Feeding a Dog with Diabetes
Most people ask, How can I feed a dog with diabetes? The body of a dog suffering from diabetes is not able to generate all the insulin it needs. This hormone is important since it helps to transform the foods that the animal ingests into nutrients usable by its organs and muscles. Some simple changes in meals will help our sick pet to enjoy a better quality of life.
Dogs with diabetes (known to veterinarians as diabetes mellitus) do not make all the insulin their body needs. Insulin is a hormone that is generated by the animal’s pancreas and travels through the blood to help transform food that your dog eats into nutrients that provide energy for your pet.
Although not all diabetic dogs have problems to create the amount of hormone insulin they need to live.
The sugar (glucose) of food accumulates in the blood because it does not reach the cells that need it, and without this glucose, our pet’s body does not get the energy it requires.
Diabetes is a disease that will accompany our dog throughout his life. The dog suffering from this pathology will need veterinary surveillance on a regular basis, since the lack of insulin can cause, among other ailments, problems in the functioning of the heart. Other disorders that often trigger diabetes in the dog may be abnormalities in the circulatory system or even some types of blindness.
Although veterinary control is irreplaceable, small changes in the canine nutrition help to take care of the health of the diabetic dog.
Fibre to feed the dog with diabetes
The diet of a dog with diabetes should include foods with high doses of fibre. This reduces the rate at which carbohydrates in food break down and behave like a stopper, which slows down the sudden rises in blood sugar levels (glucose) in the blood.
Excessive accumulation of sugars in the blood occurs especially after meals since the insulin responsible for transporting these energy molecules to the body cells is not in sufficient quantities in the diabetic dog (or they do not work in a correct mode).
Foods like cereals (including oats and wheat), rice or soy, are foods rich in fibre, so they help the sick dog to keep controlled the amount of sugar in their blood.
Sweets and simple carbohydrates should be significantly reduced
However, it should not be overshot: an excess of these foods can cause annoying flatulence to our pet. The veterinarian will help you opt for the most suitable food in each case.
Like fibre from foods, some vitamins help diabetic dogs keep their disease under control. In particular, vitamins C, E and B-6 often reduce the rate at which sugars accumulate in the pet’s blood.
Foods to Avoid for Diabetic Dogs
Sweets and simple carbohydrates, which are almost immediately converted into glucose in the body of the dog, are two types of food that should be reduced significantly when fed to our diabetic pet.
Artificial colourings that include some types of commercial feed (with extremely bright reds, yellows and greens) may indicate that the food contains a large number of sugars, which are very damaging to the diabetic dog. The veterinarian can advise you in each case on the appropriate feed to feed your pet.
Changing habits: small rations and more exercise
The body of the diabetic dog works at a somewhat slower pace than usual since the amount of hormone insulin programmed to attack the sugars in meals is much lower than in the case of healthy dogs. This explains why reducing food rations are a good idea.
The following tips will help your diabetic dog:
• The diet of a dog with diabetes should include foods with high doses of fibre.
• Cereals (including oats and wheat), rice, or soybeans are foods that help the sick dog keep a controlled amount of sugar in their blood.
• Do not exceed the amount of fibre offered to the dog: an excess can cause annoying flatulence to our pet.
• Some vitamins (C, E and B-6) also often slow the rate at which sugars accumulate in the pet’s blood.
• Sweets and carbohydrates are two types of foods that should be reduced significantly when fed to our diabetic pet.
• Artificial colouring can be indicative of the food having a lot of sugars, which is very harmful to the sick dog.
• Sharing the daily amount of the dog’s food in several servings (at least two) will help our friend’s body to be able to attack glucose molecules better.
• Obesity does not benefit the diabetic mascot: reward the dog with long walks and outdoor games.
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