Canine Diabetes - What Your Dog Can and Can't Eat

The vet has probably explained a lot of things to you in regards to your dog's condition. Almost certainly, he has told you about treatment options, warning signs, and any other relevant information regarding canine diabetes. Sure enough, he has also mentioned lifestyle changes in order for your dog to remain healthy.



Along with this, you should be given a list of diabetic dog food products and a weight management program that you should follow. However, if diabetic dog food is unavailable, or you simply refuse to feed your pet anything that comes out of a can or a box, then you can always concoct your own recipe. Just take note of certain Do's and Don'ts when it comes to what you should feed your dog. However, be sure to consult with the vet first before feeding your dog any food that he has not included in his list.



What Your Dog Can Eat



-Meat with low fat content: This should include turkey, fish, chicken, and eggs. Fatty foods will only cause further complications to your dog's delicate condition.



-Fruits and vegetables: Fresh ones are better, but do not feed in excess. Fruits and vegetables contain natural sugars and are very nutritious, but make sure to avoid raisins and grapes.



-Grains: Your dog needs fiber to manage insulin level. Brown rice, oats, and millet are great for him so you should include this in his daily diet plan.



-Brewer's Yeast: This ingredient has a component called 'glucose tolerance factor' that is very helpful in managing blood sugar.



What Your Dog Can't Eat



-Anything baked: Baked goods contain processed sugars which will certainly increase sugar levels in the blood. As you know, excess glucose level in the blood is never good.



-Fatty food: You do not want your dog to gain more weight so make sure to remove fatty food from his diet. He cannot eat pork and beef. This also means that while he can eat chicken, you should peel off the chicken skin as this is rich in cholesterol. However, fish oil is perfectly fine.



-Sugar: Well, this needs no further explanation. Commercial or processed sugar is bad for your dog, period.



These are the list of food or food components that your dog can and cannot eat. Be sure to put these in mind and stick to it in order to help your diabetic dog stay strong and healthy.

Diabetic Neuropathy: What You Can't Feel Can Hurt You

Diabetic neuropathy, the condition of ongoing loss of sensation in the feet, the hands, and other parts of the sensory nervous system, is a particular challenge to the medical profession. From their earliest training, doctors learn how to diagnose and develop treatment plans on the basis of pain as a system. In diabetic neuropathy, however, not feeling pain is the symptom. It's very difficult for doctors, and diabetics, to treat a condition characterized by what the diabetic does not feel.



Diabetic neuropathy is depressingly common. Among type 2 diabetics who have diabetes for 10 years or more, about 50 per cent develop neuropathy.



Loss of sensation in the feet is particularly problematic. Cuts, scrapes, and scratches, along with something as simple as dry skin, can present open avenues to infection. Infectious microorganisms, as you have probably heard over and over again, thrive on sugar. Diabetes presents a "sweet" environment for the growth of infectious bacteria. When there is limited sensation in the feet, a simple infection can cause serious tissue damage in a very short time, untreated because it is unnoticed. Up to 25 per cent of type 2 diabetics eventually develop foot ulcers, and sometimes the very first diagnosis of type 2 diabetes occurs only when a foot has to be amputated.



Although the very best prevention of diabetic neuropathy is keeping blood sugar levels under control, there are many routes to treating and reversing neuropathy even after it occurs. The one thing to remember is, just as different diabetics respond best to different diets and different medications, no two diabetics experience diabetic nerve damage in the same way, either. You may have to try more than one method--in addition to keeping your blood sugar levels well controlled--to turn neuropathy around.