The cause of diabetes is a lack of insulin (a pancreas hormone) or the inability of the body to use it effectively (i.e. the resistance of tissues towards insulin). And it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or an animal. With diabetes, the sugar is accumulated in blood and harms the organs and upsets the body balance. The plasma density increases which results in the reduction of fluids in cells and their dehydration and damage. The cells decrease the creation of proteins and it results in the reduction of body weight, decreased immune system functioning, impaired wound healing, etc. Moreover, the organism has to obtain energy from other sources, mainly from fats and therefore a lot of waste is accumulated in the body.
The cause of diabetes is a lack of insulin (a pancreas hormone) or the inability of the body to use it effectively (i.e. the resistance of tissues towards insulin). And it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or an animal. With diabetes, the sugar is accumulated in blood and harms the organs and upsets the body balance. The plasma density increases which results in the reduction of fluids in cells and their dehydration and damage. The cells decrease the creation of proteins and it results in the reduction of body weight, decreased immune system functioning, impaired wound healing, etc. Moreover, the organism has to obtain energy from other sources, mainly from fats and therefore a lot of waste is accumulated in the body.
In dogs, diabetes is quite common and it can appear in cats as well. For example, Burmese cats have greater predispositions for diabetes, but any cat can have it. However, diabetes is more common in neutered male cats.
Other factors which increase the risk of having diabetes are higher age, obesity, chronic pancreatitis, metabolic diseases or hyperthyroidism. As I already mentioned, in most cases the diabetes is caused by a pancreatic disease, such as autoimmune reactions, inflammation or cancer.
Diabetes symptoms come one by one. At first, you will probably notice an increased intake of liquid an the related more frequent urinating. Then the cat starts to lose weight, even though it eats from the bowl as much as always or even more. In a more advanced stage, also a skin disease or urinary tract diseases might appear. Pay more attention if your animal is more tired than usual or breaths with difficulties.
If you ignore the symptoms for longer period of time or you don’t notice them (it’s usually more difficult with outdoor cats), the disease will develop to the terminal stage. The animal will gradually lose vision, suffer from vomiting, lack of appetite, apathy, dehydration, and shock and death may come. If you have a suspicion your cat companion has diabetes, have your cat tested and your concerns might be refuted by taking a blood sample or finding sugar in urine.
When diabetes is not cured, by skipping meals or before finding out the perfect insulin dose, a cat might suffer hypoglycaemia, i.e. the lack of sugar in blood (or insulin excess). You can recognize it when the animal is not calm, might have problems with movement or fall unconscious. In such moment, we have to provide first aid to the cat by supplementing sugar. If it is able and willing to eat, it’s enough to give her a bowl. If it’s not, put sugar to its mouth (grape sugar is a great choice) and if it’s not able to swallow, spread the dissolved sugar or syrup between its teeth and below its tongue. When your furry friend gets better, give it something to eat to balance the sugar level.
Diabetes treatment is for life, it’s the same as for people. It consists of diet and insulin doses. Fortunately, the market nowadays offers diet dry food for diabetics and even treats are made for them. So, also a pet with this disease can have a life almost like the others do when taking proper care.
Do you have experience with a cat with diabetes? How are you and your furry friend holding up?
If you have decided to buy a purebred cat, you still have a lot of questions ahead of you. Which breed should you choose? A female cat or a tomcat? A kitten or an adult? Only if you consider everything carefully, you'll get the right companion for...
Lots of rabbit lovers choose this breed mainly by its appearance. The cuter, the better. But maybe they don’t know that a certain kind from the order of lagomorphs lives in nature, and hardly any domestic rabbit can match it in its cuteness. The same...
If you've noticed that your fluffy friend excessively licks and nibbles at his paws, you should not leave it like that. It might have several causes. Whether it's a psychological problem, allergy, yeast or other problem, the situation must be...
Did you know that our senses include the perception of the magnetic field? While we have almost lost this ability already, dogs still have it and use it every day. Do you know for what?
The British Shorthair cat is without a doubt the most popular cat breed not only in the Czech Republic, but also in the rest of Europe. This is caused not only by its appearance of a small Teddy bear, but also a mild, trouble-free nature.
In individual rodents, we’ll find breeds that are more popular with breeders than others. One of those is the American Teddy, typical with its peculiar hair structure that gives it the appearance of a teddy bear.
There is certainly no doubt that the Labrador belongs among the best known and most popular dog breeds. The reason is his extraordinary versatility, adaptability, intelligence and loyalty. Like the British Shorthair cat, the Labrador Retriever can be...
To spend a few days outside of civilisation - in the forest, on the ridges of the mountains - away from the hustle of the cities, in the wilderness and ideally with your dog. An imaginary return back to nature is the trend that did not avoid even the...
Hunting and exercise. If the dog loves both these activities, then coursing is the perfect activity for it. This cross-country race is based exactly on the desire of the dog to catch its prey.
No matter how thorough we are with the prevention, a situation might come up when a dog or a cat will get to a poisonous thing, whether it’s by our inattention or it's somebody else’s fault. That’s why it’s not off-topic to prepare yourself for the...
Under the name of dogtrekking, imagine an orientation walk with the dog. Official rules rank it among extreme dog endurance sports.
There may be more causes of dog fear. And the first step to eliminate it is to find out its origin and cause.
