Dog Diabetes Treats: Choosing Safe Treats for Your Diabetic Dog

You learned that your dog is diabetes after a regular visit to your veterinarian. Suddenly you are thinking of all the constraints you must impose on her in the future. You’re worried that your dog may not like life as much as she did before because of this.

Don’t hesitate and relax! Yes, maybe you need to alter the diet and lifestyle of your dog, but it’s certainly not the end of fun days for both of you. Your dog will continue to live a good, fulfilling life with the correct approach and adequate care despite being diabetic.

Managing a Diabetic Dog’s Diet

When your veterinarian diagnoses your dog with diabetes, it usually involves you both to deal with permanently. Although you can be assisted by the following certain exercise and feeding strategies, frequent injections of insulin which will now be part of your life. Naturally, by providing her treats that are great for diabetic dogs,  your dog can still enjoy life.

The Veterinarian’s Recommendation

Many factors influence the blood sugar concentrations of your dog. E.g. diet, fitness, hormonal and stress levels. Examples include Consequently, coherence will be essential to ensure the good health of your diabetic dog. You will be helped by the following tips:

• Feed your dog the same amount and the same kind of food every 6 or 12 hours, or approximately 2 to 3 times per day.
• Follow a veterinarian-approved exercise regimen for your dog to keep her weight in check.
• Avoid situations that will stress your dog.
• Ask your veterinarian to clarify things when you’re in doubt. Never change your dog’s diabetes regimen without seeking your vet’s advice.

Diabetic Dog Treats: What Ingredients Should You Look For?

Before you buy or create treats for your diabetic dog, here are some pointers that you should keep in mind when it comes to ingredients:

• It should have low fat, but high fiber content.
• It should be made of meat or meat products.
• It should be made of complex carbohydrates.
• It should be free of sugar.

In addition, the treat must also be hard for your dog to chew and digest in a longer time. This helps to maintain a safe blood sugar level of your dog. On the other hand, soft treats can spike blood sugar easily, because they enter the system rather fast than hard treats.

Commercial Diabetic Dog Treats

It’s now worth considering that you should not acquire a treat and stick to it now that you have learned a few tips about giving treats to your diabetic dog. Make sure you have variety in your treats as well so that your dog won’t find things too predictable. Some of the best commercial treats for diabetic dogs are provided below:

1. Pet Peeve Gear 100% All Natural & Healthy Meat Strips

The individuals behind Pet Peeve Gear are veterinarian technicians, scientists and animal enthusiasts. For this reason alone, you can be sure that they are committed to making products that guarantee your dog remains happy and healthy. The best thing is the donation of some of its revenues to non-profit animal rescue centers.

Each pack comes in two flavors: The chicken breast strips and top sirloin strips. These include chicken breasts, sirloin steak, carrots, and candy. Therefore, you can be sure that there are no unnecessary fillers and preservatives to make this treat.

2. Old Dog Cookie Company Diabetic Cookies

For more than two decades, Old Dog Cookie Company has been in the treat-making business. They are best known for developing treats for dogs, for example, dogs with diabetes, with unique health reasons.

They are the product of natural ingredients, including apples, alfalfa, dandelion, kelp, rolled oats, squash and wheat flour, for diabetic cookies. All these components, combined, can assist lower your dog’s blood sugar, slow its metabolism and maintain its insulin requirements.

3. Dia-Treaties

If you want to be sure that a treat won’t cause any problems for your dog, look no further than Dia-Treaties. This is specially formulated for diabetic dogs. In fact, you should only give it two times per day at the most, immediately following your dog’s insulin shot.

Because of its great quality, Dia-Treaties has been patented in 2017. These treats are also soft and chewable, which is a good choice for dogs that may have a difficult time-devouring hard food items.

4. Dogswell Tenders Immunity & Defense Chicken Tenders

These low-fat, high-protein chicken tenders are produced from farm chicken breast of farm-raised chickens. Although the majority of meat jerky treats are difficult to mix, the chewy nuggets are soft enough to be enjoyed.

The size is also small enough to facilitate portion control. It has vitamin A, flaxseed oil, and turmeric to improve the immune system of your dog. You can either offer it as it is or you can split it into small pieces to use as training treats.

5. Hagen Heritage Sweet Potato Fries-Frites

You can go for these sweet potato fries for dogs if you’re searching for a meatless diabetic treat. These treats are also very yummy and low in fat, besides having a low glycemic index. While it is not frequently advisable to provide carb-based treats for diabetic dogs, sweet potatoes are good because starches have no such influence over your blood sugar.

Sweet potatoes are also digested at a much slower pace, making it less likely to cause blood sugar spikes. In any case, if you track parts and consumption of your dog closely, it is still best. You may have to treat your dog in smaller sizes or offer fewer treats than you would usually, depending on the distinctive situation.

If you are going to check out other brands, make sure that you carefully go over its ingredients. Avoid treats that have corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, maltose, or molasses. On the other hand, treats that are made of whole grains are highly recommended (e.g. barley, bran, brown rice, oats).

Natural Diabetic Dog Treats

Natural dog treats can be split into three primary classifications: animal products or meat, vegetables, and fruits. Rotation between these three to keep treat time fun and exciting is always a good idea. It’s also a wonderful way to try and see which treats your dog likes the yummiest.

