Diabetic Canine Food

Finding Suitable Diabetic Canine Food For Your Dog

While it is not as commonly noticed as human cases, diabetes mellitus amongst pet dogs is also prevalent, and is very dangerous because it tends to be overlooked and neglected. Even if detected, treatment is still difficult because a consistent, high quality diet is hard to implement due to a dog's varying temperaments and moods. A balanced diet plan full of diabetic canine food can be hard to maintain, especially since pets are prone to go looking for food on their own if they don't get what they want.

While the perfect example of diabetic canine food has not yet been established, a large number of veterinarians have postulated that diabetic pets benefit greatly from a special diet full of high fiber content and these specialized diets can provide better results than commercially available foods. This is due to the fact that soluble fiber greatly slows down the digestive system's absorption of glucose, effectively preventing a rapid increase in blood glucose levels after every meal.

A lot of pets will refuse to eat diabetic canine food, or there are cases where different health factors prohibit their use. For example, a diabetic pet that is obese needs gradual weight loss, which helps the body's sensitivity to insulin. Some dogs even lose the need for insulin after being returned to a normal weight. But remember that weight loss should be gradual, as rapid weight loss could lead to ketoacidity and endanger the animal's life. If you are unsure about how to plan your pet's diet, you should go to your veterinarian immediately.

It is imperative that you monitor your dog's reactions to a new diet. When it comes to effectiveness, you can test the dog's urine with test strips sold at most drug stores or pet shops. These test strips tell how much sugar is still present in the dog's system so you can make adjustments on the diet or the insulin dosage. For best results, it is recommended to ask your veterinarian for instructions on how to use the test strips.

Diabetic dogs should be given exercise regularly. However, the exercise program should be consistent, since the intended purpose of the activity is to control the sugar levels in your pet's blood stream. You don't want sugar levels that are high on one day and low the very next. An inconsistent sugar level is very bad and could even be fatal for the dog. If your dog is obese, a diet may also need to be implemented to get him to lose weight and improve his insulin levels.

Last but not the least, female pet dogs have the option of being spayed (if they aren't spayed yet). The spaying will eliminate a large quantity of the dog's female hormones' interaction with blood sugar levels and may help in stabilizing her insulin levels. This is not applicable to all female dogs, however, so it is still wise to consult your veterinarian on whether spaying will be beneficial or detrimental to the treatment of canine diabetes. While having your pet spayed may not be for everyone it may well prevent you having to be concerned with having to find and feed your pet regular diabetic canine food.