We have 2 Samoyeds, Atlanta who is 12 years old, and his son Henry who is 9. I first noticed something was not quite right with Atlanta about 8 weeks ago. He had started to get us up out of bed during the night to go out to the loo. A few nights later he was still doing this and also leaving some puddles in the house, this was very out of character for him. He wasn’t showing any other symptoms, however, as I knew that diabetes was common in Samoyeds, I made an appointment with Clare Vets to get him checked out.
The vet performed a quick urine test which concluded he had diabetes. A further test ruled out any problems with his liver or kidneys, thankfully. Whilst I was relieved that it wasn’t anything more sinister, I wasn’t prepared for how much of a responsibility it was to look after a diabetic dog. However, Atlanta is such a big part of our lives that giving him the care that he needed was the least we could do.
Diane (the vet) took the time to explain that he would need insulin injections twice a day, 12 hours apart. His diet would need to be monitored and his routine should stay the same. He also needed to be kept in a quiet and stress-free environment!
We also needed to be aware of “hypo’s” and what to do if this happened. He now needs to visit the vets regularly to have his blood sugars checked and ensure he says stable and his diabetes kept under control.
I’m very lucky that I work from home, so I am always here to keep an eye on him. Despite being completely overwhelmed at the time of diagnosis, it’s amazing how quickly you fall into a routine. He is now used to the injections which haven’t really been a problem and because of this his diabetes has stabilised!
The only small issue is leaving him on his own as he has to be injected at 8am and 8pm – so having a night out together was problematic! However, we are lucky to have great, responsible neighbours who are happy to inject him if the need arrives. I also know that the vets and nurses are at the end of the phone 24 hours a day if we have any questions.
So, whilst caring for a dog with diabetes seems a bit daunting, it can be managed with a bit of time and care. Atlanta doesn’t really notice anything different, except perhaps the lack of treats!
He is his happy usual self, and we are so grateful to Clare Vets for their continuing care of him.