Canine diabetes

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Diabetes mellitus is a disease which affects the production of insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and necessary in the regulation of blood glucose. If your dog has diabetes, either his body does not produce enough insulin, or he produces sufficient amounts but his body is insensitive to it.

Normally insulin works by preventing additional glucose production by the liver, and storing the excess glucose derived from food sources in the body. A diabetic dog does not have enough insulin to shut down the liver's production of glucose or to store the extra derived from energy giving foods. The concentration level of glucose in the blood rises so high that the kidneys start to leak glucose into the urine. As glucose enters the urine, a process called osmosis pulls large amounts of water with it and causes increased urination which in turn leads to excessive thirst and increased water consumption.

Diabetes in one of the most frequent hormonal diseases found in dogs and is more commonly seen in older, overweight female dogs. There are two types. Type I diabetes comes from a deficiency of insulin-producing cells. This is the more serious of the two and is usually found in young dogs. It is not preventable.

The more common diabetes, type II, is caused by a dog's resistance to the effects of insulin. An older, obese dog is more susceptible to this disease because their fat cells develop a resistance to insulin. A careful diet and exercise are helpful to retard the onset of type II diabetes.

Your veterinarian can assist you in setting up a diet and exercise program and schedule tests to check for diabetes. Keeping your dog's weight under control and initiating regular exercise is one of the best steps you can take to help prevent the onset of diabetes in your dog.

Symptoms

The most common signs of diabetes in your dog are an increase in water consumption and increased urination. Another common sign is weight loss in spite of a normal, healthy appetite. Uncontrolled diabetes can be life-threatening to your dog as the elevated blood sugars cause dehydration and body chemistry problems that can eventually cause coma and/or death.

Diagnosis

If you notice any suspicious symptoms in your dog, get him to your veterinarian as soon as possible for a thorough physical exam as  [Continued]

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