Hello Everyone,

I am new to this forum and was looking for some answers and suggestions. I have a 8 year old yellow lab who has had previous issues with pancreatitis. He was just diagnoised as a diabetic. Right now he is still hospitalized and is due to come home today. Before being hospitalized he was eating a prescription diet z/d canned along with l/f dry food. Does anyone have any suggestions for a diabetic dog food. My lab is a very finicky eater he is not one to just scarf down his food. This makes me very nervous as to how much insulin he will need to have. If anyone could give me any advice on a diabetic dog it would truly be appreciated.

Thank you so much
zeusmomma

[lulusmom]

I have dogs with special needs but as of today, none of them are diabetic so I can't give you an educated answer to your question. I saw that your post has gone unanswered for a few days so I thought I'd drop by and provide you with a link to a great canine diabetes forum. The folks there can answer any questions you may have about the disease. When our babies get sick, it is so very distressing for us humans and having the support from others that have been down the road you are on will make things so much easier to deal with.

Diabetes in Dogs: The k9diabetes.com Forum - Powered by vBulletin

lulusmom

This is odd- I posted here and another thread you talked in and my reply was not here. This sounds like a ghost forum- its a kooky thing that happens in the internet world

Thats just great I wonder how much else i posted and is not here grrrrrrrr

Lulusmom,

Thank you so much for the information. I really appreciate it. It is so very hard when are furbabies are not feeling well. Any information right now for me about this diesease is appreciated. Thanks again.

[lil mutt]

have you consulted a vet on what you can do about your pet's condition?

[lulusmom]

4paws-up

Your post must have been floating around in cyberspace for awhile and finally made it's way here. I promise that it I have not put a hex on your posts.

Originally Posted by lulusmom

4paws-up

Your post must have been floating around in cyberspace for awhile and finally made it's way here. I promise that it I have not put a hex on your posts.

NO my post is not here- I was the first to answer her - see you did jinx me BWAHHHH j/k

Hi there,
I posted this in another diabetic thread last week, and have no idea how to link you to it, so I just copied it below. It is answering another question, but I thought it might help you too.

My dog was diagnosed with diabetes at about age 9. Yes, the initial diagnosis and curves were expensive, but once you find the right insulin dose it's really not a lot of money at all (Insulin and needles averaged maybe $25/month). My dog was also on Humulin, so I got it from the regular drugstore not my vet, and if you find one with a low dispensing fee it will save you a lot. (BTW, I'm in Canada, so not sure if it works differently elsewhere).

My dog was always a bit picky with food and more of a grazer throughout the day, so we thought we might have a problem getting him to eat 2 regular meals during the day. We switched to the high fibre diet (sorry, I can't remember the brand, but it was from the vet. I seem to think it was a Purino Pro brand or something similar), and we would just put some kind of treat in his food to get him to eat at least enough for the insulin to work. Luckilly he loved veggies, so we would add some carrots or potato skins. On those days he really didn't want to eat we would add some yogourt or even some lunch meat. Iam's also makes a gravy topper for food in a squeeze bottle. I wouldn't use it all the time, but it saved us on those days he was being really picky. I wouldn't stress too much about putting something your dog loves into his food to get him jump-started on eating, as long as it's not really high sugar or fat, he'll be fine.

Despite having diabetes and eventually getting cataracts, my lovely boy was happy and healthy until his hips finally started to give out when he was 13 and he could hardly walk up the one stair into the house. We had to make that horrible decision to put him to sleep so he wouldn't be in pain any longer. He was a large dog and I truly believe this would have been his time regardless of the diabetes. He lived a wonderful 13 years, survived cancer and diabetes, and I just wanted to share that with everyone that thinks diabetes is some kind of death sentence. If you can find the right vet and get through those initial tests, you can have a long and happy life with your dog.

My Miniature Scnauzer (10 yrs. old) was diagnosed with diabetes about 2 years ago. The vet said that it was an easy disease to control, just some insulin and special food and that was it. She was soooo wrong. My dog is a very hard to control diabetic, she is on Humulin N and Hill's W/D food. She hates the food, frequently refuses to eat. I started putting fish oil in her food and that got her to eat sometimes, but not always. It was a constant battle.

I ended up buying the AlphaTrak glucose monitor, it was $130.00 but it has saved me lots of money. My dog needs curved frequently, my vet charges $85.00 a curve, plus she is at the vet all day then too. It got to a point where we could no longer adjust the insulin dosage and her blood sugar was still very high ( 400's) regularly. My vet was out of options so I turned to a homeopathic herb I found on the internet. It is called GlucoBalance. I buy it at Homeopathic Medicines for Your Pets - Dog and Cat Herbal Remedies and Health Care Advice. It has really helped to keep her blood sugar in check, after a few months her blood sugar was back down to normal levels, no problems eating. I am not into natural remedies at all, this is the first time I have used anything like this, but the results have been undeniable. Even my vet was surprised by how well she is doing now. I also giver her a canine senior multi vitamin with her food.

She has gone blind from cataracts, a result of the diabetes. However, she really gets around very well, we do not move our furniture or her food dishes or bed. We also make sure not to leave things lying around or she will bump into them.

For us the GlucoBalance has been amazing, also she is ona very strict schedule, and NEVER gets any kind of treat. Sad, but necessary.