Treatment for Dog Diabetes
If your dog is diagnosed by the veterinarian to be suffering from diabetes, there are some drastic changes that you have to undertake concerning its diet and lifestyle. The vet will provide strict guidelines that have to be followed so that your dog?s health can be restored and managed correctly.
The treatment procedure for canine diabetes starts with the right diet. Low fat and low sugar meals are required so that your dog?s condition won?t exacerbate. Once you take your dog to the veterinarian, you will be given a list of foods that your dog isn?t supposed to eat. The vet will diagnose your dog accordingly and determine how much the disease has affected its system. He will then try to provide medications to reverse this condition.
There are mild cases of diabetes and there are bad cases as well. The milder cases are can be addressed by a simple diet change and by taking the necessary drugs. However, severe cases of this disease may require insulin injections. Such injections can be administered by the vet. It is also possible for you to give the shots yourself, provided that you learn how to do so.
Intravenous insulin is usually administered to dogs with diabetes on a regular basis. Insulin has different types. The veterinarian will be the best one to determine which is best for your pet and at what frequency it should be given. Insulin is usually categorized as short-acting, medium-range, and long-range.
The short-acting versions are usually effective for up to four hours. Medium-range can work for up to one day and the effects of the long-range insulin can last up to 28 hours. However, between these three types, the short-acting insulin injections are the most powerful. It is best administered to dogs suffering from ketoacidosis as well. It is also the initial type of medication given to pets suffering from this particular disease.
Some dogs, especially the smaller breeds, may only require one injection daily to address their condition. However, bigger dogs may need two shots or more so that it can carry on with its normal activities. Even so, pet owners should still take their dogs to the veterinarian at the required intervals because regular monitoring is necessary. The veterinarian may have to adjust the medications so that your dog can properly benefit from them.
Diagnosis for dogs with diabetes includes periodic blood sugar testing. A small portion of blood will be extracted from your dog so that the vet can duly analyze its glucose content. Should your dog?s condition get better, the dosage will decrease as well.
Pet owners should understand what their sick pets are going through. If diabetes is a major concern in humans, it is the same case with dogs. You will definitely want to give your pet all the care and attention it needs so that it may possibly live longer.