About these pages
Sources
The vet guidance and studies behind these answers.
Sunny, owner, not a veterinarian“I wish my dog lived as long as I do.”Updated
I'm an owner, not a vet. This is not veterinary advice, so check anything medical with your own vet.
About this list
These are the vet guidelines, vet hospital pages and studies behind the answers on First Light. Tap any of them to read it yourself.
What I read
Vet guidelines and reference books
Written for vets. The most careful source, but not written with owners in mind.
- AAHA: caregiver education (2026)
- AAHA: glucose monitoring (2026)
- AAHA: dietary management (2026)
- Merck Veterinary Manual: islet cell tumours
- AAHA diabetes management guidelines
- Merck Veterinary Manual: diabetes in dogs and cats
- Merck Veterinary Manual: pancreas disorders, for owners
- IVIS: what to feed diabetic dogs
- Today's Veterinary Practice: treating diabetes in dogs
- Today's Veterinary Practice: diabetic diets
Vet hospital and animal charity pages
Written for owners, in plain words.
- VCA: diabetic ketoacidosis in dogs
- VCA: diabetes insipidus in dogs
- VCA: Cushing’s disease in dogs
- VCA: cataracts in dogs
- VCA: hypothyroidism in dogs
- VCA: liver disease testing
- VCA: xylitol toxicity in dogs
- VCA: pancreatitis in dogs
- VCA: nutrition for dogs with diabetes
- VCA: principles of treatment in dogs
- VCA: insulin treatment in dogs
- PDSA: diabetes in dogs
University vet schools
Nutrition and care notes from vet schools.
Small studies
Each of these looked at between 7 and 13 dogs. What they found may not apply to yours. I’m not linking them to suggest a supplement or a change in treatment.
Vet advice changes over time. Some older pages are still listed because they back up an answer, so keep their age in mind. You can also read how I use these sources.
Veterinary bodies around the world
Vet associations, regulators, specialist colleges, vet schools and charities around the world.
Global
- World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH)InternationalIntergovernmental body for animal health and disease control.
- World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA)InternationalGlobal association of small animal vets that writes care guidelines.
- World Veterinary Association (WVA)InternationalGlobal federation of national vet associations.
India & South Asia
- Bangladesh Veterinary Council (BVC)BangladeshBangladesh's government regulator for vets.
- Federation of Small Animal Practitioners Associations of India (FSAPAI)IndiaApex body of India's small animal vet associations.
- Indian Veterinary Association (IVA)IndiaIndia's national association of vets.
- Indian Veterinary Association Kerala (IVA Kerala)IndiaKerala branch of the Indian Veterinary Association.
- Nepal Veterinary Association (NVA)NepalNepal's national association of vets.
- Pakistan Veterinary Medical Council (PVMC)PakistanPakistan's regulator for vets and vet colleges.
- Sri Lanka Veterinary Association (SLVA)Sri LankaSri Lanka's national association of vets.
- Veterinary Council of India (VCI)IndiaIndia's statutory regulator for vets.
Europe
- Asociación de Veterinarios Especialistas en Pequeños Animales (AVEPA)SpainSpanish association of small animal vets.
- Blue CrossUnited KingdomUK pet charity with owner advice on diabetes in dogs.Diabetes page
- British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA)United KingdomUK association of small animal vets.Diabetes page
- British Veterinary Association (BVA)United KingdomNational association of vets in the UK.
- Bundestierärztekammer (BTK)GermanyFederal umbrella of Germany's state vet chambers.
- Consejo General de Colegios Veterinarios de España (OCV)SpainSpain's national council of vet colleges.
- Den norske veterinærforening (NVF)NorwayNorway's national association of vets.
- Dogs TrustUnited KingdomUK dog welfare charity.
- European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS)EuropeRecognises Europe's vet specialist colleges and specialists.
- European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN)EuropeEuropean specialist college for vet nutrition.
- European College of Veterinary Internal Medicine - Companion Animals (ECVIM-CA)EuropeEuropean specialist college for vet internal medicine.
- European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ECVO)EuropeEuropean specialist college for vet eye doctors.
- European Society of Veterinary Endocrinology (ESVE)EuropeEuropean society for vets working on hormone diseases like diabetes.Diabetes page
- European Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Society (EVECCS)EuropeEuropean society for emergency and critical care vets.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht UniversityNetherlandsThe Netherlands' vet school.
- Federation of European Companion Animal Veterinary Associations (FECAVA)BelgiumFederation of European companion animal vet associations.
- Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE)BelgiumRepresents vets' organisations across Europe.
- Federazione Nazionale Ordini Veterinari Italiani (FNOVI)ItalyItaly's national federation that regulates vets.
- Kleintierklinik, LMU MunichGermanyMunich university's small animal clinic.
- Koninklijke Nederlandse Maatschappij voor Diergeneeskunde (KNMvD)NetherlandsRoyal Dutch association of vets.
- Ordre national des vétérinaires (CNOV)FranceFrance's national body that regulates and registers vets.
