Diabetes in dogs is associated with obesity through either over feeding or a high fat diet. Since today many dogs are overweight, you really have to look at the ingredients and avoid a diet high in fat and sugar in their food.
Causes of Diabetes in Dogs:
Many people are astonished to know that pet foods and treats contain sugar. "Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative".
Pet Food Sugar:
We find that corn, sugar and sorbitol all contain sugar. Corn contains sugar in fact it is high on the gylcemic index for food that contain higher amounts of sugar. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol, which causes irritable bowel syndrome and is instrumental in developing IBS as well as diarrhea.
Another cause of diabetes in dogs is cortisone treatments, shock or a stressful event. The result is the development of diabetes mellitus or quite simply Sugar Diabetes. Also the obesity in dogs causes a higher rate of insulin to counter the higher blood glucose levels. If the need for insulin is higher than the body can provide the consequence is a diabetic condition.
Diabetes can occur in puppies, which is typically called juvenile onset diabetes, or in adult dogs at later stages of life after consuming sugar in their foods.
Symptoms of Diabetes:
The general symptoms of Canine Diabetes are: drinking more water than usual, eating more, change in appetite, lethargy, frequent urination, weight loss, and general weakness.
How to Avoid Diabetes:
The question is what to feed your dog with all the changes in pet foods in the last twenty years; dog food quality has drastically been reduced. The most obvious answer is not feed your dog foods that contain sugar by checking the ingredients of your pet food. What is best for a diabetic dog or to prevent the onset of diabetes is a raw, natural diet with fresh vegetables.
Feedings:
If your dog already has diabetes, feedings should be two or three meals a day instead of one large meal. This method helps to balance out blood sugar throughout the day, rather than having the levels of sugar changing radically.
Avoid Moist Dog Foods:
These are the moist foods in cellophane plastic wrappers and semi-moist treats which contain a good quantity of sugar but all canned and packaged foods contribute to this disease. A high soluble fiber diet is recommended to slow the assimilation of glucose and a healthy lifestyle.
Supplements:
There are herbs and supplements that can help balances blood sugars in dogs. For instance brewer's yeast contains a high amount of chromium a mineral that naturally balances blood sugar levels. Usually one teaspoon of brewers yeast for small to medium sized dogs, and one tablespoon for larger dogs with each meal. Vitamin E reduces the need for insulin and Vitamin C also helps the immune system.
Blood sugar in pets when not balanced can lead to many other diseases such as of the heart, kidney, liver diseases and cataracts as well as intestinal disorders.
Exercise:
A good daily workout for your dog keeps the blood sugars down and prevents diabetes. My dog chasing a Frisbee or a ball is all good in keeping a lean and trim dog in good shape and avoiding high veterinary bills. The right mix is important, for optimum health and although Veterinarians carry a line of "diabetic dog foods", I would expect that they are not organic or without additives. Most specialty expensive brands of dog foods contain additives that counter act the advertised vitamins they have added; therefore they balance out to produce no improvement at all. The ideal foods are those that are: certified Organic, "with no byproducts or additives especially sugar and corn.
If you dog are overweight, you will have to calculate a calorie count for daily intake, to determine the right amount. Your dog's ideal weight can be achieved and weight loss can occur by using this method to keep the weight down.
Insulin for Dogs:
Dogs that have Type 1 Diabetes require insulin, which can be treated with human Insulin.
Diabetes in Dogs is More Common than You Think
Just like humans, dogs can develop or be born with diabetes; in fact, about one in four hundred dogs develop the condition, and it’s getting more common. Dog diabetes is similar in symptoms and action to the human variety.
Watch for the following symptoms if you suspect your dog may have this problem:
Symptoms have a gradual onset, so you may not notice it right away. If you want to quick test your pet for diabetes, you can use urine keto/glucose strips (which are sold for use in the Atkins diet). A glucose-positive test indicates likely canine diabetes; if it shows ketones, you need to get him to the veterinarian right away.
