My Diabetic Dog

So I haven't really talked much about my Diabetic Boxer Levi, my 12 year old furkid mostly because it is so very difficult for me to even speak about.  Levi, the most loving, gentle, caring, kid loving, lap dog wanna be Boxer you will ever meet.  This dog is amazing and amazes me still every day at the ripe old age of 12.  Levi has had many obstacles in life and me and him have tackled them all alone until I met my husband Ray in 2007.  Levi was 6 at the time and we had tackled skin allergy issues from hell, losing my previous Boxer Kassie at age 12.5 and gaining a new Boxer Roxy in 2006.  Levi was there through Kassie's Cancer and grand maul seizures, he was there watching and caring for me.  He and I both cried together after Kassie had to be put to sleep after having Cancer for a year.  Levi has been one of the best two Boxers I have ever had.  I am struggling through writing this at this point as I have tears in my eyes.

In 2009 Levi had a very traumatic seizure and actually stopped breathing on our 80 mph drive to the vet's office.  Luckily my husband can keep brain function during moments like these and he whacked Levi in the chest to get him to breath again.  It was horrible, he was white as a sheet the whole way there.  My awesome vet met me at the office and we rushed him in, got him on oxygen and a shot to dilate his blood vessels.  He made it through all of that in one piece. Thanks to God.  So I decided, against my husbands/then Fiance's wishes, to take him to Aurora to have his heart and brain checked out.  $3500 later and a huge credit card bill Levi was ok, and diagnosed with Epilepsy.  He has been on anti-convulsants since because every time we think he can come off them he has a seizure.  We have since learned to not let him run around like a wild animal outside as it can bring them on.

Fast forward to 2013 and I notice Levi is drinking a TON of water and one morning there was what appeared to be, thick gooey syrup on the kitchen floor.  It was pee and pee full of sugar.  Levi was Diabetic.  His blood sugar was near 500 at the vet that morning.  This was in March, one month after my daughter was born, and my hormones still a disaster from pregnancy.  I am so glad that I have Diabetes so I know what to do with my dog, in some ways.  Not in some ways because it is so different.  He is on Novolin N and they digest their food so much slower than we do. It has been nothing but a nightmare to control and now he is losing weight.  I am feeding him extra calories in the form of cottage cheese because most other things spike his blood sugar.  My big white guy is falling apart fast and right before my eyes.  I know dogs dont live forever and I now know the end is usually  not very much fun at all.  It scares me in some way even more because I know how hard of a time I am having managing him and I am Diabetic, what is going to happen to me when I am older if I have to be put into a nursing home?  I hate that my dog has this but I am doing the best job I can.  Levi doesnt deserve to go this way but then I sit back and think of all the amazing people I know or met that had to go in such a much worse way.  This dog loves my daughter more than I knew an animal could love a child.  He is protective of her, he sits by her, he lays by her, he whines when she is crying because he wants her to be ok, he followed my every move when I was pregnant and now he follows her every move and wants to watch over her constantly.  I ask God every day to let this dog live long enough to be able to run and play outside with her, because I know he wants to do that more than anything in the world.  I didnt know a dog could love a baby as much as he loves my daugther.


I guess I just wish it didn't have to be that way, the good people and animals shouldnt have to have such a crappy end to their lives.  They should get to be happy, healthy, live a long life and die peacefully.  I don't think any of my questions will be answered until I can ask God himself.

Tell your family you love them and be kind to them.  You dont know when your last day will be and if you died tomorrow would you be leaving your family with a bunch of guilt or questions?  I love my family all dearly and I tell them because I want to be sure they all know.  Too many young people dying around me lately, its got me all freaked out and worried.

Levi and Roxy

 

Levi