Healthy living with pets

Qball, is a handsome, white cat. Two years ago, Qball’s owner, Susan May, noticed that he was losing weight and urinating outside the litter box.

May, an intensive-care nurse, immediately suspected diabetes. Lab tests confirmed her suspicions.

Qball now receives two insulin injections each day. May’s schedule of long shifts at the hospital made it impossible for her to give him his insulin on time each day, so now her sister, Cindy, and mom, Dolores, help her look after Qball.

Diabetes, one of the most common chronic illnesses in people, is also a disease that can show up in our pets. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas. It is necessary for glucose, the body’s main source of energy from food, to enter the cells of the body.

Diabetes is the result of a lack of insulin. Without insulin, glucose remains in the blood stream, unable to enter the cells. The cells then “starve” because they have no energy source.

Animals with diabetes may have a good appetite, at least initially, but they lose weight because insulin is not available and they cannot make use of the energy from their food.

They also drink a lot of water. This is because high levels of glucose in the blood are filtered into the urine, drawing large amounts of water into the urine and forcing the animal to drink more to compensate for that water loss.

Dogs typically will have Type 1 or insulin-dependent diabetes, whereas cats more often have Type 2 or adult-onset diabetes. Both are treated with insulin injections, but, occasionally cases of Type 2 diabetes can be treated with diet change and/or medications given by mouth.

Type 1 diabetes in dogs is strongly correlated with genetic susceptibility, advancing age and being female.

The risk factors for Type 2 diabetes in cats sound very familiar: Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are factors for cats, just as they are for people. Male cats have more chance of developing diabetes than females do.

Just as in humans, there are complications that can arise with diabetes in animals.

Most diabetic dogs will develop cataracts, resulting in total or near-total loss of vision. Cataracts can be removed surgically.

Urinary tract infections often show up in dogs and cats with diabetes. In fact, many pets newly diagnosed with diabetes were first presented to the veterinarian for urinating in the house.

Qball had been urinating on the carpet for a few days before his diagnosis. Occasionally cats will develop a neurological condition in the rear limbs, resulting in weakness and lameness. The long-term complications of diabetes in people, such as poor circulation to the extremities and cardiovascular disease, are not major issues for dogs and cats.

Although many studies show that diagnosis of diabetes is on the rise in animals, mortality from diabetes has dropped dramatically. There is much greater awareness of the disease these days, allowing early diagnosis while an animal is still relatively healthy.

It may be picked up on routine screening tests performed annually in older animals or prior to anesthesia. Owners are often aware of the disease and report their pet’s weight loss or increased water drinking to their veterinarian.

The mainstay of treatment is still once or twice daily insulin injections. However, specific diet changes, weight loss to reverse obesity and exercise are also important to successful insulin therapy.

Occasionally, in cats, these steps will allow a cat’s blood sugar to return to normal and insulin can be discontinued, at least for a while. Some owners are able to check their pet’s blood sugar at home using the same equipment diabetic people use.

May, as well as her daughter and mother, use a glucose meter and lancet – available at pharmacies – to test a drop of blood from Qball’s paw pad. This allows them to determine his blood glucose under normal conditions rather than when he is stressed from being at the vet’s office.

It is helpful for fine-tuning his insulin treatment.

Although diabetic pets require more trips to the vet for monitoring, as well as daily treatments from their owners, most people are surprised at how quickly it all becomes routine.

“Qball doesn’t even notice his insulin injections,” says May, “but don’t be late with the treat he gets afterward!”