Denise Elliott, DVM

Dr. Elliott graduated with her veterinary degree from University of California – Davis in 1991. She is board certified in small animal internal medicine and in veterinary nutrition as well as having a PhD in nutrition. She has worked the last nine years in the Pet food industry and joined Banfield four months ago as the clinical nutritionist in the Medical Quality Advancement Team. She and her husband Jim, also a veterinarian but in equine surgery, have three labradors, two cats, one parrot, one  quarter house and numerous fish.

2 Responses to Denise Elliott, DVM

1. Jan Wood says:

   August 6, 2011 at 6:04 pm

   Can a diabetic dog be fed a quality food that does not have to be purchased through a vet? We adopted him two years ago as a senior blind dog and he developed diabetes about a year ago. He is a miniature poodle and has no difficulties with digestion. He has recently had his eyes removed and has recovered well from the surgery.
2. banfield says:

   August 11, 2011 at 3:10 pm

   First, thank you for adopting an older dog and giving him a loving, caring home! Most dogs that have diabetes mellitus can indeed stay on their original diet – provided it is good quality, complete and balanced nutritionally. It does not matter where it is purchased. What is important is that we are consistent in the feeding schedule, the amount we feed, the time of the day we feed, the number of meals we provide, and the timing of the insulin injections, type and number of insulin injections per day. It is also important that we are also consistent with the exercise program, the number and lengths of walks etc. For many dogs with diabetes mellitus, we can achieve good control of their diabetes using these techniques. There are some cases, however, where for any number of reasons we simply cannot keep their blood glucose level within an acceptable range, and their diabetes remains poorly controlled with continued clinical signs such appetite, body weight loss, drinking lots of water, and urinating excessively. In these cases, we often find that by switching their diet to a therapeutic format that has nutrient and ingredient alterations designed to provide low levels of slowly digested carbohydrates can help obtain better diabetic control in those pets.