So Now You Have a Diabetic Dog Pt 2
In our last post, we discussed testing and a step by step process to order what you need to manage this disease effectively. If you missed that post, you can find it here. It also shows you how to save to make this as affordable as possible. Now that you have your testing supplies on the way, let’s continue.
I see all the time that people believe that all that they have to do is give insulin twice a day and nothing else in your pup’s life has to change. Please don’t make this mistake! I’m assuming that you love your pup or you wouldn’t be reading this post. Just like you would need to make changes in your lifestyle if you received this diagnosis, you need to change your pup’s lifestyle to help him/her live a long, full life. That starts with monitoring BG (Blood Glucose) at home and now we talk about food.
Hopefully, you got more guidance than I did at that diagnosis appointment. I was told to just feed “prescription” food whenever I was used to feeding and inject after food. Well, that didn’t make sense to me because I fed at 8 am and 5 pm. That’s not 12 hours apart. I specifically asked about the timing and was basically told to feed whenever I wanted and just give the insulin after the meal. ARGH!!! I don’t have to tell you how wrong that is. Insulin is a 12 hour medication and needs to be given no closer together than 11 hours. Ideally every 12 hours, but you have an hour on either side of that while always remembering that insulin needs 11 hours between injections.
Food is so important in this mix. You need a food that your pup will like and eat consistently. If there is a food suggested to you when diagnosed and your pup doesn’t like it, find something else! You need your pup to eat so he/she can get their insulin. There are many “diabetic friendly” foods out there. In the larger Facebook groups that are dedicated to Canine Diabetes (choose one with over 6,000 members), there are great choices in the files sections of those groups. The most important thing about food is the fat content and I don’t mean the number on the back of the bag or can. You need to calculate the dry matter basis of the food. Here is the link to the Dry Matter Basis calculator online: http://fnae.org/dmb.html?
The food should be at or below 12% DMB (Dry Matter Basis) to protect our pups from pancreatitis. Pancreatitis is painful and in most cases can be avoided, at least from food causing it if you follow the 12% rule. If your pup has had pancreatitis in the past, you should consider finding a food that is 10% or lower on a Dry Matter Basis. Again, the larger Facebook groups for Canine Diabetes will have suggestions in their file sections.
I know that for many of you food is an issue because your pups have been free fed until now. So that will be a transition to twice a day feeding. There are some prior posts that may help with the transition. Here is one for example: https://shoppettest.com/blog/yikes-my-diabetic-dog-wont-eat-/
Treats are the biggest issue that I see. There ARE treats that your pup can have. His/her life doesn’t have to change all together; there is always a “work around”. If you take your pup with you most places and they are used to getting treats say at the bank drive thru, I suggest that you keep some PureBites in your car so that your pup can still have a treat at the bank or the coffee shop or wherever they are used to getting one. Please don’t think to yourself, “Oh, just this once it won’t hurt”, it isn’t just your pup that has to get used to this new normal, so do you!
I got a message from a friend that said that while she was sitting on the couch the night before and was eating crackers, she just couldn’t resist “those eyes” and gave both of her dogs some crackers. What happened as a result? She ended up with one pup with sky high BG (Blood Glucose) and the other pup with pancreatitis. Another friend messaged me “the cutest video” of her sugar baby eating her treat from the bank teller! (Why would anyone send that video to ME of all people?) PLEASE, resist the temptation to “treat” your pup with something that isn’t good for them. Keep some PureBites or a bowl of green beans next to your chair or couch so that an acceptable treat is within reach! There’s always a work around.
I am hoping that all of you are home testing, but I understand that not everyone can for various reasons. Part 3 of this series will be about doing all that you can do if you aren’t able to home test. Until then, please learn all that you can about how to manage this disease yourself at home. Relying on your vet to be up to speed on what has been going on with your pup hourly is just unfair. You can do this and as a result, your pup and you will be so much happier as a result!
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…