AAHA Updates Canine Diabetes Management Guidelines

The American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) has released its 2026 Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs, providing updated recommendations for Veterinary teams treating canine diabetes mellitus. The guidelines cover diagnosis and pathophysiology, insulin therapy, dietary management, glucose monitoring, diabetic ketoacidosis, and troubleshooting common treatment challenges. The update reflects recent advances in diabetes management, including wider availability of affordable continuous glucose monitors and growing use of long-acting insulins such as insulin degludec and glargine U-300, which may allow once-daily dosing for some dogs.

AAHA also provides charts and algorithms covering insulin selection and starting dosages, treatment adjustments, hypoglycemia, and management of dogs requiring high insulin doses that remain unregulated. For the first time, AAHA has separated its canine and feline diabetes guidelines to recognize differences between the diseases in each species. The canine guidelines also emphasize client communication, ongoing monitoring, follow-up care, treatment adjustments, and the long-term commitment required to successfully manage diabetic dogs.