My dog has diabetes insipidus. Is diet important? What food is best?

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?

I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing these issues with Matilda. These clinical signs, inappetance and increased water consumption are unfortunately very common for diabetic dogs. Because Matilda's body cannot handle the Sivan she eats in her food in a normal way, an excess amount is passed through her urine. The sugar drags water with it, meaning that Matilda will urinate more of her water intake and reserves then a normal dog will. Keeping her insulin medication and feed intake carefull monitored will help slow this diuretic effect and keep her more hydrated. The same issues with handling sugar inside her body can affect her appetite. If you are noticing that these problems are becoming worse, I suggest a recheck with your vet to make sure that the medications are at an appropriate dosage, and that there aren't any complicating factors present, such as a yeinary tract infection, which are common in diabetic dogs. I hope this answer was helpful, and more Importantly that Matilda feels better soon. Warmest regards to you both.

I would suggest that you ask your veterinarian about using Hill's Science Diet W/D. This is a low fat and high fiber diet that is good for diabetic dogs, but is also known to produce a neutral urine ph and may be adequate in preventing the return of her bladder stones. Depending on her individual situation, this may be a possible solution. If a duet change is done, it would be a great idea to periodically check a urine sample to monitor the ph and look for problems.

The best things for diabetic dogs to eat are food items low in carbohydrates. Aim for food with higher protein and fat. As far as insulting goes, anywhere under the skin is okay but I aim for a loose area of skin such as between the shoulders. Most importantly, if the dog doesn't eat, don't give the insulin . Hope that helps

Hello, and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Abel has diabetes! Abel will need to be started on insulin, which will need to come from your vet. If Abel has been lethargic and not eating much, my recommendation would be to have him hospitalized at the vet as soon as possible to get his blood sugar under control, so I'd call them right away and see how quickly he can be seen again - even if the vet isn't free to talk to you when you call, I'd recommend you ask the front desk how quickly Abel can be seen. Untreated diabetes can definitely make a pet become much more sick very quickly, so now that you know it's diabetes I would get Abel rechecked. That way when you bring Abel in, you can talk further about the diabetes diagnosis, and your vet can help you become comfortable with measuring and giving the insulin. When I diagnose new diabetic animals, I usually have the owner practice giving injections of saline to their pet in the hospital so we know they will be comfortable with drawing up the correct dose of insulin and giving injections at home. Your vet will also likely want you to start Abel on a prescription diet formulated to help maintain a more steady blood sugar. I hope this helps and he feels better soon!

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!

I would recommend checking in with your vet. Often a prescription diet isn't needed for diabetes, and a diet change usually isn't recommended for Cushing's. L/d is usually prescribed for liver disease so I'm wondering if Gatsby might have another underlying condition that your vet is concerned about.