DIABETES MELLITUS
What is diabetes mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition resulting in an excessive amount of
sugar (glucose) in the blood. This is caused by a deficiency of insulin, which is a
hormone secreted by the pancreas.
The clinical signs seen in diabetes are largely related to the elevated
concentrations of blood glucose and the inability of the body to use glucose as
an energy source due to the deficiency of insulin.
Diabetes mellitus affects an estimated one in four hundred cats, and is seen
more frequently in middle to old-age cats and more common in males than
females.
What are the clinical signs of diabetes mellitus?
The most common clinical signs seen in diabetic patients are an increase in
water consumption and urination. Weight loss is also a common feature, and an
increase in appetite may be noticed in some cats. Recognition of these signs is
variable though, particularly because of the life-style of some cats. If a cat
spends a lot of time outdoors, it may drink from ponds or pools of water outside
rather than appearing to drink excessively from what is provided indoors.
How is diabetes mellitus diagnosed?
The diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is made based on clinical signs, persistently
elevated blood glucose concentration and the presence of glucose in the urine.
However, a diagnosis of diabetes cannot be made on a single blood and urine
sample as other conditions such as particular stress may also cause a transient
rise in glucose levels. Confirmation of diabetes may therefore require more than
one blood sample collected over a period of one to five days.
How is diabetes mellitus treated?
Diabetes mellitus is a treatable condition. Although long-term treatment requires
commitment, it can be very rewarding to successfully manage this condition.
Initial steps in treating a diabetic cat may involve removal of any predisposing
causes for the diabetes. For example, the administration of some drugs
predisposes cats to develop diabetes and withdrawal of these drugs may lead to
resolution of the condition. Obese cats are more prone to develop diabetes and
weight reduction can lead to resolution of the signs in some cats.
If there are no predisposing causes, or if correction of the predisposing causes
does not lead to resolution of the diabetes, specific treatment is required.
Although a small proportion of cats will respond to oral hypoglycemic medication,
most cats will require insulin injections to control the diabetes.
During the initial stages of treatment, your cat will require several hospital visits
until an appropriate insulin dosage is determined. Most cats will achieve initial
stabilization within a few days to a few weeks. Most cats will require once or
twice daily injection of a small dose of insulin. Very small needles are available
which cause no pain to the cat, and within a short period of time the procedure
becomes very routine. Administration times, dosages and type of insulin will be
determined by your veterinarian.
Do treated cats need to be monitored?
Yes, it is important to monitor treatment to make sure it is working properly, and
to determine if any insulin dosage adjustments are necessary.
Monitoring can be done in part through the collection of occasional blood
samples by your veterinarian, but it is particularly valuable to keep accurate
records of the following information:
Daily records:
• Time of insulin injection
• Amount of insulin injected
• Amount and time of food fed and eaten
• Amount of water drunk
Weekly record:
• Weight of the cat
In addition to these records, it can be valuable to monitor the quantity of glucose
passed in the urine as a guide to the effectiveness of the treatment. This is best
done on urine that is passed during the night or first thing in the morning. To
collect urine, it is usually easiest to replace the normal cat litter with clean
(washed) aquarium gravel at night, which will not soak up any urine passed. The
urine collected can either be tested by your veterinarian or they may supply you
with a kit to test it yourself. If there is any marked change in the amount of
glucose in the urine, this may indicate the need to alter the insulin dose, but you
should never change the dose of insulin without first discussing it with your
veterinarian. Changes in the insulin dose are usually based on trends in urine
glucose concentrations, as there is normally some day-to-day variation.
What happens if my cat receives too much insulin?
If a cat receives too much insulin, it is possible for the blood sugar level to drop
dangerously low. For this reason it is important to be very careful in ensuring the
cat receives the correct dose of insulin.
The typical signs displayed by a cat with a very low blood sugar level are severe
weakness and lethargy, shaking, unsteadiness and even convulsions. If a
diabetic cat shows any of these signs it is important to seek immediate veterinary
attention. If more severe signs are displayed (ataxia or unsteadiness during
walking, and/or convulsions) a tablespoon of honey, corn syrup or sugar solution
should be given by mouth. Your veterinarian can advise you on specific
emergency treatment of low blood sugar in your cat.
What is diabetes mellitus?
Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition resulting in an excessive amount of
sugar (glucose) in the blood. This is caused by a deficiency of insulin, which is a
hormone secreted by the pancreas.
