[soho]

Hi anakinthedog

I’m sorry to hear the your dog is not doing well.

I have some questions:
How often do you test your dog’s blood sugar?
Did anything change when his blood sugar rose to 600? (food, exercise, cold/flu etc)

In order to make any changes to your dog’s care regimen you have to be able to monitor his blood sugar every 2-4 hours to make sure everything is going well. Low blood sugar is much more dangerous then high blood sugar. Low blood sugar can kill you on the spot while high blood sugar takes months to kill you. Sorry for being graphic. If you did not change ANYTHING right before his bg (blood glucose) began to rise then you might lower his food intake by 10% and raise his insulin dose by 10% wait 24 hours while monitoring bg closely and then if his bg is still above 300 you could lower the food and raise the insulin each by 10% again.

I am not a fan of using only one type of insulin for controlling diabetes. You can achieve much greater control if you use a rapid acting insulin right before or after meals to control the bg rise from the meal and an ultra long acting insulin to control the body’s production of glucose that has nothing to do with meals.

Wet food, whether it is homemade or canned is a much better choice for a diabetic dog than kibble. All kibbles contain a significant amount of carbohydrates.

Remember with diabetes carbohydrates are the ENEMY. Limit them as much as you can. The lower his diet is in carbohydrates the better off you and him will be. I would try to stay below 15% in total carbs for your dog’s diet.

Managing diabetes is not an easy task but it can be done. As a guide for anyone who wants to learn about diabetes and obtain the skills necessary to control this disease I recommend the book:

You will learn a great deal about diabetes if you read this book and it really doesn’t matter that this book was written for human diabetes.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by soho.

[mo]

am new here, just wondering james if you are a veterinarian or you have a diabetic dog..? I dont think so by the wrong advice you are giving out.

anyone with questions about their diabetic dog should consult with a vet and also join an internet diabetic dog forum.

[paige-s]

Canine Caviar is an excellent food for diabetic dogs, its formulated for diabetics with no potatoe, no carrots, nothing high glycemic. Pearl millet is the LOWEST glycemic grain. the special needs formula is fantastic for low protein and low fat (18% and 8%). i would highly recommend this food.

[Amber C]

I’m a vet tech and I have a 11 year old poodle named Molly who has Diabetes. Her vet prescribed Purina’s Prescription DCO (Diabetes/Colitis) Dry Formula food for her, and it works great. She loves it. I allow her to free feed and then she gets her insulin twice a day. She is recovering from an exploratory laparotomy to remove an obstruction and her 3rd case of pancreatitis in her life. (The first case damaged her pancreas so severely that it caused the diabetes) The 2nd and 3rd cases of pancreatitis were secondary to an obstruction. The DCO is very high in fiber and low in carbs that would convert to glucose. She is able to maintain a fairly low dose of insulin. She is about 9lbs and normally gets 6.5 units BID. I would definitely recommend it!

[Drew D]

Hello, Im new and need some advice. I have a Yorkie-mix that just got diagnosed with diabetes. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch the symptoms quick enough and the disease robbed her of her site. She literally lost it in what seemed like over night! She is adjusting to her vision loss pretty well though. I give her 3 units of Novolin in the am and 3 units at her p.m. feeding. Naturally the vet suggested Hills W/D. I have been feeding her this for about 3 months, since her diagnosis. I have researched this brand and I believe there must be a better dog food for her other than this. I know everyone has their opinion , but is there a brand or two that consistently has been suggested for diabetics? Im so totally confused about protein/fat ratios, etc. I gather the part about low carb being better, but still get confused about everything else on the label. I mentioned S.G. Barking at the moon and my vet flipped out and said the protein % was too high. I prefer a kibble. And also have two other small dogs that are over weight so was hoping I could feed them the same food as I will for my diabetic dog. Any help would be appreciated.

[Anonymous]

Take a look at Nutrisca http://www.chewy.com/dog/dogswell-nutrisca-grain-free-salmon/dp/35031

Or what Wysong has to offer, including Wysong Senior http://www.chewy.com/s?dept=dog&query=wysong&nav-submit-button=Submit+Query

[Bobby dog]

Hi Drew:
Here are some sites with info about canine diabetes:
http://www.animalendocrine.info/
http://www.k9diabetes.com/

Here is a canine diabetes support group you can join:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CanineDiabetesSupportandInformation/

Here’s some diet info:
http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjdiabetesdiets.html
http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/15_5/features/Canine-Diabetes-Diagnosis-and-Treatment_20521-1.html

[triggersmom]

Hi Drew

I’ve been taking care of diabetic dogs for 20 years now and my husband is an endocrinologist for people with type 2 diabetes. I’ve tried just about every type of diet and the only diet that has worked is low carb. I know you are looking for a kibble but I have to tell you that kibbles are the one type of diet I would never feed a diabetic dog.

Kibbles are low in moisture and high in carbs. Dry foods can make the kidneys work harder and you want to protect the kidneys of a diabetic dog. High carb diets make it very difficult to impossible to control your dog’s blood sugar.

I strongly suggest you look for a canned food that is low carb. Most low carb canned foods are high in fat which could be a problem if your dog has pancreatitis, otherwise it’s not the fat that will harm your dog it’s the carbs.

Low carb also enables you to use less insulin which is good. High doses of insulin along with high amounts of carbs cause wide swings in blood sugars. Sugars can go from very high to very low on high carb diets.

