insulin resistant Diabetic dog questions

Question
QUESTION: Hi I take care of a 10 year old pit mix who was recently diagnosed with severe diabetes. He drinks & urinates alot and has recently lost alot of teeth.His vet started him on 12 units of vetsulin once a day, he has slowly been moved up to 17 units twice a day. His owners have been testing his urine and aparently his keytones are within normal levels but the dog is still very lethargic and has little appetite. Have you come across a high glucose (>400) with normal keytones? If he still doesn't respond is it advisable to change the type of insulin? We stopped
giving him prednisone pills which he's been on for quite a while. This dog is very aggressive and can not be hospitalized so the vet is being conservative with the treatment. Any suggestions would be very helpful. Thank you.

ANSWER: Ruby -

What type of insulin is the dog being given?  How long was he on prednisone and how long has it been since he was taken off of the prednisone? Please take a few minutes to answer these questions so that I can properly answer your questions.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for replying. I stated earlier he is on 17 units of vetsulin. As for the prednisone he has been on it off & on for about 2-3 years. He tends to get very nervious and bites his paws until they become inflamed and bleed. He was put on prednisone to help the inflamation.

Answer
Ruby -

He may need another type of insulin.  I have seen high glucose without ketones;  you simply have to be patient and give the insulin time to work.  There are several different types of insulin, so you will eventually find one that can help to control his diabetes. You can also give him food that can help control his diabetes.  Ask the veterinarian about brands of food designed to control blood sugar.

There may be problems with regulating glucose if there is still prednisone in his system.  There are other meds he can take that can help with nervousness.

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM