Anyone who has ever taken care of a diabetic pet, knows all to well all of the ups and downs it can bring to your life.  It can be quite complex and time consuming.  When our Bella lost her two buddies within a short period of time, she became depressed.  I took her to the vet to have her looked at and to have her blood work checked.  That’s when we found out she was diabetic.  I immediately got a notebook and started keeping track of each visit along with her insulin levels, urine acid levels, and daily shot schedule.  

Here are 5 ways to prevent diabetic emergencies in pets:

Diet – Feed your pet two portion controlled meals each day.  I chose to give Bella her food in the AM and PM and while she was eating, gave her shots to her.  They were given at the exact same time every day to help eliminate fluctuation in sugar levels.  What you feed your diabetic pet is as important as when and how much you feed him. Ideally, he should be eating a balanced, species-appropriate raw diet. 

Exercise – Your diabetic dog or cat needs regular heart-thumping, muscle-toning exercise. 20 to 40 minutes of aerobic exercise several times a week in recommended.Insulin Therapy – It’s best to have one person designated to giving the shots to avoid double shots and upsetting the schedule.  Keep a notebook of urine levels, food intake, insulin shots, and time.  You can buy urine strips from your pet for testing the urine.  

Beneficial Supplements – A few supplements that can help with glucose metabolism and control include R-lipoic acid (for dogs), cinnamon, L-carnitine, carnosine, green tea extract, fenugreek seed and banaba leaf. These supplements are potent blood sugar modulators that can dramatically reduce your pet’s insulin requirements. They should only be prescribed by your holistic vet, who will carefully monitor your pet’s glucose levels and insulin amounts. Additions such as ubiquinol, essential fatty acids (krill oil), vitamin E, C and B complex and bilberry have been shown to benefit most diabetic patients as well.

Avoid Unnecessary Vaccinations – There is a connection between autoimmune disorders and type II diabetes, especially in dogs. If your pet’s immune system attacks his pancreas, he can develop diabetes. One of the ways an animal’s immune system is over-stimulated is through vaccinations, especially repetitive yearly vaccinations.  It is recommended that you find a holistic or integrative veterinarian and ask for antibody titers. Titers are tests that measure your pet’s functional antibody response to previous immunizations. The results of these tests will tell you whether re-vaccination is necessary, and for which specific diseases.

We took Bella’s diagnosis very seriously but I have to admit, I did not know about or thought of asking about antibody titers.  Bella passed of a heart attack when I left the house for only 15 minutes but I did everything I could to keep her comfortable and healthy.  We spent a lot of money and many trips to the vet and we gave it our all in taking care of her.  We were in Eureka, MO at the time and I still appreciate Dr. Griese and his staff for their time and attention they gave Bella.