Where to get advice on caring for your diabetic dog

After two and half years of caring for our little diabetic dog – and dealing with all sorts of issues like hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, pancreatitis, gastroenteritis, cataracts, eye removal – we still come across new challenges.

There are many sources of information out there. Some cost, while others are free. 

With a diabetic dog, when some decisions can be life-altering or even life-threatening, who do you go to for advice?

Veterinarians and canine specialists

Your dog’s vet is most likely its primary source of professional health care and advice. If they’ve been seeing your pet for a while, they would have long-term records and understand your dog’s individual needs. 

Something we learned with Parker is that not all vets have a lot of experience with diabetic dogs. 

This makes sense when you know that about one in 300 dogs in North America is diabetic. If your vet has 1,000 patients, then they may only treat two other diabetic dogs in addition to yours.

We've learned to ask lots of questions

We recommend asking your vet how many diabetic dogs they currently treat. How comfortable are they treating your diabetic pet? How up-to-date are they on treatments, medications and other diabetic health matters? 

Do they have access to specialists, such as an internist, to get more info? An internist is a veterinary specialist who focuses on diagnosing and managing complex internal conditions like diabetes, using advanced testing and treatment plans to support long-term health. 

Having a candid conversation with your dog’s primary care vet can help you make informed decisions, particularly when you are facing choices on different types of tests or treatments. 

Other diabetic dog owners

There is often some comfort in speaking with someone who has gone through a similar experience. 

That’s the main reason we’ve written these articles and created MyDiabeticPet – to share our experiences in the hope of alleviating stress for diabetic dogs and their caregivers.

There can be instances across the life of a diabetic dog when you need advice that you can’t get from your vet or or an emergency clinic due to the nature or type of the situation, cost, time of day, or a multitude of other reasons. 

It could be a question or concern about behaviour, blood glucose levels, insulin, food, products, etc. Or maybe some reassurance, thoughtful messages or virtual hugs from someone who has been through something similar. 

If you are on Facebook, there are a couple of heavily-moderated canine diabetes support groups that can provide quick answers and advice from other diabetic dog owners. Be sure to read the rules about posts and responses.

ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI tools

Artificial Intelligence services like ChatGPT have come a long way in the last few years. They can be great tools in your arsenal for answering questions about caring for your diabetic dog.

They are not 100% perfect. Nor are they 100% reliable. 

These tools used information found online. When it comes to your dog’s health, you want to be confident in the advice provided, particularly as the wrong advice can lead to issues that may last days or longer. 

If you do something that upsets the balance in your dog’s blood sugar levels, for instance, it may take a few days to get your pet regulated and back to normal.

We recently had an issue when our dogsitter gave Parker, our diabetic Border Terrier, a higher dose than needed as he didn’t eat his breakfast. They managed to get him to eat, but it was a few hours after his injection, and we had to think about what we would do that evening given that his morning dose and meal were a few hours apart. 

We asked ChatGPT for advice and on the surface it made sense. But when we thought more about it, it wasn’t quite right. It recommended testing, feeding and injecting 12 hours after the late breakfast, but the proper course of action was 12 hours after his morning injection. 

Getting advice from diabetics

Diabetes in dogs is fundamentally different from diabetes in humans or cats, and relying on the wrong kind of advice can put your dog’s health at risk.

For starters, dogs almost always have what’s closest to Type 1 diabetes in humans: their pancreas no longer produces enough insulin, so they need insulin injections for life. 

In contrast, many humans with Type 2 diabetes manage their condition with diet, exercise, and oral medications; insulin might not be necessary. 

So applying the same approach to a diabetic dog can be dangerous and even life-threatening as dogs require daily insulin to survive.

Getting advice from owners of diabetic cats

Cats are a different story, too. 

Feline diabetes often resembles Type 2, meaning some cats can actually go into remission with early treatment, proper diet, and weight loss. It seems so typically cat-like to be done with diabetes as if it were a fad or mouse it was toying.

Unfortunately, this isn’t something that happens in dogs. Hoping for remission in a diabetic dog can delay essential care and cause serious complications.

Even something as seemingly simple as diet advice can differ wildly. Vegetarian diets may work for some humans, but dogs are omnivores with different nutritional needs and glucose metabolism. 

Advice that works for a diabetic human or a cat might not be safe — or effective — for your diabetic dog

While it’s great to find emotional support from others dealing with diabetes, always follow a veterinarian’s guidance for managing your dog’s care. Every species is different. As we learned with Parker, your dog deserves treatment tailored to their unique biology, needs and idiosyncrasies.