Farxiga for dogs: Usage, safety, and dosage

In this article:

• What is Farxiga used for in dogs?
• Is Farxiga safe for dogs?
• Farxiga dosage for dogs
• Farxiga alternatives for dogs
• Summary

In this article

• What is Farxiga used for in dogs?
• Is Farxiga safe for dogs?
• Farxiga dosage for dogs
• Farxiga alternatives for dogs
• Summary

Farxiga (dapagliflozin) is a human drug that helps control blood sugar in people with Type 2 diabetes, though it’s used for serious conditions like chronic kidney disease. Most dogs with diabetes have Type 1 diabetes, a condition that can only be treated with insulin injections and dietary management. Dogs only rarely have Type 2 diabetes and, even then, are treated with insulin and dietary changes. Farxiga and similar drugs are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or veterinary animal use guidelines. 

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What is Farxiga used for in dogs?

Veterinarians do not use Farxiga in dogs. 

Farxiga treats Type 2 diabetes in people. Healthcare providers also use Farxiga in people with diabetes, heart failure, cardiovascular disease, heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and end-stage kidney disease to reduce severe complications such as:

• Worsening of kidney function (declines in the glomerular filtration rate or eGFR)
• Hospitalization for heart failure
• Cardiovascular death

Type 2 diabetes is rare in dogs. 

Most dogs are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. They don’t produce enough insulin, the hormone that moves simple sugar (glucose) in the blood into cells, which use it for energy. This raises blood sugar and causes cells to use alternate energy sources like fats. If this happens, the blood can fill with toxic ketones, which increase the acid levels in the blood. 

Unlike humans, most dogs develop Type 1 diabetes later in life. They usually acquire it from damage to the pancreas, the organ that produces insulin. This damage can be due to an autoimmune disease or repeated bouts with severe pancreas inflammation (pancreatitis).

Veterinarians treat Type 1 diabetes with daily insulin injections and dietary changes. Oral hypoglycemic drugs like Farxiga don’t work.  

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in humans. In this form, people lose their sensitivity to insulin. The body still produces insulin, but the insulin is less effective at moving sugar out of the blood, a condition called insulin insensitivity. As a result, glucose builds up in the blood and causes serious complications over time. 

Although it’s rare, some dogs do develop insulin insensitivity, prediabetes, and even Type 2 diabetes. Most cases are due to too much cortisol, the hormone the body pumps into the blood during stress. Dogs that develop insulin insensitivity either have an adrenal gland that produces too much cortisol or are on long-term corticosteroids, drugs that are synthetic forms of cortisol. 

Dogs with insulin insensitivity or prediabetes have no symptoms. Luckily, a veterinarian may discover the condition on a routine blood test. Once blood sugar levels get too high, pet parents may notice the dog having problems. The most common symptoms of diabetes in dogs are:

• Excessive thirst and drinking
• Excessive urination
• Excessive hunger and eating
• Unexplained weight loss
• Cataracts

In veterinary guidelines, the standard treatment for Type 2 diabetes is the same as for Type 1 diabetes: insulin injections and dietary changes. As with Type 1 diabetes in a dog, pet parents can expect to give twice-daily insulin injections to their pet every day for the rest of the dog’s life. Many people choose not to treat their diabetic dogs because of the effort and high cost. About 1 out of 4 pets diagnosed with diabetes are euthanized when diagnosed.

People with Type 2 diabetes are typically given oral drugs like Farxiga that lower blood sugar. Rather than replace insulin, oral diabetic drugs use other means to eliminate blood sugar. For instance, dapagliflozin, the active ingredient in Farxiga, is an SGLT2 inhibitor. It reduces blood glucose levels by increasing the body’s excretion of glucose through the urine. It does this by blocking the sodium-glucose cotransporter, a mechanism the kidneys use to reabsorb blood glucose from the urine.