Never try to treat diabetes in dogs yourself. It is critical that diabetes in dogs be treated as quickly as possible. Though they are unlikely to die in the early stages of the disease, a dog’s eyes are very sensitive to elevated blood sugar and can be blinded after only a few days of untreated diabetes.
Treatments for Dog Diabetes
The primary component in treating your dog’s diabetes is his diet. A high-fiber, moderate-carb diet can put dog diabetes into remission, for instance. This means it’s time to quit the table scraps and talk to your vet about the best dog food. Some veterinarians will also prescribe insulin bolus supplements for mealtimes, or a restricted-fat diet for dogs that also have pancreatitis. Rarely, he may prescribe oral medications; get a second opinion if he does.
After diet has been regulated, you may have to give your dog regular insulin injections. There are many animal and synthetic insulin brands used to treat diabetes in dogs. The most common is probably Can insulin or Vetsulin, but don’t be surprised if your veterinarian prescribes human insulin instead.
Treatment for diabetes in dogs should start slowly and conservatively, largely because an overdose of insulin can kill your dog in just minutes. You should buy a blood glucose meter for your dog and test him yourself, as urine strips aren’t accurate enough to monitor glucose levels. Follow your vet’s directions; he will probably tell you that your pet’s glucose should remain between 100-180 mg/dL, preferably toward the lower end. Readings over 250 should be called in to the veterinarian, as that is where canine diabetes can cause serious damage.
Hypoglycemic reactions, marked by lethargy, confusion, loss of bladder and bowel control, vomiting, and seizures, can be treated by rubbing honey or corn syrup on your pet’s gums and rushing him to the vet. Low blood glucose (40 mg/dL) without symptoms should be treated by giving your pet treats right away. Do allow your dog to drink as much water as he wants at all times; don’t worry that he’s drinking too much.
Causes of Diabetes in Dogs:
Many people are astonished to know that pet foods and treats contain sugar. "Ground yellow corn, chicken by-product meal, corn gluten meal, whole wheat flour, animal fat preserved with mixed-tocopherols (form of Vitamin E), rice flour, beef, soy flour, sugar, sorbitol, tricalcium phosphate, water, salt, phosphoric acid, animal digest, potassium chloride, dicalcium phosphate, sorbic acid (a preservative".
Pet Food Sugar:
We find that corn, sugar and sorbitol all contain sugar. Corn contains sugar in fact it is high on the gylcemic index for food that contain higher amounts of sugar. Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol, which causes irritable bowel syndrome and is instrumental in developing IBS as well as diarrhea.
Another cause of diabetes in dogs is cortisone treatments, shock or a stressful event. The result is the development of diabetes mellitus or quite simply Sugar Diabetes. Also the obesity in dogs causes a higher rate of insulin to counter the higher blood glucose levels. If the need for insulin is higher than the body can provide the consequence is a diabetic condition.
Diabetes can occur in puppies, which is typically called juvenile onset diabetes, or in adult dogs at later stages of life after consuming sugar in their foods.
Symptoms of Diabetes:
The general symptoms of Canine Diabetes are: drinking more water than usual, eating more, change in appetite, lethargy, frequent urination, weight loss, and general weakness.
How to Avoid Diabetes:
The question is what to feed your dog with all the changes in pet foods in the last twenty years; dog food quality has drastically been reduced. The most obvious answer is not feed your dog foods that contain sugar by checking the ingredients of your pet food. What is best for a diabetic dog or to prevent the onset of diabetes is a raw, natural diet with fresh vegetables.
Feedings:
If your dog already has diabetes, feedings should be two or three meals a day instead of one large meal. This method helps to balance out blood sugar throughout the day, rather than having the levels of sugar changing radically.
Avoid Moist Dog Foods:
These are the moist foods in cellophane plastic wrappers and semi-moist treats which contain a good quantity of sugar but all canned and packaged foods contribute to this disease. A high soluble fiber diet is recommended to slow the assimilation of glucose and a healthy lifestyle.
