diabetes supplies and devices. Relabeling Vetsulin for pets and selling home blood monitors to diabetic pet owners are just two examples of this current trend.

The Diastix urine color readings have to be interpreted and then matched to determined correct insulin dosages for diabetic dogs and cats. Holistic veterinarian, pet expert and author, Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM. is available to work with and teach diabetic pet owners how to monitor and dose insulin for their diabetic pets at home.

If you are not able to locate the Diastix, pick up a bottle of Keto-Diastix, also available at Walgreen’s and you will only be using the glucose side of the strip not the ketone side.

The outside of the Diastix bottle does not have readings that match the values of -2, -1. Trace, +1, +2 as noted on the pet diabetes article I posted yesterday. This article will show diabetic pet owners how to interpret the colors and values on the Diastix bottle so they can evaluate and interpret their pets insulin dosages properly at home by matching the above values.

The outside of the Diastix bottle does have has a series of colors and corresponding percentages. When reading these from left to right, the colors will correspond to the following insulin dosages which you need to make into a chart. Insulin dosages are always calculated from your pet’s previous insulin dosage.

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I wanted to share another note I received from a diabetic pet owner:

Dear Dr. Carol,

You are so kind and dedicated to your field to even email me as a total stranger. I congratulate you for this- you are obviously one of the few whom are truly dedicated to your practice.

I am an emergency room, registered nurse of 27 years. It has been extremely hard on me and my husband this past year with Winston. When you are use to treating and healing others, it truly is hard when your own are sick and your hands are tied and you want to help. I never was comfortable with Vetsulin and wondered why not the other insulin. Felt like I could get a human’s insulin under control within hours, why can’t I get Winston’s better controlled?

If only we were informed as soon as this FDA warning came out 11/2/09, this possibly could have been prevented. Whose responsibility is this? I think it is the manufacturer and the prescribing veterinarian and dispensing facility, whether the pharmacy or the vet’s office.
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I wanted to share another success story with all of the loving diabetic pet owners searching the web for information on how to deal with diabetic pets still taking Vetsulin and trying to get answers on how to switch their dogs over from Vetsulin to DNA based insulin. It is not difficult at all.

Here is a pet owner who’s little dog was suffering from unregulated diabetes with secondary kidney and liver failure resulting from tainted Vetsulin, in addition to arthritis. He almost gave up on his dog but decided to give it a try and got his best friend back.

Hi Dr Carol,

Spike is doing very, very well on his new insulin and his urine sugar readings are consistent.

We gave Spike the the coffee enema yesterday and my wife
commented today when she combed him out that she thought his
coat was improving. That would be a great event if his liver and coat both improve.

His mobility has increased quite a bit in the last day. Not sure if the 1/2 tablet of the hip/joint pill has
kicked in already or if the Adequan shot on Tuesday made the difference.
I suspect it’s the hip/joint pill. I intend to continue to finish up the Adequan,
then will keep him on on the hip/joint supplement, kidney essentials and PAAWS vitamins forever.
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Regulate your Diabetic Pet at Home & Make a Personal Pet Glucose Curve Yourself!

Switching pets over from Vetsulin to DNA based insulin is not hard and daily regulation using your pets urine along with a product, available at Walgreen’s, called Diastix, will help you regulate your diabetic pet at home as quickly as possible. Most diabetic pets should be regulated within a week of beginning their new stable DNA based insulin.

Learn how to make a glucose curve for your pet at home.

This will prove to be very helpful and will provide you and your vet with valuable information. It will allow you to monitor sugar level trends and follow your pet’s sugar levels accurately and cost effectively. You can also add a box at the end of each day to mark down any important signs you noticed in your pet that day such as appetite, energy levels, attitude, water consumption, frequency of urinating, etc. Whenever you visit your vet bring your chart along and review it with your vet.

Once you make your pet’s sugar curve chart, be sure to post it in a convenient place like your refrigerator door. This way everyone in your family will be on the same page when it comes to your pets insulin dosages.

