Don't Be Fooled with Your Diabetic Dog
Today we talk about something that we all wish was true, that there is some magic pill or concoction or menu that will reverse the Diabetes diagnosis. Oh wouldn’t that be fabulous?!? Yes it would, but sadly there is no such diet, concoction or magic supplement that will “fix” our pups.
Once diagnosed with Canine Diabetes, insulin is the only “fix”. The only scenario that I’m aware of for successful reversal of this diagnosis is in an unspayed female pup that is spayed. In a very few cases, the diabetes will reverse. For the rest of us, it’s insulin twice a day, no exceptions. Now that is not to say that there aren’t ways to fine tune and manage the diabetes.
There are so many products out there that claim to “lower numbers” or “keep BG (Blood Glucose) even throughout the day”. First of all, why would we want to give a supplement that would lower our numbers? Unless you are home with your pup every minute of every day, that just sounds dangerous to me. When working with insulin, it takes what it takes. There is no prize for having your pup on the lowest dose for his/her size. Your pup needs whatever insulin dose it takes to keep numbers in a safe range.
There is no reason to use a supplement to bring numbers down unless the numbers are elevated because of an infection or pain of some kind. If this is the case, then get your Sherlock Holmes cap out and start sleuthing. We need to get to the root cause of the elevated numbers, not give some supplement to mask the symptoms and lull us into some kind of complacency.
If there is an infection, then we all know that a trip to your vet is in order. Now if it’s pain, that’s a whole other thing. Our pups are so good at covering any weakness; it is part of their DNA not to be vulnerable. There are some good supplements out there to help with arthritis pain management, etc. As pain is relieved, the BG (Blood Glucose) numbers will likely come down so be diligent with your home testing to prevent any hypo incidents.
I know that some use golden paste with turmeric for arthritis and joint pain, I would suggest finding a different supplement unless you are a diligent home tester as turmeric can affect insulin uptake. Even something as effective for pain management like CBD oil that doesn’t affect insulin absorption can affect numbers as the pain subsides. So please whatever you add to your regimen, always test to see what affect, if any, it has on your numbers.
In short, don’t fall prey to any of the “quick fixes” and “magic potions” that are touted as a cure all for Diabetes. As in most things, what works for humans, likely won’t work for our pups, so be careful and diligent.
Notice that for most of the products or groups that I mention, the text is linked to a website that you can purchase that item or a link to join the group mentioned. Just click on the colored text (red or blue, depending what device you are on) and it should take you right to the item or group. 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…