Shaking in the wee hour.
These past couple of weeks I noticed some strange habits/behaviors in Lola. The habits are mainly her waking me up at six o'clock every morning to her shaking uncontrollably. No matter what I do I can't seem to cease her shaking so the event will go on for a couple of hours. Worried that she was having seizures I posted a blog right away and contacted the vet to make an appointment.
I did make an appointment for the vet and have made two visits over there this week. The first visit we found that Lola's sugar was at the low point of normal, however; it could not be accurately tested since I had already fed her that morning and also was told that her liver levels had changed slightly. After a twelve hour fast and monitoring her every night we returned to the vet this morning (12/13/13), to retest her sugar. We found that it was pretty below average at 62 when the normal levels are between 80-120.
Reasons as to why her levels are dipping so low at night are still unknown but as instructed I am to divide Lola's meal portions into numerous small meals a day, as well as snacks throughout the day, a snack just before bed, as well as keeping corn syrup next to my bed to rub on her gums when/if she goes into an episode.
I myself did go through a spell of a mysterious illness that turned into five years of numerous doctors appointments a week, and seemingly endless amounts of tests. So I do know the ordeal that she could be going through and am willing to do what it takes to make sure she gets better and remains as comfortable as possible. Because of this I feel like she chose me for a reason.
I do fret for her health and safety, and although this is a difficult time for this to start, I'm ready and willing to do what it takes to get her healthy.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
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Your sentiments are commendable but don't bandage your head before it's broken.... best to keep an optimistic outlook and expect a simple outcome that will be easily managed. My fingers are crossed.
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Permalink Reply by Lola and Paige on
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I appreciate everyone's support! Definitely have my fingers crossed! Tried her new feeding regimen today (thank goodness I have two roommates to help while I'm at work), and I have my corn syrup ready to go next to my bed! Do have to say that she seems to like the being fed more often as well as more snacks thing. She's always been kinda a chow hound.
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Hopefully they can figure out what is causing it, but in the meantime the lifestyle changes you are making should help control it. Not sure about dogs, but in people it is important to include protein with meals to avoid increases and crashes in blood sugar. I would think treats with a 25% or more protein level would be the best snacks, though I would say of course follow any specific instructions the vet gave you.
Keep us posted as you find out more. The nice thing about a discussion instead of a blog is that with the discussion, any time someone posts a reply to it, it goes back to the top of the page. :-)
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Last night was one of the best nights in a while. Lola's shaking didn't start until nearly eight this morning so I opened up the corn syrup and rubbed it on her gums. It seemed to help as she was walking around upstairs shortly after. This news will make this wait easier.
It comforts me to know that not only I will sleep better but she can finally rest a little easier.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Did the vet suggest a food that would be the best for this? I'm just curious if there's some that are better than others??? I know with people food does make a difference also.
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Permalink Reply by Abbey & Anne on
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Lola is so lucky to have a loving caretaker like you! I hopr that whatever this mysterious illness is that it proves to be nothing serious. Our pups are like our children...
Please keep us up to date with Lola's condition.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Payerl on
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Glad to see that you have had the initial testing done and that you have an initial plan to follow while you wait for other results. Feeding Sophie three times daily (once right before bed) has helped lessen her seizure activity. Just an idea: if you have to get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, maybe give Lola a small snack then, too, since you're awake anyhow. This might help carry her through until morning without such a blood sugar drop. Keep a little dish of treats by your bed so they're handy, along with the corn syrup. Sounds as if the corn syrup might be a big help. Good luck!
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A high protein dog food is helpful in maintaining proper blood sugar levels, but one cannot just look at the label for this information as there are foods that have protein, but it is not digestible to the dog, so of no value. A better indicator is the digestibility index for that food. Many dog food companies readily make this information available so you can compare it. Without going crazy, it is really easy to boost the protein levels with meat, eggs, cottage, cheese, Greek yogurt in small amounts. Medium size eggs cost next to nothing, can be boiled and will keep a couple of weeks in the fridge with no problem. Meat can be from leftovers or you can cook some up, freeze it in small portions on a cookie sheet and then throw the frozen portions in a ziplock bag. I freeze the really lean hamburger ( I don't want to pay for fat the dog does not need!) in ice cube trays raw, then throw the cubes in a ziplock in the freezer. When needed I microwave for 10 seconds, just to thaw it, not cook it. Things like that don't take much time in the moment to do and can make a big difference in boosting the protein content of the food. I have to watch this issue for my own self and find that, when I have more protein ( for instance eat out for lunch and so eat bigger portions of meat/fish than I would at home, I can go more hours without needing to eat again ) Also make sure the dog food does not have sugar (anything ending in "ose"), white rice, white potatoes, corn or any syrup. It is amazing what they will put in to make it more appealing to the dog..... All these things cause spikes in blood sugar, with subsequent crashing.... same as in people. Some tolerate it better than others.
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That's a lot of helpful information. I'm gonna have to research her food a little bit and buy some more stuff to go with it. The eggs sound like a good idea so does the hamburger. I work in a grocery store so it's not hard to go pick something up since I'm normally there about five days a week.
I have numerous food allergies so the things I'm allergic to I don't trust feeding to Lola, including potatoes. It's nice to have at least a plan of action so I can try to manage what's going on. We used to have a Pomeranian a few years ago that had an underdeveloped liver so we had to feed him corn syrup three times a day otherwise he would slip into sort of a mini coma. So I do have some practice with a situation similar to this.
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Lola did really well last night, there was little shaking and that was taken care of with a little bit of syrup just like the night before. I'm finding it easy to adjust to this new routine and am able to keep up on feeding and her snack time. Of course the just loves the easily available food and snacks.
I explained what kind of food I was feeding her to the vet and he said that it was a good food, but the next time I'm at Walmart I'll have to take a good look at it just to be sure. She has actually lost about a pound in these past couple of weeks so they say she is at her optimum weight right now.
Everyone knows she is my baby and we are so close. Which is kinda surprising since I actually never put her through puppy classes and will admit that I don't put tons of effort into training. Although she does know some tricks. My boyfriend teases my because there are times when she looks at me and the look in her eyes is like she's saying "Mom!"
I do have to make a run to get some more snacks and treats for her. I don't want her to have a bunch of fatty treats. I'll buy some to keep next to my bed along with the corn syrup then.
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Agree with Anna about adding protein to the food; just a bit at main meals will make a big difference.
Evo makes a high-protein dog treat (over 40% and from meat, not pea protein!). One of my dogs was regularly vomiting bile on his pre-dinner evening walk. Just one of these treats before his walk every day has left him 100% vomit free; before that he would vomit maybe 3 times a week at the end of a walk. They seem expensive but the bag is huge and lasts forever.http://www.chewy.com/dog/evo-wild-cravings-turkey-chicken/dp/35503?...
For mornings, would she tolerate a timed feeder? My dogs would not and would paw and bark at it all night, but if she would tolerate it you could set it to open at 6am and give her two biscuits at that time to help with the AM shakes.
http://www.amazon.com/Eatwell-meal-feeder--Model-PFD11-13706/dp/B00...
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@Beth, the treats look really nice. I think I'll order some myself. As for the automatic feeder at 6AM, most dogs then would need to go out to relieve themselves after eating....a couple of the high protein treats may do the trick without triggering that need.
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