Do You Know The Early Warning Signs Of Diabetes In Your Puppy

Online, April 6, 2011 (Newswire.com) - As the population in developed countries experiences and unprecedented amount of weight gain and related problems, it should not be a surprise that that the cases of diabetes in family dogs is also increasing.

Many owners tend to show how much they love their dog with food and tend to overindulge with too many high fat treats and may even leave their pets food out, which encourages a grazing habit. Both of these situations increase a pets chances of becoming overweight and this is one of the major causes of diabetes.

Learning what symptoms to be on the lookout for is key to catching the disease in its infancy. To help you learn how to recognize the early warning symptoms of diabetes in dogs, I found this article by Darlene Norris was really great at highlighting what to keep an eye out for:

Here are some early warning signs that pets present that may be an indicator of the onset of diabetes. If left untreated, diabetes in dogs can result in early blindness, infections and in the worst case scenario, death. Take a quick moment read over and familiarize yourself with some of these early warning signals so you can recognize them if your dog starts to show any signs of them:

1. Drinking More Water Than Usual: This should always be a red flag for pet owners. If your pet is suddenly very thirsty, and continues to be for several days, this could be due to high blood sugar levels. Her body will be demanding more water in an attempt to flush some of the glucose out of her system. Sometimes the amount of water she's drinking increases so gradually, you may not even be aware of it until another symptom, frequent urination, shows up.

2. Frequent Urination: This goes along with drinking a lot of water. Even if you don't notice your pet's increased water consumption, it's hard to miss it if she's asking to go outside more often, or if she's having accidents in the house because she can't "hold it."

3. She's Lethargic And Tired: Your formerly energetic companion suddenly seems to have lost interest in life. All she wants to do is lay around. You may notice that she's weak, and tired all the time. She just doesn't seem to be herself.

4. Weight Gain Or Loss: Any pet that suddenly gains or loses weight for no reason needs to see the vet, especially if she's ravenously hungry, but isn't putting on any weight, or is even losing it. This can be a symptom of any number of health problems, but canine diabetes is often the reason.

5. Her Breath Is Sweet: Instead of the usual "dog breath," your pup's breath has a sweet smell to it. This is a definite sign of high blood sugar levels. Take your pet to the vet right away.

6. Shaking Or Shivering: This is a symptom of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. This is very serious condition that needs immediate treatment.

7. Persistent Infections: If your pup is suffering from repeated urinary tract infections, gum infections, or fungal infections, it could because due to diabetes. One of the symptoms of diabetes in dogs is a decreased resistance to infections.

Your Pet May Not Show Any Symptoms At All

Sometimes dogs with diabetes don't show any of these symptoms because the disease changes their bodily functions so slowly. For this reason, this disease is often known as a silent killer.

Can you prevent diabetes in canines? The answer is yes. Here are some suggestions:

* Keep your dog's weight under control.
* Feed her a high quality canned food that's low in fat and carbohydrates and high in fiber.
* Have her spayed, as high estrogen levels can sometimes interfere with insulin production.
* Regular exercise will keep her in shape, and it's also helpful in keeping her blood sugar levels normal.

Some pet owners are curious about natural remedies for dogs. Research has shown that certain herbs and dietary supplements are very helpful in keeping the amount of glucose in the blood at normal levels. However, once canine diabetes has developed, your pet will need to be on insulin for the rest of her life. With this disease, prevention is definitely the best cure.

Darlene Norris has combined her experience working at a vet clinic with her long-time interest in natural healing to bring you her new website, Natural Pet Diabetes Control. Learn how you can use natural remedies for dogs to prevent canine diabetes by visiting http://NaturalPetDiabetesControl.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darlene_L._Norris

Diabetes comes in two forms - type I and type II, with type II being the more serious form. In younger dogs, the occurrence of type I diabetes is more common and if caught early, treatment can be highly effective in regulating blood sugar.

Larger breeds and older dogs are generally afflicted with type II diabetes, and again the earlier the diagnosis is made, the better the chances for health improvement are. The schedule of treatment for a dog suffering from diabetes includes a change and regular monitoring of the dogs diet, increased exercise and in some cases daily injections of insulin.

So remember, keep an eye on your pets behaviour in order to be able to quickly notice any changes that might indicate that your pet is suffering from diabetes. Although, as was mentioned before, some breeds of dogs don't present with any symptoms and in order to be able to prevent them from becoming too sick and permanent damage from happening, make sure you lead a healthy lifestyle for your pet, including high quality food, plenty of exercise and you take him/her for regular check-ups with your veterinarian.

If you already have a pet diagnosed with diabetes and have to give daily injections of insulin, take a look at my post called "How To Give Your Puppy An Insulin SHOT At Home" for some really helpful advice and great videos.