Sad loss of a dear family four legged friend...

I was recently asked to help a family member of a very good friend to get his family dogs weight under control. We took them to the website Shade Tree Pets for our homemade dog food recipe and the list of A+ rated dog foods. They had been feeding dog food that could be purchased at your local large chain stores that carry groceries to tires (you know what I am talking about), or at the neighborhood grocery store. This 12 to 14 year old female dog was a large breed dog, possibly a lab mix. She had packed on a lot of weight and was becoming very lazy. She even at times refused to complete the daily walks her human took her on. He mentioned to me that she had been drinking a lot of water.

He attempted to make the switch to a better dog food supplemented with our homemade formula. She refused to eat and even was vomiting up what she did eat. At first I thought perhaps he switched her too fast, which he had done in my opinion, however the other dog was fine. While Elvis the male, another large breed dog that is overweight, made the switch and loved the new food, Abby would barely touch it.

I went through the list of possibilities in my mind and suggested they see their Veterinarian right away. My first though was that she maybe had cancer or something else wrong in her digestive system, perhaps she was going into heart failure. I missed the key to the problem, did you?

Abby was rushed to an emergency clinic on Sunday, January 30. She had to be put to rest from advanced complications of Canine Diabetes. This family is suffering greatly from the loss of their Abby. They are blaming themselves for not seeing she had a problem sooner. We all miss signs of problems. If our four legged kids could only talk, it would be much easier.

I have spent some time researching Canine Diabetes since yesterday afternoon. The common thread in all the information I can find about this devastating disease is that the only hope of extending the life and helping the quality of life for dogs with diabetes is early detection and treatment. Do you know the signs? Do you know what I missed? The increased amount of water she was drinking was a huge sign.

This takes me back to the article on the home page of ToyMiniAussies.net Do You Know Your Dog's Health? If you have not read it, this is a good lesson for us all. Know your dog's health before they are sick. If you are taking the time to record what is normal for your dog, you are more likely to catch problems before it is too late for your best friend. I do it, it isn't that hard to do. Please take the time to pay attention to how your furry children  are feeling, behaving, eating and drinking. Know what is normal so you know when something isn't normal. There is a print out provided for you to record information on. It is a good tool to help you see problems before it is too late. Your Veterinarian can use the information as well. They appreciate good records when trying to diagnose problems.  

Look for new articles about Canine Diabetes coming soon to Shade Tree Pets.