Re: Yellow Lab Suzy Weakness in Hind Legs

I'm sorry to hear that Suzy has ketoacidosis - the hospital is the best place for her. They will give her IV fluids and insulin to get her blood sugar down and rid her of the ketones.

It is possible for dogs to suffer from neuropathy when their blood sugar has been very high for quite some time, as it sounds like Suzy's has. Rear end weakness is the classic symptom of this.

If Suzy's problem is neuropathy, it should gradually improve once her blood sugar comes down and most dogs completely or almost completely recover from it.

There are other conditions that could be involved but there's good reason to hope that it is her blood sugar that's the cause of her weakness.

Recovery from neuropathy does take a while - it doesn't magically correct over night.

The vet will get you sorted out with insulin, shots, etc., and will show you how to give the injections.

The insulin she will likely be on is Humulin N, which is NPH insulin, and can be purchased most inexpensively at Walmart as Relion N, a house brand. Relion N costs $25 a bottle while the name-label version runs about $60. So definitely worth buying it at Walmart. You can get the U100 syringes you will need at the same pharmacy.

If you take some time reading at the main website, www.k9diabetes.com, you can learn the basics. And there is a lot of great information saved at the Answers part of the forum:
http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=9

Give some thought to learning to home test her blood sugar - it's the single best tool there is for managing a dog's blood sugar. We have lots of tutorial videos on how to draw a tiny blood sample for the handheld meter:
www.k9diabetes.com/bgtestvideos.html

Let us know how she's doing, okay?

Natalie

Re: Yellow Lab Suzy Weakness in Hind Legs

Welcome to you and your freind I am a little confused but did the vet give you any instruction on what to do and supplies as far as insulin and syringes and with possible elevated ketones ?

Re: Yellow Lab Suzy Weakness in Hind Legs

Sorry Suzy has diabetes - fortunately, this is a very manageable disease, and once you get Suzy home and get the insulin started, she should be feeling lots better, soon!

Adding my welcome to that of the others. Ask any question, any time, and you'll likely receive some kind of useful answer before long.

Meantime, any details you can give us - how much Suzy weighs, what she's eating, and so forth, will help us help you.

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 17:50:33 (PDT)

Re: Yellow Lab Suzy Weakness in Hind Legs

Welcome

You'll find plenty of information here and answers for all of your questions, remember no question is a dumb one, we've already asked them.

Again welcome
Dolly & Angel Niki

Re: Yellow Lab Suzy Weakness in Hind Legs

And what's more, nobody minds having the same question asked umpteen times! (Dolly - great to see you back!)

Also, an answer may differ for a different dog! - as each dog is an individual. Principles, of course, remain the same.

Wed, 27 Apr 2011 05:56:37 (PDT)