The Spud Man

You know, if it wasn't for the drama in my household, I would have nothing to talk about. This round of insanity will focus on our man, Spud.

Spud is an obstinate, grumpy, Jack Russell Terrier. He's around 10 years old, and he belongs to my in-laws.

When I returned home after Jamie's baby shower on Sunday, Spud was acting out-of-sorts. He followed me everywhere and wanted to be close to me. This is NOT Spud-like behavior. He was drinking an enormous amount of water and wanted to stay outside, despite the icy temperature. When it was time to go to bed, Spud whimpered and paced and refused to lie down. Eventually, Chip took Spud out into the living room so that I could get some rest. Neither of them slept.

We arrived at the vet about 10:00 and Dr. Welch was very concerned. After a round of tests and some blood work, Spud was diagnosed with Diabetes and Ketoacidosis. It was VERY serious. The normal range for blood glucose in K9s is between 60-110. Spud's was in the 400's. He spent the night at the vet's office, sedated, with an IV drip.

We were able to bring him home Tuesday night, and were asked to give him an insulin shot every 3.5 hours. He went BACK to the vet on Wednesday AM, and the vet was very happy. He is now ketone-free, but his glucose is still very elevated. He'll need to get a stronger insulin shot, twice a day, for the rest of his life. It's very important that he be kept to a strict  diet, which I feel will be impossible (see this entry for more -> http://colleensobxblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/open-letter-to-people-who-feed-my-dogs.htmlo

We adore Spud, even though he's rotten, and are happy to what we can to keep him happy and healthy. Injections twice a day are sure to put an extra amount of pressure on us (and by "us" I mean Chip) and may have a pretty drastic impact on how we live our lives.

Add another medical-related chore to the already growing list!