News from Alta Vista Veterinary Hospital

Diabetes mellitus, also known as sugar diabetes, affects both dogs and cats. One of the most obvious signs of diabetes is excessive water drinking and excessive urination. Other signs might include excessive eating, obesity and in some cases unexplained weight loss. When diabetes progresses it can lead to serious metabolism problems and even life threatening illness.

A lack of insulin production by the animal is the cause of Type I (insulin dependent) diabetes. Insulin is a hormone secreted in the pancreas by cells we call Beta cells. Insulin allows most body cells to take in glucose (sugar) from the blood for energy. When there is insulin available, the cells are able to take in the glucose and work properly. With diabetes, the cells do not get enough glucose the cells do not function properly and must go through other processes to get energy. These processes are not very efficient and result in toxic by products called ketones. Excessive amounts of these ketones (which are acids), results in changes in the acid base status of the animal. These changes can be life threatening and this condition is called diabetic ketoacidosis.

For dogs, diabetes is always insulin dependent (Type 1). This means that once a dog is diagnosed with diabetes, that dog will always need to be on insulin. For cats, diabetes starts as non-insulin dependent diabetes (Type 2). Cats get diabetes usually as a result of too much sugar in the diet and obesity. The pancreas then starts to secrete less and less insulin resulting in a conversion to insulin dependent diabetes. The good news is that some cats can have regeneration of their Beta cells if diet and weight are controlled and insulin dosage is closely monitored.

Upon diagnosis of diabetes, both cats and dogs require insulin administration. For complicated diabetes, that is pets with ketoacidosis, intensive hospitalization is necessary with multiple daily tests. For uncomplicated diabetes, without ketoacidosis, the pet owner must start injectable insulin every 12 hours. This is done with a very small needle. The insulin is absorbed over a period of time and the insulin affects blood glucose over time. Sometimes the amount of insulin given is too low; sometimes the amount of insulin is too high. Blood glucose curves, where blood glucose samples are taken throughout the day and the values monitored in a chart, are performed as needed to determine the appropriate dose of insulin for the pet. With blood glucose curves, the blood sugar is monitored every 2 or so hours to assess whether the insulin dosage is appropriate.

If there are any concerns about whether your pet may have diabetes, please feel free to contact Alta Vista Veterinary Hospital and we would be happy to provide you with a diabetes screen,

Diabetes screen: When a dog or cat has diabetes, by definition they must have glucose in the urine with a simultaneous high blood sugar. So a diabetes screen involves a urinalysis at minimum. With the use of our ultrasound, we can safely and easily collect urine and assess for glucose in the urine quite easily!

Please visit our website for more information and helpful links about diabetes.