Low-carb Diet To Treat Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease – Does It Make Sense?
Approximately 30 percent of people in the United States have a disease that is characterized by abnormal deposits of fat in the liver. The disease is not contagious, and unlike many other disorders of the liver, it is not caused by overconsumption of alcohol. It is called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and has become the leading cause of chronic liver disease in many countries around the world (1). It is normal to have fat in the liver. However, if the amount of fat is more than 5-10 percent of the weight of the liver, fatty liver disease is probably present. But why is having much fat in the liver a bad thing? NAFLD may progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) which is associated with inflammation and may result in chronic scarring of the liver and liver cancer (2). Furthermore, patients with NAFLD have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. (3). The prevalence of NAFLD has increased steadily during the last 25-30 years, along with the prevalence of central obesity, type 2 diabetes, and the metabolic syndrome (4). Most individuals with NAFLD have increased abdominal fat and signs of insulin resistance which is reflected in high blood levels of triglyceride Continue reading >>
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ANTHIE
Diabetes and raw diet
My 9yr old Papillon was diagnosed with diabetes a month ago. She also had very high ketone levels (about 2000 over normal). With insulin and a daily liver medication pill the diabetes and ketone level is almost under control. She's lost some weight which I'm hoping she will regain as she's eating heartily.
My issue is that the vet insists on putting her on high fiber diet. My dogs always thrived on a commercial raw, carb free, meat diet and this dog does not eat the specialized fiber canned food that she has to eat.
The food she eats is 95% raw meat and 5% fruits and Veges. I was wondering if anyone thinks this is a problem for a diabetic dog.
Thanks
amydunn19
Re: Diabetes and raw diet
Hi and welcome! Food discussions are a touchy subject and good people disagree. This thread reviews the guidelines for diet discussions here at the forum:
http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7270
To answer your question, I had the same feelings initially about prescription food. I wasn't sure how it worked but after many years now, I can tell you that diabetic dogs often need carbs to work with the insulin we use. Intermediate acting insulin needs some carbs to sustain the action of insulin. Dogs use insulin different than humans and if you feed primarily protein, then it will be very hard to control blood sugar. The day might start with a significant drop but it is because the insulin hits the system all at once and protein is not sustained in the system for long periods. So, the insulin flies through the system and the dog ends up with some roller coaster curves. The carbs actually do the hard work causing the insulin to slow down. Also, raw, all-protein diets can have more fat and are awfully rich for the pancreas and pancreatitis is very common with diabetes. Does this mean you have to give up raw completely and only feed prescription food? Absolutely not. The options are endless. But, you do have to look into very lean proteins and may have to come up with a carb to work with the insulin. Fiber also can help flatten out the curve.
Everyone here has fed something different that worked for their dog. Many people skipped the prescription diet at first but then were not able to regulate their dog on anything else. Prescription food is a viable option and has worked for many dogs. My dog refused the prescription food and many premium brand names as well. I found something that worked for almost 9 years and it wouldn't have mattered if it was cardboard to me. I went from wanting something perfect to something she would willingly eat and not throw up.
As far as gaining weight, diabetic dogs can't really gain any weight until blood sugar is under control. It doesn't matter what they eat or how much, it just passes through the body without doing any good. So, priority one is controlling blood sugar.
jesse girl
Re: Diabetes and raw diet
hi and welcome
my jesse is on a partially raw diet maybe similar to your pup without any fruits .also include are some carbs and fiber
we declined the prescription food not that she would not eat it but we decided to go in a different direction
now i dont know if this was the best option at the beginning as we started out with quite a bit of meat . over time i reduced the raw meat protein and added a carb and more fiber . mixed up different vegetables a bit and everything is grind up in a processor to help with digestion . it may have a consistency of a canned commercial food
i am all for a natural human grade food but it needs to work with injected insulin as if you dont have adequate control of sugar the benefits of that good food maybe negated from higher or more unstable sugar
be careful of higher fat meats as they can be difficult for a compromised pancreas to help to digest