Veterinarians don’t consider these effective treatments, so they start the dog immediately on insulin. In people, healthcare providers don’t use insulin until oral antidiabetic drugs don’t work well at lowering blood sugar.

Is Farxiga safe for dogs?

Veterinarians don’t know if Farxiga is safe for dogs. 

Never give an oral diabetes drug to a dog, particularly to a dog receiving insulin shots. Combining oral diabetes drugs with insulin has a high risk of causing dangerously low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in a dog. Get medical advice if the insulin is not working.

Side effects of Farxiga

Farxiga has no documented side effects in dogs. It has only been used in a handful of research dogs. In humans, the most common side effects of Farxiga are:

• Vaginal yeast infections
• Nasopharyngitis (nasal passage swelling and sore throat)
• Urinary tract infections

The most serious side effects of Farxiga in people are kidney failure and diabetic ketoacidosis.

Interactions of Farxiga with other pet meds

Veterinarians do not have experience combining Farxiga with other pet medications.

Farxiga should never be given to a dog receiving insulin shots.

Because Farxiga increases urinary excretion of glucose, urine glucose tests are unreliable.

Interactions of Farxiga with other pet meds

When a veterinarian starts treating a dog for diabetes, pet parents should ensure the veterinarian knows about all pet medications and supplements the dog receives. 

Because Farxiga is not used in veterinary medicine, it has no known drug interactions with other pet medications. 

In people, insulin is the most problematic drug to combine with Farxiga. When the two are combined, there is an increased risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and ketoacidosis.

Farxiga dosage for dogs

There are no standard or recommended Farxiga doses in veterinary literature or guidelines.

Can dogs overdose on Farxiga?

Dogs can overdose on Farxiga if they get into human Farxiga tablets. A single 5 mg or 10 mg tablet may not be a drop-everything emergency, but an overdose of several tablets could bring on extremely low blood sugar or ketoacidosis. 

If a dog swallows one or more Farxiga tablets, call an animal poison control helpline, a veterinarian, or a veterinary hospital. Don’t worry if the veterinarian doesn’t know the answer right away. Since dapagliflozin is not used in dogs, the veterinarian may need some quick research.

Farxiga alternatives for dogs

Farxiga is not used in dogs. Farxiga is only used in humans to treat Type 2 diabetes, a rare dog condition. The American Animal Hospital Association Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats directs veterinarians to treat clinical Type 2 diabetes in dogs with insulin shots and dietary changes. 

These guidelines suggest starting with long-acting insulin like Vetsulin if the dog has clinical diabetes mellitus. The Merck Veterinary Manual suggests neutral protein Hagedorn (NPH) insulin, lente insulin (Vetsulin), or detemir insulin. All are long-acting insulins so pet parents will administer injections every 12 hours.

Insulin injections may not be necessary if the only problem is high blood sugar and the dog is otherwise healthy, but this is rare. 

In addition, the dog’s diet will require changes. The best diet is high in fiber and low in carbohydrates in order to reduce blood sugar spikes. 

Of the wide variety of oral diabetic medications, the veterinarian may prescribe acarbose, a drug that reduces the digestive system’s ability to absorb glucose from food. In this way, the dog will experience smaller spikes in blood sugar after each meal. Insulin shots are still necessary but might be reduced. 

If the dog is overweight, pet parents must reduce meal portions to help the dog achieve its optimal weight. Exercise and physical activity are good adjunct treatments for people with diabetes dogs, whether they’re overweight or not.

Finally, pet parents must monitor their dog’s blood sugar regularly. To make that easier, the veterinarian can install a flash glucose-monitoring system such as the MiniMed Pro 2 or the Abbott Freestyle Libre for immediate blood glucose results throughout the day.

Summary

Farxiga treats Type 2 diabetes in people but is not used in dogs. The standard treatment for diabetic dogs is insulin, dietary changes, and maintaining an optimal weight. It is never safe to give human diabetes medications like Farxiga to a dog unless prescribed by a veterinarian.