How Serious Is Canine Diabetes
If you already own a diabetic dog or are worried that you are starting to see the signs in your dog that he may have canine diabetes then you should speak to your local Veterinary Practice as soon as possible. This is because you need to know how this will affect your dog in the long term.
Canine diabetes can hit a dog at any age from around 18 Months onwards and if not treated properly in time can have some very serious, damaging results to your dog such as dehydration, malnutrition and even death.
In healthy dogs the pancreas releases insulin naturally into their body when it detects a high level of glucose in the bodies blood. The insulin created by the pancreas goes out and grabs the glucose from within the bloodstream. Dogs with diabetes can’t perform this task on their own and they need regular insulin injections to help counter act the high blood glucose levels.
There are 2 types of diabetes in both humans and dogs. Type 1 is the worst of the 2 and requires regular insulin injections. Type 2 is when the body tries to feed itself by using its own internal fat stores and isn’t insulin injection dependant.
Some of the more severe problems that canine diabetes can cause is progressive dog blindness. This happens because of high levels of glucose in the blood for long periods of time lead to cataracts forming in the eyes (this is when a white pigmentation develops on the lens of the eye) as these get worst your dogs sight will eventually go blind. Diabetic dogs will develop this if you don’t keep mindful watch over your dog’s behavior and pick up on any changes in their drinking and urinating. If your dog does develop canine diabetes then surgery could be an option however this could be expensive and if you don’t have your dog insured to cover this treatment then you may have the fork out a lot of money.
Another issue with canine diabetes which can be treated is dog pancreatitis this is when there is an inflammation in your dogs pancreas and if left untreated can become life threatening. Signs to watch out for are lack of appetite, blood in their stools, diarrhea, vomiting, excessive or in excessive drinking. Watch their eating and drinking habits and keep a diary of times and what they ate, this information could be crucial in helping your Vet determine whether your dog has pancreatitis.
To help your dog through with canine diabetes feed him food that he can very easily digest and put him on a low fat diet. Make sure you give him water on a little and often basis to keep him hydrated from the vomiting and diarrhea. Keep in touch with your Vet and make sure you administer all the medicines they give you correctly.
If you have any doubts at all, reagrding canine diabetes consult with your Vet and they will be able to advise on whether you’re stressing over nothing or whether there is something serious looming with your dog, that’s what their there for right?
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