Canine Diabetes: Symptoms and Treatment for Diabetes in Dogs

Canine diabetes is one of the major dog health problems, caused due to improper insulin production or insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone, secreted by the beta cells of pancreas, responsible for maintaining blood glucose level. Insulin causes the body’s cells to take up glucose from the blood to be used as a source of energy. When the body produces very little or no insulin (type 1 diabetes), the body’s cells fail to take up glucose from the blood. In another case, when the body’s cells are resistant to insulin (type 2 diabetes), they fail to use sugar from the blood and hence, sugar remains in the blood stream only. In both the cases, the result is increase in the blood sugar level or hyperglycemia, which is a characteristic of diabetes mellitus. Majority of the dogs suffer from type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Canine Diabetes: Causes

Canine diabetes is more common in obese dogs; in addition, genetic and environmental factors also cause canine diabetes. Many a time, viral infections, low immune system, pancreatic infections and other hormonal disorders form a basis for the cause of canine diabetes. There are certain dog breeds such as poodles, beagles, schnauzers, keeshonds, dachshunds, etc., which are more susceptible to canine diabetes than the other breeds. Mostly dogs suffer from diabetes at the age of seven to nine years.

Canine Diabetes: Symptoms

The symptoms of canine diabetes are vague and dog owners have to be careful enough to analyze the noticeable signs. The major reason for all body disorders is due to failure of body’s cell to utilize blood glucose, which is one of the major energy fuels. The notable symptoms of diabetes in dogs are increased urination (polyuria), increased thirst (polydipsia) and increased hunger (polyphagia). Blood sample of a diabetic dog contains high sugar level in which the kidney can’t filter efficiently, resulting in excreting glucose in the urine. This results in loss of a large volume of body fluid because of osmosis. Consequently, a diabetic dog feels thirstier to compensate the lost fluid. Since body is deprived of energy fuel, it also suffers from an increased hunger and eats more in order to carry out the normal body metabolism.

A diabetic dog may also suffer from ketoacidosis (a life-threatening complication due to insulin deficiency and an increase in stress hormones), dehydration, weight loss, increased fatigue, lethargy, fungal infections and other health complications.

Canine Diabetes: Diagnosis and Treatment

Diagnosis of canine diabetes is done by physical examination, followed by a series of urine and blood tests. Normal blood sugar level for a dog will be 70 - 150 mg/dl (milligrams per deciliter). Canine diabetes is diagnosed, if a dog’s blood sugar is greater than 200 mg/dl.

Diabetes in dogs is treated by controlling the blood glucose level, which is achieved by giving insulin injections. There are three ranges of insulin injections for dogs - short-acting, medium-range and long-range. Short-acting lasts from one to four hours; medium-range remains effective for four to 24 hours and long-range lasts for eight to 28 hours. Injecting insulin should be followed carefully in accordance with the veterinarian’s prescriptions, since an overdose can lead to lowering of the blood glucose level than normal (hypoglycemia). In addition, a dog owner has to be careful about the pet’s diet and the oral medication prescribed by the veterinarian. Diet should include foods with less sugar content. The amount of red meat and dry dog food should be kept to a minimum, instead one can add soft moist and homemade food. Diabetic dogs should be fed smaller meals at least twice or thrice a day.

Dog owners need to be careful about their dog's health and try to observe any change in the dog's behavior. It is always recommended to discuss with your veterinarian or a qualified specialist for any notable signs or symptoms. There should be proper dog care along with regular medical examination and blood test, at least twice annually to prevent canine diabetes.