[avanmetr]

My 15 year old dog has diabetes. She has had it for 2 years. Normally her sugar levels are in the normal range and are under control. She recently has decided not to eat. I have been home cooking for her for two years. On Sun she had a siezure because she wont eat and her glcuose levels fell to the 20's. I took her to the vetright away. They were able to bring her sugars back up the appropriate levels, but she still won't eat. So everyday she is suffering from low blood sugars. (in the mid 50's). I have tried canned dog food mixed with baby food, straight baby food, etc. I am at a loss. I feed her home cooked meals so I can control the quaility of food and the amount of carbs that she is given. Does anyone have any suggestions on what she might eat? New things to try?

Thanks,
Alicia

[Lunareclipse]

You need to take your dog back to the vet and explain to them.

Also your dog is 15 years old. Maybe your dog is trying to tell you it's time to go.

[dralionagogo]

When I'm dealing with an animal who won't eat I add A/D prescription or cottage cheese to their meal. I can't imagine A/D being very good for a diabetic, but in very small amount it can coat the food. It has such a strong stink that you don't always need much.

Another thing you can try is making a dog-friendly broth to use as a gravy over the food, perhaps letting it reduce by half before removing it from the stove. Anything concentrated with a strong smell might help. You can also try sardine or tuna juice, or even the fish itself.

Ask your vet about doing a B12 shot, and possibly giving you some to keep on hand. B12 quells nausea, increases appetite, and typically gives an energy boost.

The decrease in appetite could be from diabetes, but there could also be other things going on. If you haven't done blood tests in the past 6 months, you should do that now to see if anything comes up. This may take several more trips to the vet to determine the root cause. Just understand that you may not find one and that you may have some hard decisions to make.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by avanmetr

My 15 year old dog has diabetes. She has had it for 2 years. Normally her sugar levels are in the normal range and are under control. She recently has decided not to eat. I have been home cooking for her for two years. On Sun she had a siezure because she wont eat and her glcuose levels fell to the 20's. I took her to the vetright away. They were able to bring her sugars back up the appropriate levels, but she still won't eat. So everyday she is suffering from low blood sugars. (in the mid 50's). I have tried canned dog food mixed with baby food, straight baby food, etc. I am at a loss. I feed her home cooked meals so I can control the quaility of food and the amount of carbs that she is given. Does anyone have any suggestions on what she might eat? New things to try?

Thanks,
Alicia

[B]A few questions 1st--What is the breed(s) of your dog? Other than not eating---Is she healthy acting--I mean I know diabetes is not healthy-believe me I know-I have the darn thing!! But has she been acting like she doesn't feel good --Before she decided she didn't want to eat? Is she depressed or unhappy for some other reason.

What do you feed her as far as the home cooked meals go? I feed my 2 dogs raw and home cooked and may be able to think of some ideas you haven't tried. I think you need to determine if you can--the reason she is off her eating. I was wondering too if she is thinking it is time to go too--- but how is she acting --Is she acting differently then normal--Is she happy, not in pain, etc? Dogs don't like to show pain as in the wild it showed weakness and a reason for the other dogs to gang up on them and leave them to die--Nature's way.

I also think blood work might be in order--especially to see readings on the kidneys and liver. I know from experience with a dog I had--if these things are not working properly and are failing--the dog will not want to eat.

A few ideas though if the appetite decrease is not caused by failing organs (otherwise it will be hard to get your dog to want to eat)---a dab of peanut butter----flavorings---dab of bacon grease--I said just a dab here! Raw or scrambled eggs cooked in a dab of bacon grease. Canned mackerel or salmon---rinsed to get rid of some of the salt. A little rice cooked in chicken broth---home made much better--I use no salt!! I can get chicken/turkey backs from the grocery store that are cheap--Lol, or use to be!! You know-what is used to make soup, etc. I boil them up in enough water so I have some broth ---You can use the broth to cook some rice in or use it to add some flavoring to a meal--I use it a lot in place of some of the water called for when making the breakfast meal of oatmeal for my dogs. You can also cook some raw veggies--cut up in fine pieces--in this broth too to add to the meat for a meal. If it has a lot of fat---I let the broth cool a little --Put in a container that is not very wide at the top. Put it in the refrigerator and when cold enough and the fat has risen to the top and hardened--skim the fat off. Then do whatever you are going to use it for--oatmeal or to cook rice in or just adding some to a home cooked meal. You could add some chicken or turkey liver to the backs when you boil them---more flavor and more food for nutrition. I don't because I feed a little chicken live to their raw cut up chicken meals at times. Never ever feed cooked bones or raw either as far as I am concerned. And please be careful when taking the meat off the chicken or turkey backs after cooking as little bones are easily missed! And I can get quite a bit of meat out of these backs which can be added to the dog's meal of course. I use ground fine egg shell for their calcium. I feed raw venison when I can get some. I think my dogs love that the best of all.(Of course you could cook it too. You prob. know though that cooking destroys (the heat) nutrients--so I would very lightly cook it--undercooked would be good! Never feed raw or under cooked pork or fish. I am going to give a link here to a thread I did a while back in this forum on foods/things that are hazardous to your dog--pretty long list but worth the read!--> Foods that are hazardous to a dog[/] I forgot to mention using vinegar in their supper meal. I add about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of vinegar mixed in their food. Vinegar is very good for a lot of things and may even be good for diabetes (as is cinnamon) I put some in with any bones that are being cooked also as it leeches out calcium from the bones and is a good addition for your dog! Here are a couple threads I did a while back on vinegar:

What About Vinegar!!

The Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar to Dogs - Whole Dog Journal Article

[londontami]

honestly i am perplexed as to why your vet has not suggested a blood panel. you need to check to make sure your dog's organs are workign correctingly - esp. the liver.

have a blood panel done. they may find that his Bilirubin level is high, which is a good cause for him not wanting to eat.

i had two diabetics in the house. a dog and a cat so i am quite experienced with this.

[Lara's mom]

At this point, I'd be cooking beef, chicken, lamb - whatever your dog likes. Add sweet potatoes and anything else the dog likes. The important thing is that she eats.

[sandra0606]

Feed low fat meats like chicken, turkey, fish and eggs, Fresh veggies and fruits in moderation (but never grapes or raisins), avoid dry dog food. Certain grains like oats, brown rice and millet are beneficial for diabetic dogs. Used sparingly, these provide fiber which helps control insulin levels and avoid sugar ofcourse.

[Lunareclipse]

Most dogs will eat this Holistic Dog - Satinballs Satin Balls no matter what. Try this. This is what rescues use when they can't get a dog to eat or get an underweight dog.