Ask the Vet

This month's "Ask the Vet" is sponsored by Jensen's Animal Hospital in Petoskey. Please visit their website and see their information below.

Can Pets Get Diabetes?

You may know of someone who has diabetes, or you may have it yourself. Did you know that cats and dogs also could get diabetes?

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is an endocrine disorder of the pancreas. It is caused by the body’s inability to produce insulin, which helps to break down glucose. When the blood glucose level builds up, it will “spill over” into the urine, increasing the amount of water that is excreted by the body. You may notice that your pet urinates more often, and in turn also drinks quite a bit more. In order to maintain weight, they may also eat more food, but still be losing weight. Over time, toxins called ketones can build up in the body, making your pet very sick.

Diabetes is easily diagnosed with a blood test, which is occasionally followed up by a urine test. Cats seem to have more cases of diabetes than dogs do, and it is usually in our geriatric cats (over the age of 14). It is important to keep in mind, however, that pets of any age can get diabetes, as well as ferrets and even birds.

Once your pet has been diagnosed with diabetes, you will be instructed on how to give insulin-an injectable medication that must be given every day, sometimes twice a day. It is very important to follow your veterinarians instructions carefully as too little insulin will not help control the diabetes and too much can be fatal. There are new pet foods out that can be used in conjunction with insulin injections and in some cases may be able to be the sole treatment for diabetes. Either way, glucose monitoring will be vital for the health and proper control of your pet’s diabetes.
Diabetes can be the cause for many other problems. These include cataracts, kidney disease, and chronic urinary tract infections. Most of the time, these can be controlled with proper and early diagnosis of diabetes as well as good control.

If you think that your pet may have diabetes, please give us a call today for an appointment.

JENSEN'S ANIMAL HOSPITAL
4041 Charlevoix Ave.
Petoskey, MI 49770
Phone: 231-347-8775
http://www.jensensanimalhospital.com