Ask the Vet: Diabetes awareness

Dr. Craig shares tips for diabetes prevention and what to look out for.

Diabetes awareness: Dr. Craig shares tips for diabetes prevention and what to look out for.

November is National Pet Diabetes month. From learning what to look out for to incorporating some healthy tips into your daily routine, your furry family will be equipped with all the best tips for diabetes prevention.

Has your puppy been at the water bowl all day? Is your cat filling up the litter box faster than usual? Be sure to keep an eye out for these signs as they can be early indicators of diabetes.

Thankfully, diabetes is a condition that can be managed fairly easily through early detection. Here’s what to look out for:

Another way to prevent early onset of diabetes is to incorporate more activity and healthy food choices in your four-legged friend’s daily routine.

Try set meal times or a feeding toy to avoid over eating. You can also try adding more physical and mentally stimulating activities like rope tugging, chew toys, new tricks, social time with their pet posse, or a fun game of baseball-fetch. You’ll get in some batting practice while spending some quality time with your little slugger.

Healthy food choices are also key to diabetes prevention. For dogs, it’s recommended to maintain a high-fiber diet, while it’s suggested to maintain a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet for cats.

But as always, consult with your vet, as they’ll be the best resource to help you come up with the right diabetes prevention plan for your pet.

About the Author: Veterinary professional Dr. Craig Galbraith has worked with Pethealth for over eight years, offering expert advice geared toward creating more efficient programs to help improve lost pet recovery and mitigate the cost of veterinary treatment for pet owners.

Source: American Veterinary Dental College, AVDC.org