Take a deep breath. Diabetes in dogs is almost always manageable and, with good care and monitoring, your dog can live a normal, healthy lifespan.

This site was inspired by our dog Chris, who was diagnosed with diabetes in September 2003. Chris was a dog who never did anything "by the book." In fact he seemed to delight in defying any conventional wisdom and that was certainly true with his diabetes. So he was one of the challenging cases. But through home testing his blood sugar and learning as much as we could about how insulin and food interact, we found a system that worked for him.

Chris passed way in August 2008 at 14, an advanced age for a dog his size and especially for a dog with a severe prediabetes heart condition and eventually cancer. Diabetes never held Chris back and did not shorten his lifespan. It truly was the least of his problems. I can’t describe how much we miss him.

 
 Chris as a youngster

It can take
a few months
to get to "cruise control"
so don't
worry if
your dog
isn't instantly regulated. At the same time, good regulation is invaluable to your dog's health and well-being so it's worth pursuing.

Insulin

The main adjustment you will need to make is to get into a routine of feeding your dog at the same time very day, usually two meals and insulin injections a day 12 hours apart.

Every dog is different. The trick is to find out what works best for your dog. You and your vet can vary the kind of insulin, diet, and timing of meals and injections to find the right combination.

And remember, diabetes is something people manage every day for themselves. It's actually easier with a dog in that you have a lot of control over what they eat! So managing your dog's diabetes does not have to be a mystery. You can learn to manage your dog's treatment and monitoring.

What's "regulated"?

Insulin and food

Treatment and monitoring

Videos of home blood glucose testing

Dealing with low blood sugar (currently an outside link)

Stories of dogs living with diabetes

Forum – A place to share information with others and answers to common questions about treating diabetes.

Links – to dozens of other resources, including:

When diabetes is difficult to regulate – possible causes and solutions

Complications and related conditions

Links – to web pages about insulins, meters for home testing, related health conditions, and much more with new links added regularly

Manual for treating K9diabetes by manufacturer of Vetsulin insulin plus an interactive website for owners

Tips on how and
where to inject

Dogs with Diabetes wiki

Petdiabetes.org

Merck Veterinary
Manual – Diabetes

A nice blood glucose curve