Why Are Our Dogs Getting Fatter?<\/a><\/p>\nDiabetes<\/h3>\n
Diabetes is a condition caused by a lack of, or resistance to, the hormone insulin, and is one of the most frequently diagnosed endocrine (hormonal) conditions in dogs and cats. According to Canine and Feline Nutrition<\/em> written by Case et al., dogs are at an increased risk of developing diabetes if they experience recurring episodes of pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), have Cushing\u2019s disease (overproduction of certain adrenal gland hormones) or belong to a specific breed. In cats, obesity is an important risk factor for diabetes, although other risk factors may include pancreatitis, Cushing\u2019s disease, hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland) and genetics that may or may not be breed related. Risk factors shared by both dogs and cats include gender, lack of activity and age.<\/p>\nThe primary treatment for diabetes is daily insulin replacement. However, which diet and how it\u2019s fed play important supporting roles. The goals of diabetes management are to:<\/p>\n
\n- provide the nutrition a diabetic pet needs for moderate body condition<\/li>\n
- coordinate feeding times with insulin injections for blood glucose (sugar) control<\/li>\n
- manage coexisting diseases or complications of diabetes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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<\/p>\n
A pet\u2019s body weight and condition at the time of diabetes diagnosis will influence the veterinarian\u2019s pet food recommendation. Typically, a diet for a diabetic dog will have a controlled fat content and increased amounts of complex carbohydrates and fiber. For a diabetic cat, a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet takes advantage of a cat\u2019s unique ability to use a high percentage of food protein to make glucose in their liver, which provides a consistent, steady release of glucose into the bloodstream. You\u2019ll want to work closely with your veterinarian to determine a food and feeding plan that\u2019s best for your pet.<\/p>\n
Many other health issues can be addressed through diet, although not necessarily treated by food alone. When dogs and cats develop health-related conditions that keep them from eating diets designed for healthy pets, that\u2019s when they can benefit from specially designed foods. If you have any questions about your pet\u2019s diet, be sure to discuss your concerns with your veterinarian.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cLet medicine be thy food and let food be thy medicine\u201d \u2014 a quote attributed to Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine \u2014 applies just as much to our pets\u2019 health as it does to ours. While a healthy diet is a powerful tool for protecting health, the appropriate food also can be used […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Common Pet Health Issues Affected by Nutrition: Part 1 | Diamond Pet Foods","_seopress_titles_desc":"\"Let medicine be thy food and let food be thy medicine\" \u2014 a quote attributed to Hippocrates, considered the father of modern medicine \u2014 applies just as much to our pets' health as it does to ours.","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[661,322],"tags":[12,194,54,11],"class_list":["post-2682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nutrition-performance","category-performance","tag-cats","tag-diabetes","tag-dogs","tag-health"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2682\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diamondpet.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}