Keeping diabetes in dogs in check means preventing high levels of blood glucose. Diet comes into the equation because it affects glucose stability.
Giving diabetic dogs the right meals helps improve their prognosis, while offering them the wrong one may exacerbate their symptoms.
We have laid down some of the basic things to take note of when feeding a pet with diabetes mellitus.
1. Feed Them Consistently on Time
Eating food can increase the blood glucose levels of diabetic dogs. Thus, the schedule of mealtimes and insulin shots must be close to each other.
Veterinarians often recommend that pets with diabetes eat 2 meals a day, 12 hours apart. Insulin injections must be given within one hour of feeding.
Administering the medication as soon as your pooch finishes eating his meal is a good idea. It allows him to associate getting insulin shots with a positive experience.
Make sure to maintain a consistent feeding schedule. This involves refraining from offering your dog treats and avoiding feeding him in between meals because it can result in high blood sugar levels.
If your dog skips a meal or refuses to eat, do not administer him an insulin shot or else he might suffer from hypoglycemia.
Give him a blood test if you have a blood glucose monitoring device at home to check his glucose levels.
Then contact the vet to know the appropriate steps to take next. If you do not own one, have your pet checked by the veterinarian right away.
2. Be Careful with Highly Digestible Diets
Dog foods marketed as highly digestible cater to pets with sensitive stomachs. They are typically made up of easy-to-absorb ingredients.
These types of food are potentially bad for your dog’s blood sugar because their high absorption rate can cause it to spike. However, it doesn’t mean that highly digestible pet foods are strictly off-limits to diabetic dogs.
If your pooch requires this kind of diet, just make sure to discuss it thoroughly with a veterinarian. They will likely make some adjustments to his insulin treatment to eliminate the risks of sudden blood sugar spikes.
3. Fiber Aids in Mitigating Diabetes in Dogs
Dietary fiber must be considered when tailoring a diabetic dog’s diet because it helps in slowing down glucose absorption by binding with the starch.
Moreover, fiber also promotes weight loss in obese canines with diabetes by increasing their sense of fullness.
There are two types of dietary fiber found in dog food: soluble and insoluble.
Your dog’s food should be mostly composed of insoluble fiber since it hastens the movement of food in the digestive tract, which helps cut down the absorption of sugars in the body.
Pet food containing cellulose, barley, peas, oats, and brown rice are rich in insoluble fiber. Good sources of soluble fiber include flaxseed, pumpkin, chickpeas, and sweet potatoes.
Know that too much insoluble fiber may keep your dog feeling full for too long and cause inappetence, which can be harmful for underweight diabetic dogs.
Thus, stick to dog food with 5% to 15% fiber on a dry matter basis (DMB) if your pooch is slightly underweight. On the other hand, overweight dogs do well on pet food with 10% to 20% of fiber DMB.
Read: How To Prevent Dog Obesity
4. Check for High-Quality Protein and Complex Carbohydrate Ingredients
Diets that mitigate diabetes in dogs are often protein-rich and low-carb. Proteins promote lean body mass, better insulin resistance, and hinder muscle wasting.
Moreover, they provide diabetic dogs with energy to fuel their body. High-quality protein ingredients in dog food include chicken, beef, duck, fish, and organ meats like heart, kidneys, and liver.
When it comes to carbohydrates, not all of them are inherently bad for dogs. Foods containing complex carbs such as sweet potatoes, beets, and broccoli work better on diabetic dogs because they are slow to break down in the body.
On the other hand, simple carbohydrates commonly seen in pet food sweeteners like syrup, molasses, and maltose are absorbed and digested more quickly in the body.
As a result, they quickly raise the levels of glucose in the blood. For this reason, avoid diets containing sweeteners such as semi-moist dog food.
Read: 5 Homemade Sugar-Free Diabetic Dog Treats
5. Choose a Low-Fat Diet
Many obese canines develop diabetes due to pancreatitis. Thus, they are often recommended fat-restricted diets to manage the clinical signs of this inflammatory disease. It also helps their bodies return to their trim and healthy state.
Generally, pet foods with less than 12% fat DMB are advised for pooches with recurrent chronic pancreatitis.
If your furry pal does not find his low-fat meals palatable, add some appetite enhancers into their food, such as low-fat chicken broth.
Underweight dogs with diabetes cannot benefit from fat-restricted diets because their body needs fat to function properly. They are fine with dog food containing 20% of fat DMB.
6. Ensure Proper Hydration
Diabetes insipidus is a rare type of diabetes in dogs that causes increased thirst. It happens because the affected canine’s body does not respond to the antidiuretic hormone, resulting in increased urination.
Thus, dogs afflicted with this condition must be provided with unlimited amounts of fresh water. Placing multiple water bowls in specific areas of your home where your pet often occupies is a wise move.
Mixing in water to his food helps increase his water intake as well. If your pooch is not a big fan of drinking water, consider adding low-fat and low-sodium chicken broth to his water bowl.
FAQs About Diabetes in Dogs
1. How Long Do Dogs Live After Being Diagnosed With Diabetes?
Dogs with diabetes are found to live a year or two after diagnosis, provided that they receive proper care and treatment.
Since the disease is a long-term condition, following the treatment and dietary plan drawn up by the veterinarian plays a crucial part in managing it and slowing down its progressions.
2. What Can Trigger Diabetes in Dogs?
Various factors can trigger diabetes in dogs, with health problems being one of the most common reasons. Ailments such as obesity, pancreatitis, and Cushing’s disease predispose pets to diabetes.
Intake of certain medications like steroids increases the risk of triggering this illness as well.
3. What Foods Should Diabetic Dogs Avoid?
Sweet foods made up of simple carbohydrates are foods that diabetic dogs should avoid. Obese pets with diabetes need to skip eating high-fat meals if they have pancreatitis, since this type of food can worsen their condition.
4. Does Dry Food Cause Diabetes in Dogs?
Dry food does not cause diabetes in dogs. However, it can worsen the disease’s symptoms if its ingredients are packed with sugar and simple carbohydrates.
Thus, dog owners need to be extra careful when choosing food for diabetic pets.
Conclusion
Diet is one of the most important facets that can make a big difference in a diabetic dog’s health. Pawrents must provide their furry pals with the right food at the right time to keep their blood glucose levels stable.
Adhering to the guidelines we have detailed above will help you provide your canine companion with a better quality of life.
