There are two approaches that work for dogs with diabetes mellitus.

One approach is to increase soluble fibre and use carbs with low glycemic index (this is equivalent to the Hill’s w/d approach). The alternative is to limit all calories from carbs, and derive most calories from protein and fat. With low carb diets, glucose enters the blood slowly as protein/fat is converted into glucose via gluconeogenesis rather than directly from the diet (this is equivalent to the Hill’s m/d approach which works for both dogs and cats with diabetes). The latter approach tends to be better accepted by dogs (they prefer protein/fat recipes over carb/fibre recipes). The former approach is cheaper (vegetarian recipes are cheaper than protein/fat recipes). Both approaches work equally well from a nutritional standpoint, so it’s really the owner’s choice.

In the case of the w/d approach, vegetarian diabetic recipes R69 and R70 in my dog cookbook are the recommended choices.

In the case of the m/d approach, recipe choices are based on the ME pie charts on each recipe page. You’ll note that the pies on each page have 3 wedges, marked P (protein), F (fat) and C (carb). This pie tells you where the calories are coming from in that recipe. So for the m/d approach, you would pick any Adult recipe with a small “C” wedge, so for example R14 and R15 would be good choices.

If the dog has concurrent pancreatitis or gastroenteritis and needs a low fat recipe, recipe R87 is the best choice. If you need to limit calories from carbs (for diabetes) and lower fat as well, that leaves protein as the primary source of calories. R87 is low in both fat and carbs, getting most calories from protein.

Almost all of the recipes in my cat cookbook are suitable for diabetic cats. Almost all of my cat recipes are low in carbs and high in protein because I believe this is the best approach for all cats. Consult the table on page 72 in the cat cookbook for more info, or follow the above guidelines on picking a low carb recipe from the book.

Note changing the diet of any diabetic pet may alter the pet’s insulin requirements (insulin requirements often drop when switching from commercial kibble to a home-made recipe) so care should be taken in making diet changes. Consult your veterinarian. It may be advisable to do a glucose curve to determine insulin needs.