The clinical signs seen in diabetes are largely related to the elevated
concentrations of blood glucose and the inability of the body to use glucose as
an energy source due to the deficiency of insulin.
Diabetes mellitus affects an estimated one in four hundred cats, and is seen
more frequently in middle to old-age cats and more common in males than
females.
What are the clinical signs of diabetes mellitus?
The most common clinical signs seen in diabetic patients are an increase in
water consumption and urination. Weight loss is also a common feature, and an
increase in appetite may be noticed in some cats. Recognition of these signs is
variable though, particularly because of the life-style of some cats. If a cat
spends a lot of time outdoors, it may drink from ponds or pools of water outside
rather than appearing to drink excessively from what is provided indoors.
How is diabetes mellitus diagnosed?
The diagnosis of diabetes mellitus is made based on clinical signs, persistently
elevated blood glucose concentration and the presence of glucose in the urine.
However, a diagnosis of diabetes cannot be made on a single blood and urine
sample as other conditions such as particular stress may also cause a transient
rise in glucose levels. Confirmation of diabetes may therefore require more than
one blood sample collected over a period of one to five days.
How is diabetes mellitus treated?
Diabetes mellitus is a treatable condition. Although long-term treatment requires
commitment, it can be very rewarding to successfully manage this condition.
Initial steps in treating a diabetic cat may involve removal of any predisposing
causes for the diabetes. For example, the administration of some drugs
predisposes cats to develop diabetes and withdrawal of these drugs may lead to
resolution of the condition. Obese cats are more prone to develop diabetes and
weight reduction can lead to resolution of the signs in some cats.
If there are no predisposing causes, or if correction of the predisposing causes
does not lead to resolution of the diabetes, specific treatment is required.
Although a small proportion of cats will respond to oral hypoglycemic medication,
most cats will require insulin injections to control the diabetes.
During the initial stages of treatment, your cat will require several hospital visits
until an appropriate insulin dosage is determined. Most cats will achieve initial
stabilization within a few days to a few weeks. Most cats will require once or
twice daily injection of a small dose of insulin. Very small needles are available
which cause no pain to the cat, and within a short period of time the procedure
becomes very routine. Administration times, dosages and type of insulin will be
determined by your veterinarian.
Do treated cats need to be monitored?
Yes, it is important to monitor treatment to make sure it is working properly, and
to determine if any insulin dosage adjustments are necessary.
Monitoring can be done in part through the collection of occasional blood
samples by your veterinarian, but it is particularly valuable to keep accurate
records of the following information:
Daily records:
• Time of insulin injection
• Amount of insulin injected
• Amount and time of food fed and eaten
• Amount of water drunk
Weekly record:
• Weight of the cat
In addition to these records, it can be valuable to monitor the quantity of glucose
passed in the urine as a guide to the effectiveness of the treatment. This is best
done on urine that is passed during the night or first thing in the morning. To
collect urine, it is usually easiest to replace the normal cat litter with clean
(washed) aquarium gravel at night, which will not soak up any urine passed. The
urine collected can either be tested by your veterinarian or they may supply you
with a kit to test it yourself. If there is any marked change in the amount of
glucose in the urine, this may indicate the need to alter the insulin dose, but you
should never change the dose of insulin without first discussing it with your
veterinarian. Changes in the insulin dose are usually based on trends in urine
glucose concentrations, as there is normally some day-to-day variation.
What happens if my cat receives too much insulin?
If a cat receives too much insulin, it is possible for the blood sugar level to drop
dangerously low. For this reason it is important to be very careful in ensuring the
cat receives the correct dose of insulin.
The typical signs displayed by a cat with a very low blood sugar level are severe
weakness and lethargy, shaking, unsteadiness and even convulsions. If a
diabetic cat shows any of these signs it is important to seek immediate veterinary
attention. If more severe signs are displayed (ataxia or unsteadiness during
walking, and/or convulsions) a tablespoon of honey, corn syrup or sugar solution
should be given by mouth. Your veterinarian can advise you on specific
emergency treatment of low blood sugar in your cat.
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Animal Hospital of Fate 1001 North W.E.Crawford (Highway 66 in Fate) 972-722-0066 |
1001 North W.E.Crawford (Highway 66 in Fate) Rockwall, Texas 75087 972-722-0066 |
| The Staff of the Animal Hospital of Fate |