Change of Seasons for Your Diabetic Dog
Summer is upon us which means warmer weather and all that comes with it. We have talked before in the blog about Journaling that tracking the weather in your journal is a good idea. Why? Because many of our diabetic dogs are affected by temperature, barometric pressure changes and adjustments may need to be made.You’ll want to make notes about these changes especially if this is your first season change. You are also likely going to have to deal with fleas and ticks and how to now treat your newly immunocompromised dog to protect them from these critters.
As I’ve mentioned in earlier blog posts, while many people need to lower their insulin dose in the warmer weather, I needed to increase insulin in the warmer months. Every dog is different so you’ll have to see if your pup is one that needs more insulin, less insulin or their dose can remain the same. I believe that the changes may be due to metabolism rate and how warmer weather affects how the insulin is absorbed. We know that the first ¼ - ½ of your insulin dose goes to manage basic metabolic function so if your pup is expending more energy to stay cool, it stands to reason that your dose may change. I know that many of you are thinking to yourself that your dog is inside in the air conditioning all day, so the weather outside shouldn’t affect them, but somehow it does. If your pup is one that will lay in a sunbeam inside the house, the sun coming through that window is a whole lot stronger in the summer months and it will require more energy for your pup to maintain a comfortable body temperature. Many diabetic dogs can have trouble regulating their body temperature until their numbers are in a good range (150 – 250).
Summer also brings the flea and tick issue into play. When we lived in TX, I had my lawn treated by an organic pest control service so the little critters found my yard to be a hostile environment. On daily walks, I kept my boys away from tall grasses where ticks like to hang out. I did of course check them over after every walk to be sure that they hadn’t picked up any strays along the way. There are many treatment alternatives out there, but I’d suggest that maybe finding a less toxic, more natural solution to this problem might be a good thing to investigate. Your pup is now immunocompromised and putting anything toxic in their system that isn’t a necessity is worth the time to research. For those that live in places where fleas, ticks and mosquitoes are highly prevalent, you may have no choice but to use the “big guns”.
I chose to use an all-natural product called Wondercide (pictured here).There is a yard treatment option as well as a new pet spray. I found it to be very effective for my boys and I really liked the fact that it is non-toxic and made from natural ingredients. I still always have a spray bottle near the patio door and give the perimeter a good spray every few days. I’m not a fan of mosquitoes or other creepy crawlies so I always have my Wondercide by my side.There is also the option of spraying your pup with an Apple Cider Vinegar and water solution for those that live in a place where ticks and fleas aren’t a huge issue. I used an Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (Bragg’s) and warm water to spray on my boys before a walk or a quick playtime in the yard before I found the Wondercide. You can also use just plain white vinegar for the solution. I used 1 part vinegar and two parts warm water in a spray bottle and gave them a light spritz (be careful to avoid getting this in their eyes) just before going outside.They only smelled like salad dressing for a brief time after the spray. LOL
If this is your first season change with your “Sugar Baby”, please journal through it noting how the weather, storms, exercise, etc. affects their BG (Blood Glucose) numbers. It will save you some time and worry when the season changes back to cooler weather and also again next year when you are going through another seasonal change.There is great comfort in looking back through your journal and seeing that oh yes, this happened last year too. Phew!
If you have any thoughts or ideas for topics that you’d like to see covered here, please feel free to comment below or send me an email at NancyForPetTest@pharmasupply.com. As always, please “like” this blog post or any of the others that have helped you or just refreshed your memory. Look for new posts every Monday, Wednesday and Friday!
Until next time…