Diabetes in dogs

We have a 13 year old spitz , suddenly he started losing weight and became weak and tottered around. The vet adviced supplements like vitamins and calcium and he improved .
But now it seems he has developed diabetes , any advice would be helpful .

Dear flowerlady,
Sad to hear that your pet is diagnosed with diabetes..
Here is what I got through the net, hope it would be helpful to some extent.

There is no cure for diabetes. If diabetes is found and treatment is required, the treatment will be daily injections of insulin; there are no oral medications available for animals. Your vet will show you the proper way to administer the treatment, and provide a time schedule. Stick to the schedule!

It's very important for you to monitor how your dog responds to the injected insulin dosage. You do that by testing the urine with test strips usually available at drug stores or pet shops. The test strip will tell you how much sugar is present in the dog's system, and you may have to adjust the dosage of insulin based on the results. Have your vet teach you how to use the test kits, what results to look for, and when to administer higher or lower dosages.

Keep a record of the test strips results, amount of insulin given, and your dog's eating behaviors and attitude. This will not only help you understand the dog's condition, but will help your vet if other problems arise.

You need to be strict about what you feed your dog. Foods high in fiber and protein, with restricted fats and carbohydrates are best. Feed your dog at the same times every day as what they eat, and when they eat it, will effect its sugar/insulin levels. One-third of the total daily amount of food should be given 1/2 hour prior to the injection. The remaining amount of food should be given 8-10 hours later. If your dog likes a snack before bedtime take it out of the 2/3rds amount.

Set up an exercise program and stick to it. If you decide to walk your dog, or play catch for 20 minutes every day, you need to be consistent. Exercise will effect the "sugar" levels in the dogs blood stream -- and you don't want that level "up" one day and "down" the next. The "up and down" isn't good for the dog. If your dog is overweight, you'll have to put it on a diet to loose weight slowly.

If your dog is a female, talk to your vet about spaying (if she isn't already). Spaying eliminates the interaction of the female hormones with blood sugar levels and this will help toward stabilizing insulin levels.

Above all, continue to give your "pup" loving attention. He/she doesn't understand why he/she feels the way it does. Dogs want love and attention, and to know they're safe -- that's the easy part.

sriniketan

Thanks for the advice. Our pet is a family member and is treated with a lot of love by all of us !