How can you tell if your dog might have diabetes? In the vast majority of cases, it is quite uncommon for younger dogs to have diabetes, but if your pet is older than 4 years old and is displaying other symptoms, then the potential for diabetes could be a real one. Diabetes in dogs is much more common in females. Many of a dog’s symptoms are like those of diabetes in people.
Symptoms for Dogs with Diabetes
* Canine diabetes can begin with an overweight, out of shape dog. This is not always the story; in some breeds it can run in the gene pool. Being overweight can be a danger sign though.
* Diabetes usually happens in dogs about the ages of 7 to 9.
* With bigger dogs there is a greater possibility to contract dog diabetes than with a smaller breed.
* Watch for unquenchable thirst. If this happens, do not try to limit your dog’s water. This is most important since your dog will need all the water it is drinking to help keep from becoming dehydrated.
* Being so thirsty means he/she will need to urinate more often. Your pet who is so wonderfully house trained could start having accidents more frequently on your carpet. Why? They are all of a sudden carrying a lot of liquid around in their bladder. Much like the chicken and the egg, and the dispute of which came first, the need for water or the requirement to urinate has been questioned both ways.
* Your dog may start dropping weight fast and furious, even though she is eating much more and could be moving slower and showing signs of exhaustion, being extreme fatigued.
* Your dog may become partially blind, having some issues seeing.
Preventing symptoms in dogs of diabetes:
1. If you notice your dog putting on weight, or if they are already overweight, lower the number of carbohydrates they intake. Yes, much like humans, a large amount of carbohydrates contributes generously to weight gain, which adds to the potential of diabetes. Many common dog foods have ingredients containing as much as 98% carbohydrates. Read the labels and gather as much information as you can about your dog breed and make sure that he is receiving the correct amount of nutrients. Making the change to a healthier dog food can be a enormous step in the right direction.
2. Exercise! A lot of dogs contract diabetes that could be completely avoided if they had stayed on the go and not gotten out of shape. This of course is where you can help, as the dog owner. If your dog sleeps on the couch day and night and packs on the pounds, he can contract diabetes even if he is not a breed that is typically at risk.
As of this writing there is not a cure for diabetes. Work closely with your vet to help make sure your dog gets the correct treatment and the right medication to help have a happy life. Sometimes diabetes stays all the way through your dog’s life course. If this is the case, do the best you can to keep your dog’s weight in control, keep them active getting lots of exercise, give your dog its medicine on a regular schedule, and make sure they have plenty to drink.
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