Diabetic Dog Food Information, Tips, Advice, Products

Question: How do dogs on a raw food diet get carbs. my dog is diabetic and needs carbs to regulate his insulin use?

(Posted by: dartking50 on 2007-11-08 06:04:32)

He is a 12 yr. old black lab mix with cushings and diabetes. i switched to see if he would gain weight better. he is just skin and bones at this time. i feed him about three lbs a day of raw

Posted by: cs on 2007-11-08, 06:11:45

Have you had his thyroid levels checked recently? As you probably know, this can affect his weight. It may be time to change his doseage of Cushing meds. I'm not gonna get into the diet debate, but I do think you should consider that putting him on that high of a protein diet at his age could cause a lot of stress to his kidneys. Also, its not recommeded that you change foods in a diabetic frequently. Too much risk of them not eating at all, right now his body is use to his nomal food and his normal insulin dose. Change the food, and you may need to change his insulin. I would stick with what he normally eats until you can speak with your vet.

Posted by: Gin 'n Tony on 2007-11-08, 06:08:34

From RAW fruits and vegetables. Best thing ever one can do for their dog!!!! These are healthy carbs, not sugar and starch from a bag. Best of luck!!!

Posted by: Forsaken on 2007-11-08, 06:09:43

Have you joined any rawfeeding groups? I'm pretty new to raw and I know nothing about diabetes in dogs (other than it can be life threatening) however I seem to remember reading something in a digest about it. I'll try and find it then post it to you. This is the group I'm in. It seems we have several members that feed their diabetic dogs raw prey model. pets.groups.yahoo.com/ group/ rawfeeding Join if you want they are VERY helpful.

Posted by: Nedra E on 2007-11-08, 06:11:31

The fruit and veggies comment was good. You can also give some rice cooked and mixed with some meat or veggies... If he's skin and bones, and you're feeding him 3# of raw per day, then I question if he might have worms. You should check his rear for tapeworms, and get him vet tested... That's a LOT of raw feed... my pyrs only get 1 1/ 2 to 2# of raw per day... and you're feeding 3#, so I wonder if your dog has worms!

Posted by: willowGSD on 2007-11-08, 06:18:33

3ibs a day seems an awful lot to be feeding. My shepherd is on half that amount! Vegetables contain carbohydrates and are an essential part of the BARF diet as well as fruit and even nuts and seeds. It needs some processing or pulping to aid digestion but once they get used to it dogs and even cats love it! Check out the BARF diet on the internet! This will give you all the information you need and tell you how to balance everything so that over a period the dog gets all the right balance of nutrition. I also feed my dog rice and some cereals, oats and bran occassionally but never corn! I used to have a diabetic dog and didn't realise that it was the pet food that had caused it! I'd never heard of the BARF diet then and so went along with what the Vets recommended. Also join one of the breed forums, (I belong to the GSDuk one) they all seem to have a raw feeding category now where other owners can give you good advice. I know several on our site have diabetic dogs who seem to be doing well on BARF or natural feeding diets! Good Luck!

Posted by: Treebeard on 2007-11-08, 06:26:50

Have you checked to see if she has a Pancreatic Insufficiency disorder? My 7 yr old dog was literally wasting away to nothing, highly pronounced rib cage, hip bones and skull. No amount of food seemed to make her gain weight. My vet "assumed " it was a cancer of some sort and wanted me to put her to sleep. I found this link detailing the symptoms of EPI. As I was already on the raw diet, I was able to supplement with Raw beef or Pig pancreas. It has been a slow recovery, but after 4 months she has gained 5 lbs. It's worth a look! peteducation.com/ article.cfm?cls= 2 &cat= 1580 &articleid= 331