DIABETES and RELATED SYMPTOMS NOTES

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Following are some notes and excerpts from various write-ups regarding this serious and oft-overlooked disease. Diabetes is basically the the same for cats and dogs as it is for humans and quite often just as easy to miss and with animals, to misinterpret as "behaviorial". Remember, humans often have no idea they have it and can have had it for years; animals are the same and in fact we can have been talking with them (Pet Communication) and it still never comes up. YOU need to be the "owner", the "parent", the "senior species", and take responsibility for its diagnosis and treatment.

Basic Definitions

Diabetes has been diagnosed in dogs and cats of all ages, sexes and breeds.

Diabetes: diabetes mellitus or “sugar diabetes” is caused by a lack of available insulin.

Glucose: A simple sugar found in the blood that is the body’s main source of energy.

Insulin: Natural hormone that helps the body’s cells use blood sugar for energy.

Insulin resistance: A leading cause of diabetes. It develops when the body does not respond to insulin as it should.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA): A potentially life-threatening complication in patients with diabetes mellitus. DKA results from an absolute shortage of insulin; in response the body switches to burning fatty acids and producing acidic ketone bodies that cause most of the symptoms and complications. DKA may be the first symptom of previously undiagnosed diabetes, but it may also occur in known diabetics due to a variety of causes. Vomiting, dehydration, deep gasping breathing, confusion and occasionally coma are typical symptoms. DKA is diagnosed with blood and urine tests; it is distinguished from other, rarer forms of ketoacidosis by the presence of high blood sugar levels.

Neuropathy: Damage to the nerves of a one with diabetes. A risk factor for the disease is uncontrolled high blood sugar.

Pancreas: A large gland that makes and secretes insulin.

Retinopathy: Damage to the small blood vessels in the retina (back of the eye).

How it works, basically: Normal glucose metabolism ~ During digestion food is broken down into components that can be used by the body. Carbohydrates (starches) are converted into various sugars, including glucose. Glucose absorbed from the intestines into the bloodstream provides the body cells with energy. Glucose can only enter most cells if the hormone insulin is present. Insulin is produced by specific cells in the pancreas gland. Diabetes is caused by insufficient insulin production by the pancreas and/or failure of the body cells to respond to insulin

The results are the cells cannot absorb enough glucose, blood glucose levels are too high.

Some guidelines / I have made bold the ones that come up the most frequently as "behaviorial" with pets. Also remember that just like us, they can "discuss" these all the live-long day (during Pet Communication) and still have NO idea that they are having this illness, so they explain away (and sometimes introvert on) "why" they do these "horrid" things (e.g. peeing here and there and everywhere, can't make it outside to pee, etc.) or "odd" things (e.g. drinking all the time) or things you assume are from "stress" or loss - and which often are! (e.g. weight loss):

- Diabetes in pets, either a cat or as dog, can be just as dangerous and life-threatening as in humans.

- Pet symptoms are similar to human symptoms, with excessive urination and excessive thirstiness being a main one. This is caused by the level of glucose in the blood rising too high and the kidneys letting excess glucose leak into the urine. This is why a glucose urine test is a normal means of diagnosing diabetes. Leaking of glucose into urine takes water with it increasing the volume of urine produced and the correspondent need to drink more and more.

- Another symptom is diseased animals tend to lose weight. This is because the lack of insulin produced by the animal causes the animal's body to breakdown fat stores and muscles to produce ketones and sugar in the liver. Insulin is a hormone that ensures transportation of glucose from the blood to muscles and other tissues. Insufficient production of this hormone by the pancreas or insensitivity to its effects causes the diabetes.

- A further symptom of high blood sugar or hyperglycemia is inflammation of the blood vessels in the pet's eyes.

- The whites of the eyes become bright red, like oxygenated arterial blood and slowly regain their normal color as blood glucose levels are normalized. Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is also characterized by inflammation of the whites of the eyes, except instead of a bright red color the color is a darker red, like non-oxygenated or venous blood. This is especially true of dogs, but hypoglycemia doesn't seem to present itself this way in cats.

