By Conneaut Lake Veterinary Hospital

Dozer is a 7-year old, neutered, tiger colored, domestic shorthair with the sweetest personality you will ever see in a feline. Dozer came in with his owner for his twice a year geriatric examination for vaccine boosters and his owner had noted that Dozer had lost a little bit of weight. Other than the weight loss and some dental tartar, Dozer seemed to be the picture of feline health. Upon physical examination, it was noted that Dozer had a ketotic (somewhat sweet smelling) odor to his breath. The doctor ordered blood work to confirm his suspicion: Dozer had developed diabetes mellitus, which caused his weight loss.

Typical signs that your pet may have developed diabetes include increased water consumption, increased appetite, increased urination, and/or weight loss. Your veterinarian should examine your pet if any of these signs are present because diabetes is a progressive disease that can cause blindness and be life threatening if left untreated. Your veterinarian will most likely order a full chemistry profile as well as a urinalysis. The chemistry profile will look at the level of glucose in the blood. The urinalysis will look at the specific gravity (indicates how the kidneys are concentrating the urine), the presence of ketones (indicates if the body is in starvation mode), and the presence of blood cells and/or bacteria (indicates a urinary tract infection which is not uncommon in diabetics).

Diabetes mellitus is signaled by the presence of elevated glucose in the blood and urine as well as ketones in the urine. Why? In animals that are diabetic, their pancreases are not producing a hormone known as insulin (or may not be producing enough). Insulin’s function in the body is to grab ahold of glucose (simple sugar energy source used by cells to function) and forcing it into cells where it will be used as “fuel.” Since there is not enough insulin to force the sugar into the cells, the glucose remains in the blood stream. The cells detect that they do not have enough glucose, so they signal the body to go into starvation mode.

When the body goes into starvation mode (even when food is present as is the case in diabetics) it begins to break itself down in order to survive and keep itself going. When fats are broken down for fuel, rather than glucose, ketones are released into the blood stream. These ketones then travel through the body and are excreted either in the urine, or they travel to the lungs where they are exhaled creating an odd sweet smelling breath.

Diabetes is treated in pets through diet and synthetic insulin administration. Since every pet is different, your veterinarian can only make an educated guess as to the amount of insulin your pet will require based from what has worked with other animals in the past. Usually, the veterinarian will prescribe a dose of insulin to be given either once or twice a day, then recommend a monitoring test called a glucose curve. This is where the doctor will give the dose(s) of insulin then test the blood to see if the insulin is working the way it should. The doctor will want to take several samples throughout the day to ensure that that the glucose levels in the blood are remaining constant. Your pet will also be fed the prescribed diet to see how that affects the level of glucose in the blood.

Several challenges may present problems may arise at the beginning of treatment. Being an observant pet owner will minimize the impact of these problems. The dose of insulin may be too low or too high, and/or your pet may not like the new prescribed diet. You will know if the insulin dose is too low because the diabetes signs will persist (increased water consumption, increased appetite, etc). If you are giving too much insulin, your pet may appear lethargic or wobbly because there is not enough glucose. Not following the diet is also a common problem in the beginning of the treatment program. Diabetics cannot tolerate sugary treats (and yes, dog and cat treats can be sugary) or changes in their diet. Their food source must be constant.

Home management of a diabetic pet can be time consuming and complicated. It takes time and dedication on the owner’s behalf. You must be able to give insulin injections and feed according to schedule for the treatment to be a success. This disease can be intense, but manageable. Many clients successfully control their pet’s diabetes through understanding of the disease and commitment. If your pet is experiencing any of the signs discussed in this article, please discuss it with your veterinarian soon.

Conneaut Lake Veterinary Hospital Inc., 14405 Conneaut Lake Road, Meadville, Pa. 16335, can be contacted at (814) 382-5446 or via clvet@zoominternet.net.