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Have you ever noticed that as soon as you fill up your dog’s water bowl, it’s immediately empty.And then soon after that, he has to go outside to relieve himself. Or have you noticed an insatiable hunger.
You need to take these symptoms very seriously! “Your pup might have diabetes.”
We all know about diabetes in humans, but did you know your dog can develop diabetes, too? Like humans, dogs develop diabetes through insufficient insulin production. While it is unfortunately incurable, with the proper treatment, your dog can definitely live a happy long life if he is properly cared for!
In this article, we’ll take a look at some of causes, symptoms, and treatment options available for dogs with diabetes.
What is diabetes in dogs?
Diabetes in dogs is caused by a lack of hormone insulin or a poor response to insulin. Like humans, when a dog eats, their digestive system breaks food into many components – one of which is glucose. Glucose is obtained in the body by breaking down carbohydrates. The glucose is then taken from the cells with the help of insulin, a hormone from the pancreas.
Diabetes occurs when those cells do not get enough glucose. Therefore, the cells starve, the organs become damaged, and your pup starts hurting!
There are two types of diabetes dogs can develop.
1. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the dog’s immune system attacks and destroys beta cells, stopping insulin production. Type 1 diabetes is more common among dogs because their pancreas is unable to produce normal levels of insulin. This type of diabetes requires daily insulin therapy.
2. Type II diabetes is most common among humans and is caused by beta cells not producing enough insulin or when cells resist the insulin and don’t get enough glucose.
What exactly causes diabetes?
While there is no specific cause of diabetes, there are a few factors known to contribute to the development of the disease. Some of these factors include genetics, obesity, autoimmune diseases, or chronic pancreatitis.
Certain breeds are more prone to diabetes as well, including Dachshunds, Miniature Schnauzers, Beagles, Poodles, Cairn Terriers, Miniature Pinschers, and Samoyed’s.
What are the symptoms?
Dogs who have diabetes will show symptoms similar to those in humans. In the beginning stages, dogs will show signs of excessive urination, excessive thirst, unusual hunger, and weight loss even though they have a normal appetite.
As the disease progresses, the signs will include a complete loss of appetite, depression, fatigue, and vomiting.
Other symptoms include obesity, enlarged liver, cataracts (blindness), and bladder or kidney infection.
If your dog is showing any of these symptoms, contact your veterinarian right away!
How is diabetes diagnosed?
In order to properly diagnose diabetes, veterinarians take a detailed medical history of your dog’s health prior to their symptoms. Tests include a complete blood count, chemical profile, and urinalysis.
With diabetes, an abnormally high level of glucose is found in their urine and blood as well as high levels of liver enzymes and electrolytes imbalances. However, high levels of glucose does not always mean diabetes so running other tests are necessary to make sure it is the correct diagnoses.
X-rays or ultrasounds can also help with diagnosing diabetes. These will help determine if your dog has kidney stones or an inflamed liver or pancreas.
What are the treatment options?
Thankfully, diabetes is a manageable disease – so don’t worry! Your pup will be able to live a happy health with diabetes.
1. Exercise: Your veterinarian will begin his treatment by prescribing daily exercise. The first priority is to lower your dog’s insulin demands as well as balancing their food and drink cravings to a normal level (normal levels of glucose should be between 65 to 120 mg/dl).
Since obesity is one of the main risk factors with diabetes, making sure your dog maintains a healthy weight through proper exercise is very important. Overweight dogs will have a much harder time with their treatment than dogs who are at a healthy weight. Your dog’s target weight should be reached within two to four months of treatment, but of course it depends on your dog!
2. Nutrient Dense Diet– Other than exercise, a nutrient rich diet means that your dog will have less cravings and will actually eat less.
So be sure to add Juverin Food booster to his meals at least once a day so you he gets all the nutrients he needs to keep his immune system healthy.
3. Dog Food for a Healthy Weight– On the other hand, if your dog has actually lost weight, he may be put on a plan to gradually increase his weight back to a normal level.
Wet, soft foods should be avoided as they cause a fast accumulation of glucose in the body. If your dog eats wet food as part of their normal diet, your veterinarian will help come up with a plan to gradually change his diet.It may mean gradually reducing the amount of wet food and mixing in more dry food each week plus adding a food booster. You should also avoid treats that are high in glucose as well.
4. Insulin– As with humans, many dogs with diabetes will also need to be given daily doses of insulin as part of their treatment. Insulin should be injected just under the skin at the same time every day in conjunction with their meals to avoid issues with their blood sugar.
There are many different types of insulin available so you and your veterinarian will have to determine the right one for your pup. They may prescribe a human insulin or Vet insulin, the only approved insulin injection in the U.S.
In general, smaller dogs usually need multiple insulin doses while large dogs only need one per day. Doses are calculated by weight, age, and gender. Of course, depending on how severe your dog’s diabetes is, the insulin doses will differ.
Life with a diabetic dog
Veterinarians usually recommend keeping a daily and weekly chart of your dog’s progress such as their diet, glucose levels, daily insulin dose, and body weight.
When you and your veterinarian come up with a treatment plan for your pup, they will also tell you what to look for if your dog ever becomes hypoglycemic (low levels of glucose) or hyperglycemic (high levels of glucose).
Hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia are super important to watch for when your dog is in treatment. Hyperglycemia, if left untreated, can lead to harmful levels of ketones in their blood. Symptoms to look out for are excessive water drinking, frequent urination, loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, and more seriously, a coma.
The symptoms of hypoglycemia include restlessness, confusion, lack of coordination, shivering, weakness, seizures or a coma.
If your dog is showing any of these symptoms while on treatment for diabetes, call your veterinarian right away.
While there is ultimately no cure for diabetes, many dogs are able to live a long, healthy life with this disease. Catching symptoms early on will help prevent major complications down the road. Stick to a treatment plan that’s suitable for your dog to help keep his diabetes manageable.
And of course, making sure your dog lives a healthy lifestyle plus eats a healthy diet will help lower their chances of developing diabetes in the first place!
Sources:
Diabetes in Dogs on Pet MD
Diabetes in Dogs: Symptoms and Treatments on WebMD
Preventing and Treating Canine Diabetes on the Bark
Dogs and Cats with Diabetes
