Diabetes is on the rise among our cats and dogs. You may wonder how to protect your pet from diabetes. To do that you need to understand some of the causes and veterinarians point to many reasons and those include:
- Lack of exercise
- Food that is loaded with carbs
- Feeding our pets from our dinner table
How To Protect Your Pet From Diabetes
As pet parents it is our responsibility to make certain our dogs and cats are as happy and more importantly, healthy as they can be for a lifetime. Our pets look to us for their care- that’s why you need to protect your pet from diabetes. If you feed them “people” food and a lot of treats, they certainly won’t turn their noses up at it, but you should carefully consider the foods they eat.
Pet parents need to stop equating food with love. Food is love for our pets if it’s healthy and not
processed and designed specifically for our dog or cat.
Here are ways to keep your dog healthy:
- Frequent walks are good for your dog, and for you! When you take your dog for a walk, you never walk alone. Exercise benefits both humans and pets. Get up and get moving!
- Feed him healthy food. If you aren’t certain what food is good for your dog, ask your vet. Reading the labels on your dog’s food should be part of your daily keep-my-dog-healthy routine.
- Keep her brain as active as her body. Dogs love to be challenged and entertained. Give your dog snuffle mats or a food puzzle toy and other toys she can chew on and chase.
- Give him love. Our dogs look to us for care, but they also look to us for love. We are their entire lives and a hug, a kind word or letting him share your bed with you will cement your bond.
Here are ways to keep your cat healthy:
- If your cat will walk on a harness and leash, by all means, let him outdoors to explore. Chances are your cat won’t want to go around the block for a walk, but letting him breathe the fresh outdoor air and feel the grass beneath his paws is a healthy treat.
- Feed your cat healthy food. Again, if you’re not certain what food is a good choice for your cat, ask your veterinarian.
- Give your cat love. It is a myth that cats are so solitary that they don’t value their humans’ companionship, but they do. Yes, a cat may value your companionship on his terms, but that’s all right.
- Keep your cat’s brain and body active. Give your cat toys to play with, feathers to chase, catnip toys to pounce on and cat trees to climb.
If you’re not certain if your dog or cat is at risk of diabetes, talk with your veterinarian at your next visit. Your vet can tell you if your dog or cat is a healthy weight and if not, he or she can give you advice on how to best cut back your cat or dog’s food intake until they are a healthy weight.
Dogs and cats can survive and thrive with diabetes, but wouldn’t it be best if they didn’t have to have their blood sugar levels checked and potentially receive daily insulin injections? We know it would! Love your pets and keep them healthy by protecting them from diabetes!
Robbi Hess, award-winning author, is multi-petual. When not caring for her pets or taking them on walks, she is a speaker, efficiency and effectiveness guru, content creator, social media manager and blogger. She writes at All Words Matter, My Divas Dish, and is the story editor and chief cat herder at Positively Woof/Crimeless Cat.
