Spokesdog for Bide-A-Wee, pet therapy dog, co-author of Coco the Love Dog, this is truly an inspirational pup! Coco, a miniature Poodle, is one of New York City’s most acclaimed hounds and has achieved more in her eleven human years (seventy in dog years!) than most humans do in their lifetime. All dogs go to heaven and it’s no doubt that Coco will too, but even after working so hard to earn her wings, she was dealt a setback of her own; diabetes. Coco’s guardian, Sue Grundfest, tells us their story.
“When I met Coco she already had skin problems and food allergies, so she was always a bit more challenging than your average pet. But I knew the moment I saw her she would make an awesome therapy dog and we have been a partnership ever since.”
It was love at first bark between Grundfest and Coco. Coco is now an active therapy dog that visits several facilities throughout the year to help those in need. Like Coco has love for her patients, Grundfest has love for Coco, essential in raising a dog with diabetes.
Characterized by high blood sugar, excessive thirst and urination, and exhaustion, diabetes is an unfortunate quandary in both humans and pets. Scientifically known as diabetes mellitus, the condition is caused by an insufficient production of insulin. Diabetes occurs in about eight percent of the U.S. population including one out of every 400 to 500 cats and dogs. Coco’s case isn’t especially different from others, but it is Coco’s character that has got people noticing what a remarkable dog she really is and what it takes to live with diabetes.
Diabetes is a very demanding condition. Daily, Coco is given injections at breakfast and dinner. For each meal she has a diabetically formulated combination of prescription dog food mixed with grilled tofu or pieces of chicken. “We do this to make her meal as appealing as possible as she MUST eat the same amount at about the same time every day in order to give her her insulin. And since she has many other allergies and also gets allergy shots, our options for food is quite limited,” Sue says. According to Dr Chaitman, Coco’s vet at VIMA Specialists informs us that “having a steady and balanced diet is essential to maintaining canine diabetes.” In addition to a very strict diet, Coco’s urine is tested twice daily and she makes periodic visits to her vet for blood glucose testing. Grundfest has rearranged her life completely to accommodate Coco’s disorder and assures us it’s a small price to save the life of a special pet.
For more info visit: www.cocothelovedog.com.
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