Our diabetic dog took over our kitchen

I'm the main cook and enjoy a well-organized kitchen (and I can be a tad lazy), so I put a lot of effort into creating an environment suited to efficient meal prep and clean up. We made sure there was a bit of cupboard space on the fringes for dog food and treats, but that was the extent of our planning for Parker.

Reorganizing the kitchen for our diabetic dog

Fast forward to today, and it's a very different story. He has a small tray on the counter, two full drawers in the kitchen island, a quarter of the pantry, and part of a cupboard in the dining room for his large bag of low-fat, high-protein kibble.

He also has a small container in the fridge that holds his insulin and light cream cheese, which we use to administer his twice-daily hypothyroid medication. We used to use Pill Pockets, but later learned they can add a surprising number of calories and fat to a diabetic dog's diet.

The tray on the counter holds a glass jar with a few days' supply of kibble, a scale for weighing his food, a container of high-protein treats, a bottle of omega-3 oil to support joint and muscle health (diabetic dogs are prone to muscle loss), vitamin B12 drops (also used to support muscle health), and a ceramic sugar bowl containing psyllium fibre and a measuring spoon. He gets a small amount once per day to help slow digestion and promote more consistent glucose absorption

The top drawer in the island is quite shallow and has everything needed to test his blood glucose, including a winter glove heater and backup rice sock to warm up his ear; a PetTest Genteel lancing device and lancets; AlphaTrack3 blood glucose monitor and test strips . Anyone who regularly tests their diabetic dog at home knows those strips are worth their weight in gold.

It also contains what we need to administer his insulin, including needles and alcohol wipes, and various medications as he’s on a daily regimen of three types of eye drops.

The deeper drawer below contains a sharps container, his tick and heart worm prevention chews, medicine we are not currently using but may need down the road, and his sitter guide.

Parker's Pantry

Parker’s low carb treats are in the pantry, along with boxes of extra testing/injecting supplies that would impress an inventory control manager or an Amazon warehouse employee.

We learned from the Pandemic that suppliers can run out of important products, so we always keep a couple months’ inventory on hand.

Parker had an eye removed about a year ago after a tough bout of glaucoma, so he is on a regimen of three different drops to maintain the health of his remaining eye. Like humans, diabetic dogs are susceptible to cataracts and glaucoma, and the treatments weigh heavily on the pocketbook and the heart.

We also have emergency supplies in case his blood glucose heads into a dangerous zone. Honey, maple syrup (we’re Canadian after all) and a measuring spoon. We chose containers that are easy to open as you don't want to be struggling with a stuck lid in an emergency. They have his name on them so that our friends and houseguests know not to use them and mistakenly put them back in the wrong spot.

We also have carb-rich treats on hand that we can use to raise his BG by a small amount if he reading is too low. These are kept separate from his other treats and marked with clear instructions. Our go-to are Milk Bones as they are easy to break apart if we need a small amount and he seems to like them.

Keeping things cool

Parker’s insulin vial is quite small and would easily get lost in the fridge, likely hiding behind a partially used jar of red pepper jelly or working its way to the back over the course of a day. So we keep his insulin and a spare along with a small container of cream cheese in a bento box lunchbox. It has two compartments that fit his insulin vials and packs easily when we’re on the go.

The freezer has a small ice pack that we use to keep the contents of the bento box cold when we go to our cottage, visit out-of-town family and friends, or drive 1300 km for our annual road trip to the east coast. We've put together a solid travel checklist based on those many journeys with Parker.

Peace of mind

If something should happen to us, we want Parker to be well cared for. As you probably know, diabetic dogs require more than the average dog. If we’re not around, it gives us peace of mind that whoever has to look after Parker will be able to find everything easily and not have to purchase something they’ve never bought before.