Diabetes in dogs is a life threatening illness that almost always requires treatment with insulin, unlike diabetes in humans or cats, which can sometimes be treated with simple changes in diet and exercise. Occasionally, it will occur that your diabetic dog is resistant to insulin. Insulin resistance in dog diabetes means that your dog’s pancreas may be producing insulin, or that you may be administering the insulin your dog needs for proper glucose level regulation, but that your dog’s cells are insensitive to insulin. Diabetes symptoms in dogs resistant to insulin are the same as with any type of diabetes, except for the fact that it takes excessive amounts of insulin to maintain a healthy blood glucose concentration. Needless to say, diabetes in dogs with insulin resistance can be harder to treat. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Common causes of insulin resistance include drugs, infections, endocrine disorders, concurrent illnesses, insulin-binding antibodies, and obesity. Obesity can be treated with exercise and a special dog food for diabetic dogs.

2. Some pets are difficult to regulate and may need their insulin regime regularly reevaluated.

3. Before determining that insulin resistance is present in diabetes in dogs, it is important to consider other possibilities: Is the insulin being stored and mixed appropriately? Is the owner administering the insulin correctly, using the proper syringes and conversion tables?

4. Diabetic dog treats are a great supplement for a dog with insulin resistant diabetes, but no substitute for the proper insulin treatment.

Diabetes in dogs is a serious enough disease without the complication of insulin resistance. If your furry friend shows signs of insulin resistance, have it checked out at the vet right away and keep in mind that there are ways to tackle this issue. Approach caring for your dog’s insulin resistance with diligence and persistence and there’s no reason you and your dog can’t have a happy, worry-free life.