Increased thirst and urination: Blood sugar levels can get so high outside of the body’s cells that it spills into the urine, increasing urine production. You might notice your dog or cat is urinating more frequently or is having accidents in the house. Increased thirst is also a common sign of diabetes in dogs and cats. Animals with diabetes produce large volumes of urine more frequently and so they drink more water to compensate for the fluids lost through urination. An increase in thirst and urination are also signs of other serious health problems, so these symptoms should always trigger a call to the vet.
Increased appetite: Hunger is caused by the lack of amino acids inside the cells. Diabetes might be a cause for concern if your pet is eating more but still losing weight. This is because the brain’s satiety center reads sugar levels: the more sugar that enters the satiety center, the less the brain feels hunger. When insulin does not allow sugar to enter the satiety center, the body’s cells are not fueled, resulting in hunger and weight loss.
Tiredness and lack of energy: Lethargy and sleepiness are typical in animals suffering from diabetes. When the body’s cells lack blood sugar, then running, taking a walk, or playing lose priority for pets. Eventually, animals may develop a dangerous condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, which is caused by the body using fat instead of sugar for energy. This results in the production and buildup of toxic acids, called ketones, in the blood.
The older a pet gets, the more likely it may develop diabetes. Share these signs with a fellow pet owner who may be concerned that their pet may have diabetes.
This free diabetes outreach event will bring awareness to diabetes, healthy eating and diabetes alert dogs who are often in the news for warning their owners about dangerous glycemic lows.
Student’s service dog gets his own photo in Virginia high school yearbook! Stafford High School junior Andrew “AJ” Schalk has Type 1 Diabetes and his dog, Alpha can alert him if his blood sugar is too high or low. Schalk told BuzzFeed that Alpha has saved his life multiple times. He’s been accompanying AJ to school since last year and has been popular among the school community. Alpha even has his own school ID.READ MORE
Rucinski, Remington carries balls in a bucket out to the umpire before games. He also holds a hat or glove in his mouth for the national anthem. And while Remington can’t open a bottle of Gatorade, he can open the fridge allowing players easy access. READ MORE
Get more Diabetes News Headlines, Food & Fashion Trends and Daily Inspiration on Divabetic’s Facebook page!