Diabetic Dog Food

Diabetes mellitus the more common form of diabetes in dogs is due to lack of the hormone insulin. This hormone is responsible for stimulating absorption of glucose from the blood stream. In absence of insulin, blood glucose levels will be high and there will be excretion of glucose in urine (sweet urine)

When looking for the right kind of food that will meet the dietary needs of your diabetic dog look for a food that is...

Is low in carbohydrates

In the body carbohydrates are broken down to yield glucose. Since diabetic dogs cannot control the level of this glucose in blood stream the level of carbohydrates in any food given to them should be low. This is to make sure that you do not worsen the condition by making the blood glucose levels even higher. 

Low in sodium and fats

Fats are good in small quantities, but high levels of fats are undesirable due to the risk of excessive weight gain. A lot of fats will also raise the demand for insulin.

Sodium is contained in salt. In diabetes, the dog will have increased thirst and may urinate a lot. Food high in sodium will make this symptoms get worse since a lot of water is required when high slat concentrations are used.

High in protein and fibre

Use high protein sources that are low in fat. If you are using chicken, skin the meat since the chicken skin contains a lot of fat.

Fibre will slows down movement of food along the digestive tract. This will slow down the rate at which carbohydrates are metabolized to release glucose. Thus fibre acts to regulate the rate at which glucose enters the blood stream from the intestine.

Is moist

There are some dry foods that can be taken by diabetic dogs. However, most food that are dry are also high in carbohydrates. For this reason, it is better to buy moist foods. If you can find a dry diabetic dog food then you can try it out on your dog and observe to see how your dog reacts to it.

There are several commercial dog foods available for diabetic dogs. If you prefer to give your dog homemade food then keep in mind that the food should be balanced and in addition have the qualities mentioned above. Most vets however do not recommend homemade diets since they are likely to be unbalanced and this is not good for your dog.

Carbohydrates are important as they provide energy in the body, thus they shouldn’t be completely eliminated from the diet. Good sources of carbohydrates to be included in diabetic dog food are those that contain complex carbohydrates and also provide fibres. Such sources include brown rice and oats.

Too much protein is undesirable; include protein sources that provide high quality protein such as meat from chicken, lamb and veal.

The key to avoiding foods that may not be right for your dog is to ensure that you only feed the dog his food. When buying commercial dog food, stick to healthy dog foods. Avoid any foods that contain fillers or preservatives.

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