Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes, and clients often relate the information they have heard about Aunt Rose's diabetes to their pet's condition." says Dr. Thomas Burke, veterinarian formerly with the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital in Urbana. "The problem is, Aunt Rose is not a golden retriever.
Like people, pets can get diabetes mellitus, or "sugar diabetes." Animals ranging from horses to pet birds to ferrets can get diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common hormonal disorders in the dog. It is a bit less common in cats. Pets also get another disease called diabetes insipidus, or "water diabetes."
For both types of diabetes, your pet will experience an increase in urination and drinking, but for different reasons. In diabetes insipidus, either the body is not making enough of the hormone that tells the kidneys to retain water or the kidneys can't respond to this hormone.
In diabetes mellitus, there is a lack of insulin, a hormone that helps bring glucose into most body cells. Basically, the body has enough groceries but has no way to deliver them, explains Dr. Burke. The glucose that should be going to body cells is excreted in the urine; water follows it out, creating more urine and a greater need to urinate.
In humans, diabetes mellitus comes in two types. Type 1 is juvenile-onset diabetes and is insulin dependent. Type 2 is adult-onset diabetes and is not insulin dependent. Dogs and cats with diabetes mellitus are insulin dependent, regardless of age at onset.
People who have Type 2 adult-onset diabetes are very prone to ketosis. Ketosis occurs when the body tries to feed itself by utilizing its fat stores. During fat mobilization, fat goes through the liver and ketones are produced. Too many ketones cause a buildup of acid inthe body that can lead to coma or death if untreated. Although all diabetes in pets is insulin dependent, like the human Type 1 diabetes mellitus, diabetic pets are prone to ketosis, as in Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
One similarity between the human and animal condition is that diabetes mellitus is more common in overweight pets and overweight people. The most common cause of onset in animals is related to pancreatitis. Being overweight increases your pet's likelihood of having pancreatitis and possibly developing diabetes mellitus. The average age of adult-onset diabetes is usually listed as 50 years in humans and 5 years in dogs. Among dogs and humans, females are more likely to get diabetes, whereas in cats the condition is more common among males.
To confirm that your pet has diabetes insipidus, your veterinarian may ask you to do a water deprivation test. A normal pet deprived of water will show a concentration of the urine. When this is not the case the veterinarian knows that the hormone that instigates water retention-or that hormone's receptors-is not working and diabetes insipidus is likely.
To confirm diabetes mellitus, your veterinarian will measure the glucose in your pet's urine and blood after your pet has been fasted. In fact, if you are bringing your pet to the vet for any illness, it's a good rule of thumb to fast your for dog 24 hours. A high amount of glucose indicates that diabetes mellitus is likely. Diabetes mellitus pets are a perfect example of famine in the midst of feast. They drink and eat a lot, yet they still lose body condition, says Dr. Burke.
Pets with this type of diabetes have a greater tendency to develop urinary tract infections. ﾓBacteria like to grow in dark sugary places. That's exactly what the urinary tract of a dog with diabetes mellitus becomes during the disease, adds Dr. Burke. The eye also requires insulin to work. Without insulin, the eye may develop cataracts within a matter of days to weeks. Cats, however, do not get cataracts from diabetes mellitus.
There is no cure for diabetes in humans or animals. Right now we can only treat the conditions associated with the disease, explains Dr. Burke. "Treating diabetes requires a firm commitment on the part of the owner. If the animal goes untreated or if the disease is not monitored properly, the animal will suffer and die." For pets with diabetes insipidus, the pets who cannot retain water, your veterinarian can prescribe medication that may help decrease the frequency of urination. For pets with diabetes mellitus, the pets who do not have the insulin needed to move glucose into body cells, insulin must be injected once or twice daily for the rest of your pet's life.
"Owners always ask me if their pet can take pills instead of shots like their Aunt Rose who has diabetes, and the answer is no. Your pet will need daily injections. Some owners are willing to do this. Others are not," emphasizes Dr. Burke.
"I had one client who wanted to treat her dog but just couldn't muster the gumption to give the shots herself. She didn't drive either, but every day she and her dog got into a taxi and rode to the vet for the insulin injection. Treating diabetes takes dedication. If you don't have it, be kind to your animal and arrange for euthanasia," says Dr. Burke.
The amount of insulin your pet needs could change. Throughout the pet's lifetime insulin should be monitored on a regular basis by a veterinarian. In addition, your pet should be on a veterinarian-recommended low-carbohydrate, low-fat, high-fiber diet. Owners should also follow the NO EAT, NO TREAT(ment) rule. Feed your diabetic pet. Wait a half hour and then give the insulin injection.
Dr. Burke also recommends that your pet be neutered. Not only can changes in your pet's reproductive hormonal cycle make insulin regulation difficult, but your pet may pass the condition to its offspring because the tendency to develop diabetes is hereditary.
For more information on diabetes, contact your local veterinarian.
