To date, there is not cure for diabetes in dogs, but it can be managed well if caught at an early stage. There  are a few common symptoms to look for when dealing with dog diabetes. Dog diabetes usually surfaces between the ages of 7 and 9. About one out of every ten dogs will suffer from diabetes.

Diabetes is when the pancreas cannot produce enough natural insulin to prevent glucose levels from rising in your dog’s system. If the levels of glucose get too high, they will leak into the kidneys and cause infections and eventually lead to other internal problems.

Symptoms

There are a number of symptoms to keep an eye out for when dealing with diabetes. The most obvious symptoms include:

- Frequent urination

- Excessive water consumption

- Lethargy and lack of energy

- Cataract formation

- Weight loss or gain

The most common symptoms are frequent urination and excessive water consumption. This is because excess glucose in the body cannot process normally in the bloodstream. Your dog’s body will then try to rid the glucose through urination. This in turn causes extreme thirst, which starts the vicious process all over again.

Treatment of Dog Diabetes

Spaying Females.

Female dogs are more susceptible to diabetes than males. Lots of owners choose to spay their dogs to help balance hormone levels.

Insulin shots.

When your dog has diabetes, his natural production of insulin from the pancreas is low. Insulin shots are given and need to be monitored properly to avoid a low blood sugar crisis.

Diet.

Diet is extremely important for diabetic dogs. A good diet is beneficial because it decreases your dog’s dependency on insulin, controls sugar and carbohydrate levels, and helps your dog to lose weight.

 
Exercise.

It is important to keep your dog active during diabetes. This will help maintain weight and keep diabetes under control.

Always take your dog to the veterinarian if you suspect he may have diabetes. Diabetes can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis and organ failure if left untreated. Once diabetes has been diagnosed in your dog, it’s time to begin treatment. It is important to follow a strict treatment plan to best suit your dog’s case of diabetes. Treatments are different for each dog. Talk to your veterinarian about the best options for your dog’s specific case of diabetes.

If your dog spends a lot of time outdoors, make sure you give its coat a thorough check at least once a week for ticks. Make sure that you cut your grass regularly, and treat your yard and the surrounding areas with pesticide.

It is important to learn how to properly remove ticks form your dog. Part the hair and hold it out of the way. Once you see the tick, pull it out firmly with a pair of tweezers. There will be some bleeding. Clean the area with a mild detergent and water. If you don’t remove the tick completely, the head will remain embedded. This will drop out eventually.

It is important to remove ticks from your dog. If they are left unchecked, the result can be disastrous for both yo and your family.

This regular de-worming including puppies and pregnant bitches will minimize infestation of your dog and prevent infection to humans.

Make sure that you maintain a hygienic environment by regularly removing faeces and disposing them properly in sealed bags off your property. Most important is to remember to wash your hands after handling your pet and before eating. make sure you teach this important tip to your children as they tend to forget and are very vulnerable.

Your dog is a healthy normal one If you run your hands along the dog or puppies’ ribs and can easily feel them with the gentlest of pressure, it feels like a t shirt is covering the ribs and you can see a faint outline of the last rib or two.

Your dog is probably overweight if you need to apply firm pressure with your fingers to feel the ribs, and it feels like your dog is wearing a thick fleece and you cannot see their ribs. Your dog may be obese if he runs away from you because you are digging your fingers into their rib cage so hard to find their ribs that you are tickling them.

How do you solve this problem? Simple – just cut back on the calories, carbs and sugar, and increase the amount of exercise. Chubby puppies lead to chubby dogs and an unhealthy, overwiehg dog will lead to an increase in vet bills and an early death.

If you clean your dog’s ears every week with a Q-tip, you will be doing your dog and yourself a favor. The ears produce wax for protection,, and the same wax accumulates dirt on the surface of the year. If this is left untreated the accumulated dirt can build up and become infected. An infected ear is painful for the dog, and ironically the more the dog scratches the ear to clear the dirt, the more infected it becomes.