1. Animal products

Dogs are technically able to eat and digest crude meat, but to serve them cooked (boiled) or dehydrated is best if you offer meat as treats. Dehydrate meats; a unique food dehydrator can be used. You can also use your oven for that, however, if you would prefer to improvise.

The following meats are highly recommended for diabetic dogs:

• Chicken (skinned)
• Eggs (hard-boiled or scrambled)
• Fish
• Turkey

Make sure that the meats you choose are unprocessed and low in fat. For instance, the chicken should be skinned before serving because the skin is filled with unhealthy fats. Pork and beef should also be avoided as these meats have high-fat content, which is unsuitable for diabetic dogs.

2. Vegetables

A cooked or raw meat can be provided, of the foods mentioned below except the butternut squash that you have to cook before serving. On the other hand, when they are crunchy and frozen, green beans, peas, and bell pepper are best valued.

If you want some plant-based treats, high-fiber and low-sugar vegetables should be given to diabetic dogs. Examples include:

• Bell peppers (sliced into strips)
• Broccoli
• Butternut squash
• Cabbage
• Carrot sticks
• Cucumber slices
• Green beans
• Lettuce
• Peas in the pod
• Pumpkin
• Spinach
• Zucchini

3. Fruits

You can also give fruits as treats, but you must do so in moderation because fruits have high starch and sugar content. Hence, it’s best to give fruits in small portions and only from time to time. Fruits that are good for diabetic dogs are:

• Apples
• Berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
• Pears

Homemade Diabetic Dog Treats

When you bake, it can also be an alternative to create your diabetic dog treats. Actually, it could even be better than to buy commercial dishes because you understand precisely what ingredients that are going to be delicious. It’s also much cheaper to create it yourself more often.

Try out these two recipes and see if your dog likes it. What’s really great about these is they only have minimal ingredients; thus, they are incredibly easy to do!

Baby Food Diabetic Cookies

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. stage 1 baby food (meat-based, veggie-based, or fruit-based will do)
• 2 cups whole grain flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 ºF.
2. Combine baby food and flour.
3. Add water until the mixture creates a firm dough.
4. Roll out the dough until it’s 0.25 in thick.
5. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into your desired shapes. Bone shapes are usually convenient portions for a dog treat.
6. Grease a cookie pan thoroughly. Bake the cookie cut-outs for the next 20 to 30 minutes.
7. Once done, store the cookies in an airtight container to maintain its crispness.

Chicken Liver Soft Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs. chicken liver
• 2 eggs
• 0.5 cup whole grain flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 ºF.
2. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment.
3. Dice the chicken liver and put the pieces into a food processor. Push the pulse button. Turn off when liver looks finely chopped.
4. Pour the liver mixture into a bowl.
5. Add the eggs and flour into the mixture. Mix thoroughly.
6. Once the mixture is smooth enough, transfer it into the pan. Spread uniformly.
7. Put into the oven and bake for the next 15 minutes.
8. Once cool, slice the “cake” into small square pieces. Serve then refrigerate what’s left.

When to Give Treats to Your Diabetic Dog?

Don’t give random treats during the day as the blood sugar concentrations of the dog can trigger an uncontrollable spike. Treats should be provided 4 to 6 hours after your insulin shot because, during this time, the insulin is most efficient.

Because treats are commonly bite-sized, it’s easy to get carried away when you’re giving treats to your dog. To avoid any complications, always make sure that you stick to the quota that is recommended by your vet.

What Should You NOT Give to Your Diabetic Dog?

Avoid purchasing commercial dog treats that have high amounts of sugars and carbohydrates. Instead, give your dog high-protein treats or fresh lean meat, if possible.

Here is a list of other things that you should avoid:

• Processed foods or treats: Processed foods, even if it is made especially for dogs, shouldn’t be given to diabetic dogs. They are typically made of too much flour and corn, which isn’t recommended even for healthy dogs.
• White rice: You may not exactly be feeding white rice to your dog, but she may accidentally consume it when it falls on the floor or deliberately eats what’s on your plate when you’re not looking. Make sure that white rice remains inaccessible to your diabetic dog as it can easily increase blood sugar levels.
• Table scraps: These are often filled with simple sugars, carbohydrates, and bad fat –– all of which are harmful to a diabetic dog.

Conclusion: Diabetic Dogs Can Still Get Yummy Treats!

The best way to handle diabetes of your dog is to ensure that her concentrations of glucose or blood sugar are always in the safe zone. By doing so, you greatly reduce your dog’s risk of developing diabetes-related complications, like urinary tract infections (UTIs) and cataracts.

It is essential to note, however, that your dog’s blood sugar may take at least a few months to regulate it. The transition may be difficult, but remember that getting diagnosed with diabetes shouldn’t have to be a death sentence for your dog.

It’s vital to help your dog retain or even enhance their quality of life by following your veterinarian’s advice. And if you regularly offer your dog veterinarian-approved dog diabetic treats as a reward,  diabetic treats, she will certainly live joyfully and thank you even more for the additional care you provide!