To Make Your Pets Personal Sugar Curve:

Take a piece of notebook paper and write down the date each day. Place the dates vertically down the left side of the paper. Across the top of the paper, mark down the time of day, the urine sugar reading and the dose of insulin you have given every morning and every evening.

You simply match the color of your pet’s urine to the numeric value on the Diastix strip and adjust the insulin dosage accordingly. This is vital to try to minimize further internal organ damage and preserve what if any vision is left, before cataracts occur.
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I received this heart warming note and wanted to share it with my pet loving friends.

LuLu’s Story,

I kept worrying about, LuLu, my 10 1/2 year old lab mutt and thinking about her dying. I found myself wondering if this is LuLu’s last day. She’s getting old, and she had bad kidneys.

When I got home, I cried. This dog is part of me. She has been with me as I faced life and death. She comforts me on as many levels as I can distinguish. I love her and everything about her.

There I was, sobbing, feeling a tender appreciation for my furry companion, still as stubborn as ever on a walk. We got out the front door and walked across the newly mowed lawn. We crossed the street onto the sidewalk, tears still streaming down my cheeks.

I feel so much about this creature. I started thinking about the day I found her, sitting there on the corner with a homeless man holding a sign “Stray Dog Needs Home.”

I had given up hope when I heard about a pet product called, PAAWS. There was nothing left to lose, so I gave it a try.

That was 4 years and 2 weeks ago. LuLu is still with me today. She is truly my companion for life.
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This Thursday, Dr. Carol proudly announces her newest weekly live radio show, Boomster PAAWS Pet Talk with Dr. Carol!

Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM., is a holistic veterinarian, author and Board Certified Anti-Aging Pet Health Diplomat for Pets. Each week on Pet Talk, Dr. Carol will discuss pet health care topics of interest for 1/2 hour live for dogs and cats.

This Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 1:30 PM EST, Dr. Carol will discuss PAAWS Pet New Years Resolutions for 2010 – things both you and your pet can do to enjoy a happier and healthier new year! Visit the show page on Boomster for details.

So gather up your furry friends for 30 minuter of live Pet Talk! Come and join Dr. Carol and the Boomster Staff this Thursday!

Make sure you sign on to Boomsters Pet Talk Radio show 15 minutes before we begin, so you can ask your pet questions, make sure your web browser is properly configured and your speakers are ready.

Pet owners can also ask Dr. Carol their pet health questions for dogs and cats live on air and suggest topics for our future pet radio shows.

In the midst of working with a variety of worried diabetic pet owners, I wanted to share a story with all of you about a dog named Jock.

I got a call from a man who owns a 9 year old, 8 pound toy poodle, named Jock. Jock has diabetes and had been taking Vetsulin for a couple years to regulate his blood sugar, when all of the sudden, about a month ago, Jock started rapidly going down hill. In fact Jock got so bad, he had to get IV fluids and stay at the vets for 3 days.

Eddie was upset. He had just come home from the vet, who handed him Jock’s latest blood work and explained that unfortunately, Jock’s condition had become even worse. Now he had liver in addition to kidney failure and there was nothing else that could be done. The vets final words were “love your dog for his last few days.”

After talking for a while, I told him it was possible that the liver and kidney problems were both related to the Vetsulin. Eddie was unaware of the Vetsulin recall. I explained the Vetsulin issue and told him he would need a prescription from his vet for DNA based insulin. He would need to make a decision quickly if he was going to try to save Jock. He was going to think about it and hung up.
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Pet lovers whose dogs and cats have to endure the cold winter weather may want to brush up on their wintertime pet health IQ to help keep Fido and Fluffy warm and safe while frolicking in the snow.

Antifreeze, which is Ethylene Glycol, is deadly for pets! It also smells and tastes good to pets. Less than four teaspoons may be lethal for a ten pound dog. A single teaspoon can be fatal to cats.

Propylene glycol is a less toxic form of antifreeze and can be used instead of ethylene glycol. The brand is called “Sierra.” It works just as well in your car but is much less toxic to your pet.
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