Talk Back! 
Most Read stories this week
Most Emailed stories this week
RSS
Proper care can help diabetic pet live a long, happy life
The grandfather of Melissa Farnsworth of Decatur died in California, a few weeks ago. Her grandfather owned a small adorable apricot-colored, quiet-mannered poodle.
Cutie Pie was pushing 10 years of age and was probably spoiled rotten by her owner. She ate just about everything she wanted. For many years, she also received two injections of insulin every day. Cutie Pie had diabetes. After the death of her grandfather, Farnsworth adopted Cutie Pie as her own and drove her all the way back from California.
Cutie Pie just didn't seem to be doing well. Her blood sugar seemed out of control, and she didn't eat well. To make matters worse, Cutie Pie and Farnsworth were in a minor automobile accident, which probably added to Cutie Pie's stress level. In spite of appropriate diabetes therapy, Cutie Pie seemed to go downhill rather quickly, losing the ability to stand, and her major organs began shutting down. She died a few hours later as Farnsworth was visiting her in the clinic.
Many people are unaware that pets suffer from diabetes in similar ways that people do. Usually the first sign of the disorder is increased thirst and urination. Some pets have an increased appetite but lose weight. Cataracts occur from diabetes in dogs, just as they can in people, but are rare in cats.
There are actually three types of diabetes, but each type results in the inability of a pet to utilize blood sugar, or glucose, the energy source for the body. Dogs have Type I diabetes normally, which is thought to be caused by destruction of the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that allows the body to use glucose. For some unknown reason, the body may actually cause the destruction of its own insulin-producing cells.
Type II is the most common type in cats and results simply because the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin. Unlike dogs, cat diabetes often can be controlled by diet or oral medications. Many cats, however, like dogs and many people, require insulin injections. Most veterinarians recommend the injections be given every 12 hours for optimum control of the disease. Cats are unusual in that quite a few with diabetes actually start producing insulin and no longer need any treatment.
Type III diabetes is often secondary to medications or some other disease process, and therefore can only be controlled if the medication is stopped or the other disease is cured.
As your pet ages, close observation of water consumption is recommended, since excess drinking often is one of the first signs of diabetes. A simple blood or urine test often can detect diabetes. Unfortunately, uncontrolled diabetes can take a toll on a person's or pet's health. Obesity and genetics often play a part in the disease, and it can also result from excess amounts of cortisone, either produced by the body or given as a treatment for another disorder.
Cutie Pie was well cared-for and lived many years with the disease. Probably the loss of her owner, her adjustment to a new situation and possible other disease conditions led to her demise. Yet, she was one of the fortunate ones to have loving owners who took great care of her and provided her with medication that prolonged her life for many years. Cutie Pie provides a good example to owners of diabetic pets. Appropriate therapy can help a pet lead a fairly normal life for many years.
Speaking for Alex this week is Dr. Larry Baker, who practices small animal medicine and veterinary dentistry at 2800 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Decatur. To submit a question, write to Ask Alex, c/o Herald & Review, Box 311, Decatur, IL 62625 or e-mail jmatherly@herald-review.com.
Previous Page 
Subscribe 
Email Alerts 
Print this story 
Email this story
del.icio.us
digg
newsvine
facebook
Search By Issue
Search By Keyword
