Nutrition for Diabetic Dogs

The diabetic dog has many considerations when it comes to proper care and nutrition. There is a fine balance between medicating the dog and feeding him to maintain the optimum blood sugar levels required for a long and complication-free life.

Importance of Dietary Control

While medication dosages and timing are extremely important for proper diabetes management for dogs, an often-overlooked aspect of care is the dietary considerations. Not only is the timing of feeding important, but also diabetic dogs should be fed a diet low in carbohydrates and high in quality proteins. This combination can be difficult to achieve using commercially available pet foods. Many times, the proper balance can only be maintained using prescription diets available only through your veterinarian.

Hills Science Diet

One of the main manufacturers of prescription dog foods is Hills. Their Science Diet formulas provide the optimal nutrition for a range of medical conditions. The Science Diet formula most often prescribed to diabetic patients is WD. This diet is lower in carbohydrates and reduces the sugar spikes often associated with regular dog food preparations.

Iams Eukanuba

Iams also make medical-specialty diets. The Iams preparation is similar to the Hills preparation, with the same focus on lower-carbohydrate formulations aimed at controlling blood-sugar spikes.

Homemade Diets

Homemade diets are also acceptable when it comes to feeding a diabetic dog. Focus on lean cuts of protein such as chicken, lamb, duck and veal. Stay away from excessively fatty meats such as beef. The carbohydrates should be complex, such as brown rice, and should make up about 50 percent of the meal.

Feeding

Meals should be fed instead of allowing the dog to "graze" on food left out all day. These feedings should be targeted for the period of time immediately following an insulin injection.

Warning

If you are concerned that you dog is not adjusting to the diet change readily and is not eating as well as he should be, experiment with different formulations and homemade recipes. It is important to note that it is vital for a dog to eat after receiving an insulin injection to avoid hypoglycemia. If you dog is refusing to eat a meal after his injection, feed him his normal dog food and then try another food preparation or attempt to make a homemade food that he will eat. Never let the dog spend more than 30 minutes after an insulin injection without eating as this could result in a potentially life-threatening condition.