According to the American Diabetes Association, nearly 26 million children and adults in American are living with diabetes and another 79 million at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The disease is taking a devastating physical, emotional and financial toll on our country and it is affecting our pets too!
Diabetic pets require special attention and have specific medical needs, but can live healthy, long lives. If your pet has been recently diagnosed as diabetic, don't panic. Here are some information that can help.
Understanding Diabetes
Diabetes results from a decrease in insulin secretion from the beta cells of the pancreas and/or a decrease in insulin action. Insulin is produced by the pancreas, a small organ located in the abdomen. Insulin is made by the pancreatic islet cells (also called the beta cells), then secreted into the blood, where it travels throughout the body and helps regulate blood sugar. Glucose circulates in the blood and is available to all the cells as a source of energy. In order to be used for energy, glucose must get inside the cell. Insulin attaches to receptors on the cell, which in turn allows glucose to pass from the blood into the cell. It's like a key to a door: insulin is the key, and it must attach to the cell before glucose can get through the door and into the cell. Without insulin, glucose can not enter the cell. So the cell is "hungry" even though there are high levels of glucose in the blood.
There are 3 types of diabetes:
Type I: comparable to insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in humans. It results in low insulin concentrations with an impaired ability to secrete insulin after a glucose load. This means after a meal is eaten, the body is unable to put insulin into the blood to match up with glucose. This is the most common form of diabetes in dogs.
Type II: comparable to non-insulin dependent diabetes (NIDDM) in humans. It causes normal to high insulin concentrations with a decreased amount of insulin secreted after a glucose load. In other words, there is usually a high or normal amount of insulin circulating throughout the blood, except after a meal when insulin is needed to bind with glucose. Insulin is not always needed with this type of diabetes.
Type III: usually seen with hormonally-induced diabetes and is similar to impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) in humans. Hormones or medications can cause interference with insulin and cause glucose intolerance.
Understanding the difference between cats and dogs:
Cats: The most common causes of diabetes in cats include obesity, pancreatitis and a change in the pancreatic beta cells called amyloidosis. The onset of diabetes is usually middle age.
Dogs: This is most commonly an immune mediated disease with slow destruction of the beta cells. The progression occurs over time and usually 90% of the cells are lost before diabetes occurs. Other causes include genetic predisposition, chronic pancreatitis and medication-induced diabetes.
Breeds that are likely to develop diabetes include German Shepard dogs, Schnauzeers, Beagles, and Poodles. Golden Retrievers and Keshonds are more prone to juvenile diabetes.
Females are three times more likely to develop diabetes than males. Diabetes usually occurs around 6-9 years of age but can start earlier with juvenile diabetes.
What to look for:
Polyuria/Polydpsia (PU?PD): This means excessive urination and excessive thirst. The body eliminates excess blood glucose by filtering it through the kidneys and passing it into the urine. Water must be used to flush this excess glucose out of the body, and this is why you see excessive urine volume in a diabetic. Because so much water is being used to flush the excess glucose out of the body, the animal is thirsty and drinks a lot.
Polyphagia: This means excess hunger. Under these conditions, the body gets signals to start using stored fat and protein as energy sources. A diabetic animal often eats extra food because it is trying to supply its body with additional energy. But the food is not used efficiently, so even though the animal is eating a lot it is still losing weight.
Cataracts: 70% of dogs will develop cataracts in the first year to two years of diabetes. This is rare in cats.
Dropped hocks: Cats may develop a plantigrade stance where they appear to have dropped hind legs. This is directly related to the severity and duration of hyperglycemia. This may or may not improve with treatment.
If your veterinarian suspects that your cat or dog has diabetes, they will need to collect blood for analysis as well as an urine sample. Pets with diabetes also frequently develop urinary tract infections which can make managing the diabetes more difficult.
What is the treatment:
The number one cause of death in diabetic dogs and cats isn't the disease itself, but rather the owner's frustration with the disease. The goals of treatment are to eliminate the clinical signs of diabetes, prevent or slow progression of cataracts, prevent dangerous hypoglycemia, maintaining body weight and prevention of any other illness.
When your pet is diagnosed with diabetes, make sure you and your veterinarian take an appointment to talk about the following topics:
1. How to store insulin
2. How to give insulin
3. What types of food to feed and how often
4. How to recognize signs of hypoglycemia
5. How to react to hypoglycemia
Diet is a big part!
After your cat or dog is diagnosed with diabetes, he or she will need to go to twice-daily meal feeding. The reason for this is to ensure insulin is always given at the same time food is consumed. Your veterinarian will also recommend a specific diet for your pet. Diabetics require a special carbohydrates/fat/protein ratio. There are numerous prescription diets and a few regular brand foods that are appropriate. If you enjoy making your pet's food at home, there are recipes available and your veterinarian should be able to provide you with these.
The dose of insulin that your veterinarian starts your pet on will likely increase over the first year. After starting insulin or changing a dose, blood glucose curves must be obtained to monitor how the glucose levels drop and rise during the day. Your veterinarian will work with you to develop a plan to get your pet controlled. Diabetes is not a simple disease to manage, but once a patient is controlled they can remain well managed for years.
If you have questions or suspect your pet might be diabetic, speak to your veterinarian immediately.
