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According to the Merck Veterinary Manual,1 Diabetes mellitus is a common endocrine disorder in cats and dogs, with 1 in 300 veterinary patients presenting with the condition. At the Fetch Coastal conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Liza Wysong, BAS, RVT, VTS (CP-CF, SAIM), program director at Rowan College of South Jersey, noted that severity in patients varies from diabetes , from patients who are there for an examination and you accidentally reveal that they have the disease to those who are in critical condition.2
Signs of Diabetes in Pets
The American Veterinary Medical Association lists common signs of diabetes in pets as follows:3:
- Excessive thirst and increased urination
- Weight loss, even if appetite increases
- Decreased appetite
- Cloudy eyes (especially in dogs)
- Chronic or recurring infections (eg, urinary tract infections, skin infections)
Wysong noted that while these symptoms may be obvious to a veterinary professional, owners may describe them in different ways. “Some dog owners will say they’ll notice that their pets’ eyes no longer seem as bright or that they look a little funny.” Veterinary professionals know that this likely indicates cataract formation in a dog with uncontrolled diabetes, Wysong said. A cat owner may reveal that their feline is not jumping normally, which may indicate diabetic neuropathy to veterinary doctors.1
Wysong gave a lecture2 provide insight to other veterinary professionals on working with pet owners and their pets suffering from various diabetic conditions. “How (the patient) arrives will depend a lot on how you need to manage them, what kind of care they need and how that discussion plays out with long-term management.” She added: “For landlords, it’s difficult. I’m sure tons of you have said, “I didn’t even know pets could get diabetes.” They (go) from not knowing that pets could get diabetes to “I have to manage this disease for life.” It’s big, it’s scary and there’s a lot to take in. We need to understand what’s going on so we can guide them because they’re going to need a lot of support.
Type 1 or type 2 diabetes
Wysong began by defining diabetes as a state of chronic high blood sugar resulting from a problem with the pancreatic beta cells that produce insulin. Type 1 diabetes involves immune-mediated destruction of beta cells. “So these cells are destroyed,” Wysong explained. “If those cells are destroyed, you can’t make insulin…and eventually, they will completely lose that ability (to make insulin).”
On the contrary, in type 2 diabetes, pancreatic beta cells are not destroyed, they simply do not function properly and are in a state of insulin resistance. “Some insulin is being produced, but it’s probably not enough, and the body can’t respond appropriately to the insulin they’re producing,” she told attendees.
Diabetic cat or dog
According to Wysong, cats often suffer from type 2 diabetes. For this reason, the remission rate in felines can be as high as 90%.1 “The best way to get (cats) into remission is to achieve what they call tight glycemic control in less than 6 months,” Wysong said. “If they can get their blood sugar down to a reasonable level in a short period of time and keep their cells, these are the cats that are likely to go into remission.”
During this time, dogs commonly suffer from type 1 diabetes, and in the absence of a predisposing disease, this disease usually persists throughout life.1 due to the destruction of pancreatic beta cells. “Even if we catch it early in the disease (for dogs), maybe they’re still producing insulin, but eventually it will stop,” Wysong said. “We can’t fix this, we can’t reverse this, those pancreatic beta cells are going to be destroyed and won’t function anymore.” Wysong emphasized that it is important to remember this as a veterinary professional so that you know there is not much you can do and so you can inform the pet owner about how diabetes is progressing. in dogs, as they can often feel like they have failed when their pet succumbs. disease.
Diabetes Resources for Veterinary Professionals
Wysong shared with attendees 2 excellent resources to use when dealing with diabetic patients. These include the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats.4 and the International Society of Feline Medicine consensus guidelines on the practical management of diabetes mellitus in cats.5 The first is aimed at dogs and cats while the second is specific to cats. Wysong prefers the AAHA guidelines “just because they’re a little more robust (and) they have algorithms… (and) some of the steps and some of the processes that you might want to follow.” They also have a resource center with handouts you can distribute to customers for continuing education.
Wysong stressed that it is important to keep in mind that these are only guides and to incorporate an approach tailored to each patient. “Not everything will work for every patient, not every disease will play out the same in different patients, so it will be a little different. But (the guidelines are) helpful because they give you a good solid experience,” she said.
The references
- Bruyette D. Diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats. Merck Veterinary Manual. Reviewed and revised July 2019. Updated October 2022. Accessed October 18, 2023. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/endocrine-system/the-pancreas/diabetes-mellitus-in-dogs-and-cats
- Monitoring of diabetic patients. Presented at: Fetch dvm360 conference; Atlantic City, New Jersey. October 9-11, 2023.
- Diabetes in pets. American Veterinary Medical Association. Accessed October 18, 2023. https://www.avma.org/resources/pet-owners/petcare/diabetes-pets
- 2018 AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs and Cats. American Veterinary Hospital Association. Updated 2022. Accessed October 18, 2023. https://www.aaha.org/aaha-guidelines/diabetes-management/diabetes-management-home
- Sparkes AH, Cannon M, Church D. ISFM consensus guidelines for the practical management of diabetes mellitus in cats. J Feline Med Surg. March 2015;17(3):235-50. doi: 10.1177/1098612X15571880