What happens if you miss your dog’s insulin shot? A Step-by-Step Guide

Keeping your pet’s blood sugar stable

Your pets diet should be consistent and appropriate. Read about diabetic pet nutrition.

A nutritionally complete, dry or canned pet food should be fed in consistent amounts at the same times each day.

Treats and changes in diet should generally be avoided unless recommended by your veterinarian.

Your veterinarian will advise you on how much and when to feed your pet based on the response to their insulin treatment.

Your pets exercise/level of play should remain consistent.

Consult with your veterinarian if you expect a major change in activity.

Develop a schedule with your veterinarian for regular evaluations of your pets diabetes.

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes in dogs is a permanent endocrine disorder. The characteristics and effects of canine diabetes are similar to that in humans, but the disorder still differs in certain regards.

There are two types of diabetes in dogs.

Type 1 diabetes prevents a dogs body from creating sufficient insulin. This is a hormone used for regulating the glucose level and the lack of it means that the organism cannot adequately regulate blood sugar levels.

Type 2 is also called insulin-resistant diabetes. In this case, the dog’s organism creates insulin but the cells don’t respond to the normal insulin level.

Your dog is far more likely to develop Type 1 diabetes than Type 2. In any case, diabetes is not that common but according to statistics, the number of dogs suffering from this disorder is somewhere between one in 500 to one in 100.

Diabetes mostly affects middle-aged and senior dogs, usually after the age of 5 or 6. The dog can be born with diabetes, but these cases are quite rare. Overweight dogs are more likely to have diabetes as well.

What Happens If You Skip Your Dog’s Insulin Shot?

With such a rigorous schedule in place, missing an insulin shot for your dog can happen occasionally. It is natural for pet owners to wonder what will happen in such cases.

The answer is – not much (at first). In a few days, your dog might have symptoms which they had when they were first diagnosed with diabetes. The symptoms are excessive appetite, increased thirst and drinking a lot of water, excessive urination and weakness. They will get worse/stronger with time.

If you miss a dosage of insulin, its best to contact your vet and ask for advice. The vet will tell you when to administer your dog’s next injection.

How to Administer Insulin to Your Dog at Home