Dog Diabetes: Some Common Symptoms...

Recently one of our member’s dog has been diagnosed with diabetes. This made us realize that Diabetes in dogs & cats is one of the lesser known disease. This incident inspired this blog basically.  Although the diabetes is not curable yet it is treatable. Aside from older dogs, bigger dogs are more susceptible to dog diabetes than smaller breeds. Some other risk factors are gender, diet, age and weight. Also Diabetes in dogs is a hereditary disease. Even cats are susceptible to diabetes. We have tried to summarize some symptoms of diabetes in dogs & cats:

• Weakness or Fatigue – Diabetes can cause wasting of back muscles or weakness in the back legs of cats. With dogs there may just be a general sense of lethargy, being less active, or sleeping more.


• Increased thirst – Drinking more water than usual, known as polydipsia, is an early warning sign of diabetes.


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  Increased Urination – Urinating more frequently, producing more urine throughout the day, or having “accidents” in the house may mean your cat or dog has developed polyuria, another early warning sign of diabetes that goes hand in hand with polydipsia.


• Increased Hunger – If your cat or dog suddenly acts as if it is always starving, despite eating the usual amount (known as polyphagia), and maintains or loses weight despite increased food intake, this can be a sign of diabetes as well.


• Sudden weight loss – Though a diabetic pet may show signs of being hungrier than ever, sudden weight loss is a common occurrence because diabetes can cause an increased metabolism.


• Obesity – Obesity can actually cause diabetes to develop; therefore, if your pet is obese you should keep an eye on it to determine if it is developing any symptoms of diabetes.


• Thinning or dull hair – Thinning, dry, or dull hair, particularly along the back. Thinning hair is generally a symptom of some illness, diabetes included, so it is best to visit your veterinarian to determine the cause.


• Cloudy eyes – A common complication of diabetes in dogs is cataracts, or cloudy eyes. Cataracts can lead to blindness if not monitored.


• Depression – A later sign of diabetes in dogs and cats is ketoacidosis, metabolic acidosis caused by the breakdown of fat and proteins in the liver in response to insulin deficiency. Ketones in the body in high amounts are toxic, and this imbalance in the body of your pet can cause depression.


• Vomiting – Another side effect of ketoacidosis, if your pet’s diabetes has escalated to this point before it’s been recognized, is vomiting. Ketoacidosis is more commonly found in older pets and in females. Dachshunds and Miniature Poodles are also predisposed to it.

We strongly recommend you to take your pooch to the vet immediately if you notice any of these symptoms. And if in case your dog is suffering from diabetes then no need to get discouraged as there are many incidences when an early diagnosis has led to a relatively longer, normal life for the dog. With few extra precautions regarding the diet of the dog and medicines will help you and your best friend sail through this.

For other useful articles regarding Cat & Dog health please visit our website www.tailwaggers.in

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• http://www.thebark.com/content/preventing-and-treating-canine-diabetes

Dog Symptoms of Diabetes Disease

According to Dr. Leah Cohn of the Pet Place website, diabetes mellitus is one of the most common hormonal diseases among dogs. Diabetes occurs when a lack of the hormone insulin impairs the body from being able to properly metabolize sugar. Diabetes can affect any size or age or breed of dog, but commonly occurs in females between 7 and 9 years old. If you notice any of the signs of diabetes in your dog, take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Thirst and Urination

Dr. Holly Nash of Doctors Foster and Smith states that a common sign of diabetes in dogs is an increase in thirst and urination. Diabetic dogs will spend a lot more time than usual at the water bowl and will ask to go outside to urinate more than what is common for the dog. This symptom is also indicative of other diseases, including kidney and liver failure, urinary infections and other hormone disturbances (such as Cushings disease, the production of too much adrenal hormone). Through a blood test, your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the excessive thirst and urination.

Change in Appetite

A diabetic dog’s appetite will often increase and even though it is eating more than normally, it may lose weight, states Cohn. The dogs body will start to break down its fat for energy because it cant obtain that energy from the food. As a result of the weight loss, the dog can also appear to have a poor body condition.

Multiple Diseases

Often, dogs will develop other diseases in conjunction with the diabetes. Veterinarians will diagnose the diabetes on the basis of other problems present. For instance, if a dog has chronic urinary tract infections, the veterinarian may become suspicious of diabetes as an underlying factor. In addition, Nash states that hypothyroidism, cancer and acute pancreatitis can also appear in conjunction with diabetes. Their presence, however, can make treatment of diabetes more difficult.

Sudden Blindness

Dogs with diabetes can become suddenly blind, states Cohn. Blindness caused by cataracts is often an indicator of diabetes. Cataracts will make an eye look cloudy and cause vision loss.

What Are the Signs of Diabetes in Dogs?

Diabetes mellitus or simply diabetes is a common condition in dogs. However scary it may sound it is not the end of the world for your dog because diabetes in canines is manageable if proper care is taken. Diet, regular monitoring of blood sugar levels and medication are key aspects of adequate care. Diabetes, however, can cause an early death of the dog if it is not treated. High blood sugar levels produce clinical symptoms of diabetes in dogs and cats that can help in early detection.

Diabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels rise due to the inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin to manage glucose (a primary sugar) in the food that the a dog ingests. In another situation, cells become resistant to the action of insulin, which also results in a high blood sugar level. If not managed within reasonable time, it leads to abnormally high blood sugar levels, a condition known as hyperglycemia.

High blood sugar results when the dog’s body is unable to process and convert glucose to energy for maintaining healthy growth. The excess glucose in the blood has to go somewhere if it is not used by the body’s systems and it leaks over to the urine. This leads to excessive urination (polyuria). As fluids in the body reduce, the dog feels the need to drink more (polydipsia) to compensate the loss due to excessive urination.

Besides these two most prominent symptoms of diabetes in dogs and cats some of the other symptoms indicative of diabetes are:

* Weight loss
* Poor skin and hair coat
* Frequent bladder infections

On observing these signs, a veterinarian should be consulted at the first opportunity because untreated diabetes can lead to:

* Loss of appetite
* Vomiting
* Diabetic neuropathy, especially weakness in rear legs
* Dehydration

Left untreated, diabetes can progress and cause some life threatening disorders like diabetic acidosis, a condition where abnormally high acidity is accompanied by an accumulation of ketone bodies. Some of the other complications arising out of unregulated blood sugar levels include liver and kidney dysfunction and canine blindness.

The cause of diabetes still remains a mystery despite large amounts of research that has been initiated in this area. Chronic inflammation of the pancreas and genetic predisposition are often suspected to be the cause in most of the cases. Breeds like Poodles, Schnauzers, Keeshounds, Cairn Terriers, Dachshunds, Cocker Spaniels and Beagles are more predisposed to developing diabetes.

Once your dog has been diagnosed with diabetes, close monitoring of diet and regular checking of blood sugar levels is necessary. Minor increase in blood sugar can be managed by controlling and regulating diet. Abnormally high levels require insulin injections. Injection of insulin needs to be correlated with the amount, quality and timing of food intake. If you are taking care of your dog at home, make sure you get proper instructions about how and when to inject insulin on your own. Since excess insulin can lead to hypoglycemia or extremely low blood sugar levels, this is another area that you must understand well.

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