Diabetes In Cats Is Different To Diabetes In Dogs
I didn’t know that diabetes in cats is different to diabetes in dogs. Dr. Bernadine Cruz in the video below mentions that dogs mostly suffer from type 1 diabetes which is more common in children and the diabetes in cats is type 2, which is more common in adult humans.
She very eloquently describes the difference between the two types of diabetes and the symptoms to watch out for. Again the suggested treatments are conventional with both the pet owner and the veterinarian working together to try and manage the disease.
This video is sponsored by a number of organisations and these are listed at the end of the video.
Diabetes In Cats Is Different To Diabetes In Dogs
Presented by Dr. Bernadine Cruz
” I met with a Client the other day that was extremely unhappy. He was on the verge of giving his dog away. This previous well was having urinary accidents at home. He thought the dog was trying to get even with him because he was spending too much time at work. I convinced him to let me run some blood and urine tests.
I discovered that the dog was not suffering from a case of separation anxiety but rather from diabetes melitus, sugar diabetes. Diabetes melitus is a fairly common in pets and people. Dogs have a type of diabetes that is more similar to human children, type 1.
They lack sufficient insulin. Cats tend to mimic human onset diabetes, type 2, which can often be controlled by dietary changes or oral medication. Diabetes melitus is too much sugar in the blood stream.
Sugar in the form of glucose is unable to get into the cells where it is used as an energy source. This can be due to the failure of insulin production by a gland called the pancreas, Type 1 diabetes or the inability of the cells to respond to the insulin that is present, type 2 diabetes.
The body believes it is in a state of starvation, in an attempt to find an alternative source of energy the body starts to breakdown its reserves of protein and fat, this leads to a loss of body condition. Under normal circumstances sugar is not lost in the urine. With diabetes, sugar is expelled together with large quantities of water.
This excessive urination leads to an increase in thirst and increase water intake. The main signs you may see in an uncontrolled diabetic dog or cat is increased thirst, increased urination, and increased apetite.
Why does the pancreas fail to produce adequate insulin or the cells fail to respond properly? This is still an area of active investigation. If your veterinarian diagnoses your pet with diabetes melitus, don’t panic.
Working as a team, you and your veterinarian can typically regulate this condition with modifications in feeding, insulin injections and/or oral medication and the monitoring of blood sugar. Some pets are easier to regulate than others but it can be done.
What can happen to your pet if you don’t address this disease? Potential complications of this disease are cataracts, urinary tracts infections, seizures, organ failure and death. Want to learn more about diabetes melitus, just ask your veterinarian.”
It is important to remember that in some cases after treatment has begun the pancreas starts to work again and diabetes can go into a sort of remission. So it is very important to regularly check blood sugar levels as too much insulin can lead to serious problems. Even though diabetes in cats is different to diabetes in dogs, the same precautions and cares still need to be taken.
