Diabetes in Dogs and Cats - The treatment for diabetes in Cats and Dogs

What You Should Know About Diabetes in Dogs and Cats

Diabetes, or high blood sugar, is something that often affects people, but what you may not know is that it can affect your pet as well. While it is something that mostly affects female breeds of dogs, it can affect the males as well. In cats, diabetes is more evenly distributed among males and females.

There are a variety of things that can trigger diabetes in your pet, and you really need to take a look at a few factors to determine the cause. Blood sugar can sometimes not be broken down, which makes them have a higher amount of glucose in their blood stream. This makes their blood thicker, and it isn’t able to flow as well. This can cause a variety of symptoms. They may have eczema or other skin conditions. They may also itch a lot, or be thirsty more often. Sometimes they will urinate more often.

As they get more advanced with their diabetes, they may even start to gain weight or have digestive and respiratory problems. Some animals have even gone blind due to diabetes, or suffered liver or kidney damage. This is why it is so important to keep an eye on it. The best way to diagnose diabetes in your pet is to take them to the Vet if they are showing any of these symptoms. Your Vet will be able to to do a quick test to see if they have diabetes.

Just as in humans, pets can have two different types of diabetes. There is Type 1, which is where they don’t produce enough insulin to counteract the blood sugar. Sometimes, this is genetic, and other times it can be triggered by viruses. Type 2 diabetes is where the insulin is produced, but it isn’t working the way it should. There may be a problem with the insulin and the insulin receptors, making it hard to regulate the blood sugar.

There are a few different risk factors that come along with diabetes in pets. One of the biggest factors is obesity, especially when it comes to Type 2 diabetes where they are insulin resistant. This is especially true for cats. Being inactive is yet another risk factor that you must consider. Malnutrition is something that you should consider as well, and it may be time to change up your pet’s diet if you want them to be healthy again. When it comes to treatment of diabetes in dogs and cats, you have a few different options. One of the most common treatment options involves changing up their diet. You will want to give them food that is high in fiber, but you will also want to give them fewer treats as this can cause them to gain even more weight. Exercise is also very important. You may need to look into foods that are specially formulated for pets with diabetes.

When your pet has diabetes, you will need to monitor their blood glucose regularly, just as a human would. You may even need to take them to the Vet often to have it checked out. The Vet will be able to tell if they need to be put on Caninsulin (insulin for pets). Some pets just don’t take too well to the foods that are healthy for them, but that is all so common in humans as well. If they don’t want to eat what you have to offer, you need to discuss it with your Vet. You will likely be able to find something that they will want to eat, that will also provide them the nutritional value that they need to be healthy.

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