With low carb diets you’re able to keep blood sugars in a much tighter range. I’m able to keep my dogs blood sugars between 125 and 150 mg/dl. I was never able to do this on a high carb diet.

High blood sugars are responsible for all diabetic complications.

Hope this helps.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 7 months ago by triggersmom.

[Drew D]

Thank you all for your help. Triggersmom, yes she has had a history of pancreatitis, so there again..how to find a low carb diet without high fat? Im not opposed to canned. But as I said how to achieve a low carb diet without the fat seems very difficult. Could anyone give me an idea of the ball park percentages that I should look for in the guaranteed analysis label of protein, fat and fiber?

[triggersmom]

Hi Drew

Sorry to hear she has pancreatitis and diabetes.

Evangers hunk of beef canned has approximately 84% protein, 13% fat and 1 or 2% carbohydrates. I think it’s worth a try.

http://www.evangersdogfood.com/?p=20109

I’ll look for my lists and see what else we can find.

[Drew D]

Thank you so much triggersmom. I really appreciate your advise and help. I would love anymore diet choices you might have. I will see if I can get and afford the Evangers in the meantime.

[DogFoodie]

Oh Drew,

I have to say, I avoid Evanger’s like the plague. I don’t trust the company. At. All. I live in the Chicago area and Evanger’s has made the news here in the most unfortunate sort of way. Evanger’s is located in Wheeling, Illilnois, a suburb of Chicago.

http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/ucm255000.htm

City Sues Evanger’s Pet Food Plant for Putrid Stench of Rotting Meat, Maggots, Waste, Open Sewers

Busted! Owner of Evanger’s arrested on felony charges

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-02-09/news/chi-man-accused-of-trying-to-bribe-witness-20130209_1_bribe-witness-power-lines-gas-flow

Update on FDA’s Warning Letter to Evanger’s Pet Food

Oops…More to the Evangers Story

http://truthaboutpetfood.com/tag/evangers-pet-food/

[Drew D]

Yikes! DogFoodie, that is kinda scary. Back to the drawing board AGAIN. Also, I know canned is better, but I will have to feed three dogs the same thing, so I really need to find a descent dry. As the canned premiums are way out of my budget.The other two are overweight as well so a low carb will benefit them also. So being that I have to feed three, a premium kibble will be better for my budget. Feeding three dogs Hills W/D is too expensive for me. W/D is 23.00 for a 8.5 pound bag. Is it even possible to find something better that I will get more bang for my buck?

[Bobby dog]

Drew:
I second DF’s suggestion to avoid Evanger’s food or any food they manufacture for other companies.

Did you check out the links I posted on my May 12, 2015 at 8:48 pm post on page three? There are food suggestions on those sites. Also, look into joining the Facebook group I posted for support from other owners that have dogs with diabetes and are faced with budget constraints.

As far as feeding your other dogs the same diet, I would research that further. Your diabetic dog has his own specific needs that are different from the needs of your other dogs depending on the diet you choose.

[InkedMarie]

I third it: no Evangers.

[Drew D]

Bobby Dog, I have a friend request in on the facebook page you mentioned. Im about to look into the other sites you posted. 🙂

[Bobby dog]

Good luck Drew!! I am sure you will find options within your budget on the FB group to look into and find even more resources on the sites I posted. The Dogaware site has info about weight loss diets and other health topics too. 😉

Edit: Here’s info about pancreatitis. I had researched the subject in the past for a friend and it seems I didn’t bookmark the sites I found. This pages has references and resources listed at the bottom of their pages for further research:
http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjpancreatitis.html#causes
http://dogaware.com/articles/wdjlowfatdiets.html#commercial

[Drew D]

Thank you. Im going to try to find a low fat canned for her I guess.

[DogFoodie]

Take a look at Wellness Core Reduced Fat.

I was just looking at several varieties of Addiction canned foods last night that might work for you, too.

[Bobby dog]

Drew:
To help with your pet food budget, check out the Dog Food Coupons forum for info on sales & coupons, it’s also listed on the forum home page:
/forums/forum/dog-food-coupons/

I shop on-line and in stores to help with my budget. If you are able to shop on-line, or if you already do, be sure to sign up for each sites e-mail newsletters and like their Facebook pages. They often send out e-mails with specials that are good for a day or two such as free shipping with no minimum purchase or sales on certain brands. Sometimes they have specials listed on their Facebook pages too. Some on-line stores offer discounts for automatic shipping orders. I regularly buy from Petco.com, Petsmart.com, Petflow, and Chewy.

Sign up for e-mail newsletters and like the Facebook pages of the pet food companies you feed your dogs. Some e-mail coupons and info for special offers.

For in store purchases ask if they offer any frequent buyer programs or offer e-mail promos and like their Facebook pages if they have one.

[triggersmom]

Hi Drew

I didn’t know all those things about Evangers!

I prepare all my dogs food myself. This way I know exactly what’s in the food and I can control the protein, fat and carbs. I can also control the quality and I know my pups are getting the very best.

I know you’re looking for a budget friendly food for all your dogs. You would be surprised at how budget friendly a home prepared diet can be. You cut out all the middlemen and their profit margins. If you would ever like some help preparing any of your dogs food yourself please let me know. I would be glad to help. After all, I’ve been doing it for 20 years now!

[Author]

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