I regret to tell everyone that my dog, Kiva, passed away on Friday,
November 14.  She died suddenly and unexpectedly of what the vets think
was a pulmonary embolism: a blood clot that blocks an artery in the lung,
often causing sudden death.  She had diabetes for 2.5 years.  Her vet said
that diabetics are at risk for developing embolisms. 
You can read more about her life and death at:
http://www.levellers.org/kiva/

She lived with diabetes for 2.5 years before she died.  She was diagnosed
in May 2001.  Her vet (Dr. Guy Newton, Peak to Peak Animal Hospital,
Nederland, Colorado) took excellent care of her.  This newsgroup and all
the pet diabetes websites helped me tremendously in getting educated on
the disease and its treatment.  I can't thank the list-owners and web-site
maintainers enough for all your help!  It was so scary at the beginning,
but the knowledge I gained on the Internet helped me enormously.

Kiva went in for several BG curves in the vet's office at the beginning,
but she her BGs were always jumping around. We thought we had gotten her
more or less regulated, but one day, about 4 months after her diagnosis,
she went hypoglycemic. She was stumbling around and couldn't walk
straight. We took her to the emergency vet. Her BG was still only 30 when
we got to the emergency vet, even after tons of Karo syrup and a 45 minute
ride to the vet.  All the vet did was monitor her BG and give her food.
She was wiped out the whole next day, but she recovered well. That night,
I did research on the best glucometer, and the next day I went out and
bought one. I was determined never to give her a shot of insulin again
that would cause her to go hypoglycemic.  After that experience, it was
too scary to give her a shot and not know what her BG was when I gave it to her.

We picked the Lifescan Onetouch Ultra tester.  It required the smallest
amount of blood. I would dry the underside of her lip with a paper towel
and prick her with a lancet.  She took it so well!  I would do this twice
a day, and adjust her insulin based on her BG reading.  She still bounced
around a lot with her BG readings (150-400) was the usual range.  I would
err on the side of keeping her BGs higher rather than lower, after that
first scary experience with hypoglycemia.  I figured high blood sugar
would kill her eventually, but low sugar could kill her immediately.

She also developed cataracts and took thyroid medicine.  The cataracts
developed quickly, within about a month.  The eye vet said her vision was
about 80% obstructed, but you couldn't tell except for she had a hard time
seeing small things.  Once the cataracts formed initially, they stopped
growing and never did get any worse.  We were going to have the cataracts
removed, but then my husband of 19 years was diagnosed with lung cancer
and died less than six months later.  Boy, I thought dealing with our
dog's diabetes was difficult.  My husband's illness and death put that
into perspective real quick.

I believe the twice-daily home testing with the Lifescan glucometer was
the single most important part of Kiva's diabetes management.  She was
10.5 and had had diabetes for 2.5 years, but she felt good and was active
and happy until just a few hours before she died.

I'd like to donate the glucometer, over 100 test strips, over 100 3/10cc
syringes, and over 100 lancets to someone who loves their dog or cat as
much as I did and who will use it to take good care of their furry friend.
If you are interested, please send me a short email telling me about you
and your pet and how you will use the glucometer.  I will pay for shipping.

Taking care of a diabetic dog is expensive.  Between the insulin, the
syringes, the test strips, the lancets and the prescription dog food, I
figured I spent about $200/month on that dog.  She was worth it.  I loved
her very much.

For readers' information:
I got the best deals on syringes ($15/100) and lancets ($10/100) at Walgreen's.
I got the best deal on test strips (~$55/100) on Ebay. 
The retail price for those test strips is about $85/100.

Please let me know if you are interested in inheriting Kiva's diabetic
testing supplies.  Thanks again for this list, and I wish you all success
in dealing with your diabetic pet.  Treasure them now because you will
never spend enough time with them.

Peace,

Laura Kriho
lkriho@levellers.org
http://www.levellers.org/kiva/

Up in heaven, high above,
Amidst skies of spectral hue,
Lives a love to be remembered,
A heart waiting there for you.

So in that legend in  Paradise,
Amidst crystallized morning dew
As you look into a dazzling rainbow,
She is there, gazing back at you.

She came into your life as swiftly as a dream,
Then just as quick, she had to part,
Though only memories she left, it may seem,
Her tender prints are in your heart
 
 

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