Getting Ready for Summer

Summer is quickly approaching and that means it’s firework season, time for outdoor activities and hot temperatures.

Lucy wasn’t afraid of fireworks, enjoyed being outdoors, loved barbecues and was a sun worshipper. None of this was an issue until after diabetes diagnosis, and then I had to pay attention to her exercise and sunbathing in the heat. When she got older Lucy became a bit fearful of fireworks so I had to look into calming aids that didn’t affect blood glucose levels. Let’s go over how and why these stressors affect blood glucose levels and some tips to help you and your diabetic dog get ready for Summer!

Fireworks are a major stressor for many dogs whether they are diabetic or not, but when a diabetic dog is stressed or fearful blood glucose levels can increase due to the stress hormones in the body. And since every dog is different, we have seen some diabetic dogs’ blood glucose levels drop when stressed.

Some tips for helping reduce stress levels:

• Rest your dog in a crate or room/closet with the door closed.
• Put music or the television on and turn up the volume.
• Calming aids can help reduce stress.
• Thundershirt or ace bandage wrap can reduce stress.
• For very fearful dogs a prescription from the vet may be necessary.

Exercise can impact blood glucose levels. We see diabetic dogs that have hypoglycemic episodes while hiking or swimming every summer. Making sure that you have items to treat hypoglycemia should be readily available and if you test blood glucose levels before and during exercise you have a better ideal of blood glucose trends. By knowing the effect of exercise on blood glucose you can pre-treat for hypoglycemia. Typically a complex carb treat like a milk-bone is given before exercise. You should always have items on hand to treat a hypoglycemic episode. To purchase the PetTest Energy Boost please click here.

Heat is a factor with diabetic dogs since they have a harder time regulating their temperature. Heat can also have an impact on blood glucose levels; Lucy’s blood glucose levels would rise when sunbathing, so I limited the amount of time she laid in the sun. There are cooling mats dogs can lay on, cooling vests and you can always make them frozen treats like pupsicles.

I hope today’s blog helps you get and your diabetic dog ready for Summer! If you have any suggestions, questions or comments 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

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