Diabetic Dog Food

Just like their masters, dogs too are at a risk of developing diabetes, especially if they are old or obese.



Canine diabetes is one of the most serious chronic diseases of dogs. Owing to the current lifestyle of both humans and their pet dogs, the incidence of canine diabetes is on the rise. In fact, today diabetes has become one of the most pressing health problems.



Canine diabetes is caused due to improper metabolism of glucose in the body. The pancreas is responsible for secreting insulin that metabolizes glucose. However, if the pancreas is damaged or the insulin production is hampered, proper metabolism of glucose doesn’t take place, and as a result, the person suffers from excessive glucose.

There are two types of diabetes that dogs suffer from: Type 1 diabetes is caused when there is improper secretion of insulin, and type 2 diabetes is caused when the body becomes resistant to insulin and stops reacting in the required manner to the hormone. Type 2 diabetes is more popular in dogs. Since controlling the glucose levels of the blood is the foremost step in the management of diabetes, specific attention to the food should be given. Though your veterinarian will give insulin injections to your dog, it is important that you give your canine diabetic food so that the blood glucose can be controlled.

Food for Diabetic Dog

Diet for diabetic dog should ideally contain less starch and sugar as well as sodium. If you feed your dog canned food, you should know that most moist foods contain a high quantity of carbohydrates. You can feed your dog dry foods or cook homemade meals for your dog. If you want to continue feeding canned food to your dog, make sure you read the nutritional label carefully before giving your dog any food.If your dog is overweight and diabetic, make sure you give it food that is low in sugars as well as fats. However, if the dog is underweight, it is important to give appropriate amounts of fats along with fiber so that the carbohydrate digestion slows down and the glucose levels can be controlled. The frequency of feeding is also important for a diabetic dog. If you feed your dog only once a day, try increasing the number of meals and decreasing the amount of food given in each meal. Completely avoid giving red meat to your dog. Stick to fish, milk and chicken for protein.