How much food is ok?

[GigiCakes]

My dog was currently diagnosed with diabetes. He is getting 8ml of insulin. How many ounces of food is enough for that dose? Also is it normal for him to pant and be sleepy after eating and receiving his insulin?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[thomasgunnar]

Re: How much food is ok?

I'm not really sure about the panting and being sleepy.

When we got Shelby home the vet had not done a lot as far as getting her under control. What we did was figure out her food first. We wanted her to be hungry at her meal times but not starving. Once we had that figured out we adjusted her insulin to that amount of food.

I don't know if this is anywhere near helpful or not.

[Raysaint]

Re: How much food is ok?

Insulin dose at first is a conservative dose based on weight. And once you get into a routine it's based on how much the dog eats. You match the insulin to the food amount.

As for your dosage, not sure how much 8ml is. It's usually indicated as units (unit on the syringe.)

early in the diagnosis the dog's blood sugar is usually high, which makes them lethargic, especially after eating, because the food absorbs and makes the sugar even higher. Plus they are usually thirsty.

Know that this is a long process, to get their blood sugar regulated. You take it week by week. Consistent food amount, consistent insulin dose for a week, do a sugar curve, then increase the dose one unit or less. repeat.

get yourself a meter to test at home. And make sure you use the correct syringes for the insulin you are using.

[jesse girl]

Re: How much food is ok?

you cant correlate the amount of food with how much insulin is given . all dogs dont digest food the same . most starting doses are based on weight of the dog

the panting and being lethargic is not uncommon at the beginning but it also can point to high or low sugar or spiking or dropping sugar

[MikeMurphy]

Re: How much food is ok?

My dog was currently diagnosed with diabetes. He is getting 8ml of insulin. How many ounces of food is enough for that dose? Also is it normal for him to pant and be sleepy after eating and receiving his insulin?

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Hi and welcome to the forum.

His food and starting insulin dose should be based on his weight.

Let us know his name, breed, weight, type of food, type of insulin and anything else you'd like to share.

Most of our diabetic dogs eat and get their insulin every 12 hours. Does he get 8 units of insulin every 12 hours?

[CraigM]

Re: How much food is ok?

Welcome to the forum.

As others have said, insulin and food go hand in hand. You might feed the recommended amount on the bag / can for the pups weight and then dose the insulin based on the pups weight.

Please tell us his weight, brand of insulin, once or twice a day injections, feeding identical meals 12 hours apart, other medications?

Diabetes will take time and a little work, but is treatable. My Annie lived 9˝ years as a diabetic, to 17 years old.

Craig