I bought Bender and Luna a treadmill a few weeks ago. I found one at a garage sale for $10. Came with two extra motors! Its a smaller one. Apartment size. Perfect for the dogs. I bought it because Bender needs to have structured exercise every day or he goes crazy. Luna could use the exercise too. She is a little firecracker.
I run the dogs on my bike about 3.5 miles a day and usually that doesn’t seem to be enough after 20 mins of rest when we get home. But when the weather is terrible and I can’t run the dogs and playing with them inside just doesn’t cut it, treadmill to the rescue!
Luna likes the treadmill. She will run on it without a leash. I can even not pay attention to her and she will run for about 15 minutes before she sits down and goes chucking off the back. Rest for 5, then back on it for another 10 mins. Bender on the other hand is a bit more difficult. I have to stand there while he runs, encourage him, and put him back on the treadmill, alot.
Bender leads a healthy exercise filled life even with diabetes. That’s what we tend to forget. Most dogs need daily structured exercise. A simple walk wasn’t cutting it with Bender. I’d have to walk him 10 mile before he would even slow down. That’s why I switched to riding my bike with him. He runs the whole time. Non stop. Running nothing else. No stopping to sniff. No leading. Just running. That’s why I bought the treadmill so he can run non stop inside. After the run, he can have fun time. We always stop at Magic Rabbit Tree in the front yard in hopes a rabbit will magically appear (they live under the tree).
The point that I’m trying to make is just because your dog has diabetes doesn’t mean you should stop the exercise or cut down. If any thing exercise your dog more (in healthy moderation). It is good for them plus its good for you.
We need to be careful and watchful with exercising a diabetic dog.
Exercise will do one of two things…it will either increase or decrease their glucose levels.
It is usually not recommended to exercise a dog when their glucose level is over 250 as with the shortage of insulin in their system the exercise will often increase their glucose level.
Careful blood testing before, during and after is the safest way for our diabetics.
Often we need to snack before exercise so not to cause hypoglycemia.
After reading up about what you said, it depends on the exercise.
For short, intense exercise, yes glucose levels can rise. It is due to to the body releasing sugar back into the blood stream to feed your muscles. Which during short, intense exercising, that extra sugar might not be burned off.
When exercise is at a good moderate pace and for a longer period of time, that released sugar is used and then some. Which will cause glucose levels to fall.
With glucose levels over 250 and not exercising, the danger comes in due to ketones. Which excess ketones can lead to ketoacidosis.
Ketoacidosis when the body cannot use sugar (glucose) as a fuel source because the body has no insulin or not enough insulin, and fat is used instead.
I agree you need to test glucose levels and ketones. It also depends on the dog and how you should exercise them. Bender is a high energy dog. He needs a good solid run. But that won’t work for every dog. So the best thing to do is figure out a good exercise regiment.
Extensive exercise that can affect their glucose levels is usually considered anything over a hard 20 – 30 minute walk.
This approx. 250 range is what human diabetics use as a guideline as when their glucose levels are this high it means the insulin level in their body is dangerously low.
With the insulin level this low exercise would only cause the blood sugar to go higher.
This comes down to how well your dog’s pancreas still works and how their body reacts to insulin.
Exercise increase sugar levels but your body also tells your pancreas to increase insulin production. Depending on how bad your dog’s diabetes is, depends on how much insulin the pancreas produces and how much their sugar levels will be affected.
Some dogs have diabetes worse than others. For dog’s that have it bad, I would be careful exercising them. Because you are right, their pancreas probably isn’t producing insulin at all or at a very low level. So exercising them would cause more sugar to be released and not enough insulin to take care of it.
Does that mean you shouldn’t exercise you dog? No. It just means you should be care and figure out a good exercise regiment.
If your dog’s pancreas still does produce insulin to a decent degree, then exercising them should actually help reduce insulin levels.
It all depends on the dog.
Bender is a high energy dog and needs a good running. His diabetes is also not that bad, his pancreas still produces insulin to a decent degree, just not enough obviously.
Because of that, I’ve never had Bender’s glucose levels go up due to exercising. Grant it, I’m not testing during exercise, but I have tested before and after. And even if Bender’s levels are higher before exercise, by the end of exercising him, his levels are always much lower.
The point is, you need to exercise your dog. It keeps their body healthy, their mind active, and can improve their diabetes. The type of exercise, the amount, and when, depends on the dog. So the best thing to do is figure out a good exercise regiment that works for your dog.
Excercise is good for everyone. I wanted to kindly add it is very often cruel to run a dog while riding a bike, because a dog will run on and on beyond their true abilities. People should be running with the dog, not riding on a bike.
My friend had a black lab that loved to fetch sticks from the lake. Once she kept throwing the stick into the lake, and dog kept bringing it back for what seemed like 2 hours.
The dogs mouth was bloodied and he was exhausted, but the scenario continued until I couldn’t stand to see the torture anymore and left that day.
A dog will just continue on and on and on.
I think I should have posted my question in this section. I am wondering if it is better to walk the your dog before the food/shot or after? Also, do I have to do 2 walks a day or can I just do one?
Thank you, Rita