The easiest way to clean your dog’s ears is by taking a q-tip soaked with a non-toxic or alcohol free ear clearner, and gently swabbing the dog’s inner ear. Once you do this frequently, your dog will get used to it and not resist you “poking around” in his ear.

By keeping your dog’s ears clean, you are ensuring that the dog’s discomfort is reduced and you are saving on your vet bills.

Rabies: It is a very uncommon disease with domesticated dogs, but is very fatal to humans. Rabies can be contracted from dogs that have not been vaccinated. If you get bitten by a dog, then get an anti rabies shot if you are not sure whether the dog that bit you has had its rabies shot.

Internal Parasites: Tapeworms, hookworms and roundworms can be contracted from an infected dog. You need to avoid contact from dog saliva and feces which can contain worm larvae and eggs.

Fungal Infections: Ringworm is the main fungal infection that can be transmitted to a human. It is caused by a fungus and symptoms for humans can be itchiness, skin rashes and nail infections. The infection can be contracted by touching an infected dog or feces.

Leptospirosis: This is a bacterial infection that is found in the dog’s urine, and can cause severe internal damage to humans.

Always wash your hands after playing with your dog, and handle his urine and feces with gloves. All dogs, no matter how careful the environment they are in, are easily susceptible to infections.

In winter, the fur becomes dry due to the cold dry air, and as we humans apply dry skin lotion, dogs who are constantly scratching, biting and licking their fur, are probably victims of the dry skin. When this happens, there will be red marks around the body of your dog. He or she will be concentrating on those spots, probably making them worse by constantly scratching and biting at those areas.

Keep alert for this, especially if your dog is continuously doing the above. Immediately take your dog to the vet for treatment.

It is important that you regularly give your dog a bath with a mild moisturizing shampoo that gives body to the coat. Moisture in the shampoo will help heal the dry spots, remove fleas and reduces itchiness in your dog’s skin

Diabetes mellitus, the medical name for diabetes, is a disease caused by a lack of insulin, or the inability of the body to utilize the insulin properly, that affects the level of glucose, or sugar, in your dog or cat’s blood. The glucose comes from the food that your pet eats. The food is broken down into very small components by the pet’s digestive system so their bodies can use it for energy. Glucose is one of these components, and an important source of energy.

Glucose is absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream where it travels to cells throughout the body. Insulin is required for the cells to absorb glucose. Insulin is produced by the pancreas in response to the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. Healthy pets produce insulin easily, but pets with diabetes don’t. In canine and feline diabetes, unused glucose builds up in the bloodstream.

Is diabetes in my pet the same as diabetes in people?

The two conditions are very similar. In fact, your veterinarian will be using medication, equipment, and monitoring systems that are similar to those used for diabetic people.

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Scientific research on the use of herbs is at about the same stage as vitamins were 10 years ago. Many companies, however, do not want to invest in expensive research because most herbs cannot be patented, nor are they regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, as drugs and other medications are.

Many of the modern pharmaceutical drugs are actually compounds considered to be the active principles in herbs. Herbalists, however, contend that the pharmaceutical derivatives and the whole plant from which they are derived are not the same due to the unique and complex properties of the original natural substance. As in many situations, the whole is more than the sum of (or one of) its parts, due to synergisms that may occur both within the plant and within the body.

It can be difficult to find fresh herbs, and fresh herbs often are not the most pleasant tasting to the dog. Herb combination products have been developed for certain syndromes and are distributed as tablets and capsules. They can be obtained from many of the herbal companies and are generally classified as Western Herbs or Chinese Herbs. Chinese herbal combinations have been around for thousands of years and have a long track record.

Always keep your veterinarian informed regarding what medications, herbs, and supplements your dog may be taking. Some of these therapies can interfere with the absorption or action of another. And, remember, just because herbs are natural, does not mean they cannot cause adverse or toxic effects if used inappropriately.

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