What Is Diabetes, and How Does It Affect Your Pet?

Diabetes is a chronic illness that might affect you and your pet. In pets, it’s known as diabetes mellitus, and it’s common among older pets. Just like in humans, diabetes in pets is manageable. Our veterinarians at Desert East Animal Hospital in El Paso would like to explain the condition and look at how it’s treated and managed.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition that develops when your pet can’t produce enough insulin to control its blood sugar level. It mainly occurs when the body attacks and destroys its insulin-producing cells. Your pet can also develop diabetes if it suffers from pancreatitis. Insulin helps get sugar into the cells. Therefore, in diabetic pets, blood sugar stays in the blood and builds to dangerously high levels. Diabetes is a severe condition that can even lead to death if left untreated.

Initial Symptoms

The initial symptoms of diabetes in pets include:

• Weight loss
• Peeing more
• Increased thirst
• Increased hunger
• Low energy (lethargy)

Additional Symptoms

Unless treated, diabetes might lead to a severe condition called ‘diabetic ketoacidosis’ (DKA). This develops when a ketone product accumulates in the body if the cells aren’t getting energy from blood sugar. Ketones in large numbers can be extremely dangerous and cause the following symptoms:

• Collapse
• Not eating
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Low energy
• Appearing unsteady
• Breath that smells sweet (like pear drops or nail polish remover)

These symptoms are an emergency for your pet. If you see them, contact a veterinarian immediately, particularly if your pet has other symptoms of diabetes.

Treatment

Fortunately, at our animal hospital, we can manage diabetes in your pet. We will create a long-term treatment plan involving insulin injections and glucose monitoring. Monitoring diabetic pets ensure they are responding well to insulin therapy. We can also recommend a well-balanced diet to help you manage your pet’s condition.

Contact Desert East Animal Hospital in El Paso, TX

Don’t panic if your furry friend is diagnosed with diabetes. Diabetic pets can live long and healthy lives with proper veterinary care. Contact us if your pet is showing symptoms of diabetes or if you’re worried about your pet’s health. Call our team today at (915) 855-4100 or reach us through our website by using our online contact form.