Hi,
It’s Tully here again.
Today I’m going to talk about diabetes in animals. Just like in humans, we dogs and also cats can develop diabetes. This is caused when there is a degradation of the cells in the pancreas which produce insulin. It can be predisposed by the use of some drugs or recurrent bouts of pancreatitis damaging the pancreas but in most cases just happens without any apparent cause just like it does in humans.
Insulin is a hormone which acts on cells of the body to allow them to take up glucose for their energy requirements or for storage as glycogen in the liver. If there isn’t enough, the cells in the body are starved of glucose and blood glucose levels become very high. This can further damage the pancreas but also leads to loss of glucose in the urine. This draws excess water with it meaning you have to drink a lot to stay hydrated. The clinical signs are general malaise, weight loss and excess drink and urinating. A serious condition if the condition isn’t diagnosed is called ketoacidosis which is when the body metabolises glucose by a different pathway producing toxic by-products. Animals with this condition are very ill, dehydrated and have a smell on their breath often described as “fermented apples”. Diagnosis is by testing blood glucose although urine glucose levels can give a good indication.
The good news is that diabetes is treatable in animals with insulin injections. Dogs can usually by treated by once daily injections but cats are a bit more difficult and will usually need twice daily injections.
If you or one of your feline friends just don’t feel right and can just never seem to drink enough, you’d better hassle your owner to take you to the vet because if you have diabetes, the sooner you’re on treatment, the better.
Tully
Justin Bulling RDA, BSc., BVMS
Montville Veterinary Clinic
26 Kondalilla Falls Rd, Montville Ph 5445 7666
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