Dog Food For Diabetic Dogs Buyer’s Guide
All of the above products make the list of the best dog foods for diabetic dogs due to some common traits, including their ability to fill the unique nutritional needs of diabetic dogs. Whether you stick to foods on the list or choose another product, make sure you are familiar with what to look for when choosing diabetic dog food.
Understand the Role of Diet in Diabetes
Start off with some base knowledge to make sure you understand what your dog’s diabetes means. In diabetic dogs, the pancreas does not produce as much insulin or it does not respond as well to insulin. Type 1 diabetes is more common in dogs, causing the body not to produce insulin.
Look out for diabetic symptoms in your dog, like lethargy, frequent urination, excessive thirst and hunger, chronic skin infections, weight loss despite eating normally, and sweet-smelling breath. If left alone, diabetes can cause serious problems, from liver disease to even death.
Luckily, you may be able to manage your dog’s diabetes simply by switching to a better-quality food. The low-quality foods filled with carbohydrates are frequently to blame. Combined with exercise, swapping your current dry food for one for diabetic dogs may be enough. Otherwise, you may need to supplement medicine as well.
Because diabetes is connected to glucose levels, low-glycemic foods and ingredients are a key part of a diabetic diet.
Choose Foods with Low to Moderate Fat and Carb Content
One of the most important parts of choosing diabetic-friendly dog food is to choose something that is low in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates make it much harder for your dog’s body to regulate blood sugar levels. Ideally, any of the carbohydrates that are in your chosen dog food will be low on the glycemic index, as this minimizes the rise in blood sugar levels after eating.
You also want to look for lower amounts of fats. While carbohydrates need to be low, fats can be low to moderate. This aspect of diabetic-friendly dog food helps control obesity, which is among the most common risk factors for canine diabetes. Ideally, you want to look for 30% or less of the calories coming from fat. Pay particular attention to saturated fat and avoid this.
Stick to High to Moderate Fiber Content and Protein
While fat and carbohydrates should be lower in diabetic-friendly dog food, you want to look for higher fiber and protein. The fiber content should be moderate to high. This is because dietary fiber helps your dog’s body regulate blood sugar. It slows down the breakdown of carbohydrates into sugar and also slows down the body’s absorption of sugar. Those combined abilities mean that giving your dog enough fiber will help control blood sugar, which helps limit the effects of the diabetes.
Always look for recipes that have high protein content. Protein is good because it is easy for dogs to digest, so you do not have to worry about stomach issues. Additionally, protein stays in the digestive system for longer. This helps your dog feel full so he does not want to eat as much.
At the same time, the satiety causes a reduced rise in blood sugar, both in terms of overall size and speed. In other words, ensuring your diabetic dog gets enough protein helps slow down and minimize the size of any spike in blood sugar.
Choosing Between Dry and Wet Food
Either dry or wet food is theoretically fine for diabetic dogs, assuming that it meets all of the other requirements already listed. Because of those requirements, it tends to be much easier to find dry food for diabetic dogs. This is because canned food usually has a lot of additives, preservatives, and sugars, all of which are bad for diabetic dogs and can spike blood sugar. With dry dog food, the biggest risk is low-quality carbohydrates, which you need to avoid.
Raw diets based on meat are also popular for diabetic dogs as they will be low in carbohydrates and fat and high in protein. These raw foods, however, will need to include high glycemic vegetables to provide enough fiber, while low glycemic vegetables are typically ideal for diabetic dogs. Diabetic dog owners can also choose a middle ground, such as a dog food that provides the nutrients and has you supply the high-quality protein.
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