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This is me and Jake's baby boy, Sarge.

Yup, that's drool.

He's approximately 80 lb of muscle and love. Jake inherited Sarge after his cousin (Sarge's original owner) passed away a few years ago, and when I moved in I became his mommy.

I happily admit that he would probably kill any stranger who comes into our house unassisted. He was trained to do that. It makes me feel safe. But he loves his parents, and we love him back.

Recently he hasn't been feeling well. A few weeks ago the vet diagnosed him with a UTI and tested his blood sugar for diabetes. It was 214. Normal for a dog is about 130, but diabetic is over 300. She had us wait a week, watch his symptoms and come back for another blood sugar test on Tuesday morning.

This time his blood sugar had jumped to 355 and he'd lost about 7 lb. in a little over a week. She officially diagnosed him with diabetes.

So Jake and I got a 90-minute rundown on how much our lives are going to change. We'll give Sarge insulin shots twice a day approximately 12 hours apart. This is done by pinching his neck skin and injecting a tiny needle at a 45-degree angle. He took our practice injections like a champ.

We also have to purchase insulin and syringes. One syringe lasts two injections. He gets nine units of insulin with each injection, and each vial has 100 units. He actually has a prescription under his name at Walgreens. Can't wait to hear the pharmacist say "prescription for Sarge ready at the desk."

His diet is changing, too. Low-carb, high-fiber chow from now on. We're going to donate our leftover sensitive skin chow to Animal Haven. We'll keep a supply of Karo syrup in case his blood sugar gets too low, in which case we have to rub it on his gums. Symptoms are lethargy, glassy eyes, decreased responsiveness and seizures.

The schedule is the trickiest part. Jake works nights. I work a regular shift. It's going to require a lot of communication and sacrifice from us both.

But, we're going to take on the challenge and the costs, because Sarge is one third of our family. Without him, we aren't whole.