By -Dr Uday Kumar,Patna
Dr.Rakesh Singh, Motihari
Dr.Ashutosh Mishra,Patna
Pets Consultant.
Properly known as Diabetes Mellitus, the disease is characterized by either a lack of insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas, or an insufficient reaction to the insulin.
After your dog eats, its digestive system breaks food down into its component parts. One of these is glucose, a simple sugar. Glucose is transported to the dog’s cells by insulin, and it’s an important source of energy.
A dog with diabetes cannot use the glucose properly, and so it builds up, leading to increased blood sugar levels. (When you look at your dog and say, “isn’t he sweet,” you may be more right than you know!) The term for this state of affairs is hyperglycemia.
What Are the Different Kinds of Diabetes?—–
There are three varieties of diabetes: gestational, Type I, and &Type II:
1. Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy, and is exceptionally rare.
2. Type I is defined by a lack of insulin production.
3. Type II stems from the body’s inability to use the supplied insulin properly.
There is another variant of diabetes called Diabetes Insipidous, sometimes known as water diabetes. This condition has to do with the body’s inability to conserve water, and is unrelated to Diabetes Mellitus.
Which Type of Diabetes Do Dogs Develop?—-
Truth be told, there is no generally accepted categorization of diabetes in dogs. Human diabetes terms are used to describe canine diabetes because of similarities between the conditions.
What we call ‘Type I’ diabetes is what generally occurs in dogs. Type II-style diabetes is not normally seen in dogs, though it frequently afflicts cats.
Which Dogs Are Prone to Diabetes?—-
It is thought that obese dogs and female dogs may run a greater risk of developing diabetes later in life (6-9 years of age). Some breeds may also run a greater risk, including Australian terriers, standard and miniature schnauzers, dachshunds, poodles, keeshonds and samoyeds. Juvenile diabetes can also be seen and is particularly prevalent in golden retrievers and keeshonds.
Common Symptoms of Diabetes in Dogs—–
The following symptoms should be investigated as they could be indicators that your dog has diabetes:
Early signs—-
• Excessive urination
• Excessive thirst
• Hunger
• Weight loss even with normal appetite
• Elevated blood glucose
• Glucose in the urine
.* Unusually sweet-smelling or fruity breath
Later signs—–
• Anorexia – complete loss of appetite
• Lethargy and depression
• Vomiting
• Cataracts
• Worsening weight loss
• Recurrent infections
• Urinary tract infections
• Chronic skin infections
• Cataract formation, blindness
Development of Ketoacidosis – A life threatening complication of unregulated diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a metabolic acidosis caused by the breakdown in the liver of fat to ketones in response to starvation.
• Depression
• Vomiting
• Collapse
• Coma
• Death
Causes of Diabetes in Dogs—–
No one can say for sure what causes diabetes in dogs. Though it behaves like human diabetes, the underlying roots of the disease are not clear.
It is believed that certain lifestyle and environmental factors may be at play including obesity, autoimmune disease, pancreatitis, hormone therapies and steroids, and Cushing’s Disease. Genetic predisposition may also play a role.
Diagnosis of Diabetes in Dogs——
Your veterinarian will take a detailed medical history from you of your dog’s health leading up to the onset of symptoms and details of the exact symptoms. Standard tests will include a complete blood count, chemical profile, and urinalysis. These tests should be sufficient for diagnosis and initial treatment.
Typically, with diabetes, an unusually high concentration of glucose will be found in the blood and urine. Abnormally high levels of liver enzymes and electrolytes imbalances are also common. In severe cases, urine test results may also show evidence of abnormally high levels of ketone bodies — water-soluble compounds produced as a by-product of fatty acid metabolism in the liver and kidney. A numbers of other abnormalities may also be found.
Radiographic studies, including x-rays and ultrasonography, can be helpful for the diagnosis of concurrent diseases and complications due to diabetes. Abdominal X-rays and ultrasound will help to determine the presence of kidney stones and/or inflammation of the pancreas and liver as well as other associated abnormalities. In the case of liver disease, should it appear suspect, your veterinarian may decide to take a sample of liver tissue for further diagnostic evaluation
Treatment of Canine Diabetes——
How your vet chooses to treat your Dog’s diabetes will depend on the severity of the disease. A dog that’s extremely ill may need to be hospitalized to return its blood sugar levels to normal. A less severely affected dog may just need a change in diet and lifestyle.
The most common treatment for dogs is the regular injection of insulin. Since your dog’s pancreas is incapable of providing insulin, injections will take the place of natural production.
