Causes and management of Dog Diabetes

 Diabetes is unfortunately getting much more common in dogs. There are three types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when the pancreas fails to produce insulin properly. It’s quite dangerous, and it usually requires lifelong treatment with insulin shots.Type 2 diabetes is usually due to obesity and eating too many carbohydrates. In type 2 diabetes, there is plenty of insulin production, but the body becomes resistant to it because there is too much sugar coming in. Type 3 diabetes is hormone-induced and typically related to pregnancy. So, you can see that preventing diabetes in dogs is really important. The main way to prevent diabetes is through your pets diet.

There are a few other causes of diabetes which include:

• Breed predisposition
  
• Being inactive
• Lack of Omega 3 oils
• Chronic inflammation stemming from diseases such as IBD, pancreatitis, or skin allergies
• Use of medications such as long term steroid use
• Diets high in carbohydrates

Most of the reasons above can be linked to a kibble fed diet. When dogs are fed a raw food diet it naturally leads to the dog having more energy because the dog's body does not have to filter out as much junk. 

If you don’t supply Omega 3 oils to your dogs diet chances are your dogs diet is too high in Omega 6, which can lead to chronic inflammation, allergies, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, cancer and diabetes. 

A lot of pets will develop allergies which can stem from a dog eating the same kibble for years. Unfortunately due to the many ingredients in kibble it is not easy to target exactly what your dog is allergic to, which leads to a prolonged suffering for your pet. Food allergies also cause cells to become inflamed, leading to insulin resistance.

When my dog was having allergy problems the first thing the vet gave me was Apoquel. Which is a common anti-allergen medicine, along with a heavy dose of steroids to manage the inflammation on her body. They work by suppressing your dog's immune system. This can stop autoimmune diseases or allergies in their tracks, but it also leaves your dog vulnerable to illness and infection.

Lastly we know that kibble is more high in carbohydrates compared to a raw diet. Diabetes is characterized by having too much sugar in the bloodstream. Carbohydrates create sugar (glucose.) Dogs are more than capable of producing all the glucose that their body needs without any dietary carbs whatsoever. That’s why carbohydrates aren’t considered essential nutrients for dogs, while proteins and fats are. Carbohydrates, simple starches, and high glycemic foods also contribute to a spike in blood sugar levels.

If your dog is diagnosed with diabetes, Your vet will need to come up with a treatment plan which may include insulin injections. As for managing diabetes we recommend switching to a low fat, high protein raw diet. We recommend choosing Big Country Raw Pure Formulas or BCR signature blends. Carnivora diet and Courtlyn Custom’s would also be recommended. BCR and Carnivora dinner formulas contain apples and carrots. Although the fruit and vegetable ratios in the dinner do not exceed 10% of the entire meal, for some diabetic dogs even the smallest amount of naturally occurring sugars can be a concern. 

Feeding raw also boosts a dog's immune system due to the high levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants! 

Here at Poochie Moochie Edmonton we believe that natural fresh foods can significantly decrease and assist in a lot of major diseases such as IBD, Pancreatitis, kidney disease, cancer etc.