Pets

Diabetic Dog FoodProducts Relating to 'Diabetic Dog Food'

"My dog is diabetic". Say that to anyone who has never owned pets and they might look at you funny, or leave the room. However, diseases and conditions we think are restricted to humans often affect our pets as well.

If you have a diabetic dog, your veterinarian will go over treatment plans, which may include medication, but should always include diet management, including a diabetic dog food.

What is diabetic dog food? I don't blame you for wondering. It sounds strange, but many diabetic dog foods operate on the same principle as a diet for humans with blood sugar problems. The key to a good diabetic dog food is facilitating a way for the blood sugar to remain stable over a long period of time, and to avoid the "sugar highs" and lows that can cause complications.

A good diabetic dog food is MediCal Fibre formula, often used for weight loss as well as blood sugar responsive conditions, due to its high fibre content. The fibre slows the absorption of glucose into the blood stream, so blood glucose levels remain even.

Another excellent brand that can be considered a diabetic dog food is Hill's W/D. Referred to as "weight diet", this diet is also very high in fibre, and lower in calories. Diabetic dogs are sometimes overweight when the body is not handling the glucose in the blood effectively. Just like people who lose weight and manage their diabetes better, this food can operate on the same principle.

A diabetic dog food is often used in conjunction with insulin therapy (yes, injections, just like humans) and in some cases can correct the problem on its own, depending on the type of diabetes the dog has.

Remember that it is crucial to bring your dog back to the vet at regular intervals to have the blood glucose measured to make sure that the treatment is going well and does not need to be altered. This may involve a 24 hour blood glucose "curve" in which blood tests are run every hour or so to track the levels of glucose and make sure they are acceptable.

After working in a veterinary hospital for 11 years, I can highly recommend the above mentioned diabetic dog foods, and have seen the positive changes in many pets, just due to proper diet. I've heard a million times that people think the foods are too expensive, and why should they have to buy it when the grocery store brand is so much cheaper. Education is the key. Nothing you buy at the grocery store will ever come close to a veterinary diet, and you can bet that the companies that distribute the less expensive foods do not do clinical trials or do the extensive testing with high quality ingredients that Hill's and Medical do.

So if you have the misfortune of having a dog with diabetes, listen to your vet, follow the treatment, and make sure you have an excellent quality diabetic dog food. It can make all the difference in the health of your pet.

Article Published: Saturday 31st March 2007