Affecting Change Through Diet for Your Pet with Diabetes

By Lori Horton, Bedminster Store Manager

Diabetes is becoming one of the most diagnosed diseases amongst our four legged friends. While this disease requires treatment, it is not life threatening. Here is a short list of some of the tell tale signs and symptoms of diabetes in pets to watch for:

·       Drinking more water than usual

·       Frequent urination

·       Always acting hungry

·       Cloudy eyes 

With proper care, your pet can live a happy, and relatively healthy life with Diabetes. It is important to work closely with your veterinarian, getting a diagnosis and the correct medical care is a crucial part of treating Diabetes. The main goal in managing diabetes is to keep the glucose levels regulated and avoid sugar spikes and drops. This can be achieved through insulin treatments from your veterinarian. But another critical component in the proper treatment for your diabetic pet is diet. The good news is that changing your pet’s diet is something you can easily do and it will have a dramatic impact on the health of your pet with diabetes.

When choosing a diet for your pet with diabetes, the glycemic index is important to consider. The glycemic index is a scale that ranks different types of carbohydrates from 0-100 according to how high they raise blood sugar levels after they are eaten. Foods that are low on the glycemic index take longer for the body to digest, therefore, blood sugar levels rise slower. Since one of the goals in the management of your pet with diabetes is to avoid blood sugar spikes and drops, a slow digesting carbohydrate is ideal. 

There are some ingredients readily found in super market pet food brands that score very high in the glycemic index. These ingredients should be avoided in order to successfully manage the health of your pet with diabetes. Absolutely avoid foods containing:

·       Corn

·       Wheat

·       Rice

·       Potatoes (both white and sweet)

Look for ingredients in a pet food that score low on the glycemic index. These include:

·       Lentils

·       Peas

·       Barley

·       Alfalfa

·       Apples

Cherrybrook offers many different food options with these low glycemic ingredients. Understanding diabetes and how you can help your pet to live a healthy and happy life after diagnosis is attainable. The associates at Cherrybrook can help you in this journey to a better life for you and your pet with diabetes.