You probably have someone among your friends, who has diabetes. However, do you know, that cats and dogs also suffer from this disease quite often?
What diabetes actually is
Diabetes, whether the human or animal form, is caused by lack of insulin (hormone of the pancreas) or by incapability of the body to use it effectively. Insulin transports sugar to body cells and thereby it decreases its level in the blood.
With diabetes, sugar accumulates in the blood and causes the so-called hyperglycaemia. Excessive sugar damages organs and disrupts the inner body balance: higher blood sugar level increases plasma density, which results in a drop of liquids in the cells and in their dehydration and damage. Cells lower proteins production and this results in loss of body weight, weakness, lowered function of the immunity system, worsened healing of wounds etc. Moreover, the organism must obtain energy from other sources, mostly from fats, and thereby, a great amount of waste substances pile up in the body.
In dogs, diabetes is a relatively common disease and it can affect them in the same manner as cats. Even though some breeds are more predisposed to it (for instance poodles, dachshunds or German shepherds, from cats, it is the Burmese cat), any dog can get it, usually of a middle or higher age. However, female dogs are affected by diabetes more often, mainly the uncastrated ones, and castrated tomcats.
How does diabetes originate in an animal
In most cases, diabetes is caused by a disease of the pancreas – an autoimmune reaction, inflammation or tumorous disease. Another reason may be the mentioned resistance of tissues to insulin. Obesity may also be a trigger, in cats a metabolic illness.
Symptoms
The symptoms usually appear only slowly. An indicator is mainly an increased intake of liquids and thereby also more frequent urination. Later, we can notice the animal is losing weight, despite its eating habits remaining unchanged and it consuming the same amount of food. In advanced stage, dermal conditions can appear or diseases of the urinary tract. The animal is often tired or it’s more difficult for them to breathe.
If you’d overlook the symptoms in the long term, the illness would develop into its final stage: the animal will gradually get blind, it will suffer from vomiting, lack of appetite, apathy, dehydration and that can be followed by a shock and death.
If you suspect that your pet might have diabetes, then for sure do not hesitate and see a veterinarian. Diabetes can be established by blood withdrawal and assessment of blood sugars or by evidence of sugar in urine.
Treatment of diabetes
If it concerns a bitch, castration is necessary to stabilise her. Since in an absolute majority of the cases, diabetes in bitches is caused by unbalance of sex hormones, that causes the resistance to insulin to develop. Without castration, it is virtually impossible to find the right dosage of insulin.
Treatment of diabetes is lifelong, as in people. It consists of a diet and subdermal insulin application.
Fortunately, today, you will also find diet granules for diabetics on the market and there are even treats made for them. So even a pet with this disease can have the same life as other animals if it receives the right care.
Have you got a four-legged diabetic at home? What is life with such ill animal like and what does it entail?
According to the data published at the end of last year, more than half of the people from around the world lives with at least one pet. The most numerous dog population is in the United States (70 million dogs), followed by Brazil (36 million) and...
When I travel, I'm always interested in what is the view of the given country upon the keeping of pets. And generally, how animals are treated there. The position of cats, dogs and rodents varies significantly in different countries, so there’s...
People often confuse the grey wolf with the Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. This shepherd’s and today a very popular breed was bred from the German Shepherd by crossbreeding with the Carpathian wolf. Even though the dog and the wolf are very similar in...
The golden hamster, sometimes referred to as hamster-teddy bear because of its appearance, was first captured less than a century ago by zoologists in Syria. Hence also its second name – the Syrian hamster. Over time, it became a popular pet throughout...
The cloning of dogs or cats is slowly becoming a completely normal reality. For now, you can encounter it mostly in Asian countries. It’s the companies in South Korea that are most famous for their business plans focusing on the grieving dog and cat...
It would probably entirely unnecessary to describe the appearance of the German Shepherd. Probably everyone, even non-dog-lovers, have seen the German series Inspector Rex. Apart from the most famous colouring with black or golden marks, it is bred...
Getting a cat doesn’t mean only buying a cat toilet, bowls, a bed and a couple of toys. You also have to realise that the animal will also need certain care and count with this already before getting it. Each breed has its own specifics. While some are...
The Persian Longhairs, which have most likely descended from the Turkish Angoras, were bred in England at the end of the 19th century. Since then, they have undergone great changes, and today they have a much more compact body in comparison to the...
The desire for your own dog friend can also lead to a great disappointment. Since a lot of people fall for scammers when buying through an ad. Getting a dog this way is a risk not only from the money point of view, but also with respect to the mental...
Traveling with a dog in the city is stressful for many dog owners. One of the reasons may be the fear of riding escalators. If the dog is not accustomed to them since young age, he can have issue with it as an adult. Even in the case that your dog aces...
For the majority of dog breeders, winter is the period that has to be waited out somehow. But this time of year provides ideal conditions for the musher sport. And if you found pleasure in summer trainings with the dog, don’t hang the dog harness on an...
Most owners consider pets kept at home to be full-fledged family members. And year after year, they invest more and more money in them. Just for dog and cat food, Czechs spend around eight billion crowns a year. The business around pets is experiencing...
