Diabetic Puppy

[Shearer]

Anyone else out there with a diabetic puppy. Diagnosed at 12 weeks after second vaccination. Currently on Purina Dm kibble and Purina DM cat food wet. Beardie collie cross border collie and female. Since it is quite rare to have a diabetic puppy there are no specific diets and the adult diets all seem to have weight management. Any suggestions will be welcome.

[Spanielowner]

Not had any diabetic dogs but as your puppy is quite young, is it what would be type 1 diabetes in humans? If so wouldn’t the best diet be the one your dog likes with the least amount of slow release carbs...ie refined carbs so blood sugar doesn’t spike too quickly. It’s perhaps worth asking your vet based on some research of human diabetes ....just a thought.

[Dottie]

Hello and welcome to the forum Shearer. I have never had a diabetic dog and as you say, it is unusual in a puppy. I would be inclined to look for a good quality food just the same as for any pup.  This means that it needs to have crystal clear labelling and a good quality digestible protein source which should appear at the top of the list of ingredients.

When I use the Dog Food Directory to source foods I always use the clear labelling and no red ingredients tick boxes.  This usually brings up the higher rated foods. I agree with spanielowner in that complex carbohydrates might be better as they release sugars more slowly. Brown rice fits this criteria so might be worth looking for products containing this. Some of the grain free products contain white potato and derivates so it might be best to avoid those. 

I am wondering if the cold pressed foods which contain brown rice might be helpful. These products are highly digestible and tend to attract a good nutritional score on the Dog Food Directory. Some of them are grain free and if you prefer these then you need to look carefully at the carbohydrate source.  Sweet potato would perhaps be better.  We have a thread on cold pressed foods here.  There are more cold pressed foods available these days and some are made in the UK. The ones I am familiar with are the Markus Muhle varieties and the UK companies that sell this are Gentle and Guru. Both have versions containing brown rice and have staff who may be able to help you. The big advantage of cold pressed food is that you will not have to change it as the puppy grows up because it is an all age product - you just give higher amounts to puppies and reduce it as they get older. As mentioned, their staff will hopefully be able to guide you on this matter.

Another option (but more expensive) is fresh cooked food. Butternut Box has lentils in the recipe and these are complex carbs.

If you prefer traditional kibble or wet food then you can search for that on the Directory using the filters but please ask if you need our help with this.

I have to say that  whatever you decide upon you need to take the ingredient list to the vet to check.

[Lottie]

Hello Shearer and welcome to the forum. It is indeed rare for a puppy to be diabetic. I have a diabetic dog but she is 12 years old. She was diagnosed in May during lockdown so I was not able to go into the surgery with her.  I cannot advise on food as my dog is a senior, but Tasha is on Burns Original which does have a lot of brown rice in it, her and her sister were always raw fed but once Tasha was diagnosed as being diabetic this diet was too fatty for her so I had to change. The nutritionists at Burns Pet are very helpful too so may be able to help you, and as Dottie has mentioned other people such as Gentle and Guru will be good to talk to as well.

I have found an exceptional amount of help and guidance on Uk Diabetic Dogs UK  Facebook page  and maybe there could be someone in your position with a diabetic puppy.
 Keep us updated with how you are getting on.

[Dottie]

Thank you very much for your input Lottie - much appreciated. Personal experience is so useful. Some of those Facebook groups are very helpful. I am glad that you have been able recommend a good one.

[Lottie]

You are very welcome Dottie. Hopefully we will have an update on Shearer's puppy. The Facebook group has been so helpful to me because there is a lot to learn when you have a diabetic dog or puppy. 

[Shearer]

Thank you for all your comments. When you are new to the diabetic scene and for her to be a puppy as well it is a bit of a minefield as a lot of the adult feeds are "weight management" and she is a skinny wee thing.  I feel she is doing quite well at the moment and is enjoying life.  She enjoys her walks and is interested and cheeky again after having her near death experience!  The UK Diabetic Dog Owners facebook page is excellent and it is great to check in with folk with similar experiences.  There are so many feedstuffs on the market too and it is great to have an honest explanation of how good or not they are.  Once again thank each and every one of you for your comments.   

[Lottie]

Hi Shearer thank you for the update. I am glad your puppy is enjoying life again. Diabetes is not nice  at all , especially as she is so young.  Is she having insulin now,it is all very daunting at first  isn’t it ? but the FaceBook group are very knowledgeable and there is always someone to help. If we can help on here in anyway just give a shout and we will do our best to help.

[Shearer]

Hi Lottie
Yes, she has been on insulin since she was 12 weeks old. She seemed to be a fit, robust puppy until her vaccination then she nose dived into diabetes and within three days had lost all her puppy fat and was drinking excessively, peeing and ultimately vomiting before being admitted to dog hospital. There was no time to wait for her fructosamine results.  It has taken a few weeks to get her on her feet again. Once she has matured I would really like to feed home cooked food along with a quality kibble and I am taking this time to research what is out there and listen to how everyone else copes.  As they say every dog is an individual so what works for some may not for others.   

[Lottie]

Hi Shearer I haven’t any experience of home cooking for diabetic dogs , but you could ask on the Facebook group if anyone has any experience of home cooking for their dogs.