Diabetes
Let's beat diabetes together. Explore symptoms at home, testing for diagnosis and what life-long care for your pet will look like with this diagnosis.
Changes At Home
Common Symptoms
Symptoms for diabetes can be noticed slowly over a couple of months, or acutely within a few weeks. It is always important to monitor your pet for changes to behaviors and daily habits, and notify/schedule an appointment with your veterinarian if they persist.
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Increased Thirst
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Increased Urination (frequency or amount being urinated)
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Significant weight changes (commonly weight loss)
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Increased appetite
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Walking on the flat portion of their back legs instead of on paws (cat specific)
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And the list goes on......
Testing/Diagnosis
Commonly, when a pet exhibiting the symptoms listed above presents to the clinic for an exam, comprehensive wellness bloodwork will be recommended. With this bloodwork, between select urine values, as well as specific chemistry values (primarily the glucose and/or fructosamine level), a diagnosis can be determined.
Treatment and Maintenance
Once diagnosis is determined, the process of establishing a life long care routine for your pet starts. Home care will often include daily insulin treatments that must be given on a strict schedule as prescribed by your veterinarian. Commonly, pets are started at a low dose of insulin, then lab work is retested every couple of weeks until 'normal' values are achieved. This means is that, commonly, the first few months after diagnosis include frequent trips back to your primary veterinarian for repeat bloodwork, either for singular value rechecks or a 'glucose curve'. These visits will often result in dosing adjustments depending on that bloodwork. Once the pet is regulated with insulin, testing commonly is recommended every 6 months, but required annually to ensure appropriate values are being maintained.
Life with a diabetic pet can be demanding of time and difficult to manage. It is a decision not made lightly. However, with proper treatment and monitoring, it will support your pet in living a longer and more comfortable life.