Diabetes Mellitus in Dogs and Cats - Gusher - July 2010

A common complaint in both dogs and cats is that of drinking a lot of water and urinating profusely.  While this may be a sign of many different disorders, including kidney and bladder disorders, it is also a hallmark sign of diabetes.  Testing is necessary for a definitive diagnose. 

Two forms of diabetes are recognized, diabetes insipidus, which is rare and is a failure to regulate body water content, and the more common diabetes mellitus.  Diabetes mellitus is further divided into two types.  Type I, or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus in which the production of insulin is either mostly or totally non-existent due to damage of that portion of the pancreas, and Type II, Non-Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus, where some insulin producing cells remain but production is insufficient. 

Most dogs experience type I diabetes mellitus and almost always require insulin, whereas cats often experience a form most closely resembling type II.  While some cats may not need insulin therapy to regulate their blood glucose, many will need it in the long run.  Further complicating things in cats is the issue of stress hyperglycemia, which makes in-hospital monitoring of diabetic cats difficult. 

Diabetes is diagnosed on the basis of clinical signs, which include weight loss, drinking and urinating a lot and increased appetite, and persistently high blood glucose with glucose present in the urine as well.  

Treatment involves regulating the blood glucose.  Initially this requires both financial and personal commitment to reach a regulated state but once achieved the costs are minimal.  There are many potential complications which may make regulation extremely difficult but with patience most of these hurdles may be overcome. 

Proper vigilance and periodic rechecks are important, as lowering the blood glucose too much is very dangerous.  This may happen if the insulin dose is too high or an inadvertent overdose is given.  Another thing that lowers the glucose excessively is if the animal goes off feed after the insulin is given.  This is one of the reasons that part of the meal is to be given before the injection.  Dosage may need to be adjusted for other reasons, such as pending anesthesia for surgery or dental prophylaxis. 

The most important point to consider is to follow the veterinarian’s advice very closely, as there are many schools of thought and many different methods to achieve regulation.  There are also differences in the types and the concentrations of insulin.  While it is a potentially life saving drug insulin can be very deadly as well.

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