Excessive drinking, vomiting, and lethargy are only a few of the many signs that your dog might have diabetes. It’s important to deal with this disorder with haste. Failure to rectify and manage the symptoms may lead to severe health conditions for your poor pooch.
It’s challenging to see your lovable pup lose its energy and zeal as it no longer runs around the house. But, you can lessen the burden on your pet’s current health condition with proper health management techniques.
Here are some ways to manage diabetes for dogs:
1. Understand the Disorder
The first step to proper diabetes management for dogs is to understand the disorder. First, you should know that diabetes in dogs come in two forms:
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Insulin-deficiency
This type of diabetes happens when your dog’s body isn’t producing sufficient amounts of insulin. Insulin is in charge of delivering energy to the rest of the body.
Insulin-deficiency happens when your dog’s pancreas has damage. In turn, the organ doesn’t function properly.
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Insulin-resistance
Your dog has insulin-resistance diabetes if its pancreas produces some insulin, but its body doesn’t use the substance properly. In other words, your dog has the energy to consume, but your pet’s body doesn’t know how to use it.
Dog owners should notice tell-tale signs of diabetes in their pets. These symptoms include:
- Increased urination
- Sudden weight loss
- Excessive thirst
- Lethargy
- Increased appetite
Feed your dog the right diabetic pet food to give it proper nutrition while minimizing the risks of aggravating its condition. You can start searching for healthy dog food at diabeticdogfood.org.
2. Monitor Glucose Levels
Glucose is an essential compound to give fuel to the body’s cells. Your dog’s body breaks down nutrients from food and turns it into glucose. This sugar becomes a source of energy to help your pet’s cells and organs function correctly.
When your dog has diabetes, its body might find it challenging to pull glucose from the blood and transfer the sugar to cells. Monitoring your pooch’s glucose levels is essential to help maintain its proper well-being.
You can monitor your dog’s glucose levels in two ways:
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Blood Test
You can use a portable glucometer and blood test strips to measure the glucose levels of your dog. Conversely, if you’re unsure about the process, you can let a veterinarian handle this examination for you.
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Urine Test
Urine examinations for pets will check your dog’s liquid excrement for glucose and ketones, a chemical produced by the animal’s body when it converts fat to energy.
Urine tests might not be as accurate as blood exams, but it’s a less-invasive approach to monitoring your diabetic dog’s health.
It’s important to talk to your veterinarian before initiating glucose exams for your pet pooch. Adverse effects may surface if your dog experienced significant weight gain or loss because of its current health condition.
3. Proper Exercise
Like humans, dogs need exercise to stay healthy. But, if your dog has diabetes, avoid implementing strenuous exercise routines as your pet’s body might not handle these arduous activities.
Aim for exercising your dog for 20 to 30 minutes before each evening meal. You can also add additional workout routines for your pet pooch at any time of the day. But, you need to adjust its insulin consumption schedule.
For instance, you’re planning to bring your dog on a long hike. The diabetic animal’s body might not handle more than 30 minutes of continuous walking. So, consider skipping the morning insulin or administer only half of the recommended dosage of the compound to avoid exercise-induced hypoglycemia.
Caring for your dog with diabetes needs constant monitoring to avoid aggravating its health condition. Ask household members if they played with your pet pooch recently. If so, then let your dog rest for the day.
4. Use Diabetes Supplements
Some supplements may help you manage your diabetic dog. However, please take note that any supplement added to your pet’s diet might change its blood glucose and insulin needs.
If you’re considering to use human supplements, give the appropriate dose based on the animal’s size. Large dogs can take full human doses, whereas only use 50% of that amount to medium-sized dogs. Small dogs should only consume 25% of the supplement, and toy dogs should only take in less than that amount.
Consider feeding your pooch with supplements with L-Carnitine. This substance can help in fatty acid metabolism to assist in controlling diabetes. Moreover, L-Carnitine can help your dog’s body maintain lean body mass, improve fat metabolism, and protect muscles from catabolism.
You must watch for the amount of L-Carnitine you include in your pet’s diet as overfeeding might lead to adverse effects. You can feed your pup beef as it’s a good source of L-Carnitine. Again, consult your veterinarian for the right amount of meat to feed to your dog to avoid unnecessary weight gain.
Other essential nutrients to consider feeding your diabetic dog include:
- Chromium
- Zinc
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Ask your veterinarian for advice on the food and supplements to give to your pooch when it has diabetes to reduce the risks of adverse effects from surfacing.
5. Regular Visits to the Vet
Proper management of canine diabetes requires you to keep up with regular visits to the veterinarian. This step is also one of the best ways to help manage your dog’s current health condition.
The pet expert can discover additional signs of diabetes that you neglected to see. Also, the veterinarian can prescribe medications to help maintain your canine companion’s proper health.
Don’t hesitate to consult your veterinarian as soon as you see your dog experiencing any symptoms of diabetes. The faster you act, the lower the risks of your pet’s condition to worsen.
Conclusion: How to Care for a Dog That Has Diabetes?
Your dog is part of the household. As a furry four-legged family member, don’t disregard its health condition, especially when it needs you the most. A diabetic dog will experience symptoms like frequent urination, dehydration, and sudden weight loss or gain.
If you see any of these signs, consult your veterinarian right away. The animal expert can recommend other practices that can help manage your dog’s current health condition.
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