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?
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.
