Caring for hypoglycemic dog with insulinoma?

[hsutopia]

Rockie is one of my pups who lives with a good friend. He is 10.5 years old. He was having exercise-induced issues such as tremors, rear end weakness, and collapse. He was found to be hypoglycemic with glucose levels down to 40. He was diagnosed with insulinoma (pancreatic cancer) after a pancreatic tumor was found on ultrasound. He had surgery to remove the tumor, and no other tumors were visualized. A biopsy of lymph nodes and liver were negative, so things looked promising. However, 10-days post surgery, another glucose test revealed that he was still hypoglycemic, still at a critical level down at 40, which means there likely were more insulin-producing tumors somewhere that could not be visualized. :-(

He is now on a high dose of prednisone to help manage blood sugar, plus requires more frequent feeding and restricted activity. He is on a combination kibble and canned food diet. Raw is not an option for him. He might start a chemo drug (Palladia), but that is still TBD.

I am helping my friend to come up with an ideal diet , supplements , and holistic care that helps to maintain his blood sugar at a good level, but still can help fight the cancer. Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Christine-

I'm so sorry to hear about Rockie's diagnosis.

How's his BEAM and other symptoms?

In addition to the internal symptom of persistent hypoglycemia, are there any external symptoms when his blood sugar is low (or otherwise)?

 

[hsutopia]

Thanks, Dr. Jeff. I got more information from my friend. His BEAM is fairly normal right now if he's managed. Appetite of course is ravenous- he has always been a really good eater, but with the pred that is even more pronounced.
A persistent symptom seems to be some rear end weakness (even when his blood sugar is not critical), which affects his ability to climb and jump.

When his blood sugar is low, his BEAM changes to:
Behavior: pacing, hiding, confused, glassy-eyed blank stare
Energy: low
Mood: anxious

with external symptoms:
- whole body tremors
- collapse, starting from left rear
- panting
- rear end weakness
- lack of thirst (won't drink water)

internal symptoms (from glucose and insulin tests):
- persistent hypoglycemia
- very high insulin