Individual insulin requirements will vary from dog to dog, so your vet will work with you to establish the proper dosage for yours. Once that’s established, your vet will show you how to administer the injections yourself.
In the case of female dogs, spaying will prevent the periodic surges of hormones associated with fertility that can impact blood sugar levels.
NB-
Insulin 0.5 to 1 IU per kg body wt SC or 0.1 IU per kg body wt per hrs mixed in RL and slow IV
Continuous monitoring of Glucose is mandatory.
Phosphate supplementation 0.01 to 0.03 millimole / litre in NS
Potassium supplementation 20 millimole / litre RL and give RL
Treating Canine Diabetes at Home—-
Developing a routine of feeding and medicating is an essential part of caring for a diabetic dog. By timing the influx of nutrients to coincide with the increased insulin levels, you will reduce the risk of blood sugar levels spiking, or dropping off dramatically. A high-fibre, low-fat, dry dog food is generally recommended by veterinarians.
Be sure to minimize or eliminate sugary treats between meals to help prevent an increase in sugar levels when there’s less insulin present.
Daily exercise is an important part of any dog’s life, and it’s even more important to a diabetic dog. Exercise helps keep weight at a healthy level, and reduces blood sugar. As with feeding and medicating, sticking to a schedule will prevent sudden changes (a drop, in the case of exercise) in blood sugar levels.
Monitoring your dog’s sugar levels at home will keep you apprised of how effective your home treatment is. Your vet can help you learn how to do this simple test.
Maintaining a daily log may be useful to you for keeping track of diet, exercise, behavior patterns (confusion, weakness, lethargy, etc.), and physical attributes (swelling, skin and fur condition, weight gain or loss, etc.), and associating them with your diabetes management program.
Having a log to refer to will let you see what is and what isn’t working, and provides a comprehensive report you can share with your vet. It’s a lot easier than trusting yourself to remember everything!
Can I Prevent My Dog From Becoming Diabetic?—–
There is no vaccination for diabetes, so there is no guaranteed way to keep your dog from developing the disease. And of course there’s absolutely no way to prevent a puppy from inheriting the condition from its mother.
As with many health issues, though, you can take steps to lessen the likelihood of diabetes:
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Avoid high-fat, high-carb food
• Spay females
• Exercise regularly, especially as a dog ages
Even doing all these things may not prevent diabetes from happening, but it will stack the odds in your dog’s favor.
What Happens if Diabetes Goes Untreated?—–
Though diabetes can be managed, make no mistake, this is a very serious disease. Other health problems may follow as a result of diabetes including severe dehydration, blindness due to cataracts, and muscle breakdown.
In the long term, untreated diabetes will likely be fatal.
Living With Diabetes——
All is not doom and gloom, however! By formulating a treatment plan in conjunction with your veterinarian, and sticking to it, there’s no reason your Golden can’t live comfortably with diabetes. In fact, life expectancy will likely not be shortened at all.
If diabetes strikes your dog, accept the challenge and live life to the fullest! You may even find the most significant side effect of the disease is a strengthened bond between you and your wonderful pet.
PREVENTION OF DIABETES IN DOGS—-
All diabetic patients need proper aftercare and medication to keep their blood sugar levels at the optimum level.
1. Always give insulin shots to your dog at the right time
2. Feed your dog regularly
3. Always feed your dog the right and enriched diet
4. Exercise regularly with your dog
5. Have a regular schedule for check-ups of the blood-sugar levels in your dog
6. Always consult your veterinarian if you suspect anything abnormal
As there is no permanent cure for diabetes, one must take care to provide the right care for the diabetic dog. Have a long talk with our veterinarian understanding what your dog is experiencing in the same time.
If diabetes is, ignored it can root to become many more serious diseases in the dog.
Many complications can happen when treating your dog with diabetes. Some of them are:
1. Ketoacidosis:
The sudden increase of ketones in blood might indicate fatal conditions and need immediate medical attention. As aforementioned, there are many methods to test ketones like ketostix. Always known what is happening with your dog through his treatment and recovery phase.
2. Dehydration:
Another prominent and important aspect of the recovery phase of diabetic dogs is dehydration. There is a heavy body-fluid-loss in the dog, which consists of urination, vomiting, perspiration and stress. Check your pet’s gums and skin to measure the level of dehydration in his body. Always keep the water bowl filled and conveniently accessible to your dog.
3. Hypoglycemia:
When the insulin requirement of your dogs change without notice, this medical condition of is, observed. Some of the causes of hypoglycaemia are strenuous exercise, illness, lethargy or medical conflicts. This is a very dangerous condition where the dog needs immediate care.
Reference:On request.
