I have been told that Raw foods (chicken etc) Nature's Variety is better for my 12 year old diabetic Westie. Has only been on insulin 1 month. My Vet say NO only Hills Pres. w/d can food, and nothing in between meals. I bake him snacks made from the Hills dog food. I want him to be happy and that of course would be with REAL food. Would love to hear from people who feed real raw foods. Thanks Lynn

What food is your Westie on now? How big is your dog? What type of Insulin and how many unit per shot?

It seems to be a growing trend for people to feed raw meats to their dogs. Personally, I’m not fond of raw meats. Too many ways for your dog to become sick from salmonella or parasites, or from other pathogens such as E. coli. Looking at the Nature’s Variety – Instinct Raw Frozen Diets they grind up the bones along with the meat. At first, that is a huge red flag for me. 1. Bones will not break down in digestion. 2. You never feed your dog any sort of poultry bones no matter how small. The bones splinter and will cut and puncture the digestive track. Cow and Lamb don’t do that.

BUT, it depends on how fine they grind everything.

As for Hill’s Science Diet W/D, I personally don’t like it for diabetics. It has a bunch of corn in it, which is high in sugar. Bender was on Hill’s Science Diet W/D and he was getting 30+ units per shot twice a day. After making home made food (cooked chicken and veggies/fruit), then switching back to store bought. I’ve finally settled on Blue Buffalo Healthy Weight and he is down to 20 units per shot twice a day. Not bad but I know I could do better if I bought even better food. But the important thing is Bender is stable and has a good glucose curve. Which is the important thing.

Find a food that works for you and your dog. Something with higher protein, high fiber, and low fat with a good mix of nutrition and vitamins.