- Left untreated hyperglycemia can cause blindness in pets in a very short time. Other complications are dehydration, neuropathy of the legs and permanent tissue damage from glucose toxicity. Hypoglycemia, or low-blood sugar presents itself as shaking or trembling like shivering no matter what the temperature and can even result in loss of consciousness. Quick intervention with honey or other glucose product rubbed on the gums of the animal can help with a recovery. Feeding as soon as possible after the symptoms are noted can ward off the more dire consequences of low-blood sugar.

- After diagnosis treatment with insulin is a viable means for pet owners to alleviate the suffering their pets are going through. Instructions on administering daily or twice-daily injections of insulin are available from your veterinarian or from many concerned pet diabetes (www.petdiabetes.com) websites.

Diagnosis of canine and/or feline diabetes

The clinical signs suggest that your dog or cat might have diabetes mellitus. As other diseases can cause the same signs, your veterinarian will do some tests on your dog/cat to confirm the diagnosis.

Signs of canine or feline diabetes

If any of the following apply to your dog or cat, consult your veterinarian:

Drinks a lot of water (polydipsia)

Urinates frequently (polyuria)

Is always hungry (polyphagia)

Has lost weight despite eating more

Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus

Signs of diabetes mellitus are also seen in other diseases. For this reason your dog/cat needs to be examined thoroughly by your veterinarian.

Urine samples

Your veterinarian may first examine a urine sample to determine if there is glucose in the urine (glucosuria or glycosuria) and/or a urinary tract infection.

Blood samples

To confirm the diagnosis, your veterinarian will take a blood sample and determine the glucose (sugar) concentration in your dog/cat’s blood.

If the blood glucose concentration is consistently higher than normal, it may indicate that your dog/cat’s pancreas is not secreting (enough) insulin. Alternatively, it may indicate that your dog/cat’s body is "resistant" to the insulin its pancreas is producing. In both cases, your dog/cat suffers from diabetes mellitus.

General examination

Your veterinarian will also check your dog/cat’s general health status (to rule out the presence of other diseases and/or infections.) This is very important, as infections and some diseases can be obstacles to the treatment of canine/feline diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus strikes 1 in 400 cats, though recent veterinary studies note that it is becoming more common lately in cats. Symptoms in dogs and cats are similar to those in humans. Generally, most diabetic dogs experience Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes, rather than the Type 2 that's now becoming common in obese humans. 80-95% of diabetic cats experience Type 2 diabetes but are generally severely insulin-dependent by the time symptoms are diagnosed. The condition is definitely treatable, and need not shorten the animal's life span or life quality. In Type 2 cats, prompt effective treatment can even lead to diabetic remission, in which the cat no longer needs injected insulin. Untreated, the condition leads to increasingly weak legs in cats, and eventually malnutrition, ketoacidosis and/or dehydration, and death. Cats will generally show a gradual onset of the disease over a few weeks, and it may escape notice for a while. The condition is unusual in cats less than seven years old. The first obvious symptoms are a sudden weight loss or gain, accompanied by excessive drinking and urination; for example, cats can appear to develop an obsession with water and lurk around faucets or water bowls. Appetite is suddenly either ravenous (up to three-times normal) or absent. In cats the back legs may become weak and the gait may become stilted or wobbly (peripheral neuropathy). Put otherwise, hind leg weakness may be seen in diabetic cats. Persistently high concentrations of glucose in the blood may cause damage to nerves resulting in weakness and muscle wasting, usually of the hind legs.

Diabetes mellitus strikes 1 in 500 dogs. The condition is treatable, and need not shorten the animal's life span or interfere with quality of life. If left untreated, the condition can lead to cataracts, increasingly weakness in the legs (neuropathy), malnutrition, ketoacidosis and/or dehydration, and death. Generally there's a gradual onset of the disease over a few weeks, and it may escape notice for a while. The main symptoms are:

excessive water consumption-- Polydipsia

frequent and/or excessive urination-- Polyuria --possible house "accidents"

greater than average appetite-- Polyphagia --with either weight loss or maintainance of current weight

cloudy eyes-- Cataracts. Cataracts are considered by some to be the most common complication of canine diabetes. A cataract is when the lens of the eye becomes opaque; blindness results in the affected eye or eyes. Cataracts in dogs with diabetes are seen far more often than in cats with diabetes. High blood glucose levels (hyperglycaemia) causes changes in the lens of the eye. Water diffuses into the lens causing swelling and disruption of the lens structure. This results in the opacity that is seen.

UNITED WE STAND.