My dog is diabetic. What food can she eat and where do I give insulin?

I know giving injections is daunting but I bet you are already doing a wonderful job. I like to use the skin behind the neck or between the shoulder blades. Pinch it up to make a "tent". Stick the needle in the center of that tent and parallel with the body. If you are using an insulin needle, you could be able to go all the way to the hub. Afterwards, the fur shouldn't be wet in that area. If it is then you may be putting it in the hair and not the skin. If you are unsure, you could always schedule an appointment at your vet clinic for someone to WATCH you do it so they can give you any helpful hints on what to do differently. If they don't have a time available for when the actual insulin is due to be given, just ask them to put some saline in the syringe and you can inject that for the demostration. I hope this helps!

While it is beneficial when a dog eats the diet for diabetic dogs, it is more important that the dog regularly eats his food so she can be given her insulin on time. That said , if you look for feed with low carbohydrate content (go to a petfood store and compare labels, or do it on the internet) you can pick a food that may be suitable, You can also take the ingredients of the wd food down and then compare ingredients with other foods and pick the closest to the wd. If you cannot find anything at all you can also cook your own, however that is a lot of work and not cheap. If you intend to try cooking your own check with this site: https://secure.balanceit.com/tools/ez2/index.php?

Diabetes is a disease that needs to be treated with insulin in dogs - there are no appropriate holistic or herbal treatments that could replace insulin injections. Most dogs tolerate injections well - the needle is very small and the injection is over quickly. I recommend distracting dogs with a tasty treat that takes awhile to eat - some canned dog food smeared into a thin layer on a plate works well - so that they don't notice the injection as much. A well regulated diabetic dog can have a normal life span with a good quality of life.

Unfortunately most diabetic dogs have extreme appetites. You should discuss this with your vet - the amount and timing of meals can affect the effectiveness and dosage of insulin and frequent feeding can affect treatment. Most diabetics are only fed twice daily to coincide with insulin peaks. Specialist diabetic formulas can be helpful in reducing blood glucose spikes after feeding and tend to be high fiber also so Tigger will feel fuller for longer

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Mia. It does not matter where the insulin injection is given as long as it goes underneath the skin. If it is more comfortable to give her injection elsewhere on her body, this should not be a problem. I hope this information helps!

Yes, he should get some insulin now. The usual starting dose is about ¼ unit per pound of body weight. Thus, a 20 lb. dog would start at 5 units; 40 lb. at 10 units, and so on. So at 29 pounds, he should get about 7 units of insulin. Check his glucose again in a few hours and see where he is to make sure he's not getting too low. If he does get really low, you can help bring it back up by giving some honey or Karo syrup.

Hello. Depending on the insulin, yes, it is best to distribute the insulin twice a day to coincide with two meals a day. I just do not think it is appropriate to feed a diabetic dog only once a day. I believe you can get much better control if you divide his total daily calories into 2 meals spaced every 12 hours, & to give the total insulin, also divided into 2 even doses. Of course, I do not know all the particulars about your pet's condition, so please consult your veterinarian for any additional information. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.