The particularities of the diabetic dog
A diabetic dog is a dog that is intolerant to glucose, a simple circulating sugar that has the main function of providing energy to the many cells of the body.
As a reminder, diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease caused by a relative or absolute deficiency in insulin, a hormone secreted by certain cells of the pancreas. Insulin allows the transport of blood glucose (among other nutrients) through the cell wall for its use by the latter.
In case of diabetes mellitus, the lack of insulin or the body's resistance to insulin therefore leads to a chronic increase in the concentration of glucose in the dog's blood (hyperglycemia) and to inability of cells to receive the glucose they need for fuel. Deprived of this fuel, the dog's body will then draw on its fat reserves in order to use them as a source of energy instead of glucose.
Chronic hyperglycemia and the use of fat reserves in dogs are manifested by various symptoms in dogs such as the fact that they drink and urinate a lot, that they lose weight in a rather paradoxical way while they eat more, whether he seems very tired or even develops other complications.
In dogs, diabetes mellitus is always treated with insulin therapy (insulin injections) and lifestyle measures that include regular physical activity (but not too intense) and a adapted diet, both in its composition, in its consistency and in its frequency of distribution.
The composition of the diet for diabetic dogs
A diabetic dog can be fed with dietary or therapeutic industrial food suitable for diabetic dogs (i.e. kibble for diabetic dogs) or a household diet balanced by a veterinarian and adapted to its pathology.
Whatever the chosen mode of feeding, the diet of the diabetic dog should:
- be completely free of simple sugars of rapid absorption such as glucose, fructose or sucrose. This type of sugar is mainly found in table sugar, confectionery, cakes and fruit. It is therefore vital never to give this type of product to a diabetic dog, neither in its main meals nor in the form of treats. The croquettes, whatever they are, contain only tiny traces of it.
- has a reduced content of assimilable carbohydrates in general.These carbohydrates should generally not represent more than 25% of the dog's total caloric intake and should therefore be provided in the form of complex carbohydrates (starch) with a low glycemic index (which minimizes the increase in blood glucose after ingestion and associated insulin secretion). It is for these reasons that kibbles for diabetic dogs are called “Low carb”: with a reduced content of assimilable carbohydrates. These carbohydrates are provided by cereals (rather whole for a low glycemic index) and legumes,
- have a limited lipid content so as not to overload the liver with fat (already well loaded due to the mobilization of fat reserves by the body of the diabetic dog) and not to make the ration too caloric for the dogs that suffer from obesity. On the other hand, the ration must contain enough omega 3 fatty acids which facilitate liver drainage and could reduce the phenomena of insulin resistance.These essential fatty acids are found in rapeseed oil and fish oil,
- provide enough animal protein of good nutritional quality to preserve the lean mass of obese animals during their weight loss and promote the release of fat from the liver. Of course, these proteins are found in meat, fish or eggs in a household ration, in meat ingredients such as animal by-products in kibble,
- be rich in insoluble fiber to increase satiety and thus promote weight loss in obese animals or soluble fiber which helps control blood sugar in normal to lean animals. The first are found in wheat bran, legumes in general and certain vegetables such as green beans, while the latter can be found in oat bran, beet pulp, psyllium or even guar gum.
If the diabetic dog is obese, it will be necessary to make him lose weight by setting up a suitable low-calorie diet, supervised and monitored by a veterinarian.
In all cases, the diet of a diabetic dog must be MANDATORY prescribed by a veterinarian during a nutritional consultation. Only he can adapt the composition of the diabetic dog's meals to his particular needs, especially if the dog has other pathologies in addition to diabetes.
The importance of regularity
The meals of a diabetic dog must be regular and constant in their composition, quantity and frequency of distribution.
The dog's glycemia (blood glucose level) is influenced by the composition of the dog's meals so that it is important to always give him the same meal, made up of the same ingredients if he is It is a household ration or the same croquettes if it is fed with an industrial diet.Otherwise, it would be necessary to adapt the amount of insulin injected every day to maintain stable blood sugar levels, which is possible in humans but very complicated to implement in dogs. Rest assured, the dog is a rather routine animal that will absolutely not suffer from eating the same meal every day!
It is also important to always distribute the same amount of food to the diabetic dog, which will also be determined precisely with the help of the veterinarian who monitors the diabetic dog. To ensure that you always have the same quantities of ingredients or kibble in the ration, it is best to weigh the food using a kitchen scale.
The food of the diabetic dog must also always be distributed to him in the form of a meal (never "self-service" food) close to the time of his insulin injection. Generally, a diabetic dog is fed twice a day before his insulin injections, but this is not always the case.Again, your diabetic dog's meal frequency should be determined with your veterinarian.
The distribution of sweets outside of main meals should of course be avoided.