My Diabetic Dog Has IBD
If your Diabetic pup has been diagnosed with IBD (Irritable Bowel Disorder), it is manageable, breathe! Likely, you’re concerned about the more frequent feeding schedule. Not to worry, it can be done without affecting BG (Blood Glucose) numbers.
The first step in treating a Diabetic IBD dog is to figure out what they are sensitive to. The IBD flares are usually caused by a sensitivity to something in their food and like Diabetes, the sensitivity can change after a period of time. So now, you are working with two dynamic (ever changing) diseases. There are some food sensitivity tests available out there, one being the Nutriscan test developed by Dr. Jean Dodds. As I understand it, you put a cotton rope (provided as part of the test kit) and keep it in your pup’s mouth for 2 minutes. You send that back and wait for the results to tell you what foods your pup is sensitive to. The test is pricey, but when desperation ensues, likely well worth it.
The more common way to treat IBD is to feed a “novel” protein, one that your dog has never had before. You can look for that food commercially or you can home cook for your pup so that you have absolute control over the ingredients that go in your pup’s mouth. I have seen on many occasions where home cooking has fixed the IBD flares. My friend Linda has a sweet, Diabetic Westie named Katie that also has IBD. Linda tried anything and everything for years to get the IBD under control. She would find a commercial food that would work for 6 months or so and then the flares would start again. Linda made the decision to try home cooking for her sweet Katie and hasn’t had a flare in over 2 years! Thankfully, both diseases are under control now, but that doesn’t mean that diligence is no longer needed.
How do you manage the extra feedings during the day? It’s really not too difficult really, you only feed the meals with carbs in them at the breakfast and dinner meals (the ones that are followed by insulin injections), the one or two midday meals are either just protein or protein and veggies that won’t affect BG (Blood Glucose) numbers. Here’s an example of that type of menu:
Breakfast: Ground Bison (novel protein), Quinoa (carb), a veggie (cut green beans) and multivitamin
Midday snack: Sardines packed in water and some green beans
Midday snack 2: (if needed): More sardines or maybe a bit of white fish and a teaspoon of pure pumpkin
Dinner: Ground Bison, Quinoa (or whatever carb your pup will eat), a veggie and multivitamin
You would of course test first, then feed, then inject. You will want to monitor BG (Blood Glucose) carefully as home cooking typically requires the least amount of insulin to manage. So, if you are changing from a commercial food to home cooking, chances are very good that you will need to lower your insulin dose once your pup’s body adjusts to the new food regimen.
If you have a pup with IBD, many of the treats and chews that are normally fine for a Diabetic dog will not work well for your pup. You may have to try different homemade treats that your pup can tolerate if you can’t find a commercial one for your pup. My friend Linda makes a frozen delight consisting of a teaspoon of plain fat free yogurt and a teaspoon of pure pumpkin on top, freeze them and when set, put them in a Ziploc in the freezer for treat time. Miss Katie also thinks that celery is a wonderful treat! You might try PureBites commercial brand, as they are sourced in the US and are dehydrated pure protein. They come in several flavors so you may be able to find a “novel” protein among their flavors.
While having a pup with dual diseases definitely poses its challenges, there is typically a work around to manage both and keep your pup in pretty good shape. For those of you that know for sure that your pup has IBD and for those of you that suspect that it’s a probability, don’t lose hope, this is manageable, it will just take a bit of sleuthing on your part and lots of patience.There is a wonderful group on Facebook for IBD pups called Dogs with Inflammatory Bowel Disorder (IBD) that might be a great resource for you.
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…