People always seemed surprised by the fact that diabetes mellitus is a very common disorder in both cats and dogs. Diabetes is characterized by an increased blood sugar due to a lack of or resistance to insulin. It is a condition of the pancreas, which is an organ located between the stomach and the intestines. The pancreas has two main jobs: to produce insulin (endocrine function) and to produce digestive enzymes (exocrine function). When the endocrine function stops working, the result is diabetes.

Symptoms of diabetes

cat drinking

Insulin is a hormone that is responsible for allowing cells to take in sugar and use it as energy. When the pancreas stops producing insulin, the body cannot use sugar for energy, and blood sugar skyrockets. The body doesn’t recognize that sugar is present in the bloodstream and goes into starvation mode. Protein and fat breakdown occur, resulting in weight loss and muscle wasting. All the extra sugar in the bloodstream spills over into the urine and draws water with it, causing increased urination and increased thirst. Also, since bacteria love sugar, bladder infections develop, causing even more thirst and urination. The most common symptom of diabetes is excessive drinking and having urinary accidents in the house. If you have an older animal that is suddenly peeing in the house when he/she used to be completely potty-trained, diabetes may be the culprit. It can be diagnosed with simple blood and urine tests that most vets can do in the clinic the same day.

Dogs tend to develop type I diabetes-meaning they are insulin-dependent. Cats are a little unusual (no surprise there!) in that they develop type II diabetes and sometimes can go into remission and come off insulin with an appropriate diet change.

Treatment of diabetes

dog getting shot

So, what do you do if your animal develops diabetes? It’s important to remember that diabetes is not a death sentence. You. Can. Do. This. However, it will take a little commitment (okay, that’s not quite true: it will take a lot of commitment) from you to make sure your pet has a good quality of life. It will require once- or twice-daily insulin injections, every day. But I promise: It’s easy. The needles are so tiny and the insulin goes just under the skin; it is almost impossible to screw it up. Keep in mind, if you go on vacation, you have to board your animals or teach your pet-sitter how to give insulin. It’s also important to switch your animal to a low-carb diet. Chances are, your dog will never come off the insulin, but your cat might. After diagnosis, we will monitor your pet’s response to insulin with in-house glucose curves. These are done by checking blood sugars every 2 hours to determine the highs and the lows and adjusting dosages based on the results. It can take several of these before we consider your pet regulated.

The biggest risk of giving insulin is hypoglycemia (or low blood sugar). It is important to always give the insulin with a meal, and if your animal starts wobbling or acting “drunk”, administer some sugar, such as Karo syrup, to the gums immediately. You can check blood sugars at home, but please make sure you have a pet-specific glucometer. I like the Alpha Trak 2 monitor for pets.

If you suspect that your pet has diabetes, please don’t hesitate to call schedule a medical assessment with the expert vet team at Reber Ranch. We can help!

Reber Ranch Vet Hospital