Should I continue to give fish oil to my diabetic dachshund?

I have 3 older dogs and have been giving them fish oil supplements for the past 9 months or so.  my 12 year old long haired dachshund (21 pounds) was diagnosed with diabetes on november 2, 2010.  right now he is taking 8 units of novalin n 2x per day and i am feeding him 1/4 can evo grain free canned dog food, a bit of boiled chicken breast, a bit of low fat cottage cheese, a bit of oat meal and a bit of green beans for each of his 2 daily meals.  we are still trying to regulate his diabetes and his insulin was adjusted to one unit higher last week as his weekly blood glucose test at the vet was still high.  i have been continuing to give him one fish oil soft gel (1000 mg) once per day with his dinner.  i have been reading conflicting information regarding giving fish oil to a diabetic dog.  some say it is harder to regulate their sugar and causes high blood sugar and others say it is perfectly safe and beneficial to a diabetic dog.  if i were to stop giving him the fish oil could he possibly get low blood sugar because i have been giving it to him daily since he started taking insulin?  i just don't know what to do...      

[Dr. Carol Osborne, DVM]

Fish oil in general is just fine for diabetic dogs. proper regulation of a diabetic dog involves pet owners monitoring and calculation sugar and insulin dosages twice a day at home. Usually diabetic dogs can be regulated within 3-5 days with no problems at all.

To regulate your diabetic dog:

Consider Learning how to make a glucose curve for your diabetic dog at home.

This is very helpful and will provide you and your vet with valuable information. It will allow you to monitor sugar level trends and follow your pet’s sugar levels accurately and cost effectively. You can also add a box at the end of each day to mark down any important signs you noticed in your pet that day such as appetite, energy levels, attitude, water consumption, frequency of urinating, etc. Whenever you visit your vet bring your chart along and review it with your vet.

Once you make your pet’s sugar curve chart, be sure to post it in a convenient place like your refrigerator door. This way everyone in your family will be on the same page when it comes to your pets insulin dosages.

To Make Your Pets Personal Sugar Curve:
Take a piece of notebook paper and write down the date each day. Place the dates vertically down the left side of the paper. Across the top of the paper, mark down the time of day, the urine sugar reading and the dose of insulin you have given every morning and every evening.

You simply match the color of your pet’s urine to the numeric value on the Diastix strip and adjust the insulin dosage accordingly. This is vital to try to minimize further internal organ damage and preserve what if any vision is left, before cataracts occur.

It is important to remember that your goal each day with the urine Diastix is a reading of “trace.”

Each time you get a reading of “trace”, that means you are doing a great job and you just repeat the previous insulin dosage. If the Diastix reads minus 1, reduce the insulin dose by 1 unit. If the Diastix reads minus 2, decrease the dose by 2 units. If the Diastix reads plus 2, increase the insulin dose 2 units, if the reading is plus one, increase the insulin dose one unit. It is important to remember that you NEVER, ever increase or decrease the insulin dosage by more than 2 units.

It is always a good idea, to keep a jar of honey or karo syrup handy just in case, after giving the insulin your pet looks dazed or gets wobbly. This is a sign that the insulin dose was too high and as a result your pet’s blood sugar is too low. We call this hypoglycemia. If this occurs, rub a teaspoon of the honey or karo syrup directly into your pets gums. It is immediately absorbed through the gums and enters the blood. This raises the blood sugar level almost instantly which then makes your pet feel much better and avoids a hypoglycemic or low blood sugar crisis.

The daily home routine for most diabetic pets is as follows:

You wake up, take your pet outside and collect the first morning urine. Use the Diastix and get a urine sugar reading so you know what dose of insulin to give. Feed 1/3 of your pet’s breakfast, then give the insulin. After that, give your pet the remainder of his or her breakfast.

In the evening, just repeat the same procedure. If your pet does not eat the first part of his or her meal, before it’s time for you to inject the insulin, this is a sign that something is wrong. If this happens, do not give any insulin, call your vet.

Dr. Carol’s Tip: To save dollars: Cut each urine test strip in half longitudinally. This turns 50 Diastix into 100 and cuts your cost in half.

We have enjoyed success in many of our diabetic canine patients using the above formula along with home-made organic diets and a natural, patented canine vitamin-supplement.

Should you want to follow up on this with me, that would be fine.

Dr Carol Osborne, DVM