Dog Health - Dog Diabetes

Dog Health – Dog Diabetes

It is unfortunate but not uncommon for canines to be diagnosed with diabetes, after all humans are not the only animals that can get this disease.  There are two types of diabetes to watch out for.

Diabetes insipidus is characterized by the lack of vasopressin. Vasopressin is a hormone whose job is to control the kidney’s absorption of water.

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by insulin deficiency. This is the most common and the most dangerous form of the disease. This is a condition where the dog’s body can’t metabolize sugar very well. Diabetes mellitus is divided into two groups type I and type II, with type II being the most serious.

Type I is more common in younger dogs and if diagnosed early can be treated effectively. Type II normally affects older dogs and larger dogs are more at risk than smaller dog breeds. Diabetes is also known to be hereditary in dogs, much like humans.

Early diagnosis is very important to stop and reverse this disease so please take your dog to the Vet regularly. The treatment for dogs diagnosed with this disease is insulin, diet and exercise. By following your Veterinarians advice you should fine that it is not difficult or expensive to treat.

These are some common symptoms to watch for with dog diabetes:

• Shaking or shivering is a possible sign of low blood sugar.


• Your dog does not see well or has sudden blindness.


• Frequent sores and infections that don’t heal easily.


• Weak, sleeps more than usual and any abnormal weight control issue.


• Drinking more water than normal, always thirsty.


• Urinating much more frequently.

By no means are these the only symptoms associated with this disease but they are the more common ones to watch for.

If you have any question as to the health of your dog please don’t hesitate taking them to your Vet and have a professional diagnose the condition. You are likely to find, the sooner the better when it comes to the health of your family dog.

At dog information blog we have a lot more free information available about dog health issues. The better educated we become the healthier our canine companion will be.

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Pet Health Tip #32- Diabetes Mellitus in Dogs

Diabetes mellitus, also known as sugar diabetes, affects all breeds of dogs.  However, the most commonly affected are Golden Retrievers, Miniature Schnauzers, and Poodles.  Obesity is a predisposing factor that contributes to the development of diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is caused by the pancreas’s inadequate production of insulin.  This causes the cells to be unable to absorb glucose.  The glucose levels rise in the blood stream and will eventually spill over into the urine, resulting in elevated blood sugar levels and glucosuria.

Early symptoms of diabetes include increased appetite, increased thirst, and weight loss.  More severe symptoms include lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, cataracts, and coma.

Most diabetic dogs will need to be treated with a combination of insulin and dietary changes.  The dose of insulin needed depends on the dog’s body’s reaction to it.  Dogs are started on an insulin regimen for about a week.  They will then need to come back into the vet clinic to have a glucose curve run to watch the body’s reaction to the insulin.  The dose will then be adjusted based on this reaction.  The dog will have to make regular visits to the vet clinic in order to monitor the blood glucose levels.  In addition, most dogs will need to be placed on a high fiber/high carbohydrate diet.