Steps for Managing Canine Diabetes
Some of you may know that I had a diabetic dog, Lucy. She was diagnosed with diabetes and acute pancreatitis in August 2015. I was quickly taught how to give insulin, subcutaneous fluids and given prescription dog food. Mark, our vet tech handed me a note with blood glucose meter information and told me I needed to learn how to test blood glucose levels. He also explained that they would need to see Lucy every seven to ten days for curves so that insulin could be adjusted.
After two curves at the vet’s office and hefty bills, I spoke with our vet and he agreed with me about running curves at home and emailing the results. He would then call me with recommendations.
I was incredibly fortunate to have a knowledgeable, educated and caring vet. Lucy thrived and lived until she was six weeks shy of her sixteenth birthday. She lived with diabetes for 4.5 years and she was healthy because I took steps to managing her diabetes.
I often see in our Facebook group that members are told by their vet that they don't need to test blood glucose levels, test urine for ketones or change food. These are very important steps in diabetes management, diabetes is not a “set it and forget it’ disease. Blood glucose levels fluctuate and there are a lot of things that can affect these levels: weather, pain or injury, infection and other diseases, food changes, lack of appetite, stress and even exercise.
Monitoring by clinical signs only is not enough when treating our diabetic dogs. Our dogs are considered type 1 diabetics and T1 humans test blood glucose levels regularly to ensure that levels aren’t too high or too low. Hyperglycemia causes ketone build-up and ketones cause diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious complication of uncontrolled blood glucose and it can be fatal if not treated. Hypoglycemia is a serious condition as well and can be fatal if glucose levels drop too low. We also must be concerned about fat intake due to pancreatitis and high triglycerides.
So, what steps can be taken to manage canine diabetes and help our dogs live a healthy and normal life?
Testing blood glucose levels – by testing blood glucose at each fasting (before food and insulin) we know that it is safe to give insulin. Running curves at home vs. at the vet’s office is recommended because dogs can suffer from stress and stress can affect blood glucose levels. A full curve is run for 12 hours, starting with AM fasting and then every two hours. Once a curve is run insulin can be adjusted based on the lowest readings. To read more on how to run a curve please click here.
Testing urine for ketones – whenever blood glucose is over 300 mg/dL (16.6 mmol/L) urine should be tested for ketones. Diabetic dogs should never have ketones present in their urine. Click here to read a blog about testing for ketones and DKA.
Feeding a low-fat diet – statistics show that up to 40% of diabetic dogs get pancreatitis, a painful illness that requires vet treatment. Dogs with high triglycerides are prone to pancreatitis and high triglycerides can cause insulin resistance. Feeding a low-fat diet is an important step in managing canine diabetes. To read more about feeding low-fat, pancreatitis and triglycerides please click here.
Weighing food – Insulin and food work together, this is why we feed and give insulin every 12 hours. If food is not fed consistently blood glucose levels will fluctuate more so it is recommended to weigh each meal and feed for ideal weight and activity level. Please click on following link will take you to Diabetic Dogs: Nutrition Edition.
Tip: If your dog is prone to urinary tract infections UTI test strips and D-Mannose are essential to have in your diabetes arsenal. D-Mannose helps protect the bladder from bacteria and regularly testing urine for urinary tract infections is an important step to keeping your dog UTI free. Click here to read about causes for high blood glucose levels which includes urinary tract infections.
If you don’t have these products in your diabetes arsenal please get them. PetTest is virtually a one-stop shop for all things pet diabetes! The links below will take you to PetTest products.
PETTEST USA LINKS:
PetTest Blood Glucose Meter Kit
PetTest Foil Wrapped Test Strips
PetTest Ketone Glucose Urinalysis Test Strips
PetTest iCatch Telescoping Urine Specimen Collection Pole
Advocate Universal Digital Kitchen Scale
PetTest Urinary Tract Infection Test Strips
PETTEST CANADA LINKS:
PetTest Blood Glucose Meter Kit
PetTest Foil Wrapped Test Strips
PetTest Ketone Glucose Urinalysis Test Strips
PetTest iCatch Telescoping Urine Specimen Collection Pole
Advocate Universal Digital Kitchen Scale
PetTest Urinary Tract Infection Test Strips
If you live in Australia, Wantsa Medical offers PetTest products.
UK residents can purchase PetTest Supplies from Home Health UK.
New Zealand now has PetTest products through VetPost.
Don’t forget to check your email for the latest PetTest promo codes and if you aren’t subscribed to receive PetTest emails sign up now. You can also go to PetTest on Facebook or Instagram for current promo code info.
The current promo code as of 10/19/2023 is: SPOOKY30
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please start a conversation below.
For a printable version of this blog click here.
Until next week stay comfy, don’t stress and you got this!
Michelle Miller-Matlock
AAHA Certified Diabetes Educator
Founder/Administrator of DDO: Diabetic Dog Owners University
Administrator of Diabetic Dog Owners on Facebook
Want to learn all you can in a simple and easy to follow format? Please join DDO-U: Diabetic Dog Owners University , graciously sponsored by PetTest.
Be sure to join the PetTest family on Facebook and Instagram. PetTest has fun, interactive posts AND they have fabulous giveaways every week!
Do you need a blood glucose meter kit for your diabetes arsenal? Click here to purchase one if you live in the USA. Click here to purchase a meter kit if you live in Canada.