- Österreichische Tierärztekammer (ÖTK)AustriaAustria's statutory chamber representing vets.
- PDSAUnited KingdomUK vet charity with owner advice on diabetes in dogs.Diabetes page
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of EdinburghUnited KingdomEdinburgh vet school with a small animal teaching hospital.
- Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS)United KingdomUK regulator that registers vets and sets standards.
- Royal Veterinary College (RVC)United KingdomLondon vet school that runs the VetCompass research programme.Diabetes page
- Società Culturale Italiana Veterinari per Animali da Compagnia (SCIVAC)ItalyItalian society of companion animal vets.
- UCD Veterinary HospitalIrelandUniversity College Dublin's vet teaching hospital.
- University of Glasgow Small Animal HospitalUnited KingdomUniversity vet hospital with a diabetic clinic.Diabetes page
- Veterinary Council of Ireland (VCI)IrelandIreland's statutory regulator for vets.
- Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)United KingdomUK government agency that regulates animal medicines.
Americas
- American Academy of Veterinary Nutrition (AAVN)United StatesAssociation of vets and scientists working on animal nutrition.
- American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA)United StatesAccredits animal hospitals and writes care guidelines, including diabetes.Diabetes page
- American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB)United States / CanadaAssociation of vet licensing boards in the US and Canada.
- American College of Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care (ACVECC)United StatesSpecialist college for emergency and critical care vets.
- American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM)United StatesSpecialist college for vet internal medicine and nutrition.Diabetes page
- American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO)United StatesSpecialist college for vet eye doctors.Diabetes page
- American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA)United StatesNational association of vets in the United States.Diabetes page
- Asociación de Veterinarios Especializados en Animales de Compañía de Argentina (AVEACA)ArgentinaAssociation of companion animal vets in Argentina.
- Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA)CanadaNational association of vets in Canada.
- Conselho Federal de Medicina Veterinária (CFMV)BrazilBrazil's federal council that regulates vets.
- Cornell University College of Veterinary MedicineUnited StatesVet school with a canine health centre and owner guides.Diabetes page
- Federación Iberoamericana de Asociaciones Veterinarias de Animales de Compañía (FIAVAC)Spain / Latin AmericaFederation of Ibero-American companion animal vet associations.
- NC State College of Veterinary Medicine HospitalUnited StatesUniversity vet teaching hospital in North Carolina.Diabetes page
- Purdue University College of Veterinary MedicineUnited StatesVet school and teaching hospital in Indiana.Diabetes page
- Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical SciencesUnited StatesVet school in Texas with a pet health column.Diabetes page
- Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary MedicineUnited StatesVet school in Massachusetts known for its nutrition service.Diabetes page
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Veterinary Medicine (FDA CVM)United StatesUS agency that approves and monitors animal medicines.Diabetes page
- UC Davis School of Veterinary MedicineUnited StatesVet school and teaching hospital in California.Diabetes page
- University of Missouri Veterinary Health CenterUnited StatesUniversity vet teaching hospital in Missouri.Diabetes page
- University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet)United StatesVet school whose Ryan Hospital runs a diabetes program.Diabetes page
- VetSpecialists.comUnited StatesACVIM's site for owners, with articles and a specialist finder.Diabetes page
- Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching HospitalUnited StatesUniversity vet teaching hospital in Virginia.Diabetes page
- Washington State University Veterinary Teaching HospitalUnited StatesUniversity vet teaching hospital in Washington State.Diabetes page
Asia-Pacific
- Australasian Veterinary Boards Council (AVBC)Australia/New ZealandCoordinates vet boards and accredits vet schools across Australasia.
- Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists (ANZCVS)Australia/New ZealandSpecialist college for vets in Australia and New Zealand.
- Australian Veterinary Association (AVA)AustraliaNational association of vets in Australia.
- Federation of Asian Veterinary Associations (FAVA)Regional (Asia)Federation of national vet associations across Asia.
- Japan Veterinary Medical Association (JVMA)JapanJapan's national association of vets.
- Korean Veterinary Medical Association (KVMA)South KoreaSouth Korea's national association of vets.
- New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA)New ZealandNational association of vets in New Zealand.
- Singapore Veterinary Association (SVA)SingaporeSingapore's national association of vets.
- University of Sydney University Veterinary Teaching HospitalAustraliaUniversity vet teaching hospital in Sydney.Diabetes page
- Veterinary Council of New Zealand (VCNZ)New ZealandNew Zealand's regulator for vets.
- Veterinary Practitioners Registration Board of Victoria (VPRBV)AustraliaVictoria's regulator for vets.
Middle East & Africa
- South African Veterinary Association (SAVA)South AfricaNational association of vets in South Africa.
- South African Veterinary Council (SAVC)South AfricaSouth Africa's statutory regulator for vets and vet nurses.
- Veterinary Council of Nigeria (VCN)NigeriaNigeria's regulator for vets and vet training.
I never give insulin amounts here. Yours comes from your vet's written plan.