Supplements:
There are herbs and supplements that can help balances blood sugars in dogs. For instance brewer's yeast contains a high amount of chromium a mineral that naturally balances blood sugar levels. Usually one teaspoon of brewers yeast for small to medium sized dogs, and one tablespoon for larger dogs with each meal. Vitamin E reduces the need for insulin and Vitamin C also helps the immune system.
Blood sugar in pets when not balanced can lead to many other diseases such as of the heart, kidney, liver diseases and cataracts as well as intestinal disorders.
Exercise:
A good daily workout for your dog keeps the blood sugars down and prevents diabetes. My dog chasing a Frisbee or a ball is all good in keeping a lean and trim dog in good shape and avoiding high veterinary bills. The right mix is important, for optimum health and although Veterinarians carry a line of "diabetic dog foods", I would expect that they are not organic or without additives. Most specialty expensive brands of dog foods contain additives that counter act the advertised vitamins they have added; therefore they balance out to produce no improvement at all. The ideal foods are those that are: certified Organic, "with no byproducts or additives especially sugar and corn.
If you dog are overweight, you will have to calculate a calorie count for daily intake, to determine the right amount. Your dog's ideal weight can be achieved and weight loss can occur by using this method to keep the weight down.
Insulin for Dogs:
Dogs that have Type 1 Diabetes require insulin, which can be treated with human Insulin.
Diabetes in Dogs is More Common than You Think
Just like humans, dogs can develop or be born with diabetes; in fact, about one in four hundred dogs develop the condition, and it’s getting more common. Dog diabetes is similar in symptoms and action to the human variety.
Watch for the following symptoms if you suspect your dog may have this problem:
- Excessive consumption of water under normal conditions
- Excessive urination
- Increased appetite
- Weight loss or gain for no apparent reason
- An intolerance to exercise
- Recurrent infections
- Thinning skin and fragility (this is very serious)
- Cataracts
Symptoms have a gradual onset, so you may not notice it right away. If you want to quick test your pet for diabetes, you can use urine keto/glucose strips (which are sold for use in the Atkins diet). A glucose-positive test indicates likely canine diabetes; if it shows ketones, you need to get him to the veterinarian right away.
Never try to treat diabetes in dogs yourself. It is critical that diabetes in dogs be treated as quickly as possible. Though they are unlikely to die in the early stages of the disease, a dog’s eyes are very sensitive to elevated blood sugar and can be blinded after only a few days of untreated diabetes.
Treatments for Dog Diabetes
The primary component in treating your dog’s diabetes is his diet. A high-fiber, moderate-carb diet can put dog diabetes into remission, for instance. This means it’s time to quit the table scraps and talk to your vet about the best dog food. Some veterinarians will also prescribe insulin bolus supplements for mealtimes, or a restricted-fat diet for dogs that also have pancreatitis. Rarely, he may prescribe oral medications; get a second opinion if he does.
After diet has been regulated, you may have to give your dog regular insulin injections. There are many animal and synthetic insulin brands used to treat diabetes in dogs. The most common is probably Can insulin or Vetsulin, but don’t be surprised if your veterinarian prescribes human insulin instead.
Treatment for diabetes in dogs should start slowly and conservatively, largely because an overdose of insulin can kill your dog in just minutes. You should buy a blood glucose meter for your dog and test him yourself, as urine strips aren’t accurate enough to monitor glucose levels. Follow your vet’s directions; he will probably tell you that your pet’s glucose should remain between 100-180 mg/dL, preferably toward the lower end. Readings over 250 should be called in to the veterinarian, as that is where canine diabetes can cause serious damage.
Hypoglycemic reactions, marked by lethargy, confusion, loss of bladder and bowel control, vomiting, and seizures, can be treated by rubbing honey or corn syrup on your pet’s gums and rushing him to the vet. Low blood glucose (40 mg/dL) without symptoms should be treated by giving your pet treats right away. Do allow your dog to drink as much water as he wants at all times; don’t worry that he’s drinking too much.
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