Do you know guys? As with humans, dogs can also come with diabetes mellitus. And if that happens, What should you do with your diabetic dog?
And the question now is, can all dogs get diabetes? Like humans, although everyone has the possibility of developing diabetes, some people with diabetes genetics have a 2 times greater risk.
Same also, with dogs, all dogs are at risk of diabetes and it generally occurs between the ages of 4-14 years, but some breeds have a greater tendency, including:
- Cocker Spaniel
- Beagle
- Dachshund
- Toy Poodle
- Pinscher
- Teckel Schnauzer
- Pug
- German Shepherd
- Golden Retriever
- Labrador Retriever
- Pomeranian
- Terrier
Caring for a dog with diabetes is also not easy, because diabetes can cause complications or other diseases such as cataracts, bacterial skin infections (pyoderma), and even kidney failure. If complications persist and the body is unable to compensate for the excess sugar, diabetes can cause death in dogs.
How do You Handle Diabetic Dogs?
Because diabetics are deficient in insulin, the treatment is the same as in humans, which is insulin injection for all their life. However, with the dosage for dogs as recommended by the veterinarian.
Although caring for a dog with diabetes isn’t easy and complicated, but it’s still possible. Dogs with diabetes can survive and live a long life as long as you can commit to caring for your dog’s life.
Also, dogs with diabetes often suffer from decreased appetite, so this is often a problem for the dog. So what should you do if your diabetic dog won’t eat?
First of all, let’s see if the problem of loss of appetite has anything to do with your dog’s food. If so, you can easily apply some of the solutions below, and remember to keep aware of delicious food that are toxic for your dog.
You can gradually switch to new food/return to old food, don’t push the food they doesn’t like. Don’t save money and buy him low-quality food. Try to get better food. You also have to find out what tastes and smells your dog likes.
Make sure the food you provide has adequate nutrition. You don’t want your pets to get harmful effects of obesity, right?
- Switch from home-made foods to pet foods
Mix new foods with home-cooked foods and slowly make the transition or return to home-cooked foods if possible.
Always check the expiration date before giving it to your pet. It can make they vomit. If so, you can handle that with these 5 home remedies for your vomiting dog.
- Pay attention to their food ingredients
Choose foods without ingredients that are sensitive to your dog.
Make sure you have enough food variants for your dog so they not get bored or you can see here is the signs that your dog is happy and healthy
Make sure the food temperature is right for your dog.
Things that You Should Do If Your Diabetic Dog Still Won’t Eat
If you usually give insulin after they eat, and your dog has previously been unwilling to eat or has only eaten a little, then you should avoid giving insulin at their usual dose until they have eaten enough.
And if you give insulin before they eat, and for a maximum of half an hour your dog still doesn’t wanna eat, then you should immediately call the vet and explain what happened, usually, they will ask you to take your dog to the clinic.
However, if you haven’t given their insulin needs and they won’t eat, then you have about an hour to feed your dog before giving the insulin dose they need.
Also, the first thing you need to pay attention to is to assess why your diabetic dog won’t eat or eating only a little. For example, they might eat something else that you don’t know about? This is very important to know, especially in dogs with diabetes, notably what they eat and how much.
If you are not sure what your dog has eaten, or think they have eaten but not enough, then again, talk to your vet. Even more, if you think they are sick.
Disease in diabetic dogs will be much more at risk than normal dogs, due to the potential for indigestion, as well as disturbances in their blood or glucose balance.
You can also try to persuade your dog to eat a certain way. E.g, if they are being fed wet food, try preheating the food in a microwave so the food can be more flavorful and have the potential to attract them more. Don’t forget to also check and clean their food bowls.
And what you need to remember, that there are many dietary restrictions for dogs with diabetes, so you need to consult a veterinarian first if you wanna change their type of food because this also affects of how to manage diabetic dogs diet.
Feeding your dog small pieces right from your hand can also help. But again, if your dog still won’t eat in any way after a maximum of an hour, call the vet immediately.