Blood Sugar Levels Aka

We’ve been talking a lot this month about keeping your pet at a , and watching his to be sure you’re doing just that. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to keep our furry family members at their ideal weight. If our pets do get overweight, they are more likely to develop some health problems. Last week, we talked about as one of these problems. Diabetes mellitus (diabetes, or “sugar diabetes”) is another disease that is more likely to occur in overweight pets.

What is diabetes mellitus?

In simple terms, animals (and people) with diabetes cannot regulate their blood sugar. The pancreas is the organ that is responsible for regulating blood sugar, by producing a hormone called insulin. Insulin tells the cells in your body to take glucose (sugar) out of your blood and to use it for energy. Diabetes can occur for two reasons. In Type I diabetes (often called insulin-dependent diabetes), the pancreas cannot make insulin anymore, so the cells don’t get the signal to take glucose from the blood. In Type II diabetes, the pancreas can still make some insulin, but not quite enough. Your cells become resistant to the low levels of insulin, and don’t take glucose from the blood. In both types of diabetes, the level of glucose in the blood will be very high. Normal blood glucose levels are between 80-120. Pets with diabetes may have blood glucose levels of 300-500, or even higher. Type I diabetes is more common in dogs, and Type II diabetes is more common in cats.

What are signs of diabetes?

The most common signs of diabetes are an increased thirst, and increased urination frequency and volume. Pets will also eat more; they may act as if they are very hungry all the time. While it seems strange, even though they are eating more they may be losing weight very quickly. If you notice any of these signs in your pets, or , or call to make an appointment with your regular veterinarian. While diabetes is a common cause of signs like these in older pets, there are other diseases that can also have the same signs.

(Image from ePetHealth.)

How is diabetes diagnosed?

Your veterinarian will start by asking you questions about your pet’s eating and drinking habits, and how they have changed over the last few weeks or months. He will also do a physical examination. If your veterinarian thinks diabetes is likely, he will most likely recommend blood tests and urine tests to confirm the diagnosis. The most common abnormality on blood tests is a high blood glucose level (often over 300). The most common abnormality on urine tests is also a high glucose level. In healthy animals, there is no glucose in the urine. However, when the blood glucose gets too high, the extra glucose “spills” out of the kidneys and into the urine. Pets with diabetes may also develop urinary tract infections. (The high levels of sugar in their urine makes it a good place for bacteria to grow.)

How is diabetes treated?

Regardless of the type of diabetes your pets has (Type I or Type II), insulin injections are the best way to treat diabetes in pets. Some people can manage their diabetes with pills, but these types of medications usually do not work well for dogs and cats. Starting a pet on insulin can take a little trial and error to find the right dose – each pet will need a different amount of insulin every day. Your veterinarian will most likely want to keep your pet in the hospital to get him started on insulin treatment and start to get your pet’s diabetes under control.

(Image from ePetHealth.)

Insulin injections are relatively simple to do at home, but there are a few “rules” to keep in mind to keep your pet’s diabetes well-controlled.

Always feed your pet the same type of food, in the same amount amount, at the same time every day. Give your pet’s insulin injection after he has eaten his meal, at the same time every day. Do not change the insulin dose without checking with your veterinarian.

Once a pet has diabetes, it is a life-long disease that cannot be “cured,” but it can be managed well with good attention to diet, exercise, and insulin treatments. Not all cases of diabetes can be prevented, but keeping your pets at their ideal can help to decrease the likelihood that your pet will develop diabetes in the future.

Is your pet eating, drinking, or urinating more than normal? Do you think he might have diabetes, or another medical problem? or so we can start with a physical examination of your pet and answer any questions you may have.