Should I give my diabetic dog insulin if he won’t eat? Tips and Tricks

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How do you know if your senior dog is suffering?

These include:

  • avoiding slippery floor surfaces.
  • difficulty getting up or slow to stand from a down position.
  • difficulty or easing into a sitting or lying position.
  • limping/lameness.
  • lying down while eating or drinking.
  • reluctance or inability to jump up onto furniture, a bed, or into a car.
  • reluctance to go up or down stairs.

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    If your pup has sounds coming from their belly, you likely won’t get them to eat without taking a couple steps first. One of my pups (not my diabetic) had bouts of horrible noises that would come from his belly. They would wake me up at night from a sound sleep, so I can only imagine how uncomfortable he was. The only way that I could get him to eat was to take him for a short walk and see if the movement would help him feel better. Depending on how exercise affects your pup, you may need to just make it a very short walk. Another trick was that we would play hide and go seek through the house and when they found me they would get a treat. He would refuse the first few, but after a bit he would forget about his stomach and take the treat and from then on, he would eat.

    At first, you’ll want to record your observations in your journal. Pay attention to any symptoms that your pup is exhibiting before meals, is he/she licking their lips, wanting to eat grass, seeming uncomfortable? If so, it’s possible that your pup is feeling nauseous. Some dogs that are food motivated will likely push through it, eat their meal and be just fine. If your pup is not food motivated, then you need to try to get to the root of the problem so that you can get consistent food and insulin injections into your pup.

    Today we will talk about what to do when our pup won’t eat. We all know that we need our Diabetic Dog to eat so that they can get their insulin. There will come a day when your pup doesn’t want to eat. Now what do you do? First, you don’t panic. It may just be a one-time thing. If it becomes a pattern, then we need to try to get to the bottom of things.

    Now if all the above suggestions don’t work and you feel like you need to give medication, you can give a Pepcid (¼ tablet for under 20 lbs, ½ tablet for 20-60 lbs, 1 tablet for over 60 lbs.) before bed or 30 minutes before breakfast if you have time for that. If you’re not having any luck with any of the protocols mentioned, you can ask your vet for Mirtazapine to stimulate appetite. Many of them will suggest Entyce. We have seen different results with Entyce in our Facebook group, some pups BG (Blood Glucose) goes up on the Entyce and some are not affected at all. The only way to know is to try it and test before and after to see if it affects your numbers. I haven’t seen any effect on numbers with the Mirtazapine, but as we all know, every pup is different and the only way to know for sure is to try it and test to see.

    How do I inject the insulin?

    Generally, you will want to inject insulin as the dog is eating her meal because it is critical that insulin be given with a meal. Some dogs need a second person to hold them steady initially.

  • Hold the syringe like you would hold a pen or pencil in your right hand (if you are right-handed).
  • Have someone hold your dog while you lift up a stretchy area of your dog’s skin – often easiest over the shoulders but it is best if you use different sites around the body.
  • Quickly push the very sharp, very thin needle through your dogs skin at about a forty-five degree angle into the space or tent produced by lifting the skin and push the syringe plunger all the way into the syringe barrel.
  • Then withdraw the syringe and needle. If you are unsure if you administered it correctly, or if you missed, do not administer additional insulin. Simply resume your normal schedule and give the next insulin injection at the regular time.
  • Immediately and carefully place the uncapped needle and syringe into a puncture-resistant container such as a sharps container. Do not leave a needle and syringe anywhere it can injure your pet or yourself. Most communities have strict rules about disposal of medical waste material so do not throw the needle and syringe into the garbage until you know if this is permissible. It is usually preferable to take the used needles and syringes to your veterinary clinic or local pharmacy for disposal.
  • Stroke and praise your dog to reward him for sitting quietly.

    • Dog Diabetes: Getting your dog to eat again, Shoogypups

    This handout provides detailed information on insulin administration. For more information about diabetes mellitus, see the handouts “Diabetes Mellitus – Overview”, and “Diabetes Mellitus – Principles of Treatment in Dogs”.