Diabetes mellitus in dogs is an increasingly recognized endocrine disorder that requires lifelong care and management. While the disease shares some similarities with human diabetes, there are critical differences in its development, presentation, and management in dogs that every pet parent should understand. Early recognition and intervention are key — and with the right tools and habits, we can ensure diabetic dogs live full, healthy, and happy lives.
What is Diabetes mellitus in Dogs?
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by the body’s inability to produce enough insulin or respond appropriately to it. In dogs, the most common form is insulin-dependent diabetes (Type 1), where the pancreas no longer produces sufficient insulin. This differs from the more prevalent Type 2 diabetes seen in humans, which often involves insulin resistance and is closely tied to obesity.
Because dogs primarily develop insulin-dependent diabetes, lifestyle factors may not be the direct cause of the disease, but they DEFINITELY play a role in its onset, detection, and control.
Risk Factors & Prevention
While you can’t change your dog’s genetics or breed predisposition (for example, breeds like Poodles, and Dachshunds are more commonly affected), you can focus on modifiable risk factors — especially weight, diet, and activity levels:
- Weight Management: Obesity can lead to insulin resistance and chronic inflammation, both of which stress the pancreas. Maintaining a lean body condition through a balanced diet, portion control, weight monitoring, and regular vet check-ups is super important.
- Exercise & Lifestyle: Daily exercise helps regulate blood sugar levels and maintains cardiovascular health. Even older dogs benefit from gentle, consistent movement. Dogs need lots of physical and mental stimulation – enrichment activities are a must! Experiment with a variety of movement and enrichment activities to understand what keeps your dog most engaged – more often than not, they’ll tell you very clearly!
- Nutrition: High-quality, species-appropriate balanced diets are essential. Diets rich in fibre and complex carbohydrates help stabilize blood glucose levels. If you aren’t feeding a canine nutritionist-formulated home-cooked diet or high quality balanced kibble, then we need to chat about nutrition ASAP. Remember, food is medicine!
A common myth I often hear is that “My dog became diabetic because I gave them sugar.” While refined sugar definitely isn’t healthy and should absolutely be avoided, a few licks of ice cream or a bite of cake isn’t usually the direct cause of diabetes in dogs. However, sugary treats can lead to weight gain and poor metabolic health, which increases diabetic risk. More importantly, high sugar intake can cause rapid spikes in blood glucose, which can be dangerous, especially in already insulin-resistant dogs. So yes — skip the sweets, not because they “cause” diabetes, but because they set the stage for a whole host of health issues.
Plus, keep in mind that dogs eat what we give them… Your dog likely gravitates towards ice cream because it’s an occasional, novelty treat. I can say with confidence that they’ll scarf down a bowl of frozen dahi with chicken jerky with as much (if not more) enthusiasm!
Diagnosing and Monitoring Diabetic Dogs
When a dog is diagnosed with diabetes, it can feel overwhelming at first — but with the right guidance and monitoring tools, most dogs do incredibly well.
Here are my top tips for pet parents and vets when managing a diabetic dog:
- Track thirst and urination: Increased thirst (polydipsia) and urination (polyuria) are hallmark signs of poor glucose control. If your dog starts drinking more or asking to go out at odd hours, it’s time to reassess their management plan.
- Diabetic Diary: Recording your dog’s food intake, insulin doses, activity level, and any abnormal signs daily helps identify patterns and keeps everyone — including your Vet — on the same page.
- Freestyle Libre Glucose Monitors: These continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) are game changers in early diabetes management. They provide real-time glucose trends without frequent needle sticks. While originally developed for humans, we’ve found them incredibly useful in dogs — especially in the initial weeks after diagnosis, when finding the right insulin type and dose can involve a bit of trial and error.
- Glucose and Ketone Urine Dipsticks: Easy to use at home, these dipsticks help detect excess urine glucose (sometimes normal in well-managed diabetics) ketones (never normal!!) — by products of fat metabolism that can signal a dangerous condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). I recommend checking urine weekly, or more frequently during times of illness or stress.
- Sterile Urine Cultures: Diabetic dogs are at higher risk for urinary tract infections (UTIs), often without showing classic symptoms. Collecting a sterile urine sample directly from the bladder allows us to diagnose and treat infections early, preventing complications.
- Manage infections and concurrent disease: Anything bad happening in the body of a diabetic dog makes insulin control EVEN harder. So management of concurrent allergies, infections, dental disease etc is especially important for insulin sensitivity.
Final Thoughts
A diabetes diagnosis in your dog is not the end — it’s the start of a new chapter in care. With the right knowledge, tools, and team, diabetic dogs can enjoy the same quality of life as any other pet.
By Dr. Sehr Vanya Lalljee
BVM&S, MRCVS UK, CIVT, Behaviour Cert R(D)SVS
Head Vet, Crown Vet Sushant Lok