How to Treat Diabetes in Dogs

A dog's body contains beta cells, which produce insulin to control the level of glucose. Glucose is important as it provides energy. When these beta cells produce insufficient insulin, the glucose will begin to pile up resulting into high blood level. This could prove dangerous and lead to diabetes. The disease is rare to occur in dogs but if left unattended, can increase the number of diabetic dogs. There is no specific cure for diabetes, but preventing or treating it well can increase the lifespan of the dog.

Responding to the ill health of the dog can save him from suffering weakness in legs, cataracts, dehydration and death. So far, there are two forms of diabetes that are detected in dogs, namely, Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetes Insipidus. Before learning on how to treat diabetes in dogs, it is essential to notice the symptoms of the disease.

• Polydipsia: It's a medical term used to indicate the excessive thirst, which is found in diabetes struck living beings. This is the first symptom towards diabetes and occurs due to lack of fluids in the body.
• Polyuria: It's a condition, where a diabetic suffers from frequent urination. In this case, there might be excessive excretion of urine within a day.
• Polyphagia: It's a medical condition where there might be consumption of more food compared to the regular consumption.
• Cataracts: It makes the eyesight poor leading to loss of vision.

Treating Diabetes

Early treatment of the disease, can avoid further complications such as cataracts. There are many natural and medical ways of treating this disease, but most importantly it should be monitored well. Though the disease cannot be cured, many can manage it and live a good life. It is even more manageable in dogs as their day to day activities are easier to supervise. To start with, begin with the diet of your dog. Diabetes is mainly related to obesity and improper diet. Therefore, just like we humans, modify and regulate the eating habits of your dog. Feed him fiber rich food, which contains less sugar levels and help in controlling the blood sugar level too. Plan a certain eating pattern for your dog and stick to it. A little change in the eating time, might create problems for the dog. The body has to adjust to a certain eating pattern and must be fed on time. According to some researches, apple cider vinegar helps in controlling the production of insulin. Intake of this vinegar can help show the result of the medication faster too. Adding natural herbs in the food or making the dog drink herbal juice can prove efficient for your dog, as herbs contain natural healing powers.

In case of medical treatment, keeping the dogs on insulin is more effective. There are many types of insulin available for treating diabetes in dogs. Take the help of the veterinarian, to help you select the right and efficient insulin. Vetsulin is among the common insulin induced into the dogs to produce sufficient insulin to manage the level of glucose. As per the suggestion of Vetsulin site, the dose should of 0.5 IU insulin/kg of body weight. The dose should be injected during or after the meal. However, before taking up the dose, visit a vet and follow the given prescription. Depending on the health of the dog, it might require two doses of insulin, while some dogs might require only one. If you are aware of the methods of injecting the insulin then this method can be followed at home. However, if that's not possible then a qualified veterinarian can always help. However, the health of any living being depends a lot on the diet. Hence, along with medications, moderate diet is essential.

Third most important aspect is to look after the lifestyle of your dog. Providing the dog with better lifestyle from the beginning, can prevent from inducing insulin into your dog's system. Lifestyle largely depends on eating habits and hygiene. Introduce some healthy foods into your dog's diet and spend some quality time with the pet. Taking the dog for a walk or playing with it can keep it physically active to stay healthy. A healthy lifestyle can prevent and cure many medical conditions.

Every medical treatment comes at a certain price. Treating the dog with insulin or test, too, is not an exception. In case there is a need for undertaking insulin or any tests for treating the disease, the prices are as follows: stabilizing the dog's health will at least cost a $100. To treat the diabetes in dogs, human and pork insulin are commonly used. Human insulin comes at a price of $67 per month, while pork insulin costs $49 per month.

If the dog is detected with diabetes, study the ways of how to treat diabetes in dogs. Dogs cannot express like humans. Therefore, the owner of the dog has to be more attentive to notice the signs of disease in his dog. In case of any suspicious signs, seek immediate help from the veterinarian and take up the most beneficial preventive measures for your dog and watch it live a happy life.