What steps can you take to reduce the risk of your pet dog or cat getting diabetes?

What steps can you take to reduce the risk of your dog or cat getting diabetes? – Well the main one is to avoid feeding your pet with salty food. Salt/sodium is not good for your pet. So if your pet is begging for a titbit from your plate, and if what is on your plate is a meal that contains added salt, you’d best not give in to that request.

Salty food is even more harmful for dogs and cats (and rabbits) than it is for people. Salt and salty food can cause damaging fluid retention/oedema/water retention/obesity in vulnerable groups. And obesity often leads on to type 2 diabetes.

If for some reason your pet is being treated with steroids, then it is IMPERATIVE that you provide food low in salt/sodium, because most steroids cause salt sensitivity and your pet will gain even more weight and suffer even more fluid retention and feel very tired (and also very hungry because of having to carry all that extra weight/fluid around all the time).

If you want your pets to have a healthy, happy, long life, protect them from salty food. – Don’t give them part of your salt-laden takeaway! – And if you have to give them a pill, don’t wrap it in a slice of ham or hide it in a lump of cheese! – Ham and cheese are high in salt!

See Sodium in Foods

A dog has been placed on an intensive diet after becoming so obese that he is unable to walk.

Obese dog on extreme diet so he can walk again
article in the Telegraph

Oh dear. - An extreme diet is not a good idea and is not necessary whether for a pet dog or for a human being. Diets tend to be harmful. In any case, all that is necessary to reduce excess weight is to reduce the fluid retention that is the reason for the excess weight. This fluid retention is caused by salt sensitivity combined with salt intake. Overweight dogs, cats, rabbits and people all need to cut down on salt and salty food in order to lose weight. - The owner of the dog must have been feeding him with salty food. - Pet dogs, cats and rabbits should not be fed on salty food. It is bad for them. It makes them fat, robs them of their health and energy and shortens their lives. - I wonder how many vets put notices up in their waiting rooms explaining that these pets should not be given leftovers from takeway meals and other salty food to eat? - Or maybe some of them believe that pet-owners already know this? - They don't. - They don't all know this...

How to Lose weight!

See my website http://www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk/

Read my Mensa article on Obesity and the Salt Connection

And see Sodium in foods

Associated health conditions

Britain's biggest dog goes on crash diet..

Britain's biggest dog goes on crash diet
Telegraph article

Overweight Pets

If you have an overweight pet dog or cat it is because they have been eating food containing added salt. This is bad for them. Give them unsalted food instead. They will lose weight, have more energy and live longer.

See Sodium in foods

Unintentional poisoning of pet dogs - by chocolate, grapes, painkillers et al

Dog poisoning cases up by almost 50 per cent
Article in the Telegraph

Extracts:

"Dogs that have swallowed chocolate, grapes and raisins are fuelling a huge rise in pet poisoning cases.

The number of dogs falling ill after eating chocolate soared by 48 per cent last year to 1,166, according to the Veterinary Poisons Information Service.

Chocolate contains theobromine, a stimulant found in the cocoa bean, which affects the central nervous system as well as the heart muscle and can kill a dog.

The service, which advises vets, has also seen an increase of 91 per cent in dogs becoming sick after eating grapes, raisins or sultanas.

Toxins from the fruit can cause renal failure in the animals. In some cases, small dogs have died after eating as few as four grapes.

The problem has only been recognised in recent years and the number of cases reported to the service rose from 117 to 224.

Vets believe many owners are unaware of the dangers and have fed their pets food such as cake and biscuits containing chocolate or grapes as treats, while in other cases the animals have helped themselves.

Most common dog toxins

Rat poison 1,283 cases in 2007

Chocolate 1,166

Ibuprofen 710

Paracetamol 414

Oral contraceptives 334

Grapes, raisins and sultanas 224

Slug bait 190

Carprofen – an anti-inflammatory drug for dogs which can produce adverse reactions. 188

Diclofenac – used to treat arthritis in humans. 155

Snake bites 153"

Salt and salty food can also harm your dog by causing it to become overweight.

See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk