Posts Tagged ‘food’

Recognizing and Treating Dog Diabetes

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

When a human is feeling bad they can call the doctor and schedule an appointment, but when a dog is feeling bad they rely on us, their owners, to get them treatment. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell what our dog’s problem is. One of our worst fears as dog owners is that we will fail to recognize a problem with our pet and our pet will die because of it. So, it’s important to know the subtle signs of our dog’s discomfort.

Although not a particularly common problem in dogs, dog diabetes does affect several hundred thousand dogs at a time. The first step to recognizing and treating dog diabetes is to know exactly what it is.

WHAT IS DOG DIABETES?

Diabetes in dogs is very much like diabetes in humans. Caused by a deficiency of the naturally produced hormone Insulin, Diabetes blocks the absorption of blood sugar. The food our dogs eat is broken down into sugar and fed to each cell, without this natural Insulin hormone the sugar will remain in the blood stream and pass into the urine causing increased urine production and extreme thirst. This, in turn, causes hunger because the body cannot use the sugar in the blood.

As dog diabetes progresses, chemicals known as ketones begin building up, which results in vomiting and further dehydration. Without treatment people as well as dogs will slip into a coma and eventually die.

Although Diabetes is not a curable disease, it can be treated and controlled via daily Insulin shots. This will not affect your dog’s life and will allow your pet to live an active, happy life with you.

RECOGNIZING DOG DIABETES

n Excessive Hunger (polyphagia)

n Excessive Thirst (polydipsia)

n Loss of body weight as the body breaks down fats and proteins (especially prominent in undiagnosed dog Diabetes)

n Lethargy

n Loss of appetite (brought about by continued lack of treatment)

n Depression

n Vomiting

n Cataracts

n Usually occurs in dogs 7 years and older, although sometimes (very rarely) occurs in puppies.

TREATMENT OF DOG DIABETES:

The one and only treatment for dog Diabetes is an injection of insulin. First, according to the above dog Diabetes symptoms, you should consult a veterinarian. Then, your veterinarian will recommend one of the following insulin treatments:

- Short-Acting Insulins: Effective for one-to-four hours.

- Medum-Range Insulins: Effective from four to 24 hours

- Long-Range Insulins: Effective from eight to 28 hours

The short-acting insulins are the most powerful of the bunch are are usually used to regulate glucose in dogs with ketoacidosis. The effective dose of insulin depends on your dog’s individual body type as well as your dog’s stage of diabetes. Some dogs do fine with a single injection each day and others will need two injections instead. Also, you as the owner will have to learn to give injections effectively.

Even with insulin shots, there are a variety of other things you can do to ensure your dog’s diabetes don’t ruin your dog’s everyday fun, such as Proud Dog Complete Wellness dog supplements. Fortifying your dog’s joint health, immune system, skin and coat, digestive system and supplying your pet with essential fatty acids and 24 vitamins and minerals – Proud Dog Complete Wellness is an all-in-one health supplement for all breeds and ages of dogs and helps further improve the overall health of your pet’s dog diabetes along with prescribed insulin treatments.