How to Monitor Canine Diabetes

Diabetes is a serious disease and is onset when the body makes insufficient insulin and sometimes makes none at all. Like humans, dogs can acquire diabetes and, if this occurs, they must be cared for properly. Monitoring diabetes in dogs can be challenging because they cannot tell you their symptoms. However, monitoring canine diabetes is possible if you are aware of the signs and symptoms and have the proper equipment on hand.

Things You'll Need

  • Lancets
  • Glucometer
  • Glucose testing strips
  • Urine dipsticks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Learn the symptoms of canine diabetes so you know what to look for in your dog. Dogs that have poor diets, that are obese or that may be genetically predisposed to diabetes should be carefully monitored for symptoms. The most common symptoms of canine diabetes include excessive thirst and frequent urination. Other symptoms include weight loss that comes on suddenly, lethargy, vomiting, cloudy eyes and increased appetite. If your dog has any of these symptoms, take him to a veterinarian right away. The vet can do a simple urine test or blood sugar test to determine if your dog's glucose levels are higher than normal indicating diabetes.

    • 2

      Test your dog's blood glucose at home to ensure that his glucose levels are normal. If they are too high, insulin may need to be administered. If they are too low, you may need to feed your pet or administer some form of glucose, either in powder form or syrup. To test your dog's blood glucose, you will need a drop of his blood. Some common places to painlessly draw blood from your dog are on the ear, near the lip or near the base of the tail. Using a lancet, prick the dog's skin so a drop of blood appears. Insert a testing strip into a Glucometer, which you can buy from your veterinarian. Place the testing strip directly onto the drop of blood so it seeps up onto the bottom of the strip. Wait a few seconds and then read the blood glucose number.

    • 3

      Collect your dog's urine and test it to monitor his glucose levels and diabetes. Take your dog out for a walk on his lead. Have a clean container prepared to catch the urine once it begins streaming. Using a urine dipstick provided by your vet, and dip the stick into the urine. Following the instructions on the bottle the dipsticks come in, wait the specified amount of time and then hold the end of the stick up to the chart provided on the bottle to compare colors. The colors will show whether your pet's urine is normal or not.