My diabetic dog is an avid chewer. Are starch chews safe for her?

There are quite a lot of special treats for diabetic dogs on the market, although vegetables are usually the best natural choice. Here is an example for ready made treats: https://www.amazon.com/All-Natural-Diabetic-Treats-Approved/dp/B00DP4K238

Maltitol is not toxic to dogs like some other artificial sweeteners (such as xylitol), but it can sometimes cause GI upset or diarrhea in some dogs. So if possible, it would be better to use a treat that doesn't contain any artificial sweeteners at all. Many dogs enjoy cooked carrots or green beans, or small pieces of chicken or roast beef as treats. If you do opt to give Pepper the cookies, I would limit it to a small amount very occasionally to minimize the risk of upsetting her stomach.

I would avoid it. When dogs have bad food allergies, it's best to only stick with the food that prevents them from having symptoms. Adding in another treat could cause Charli's allergies to flare up and have symptoms again. It's best to keep giving her the hydrolyzed treats. I hope this helps!

Hi there! I'm so sorry to hear that Daisy has diabetes. Daisy could definitely have some whole grain brown rice, but the amount of it in her diet is what is important, since she is diabetic. It is still a starch, and she needs to have a low carb, high fiber diet. If she eats a diabetic dog food, then she definitely doesn't need anything additional. However, if you prefer to make Daisy a home cooked diet, I would make sure it is balanced. There is a fantastic website for making pets home cooked meals, and you can streamline the diet, so you keep the carbs, fiber, fat, and protein in check based on if your pet has any sort of health problems, like diabetes for example. https://secure.balanceit.com/recipegenerator_ver4/index.php?rotator=EZ It's called Balance It, and will help you make a balanced, home cooked diet for your Daisy, if that is what you would like to do. They also have supplements available that you can order to add to the food, to insure that Daisy gets the right amount of vitamins and minerals. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck!

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?

You should be fine to use any doggie toothpaste. If the tooth paste lists sugars, pick the one with the lowest sugar and use the recommended amount. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

The key to doing treats while a dog is on an elimination diet is to use treats that have the same ingredients as the food you are trying. Sometimes the easiest way to do this is to use canned food of the variety and flavor that you are using to put in a Kong or bake into treats. Other options would be to use sweet potato chews if the food you are feeding has sweet potatoes in it (which Zignature kangaroo does not) or giving dehydrated chews that are the same meat source that you are feeding (which will be a challenge for a kangaroo food). So, for the food you are feeding right now, the best option may be to use canned Zignature kangaroo to create treats for Lucy. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.