Willow

[MillicentWight]

It's been a long while now since Willow was diagnosed with diabetes and I feel that I should let all of you who gave advice
and support that Willow is still  doing quite well. She is almost completely blind now and keeps bumping into things and the vet says she has cataracts due to the diabetes. She drinks lots of water and her weight has gone from 21kg down to 16 kg (a good thing) and since I have been feeding her on 'Royal Canin Diabetic the vet said her blood sugars are much better and she only wants to see her every three months now. I don't like having to give Willow her insulin injections twice a day but we are both coping quite well with it really. Can't thank you all really as the advice given made it easier for me to decide to go down the insulin route and without it she may not be here now.
                                                                           Regards Bob.

[Jaysmumagain]

It is so lovely to read this update on Willow, and understand she is doing well.

Wow 5 kilo weight loss, as you say a good thing.

Regards to you and Willow.

Julie and little Harry

[vixen]

 Lovely to hear Willow’s update 
Well done for managing  her injections as I remember you were nervous about it but it is  amazing what you can do when you have to.
Best wishes to you both 

[Mudmagnets]

Really pleased to read your update on Willow this morning, good news indeed   

 

Wishing you all the best

[Finvarra]

Pleased you are enjoying life still with Willow, and coping with the injections. Well done!

[bizzylizzy]

Well done!! I remember how anxious you were, understandably but you‘ve obviously been doing a great job managing her diabetes. Thanks for the update, hope you and Willow continue to enjoy life together for a good while to come. 

[ejp]

Thank you for the update.  I am glad you and Willow are managing well, and that you are both doing so well.

[cba]

Hi my Dusty was diabetic for five years when we lost her to something totally unrelated at age of 14.  Not sure if this is allowed but there is a Facebook page called ukdiabeticdogs which has heaps of helpful information in their files and everyone on there is in the same boat as you.  There always someone to chat to to or help if you have a problem, ie left the insulin out of the fridge all night will it be alright to is there anyone local cos I’ve dropped my bottle of insulin.  I actually couldn’t have coped without this Facebook page.  Hope this helps.

[Jaysmumagain]

Many thanks for this I am sure someone will benefits from knowing this site is around on Facebook.

Do remember Bob was very concerned back in the early days. 

[MillicentWight]

Willow spent the day in the vets last Thursday for the blood sugar U Curve which tuned out to be ok but there is a problem with her liver and worse still three lumps on her anal glands. One of them is quite large and I am very worried especially as I have read that the large one the vet referred to as a mass are often malignant and aggressive. The vet said that her age, ten years old, and with her diabetes it would be very dangerous to put her through an operation and I should consider just carrying on
and seeing how long she can go without too much pain. I am just broken and don't know what to do. The cost of an operation would be about £4500 and I will find the money somehow if that would be the right thing to do but I am not sure if it is. I can't expect anyone on here would want to advise me on this one but I just had to tell someone. Thank you, Bob                                                                                                                                           

[MIN]

Gemma had a aggressive mammary cancer.  We had the titti removed even before the cancer was diagnosed. Despite a good clearance and clear after x-rays and scans it came back and claimed her giving us no notice whatsoever .   No money could have saved Gemma in the end

[Finvarra]

My 8 year old rescue cocker had an aggressive tumour there, from me taking him to the vet when I saw it, it was monitored for a week, and grew exponentially. He had it removed, a big operation, but sadly he had secondaries in his spine and so we had to let him go. We didn't know about the secondaries til a bit after the op, if I had known I wouldn't have put him through it. Can your vet not do a biopsy to find out what kind it is?
I'm so sorry that this has happened to poor Willow, and sending you hugs .
Lesley

[MillicentWight]

The vet who was looking after Willow has been working nights for the past three months and not available but she had already promised to call me in three weeks time to discuss the diabetes so perhaps I will get more advice from her then. Nothing
any of you can do I know but just to hear from any of you will help. Thanks, Bob.

[Mudmagnets]

Poor Willow, and poor you to with all this worry. You can rest assured that we all wish Willow the very best possible, and if it helps send loads of these for you both 

   

[MillicentWight]

Thanks for the replies. My problem now is that I have been thinking too much and I am wondering if I am doing the right thing by Willow in ruling out an operation. Willow had a full blood count at my request and it came back that her liver enzymes were a bit high, her white blood cell count is very high with no reason was given and when I had asked for her glands to be emptied they found what they thought was compacted toilet  which they were going to syringe but another vet said were three lumps. One lump is quite large and they don't know how fast it is growing and I asked if it is linked to the white blood cell count being high. They didn't know and neither did they tell me that most tumours found in this area are aggressive and no biopsy was offered. Because Willow is 10, has diabetes and is blind the last vet I spoke to thinks they should just let things carry on the way they are and see what happens. Willow is the only friend I have in the world and I just want to do right by her. Bob.