26 Sep Diabetes In Dogs – Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Prevention And Treatment (Part 2)

In the previous part, we described diabetes and said it’s one of the most common diseases among dogs. The disease is more common in older, female and obese dogs. Lack of timely treatment can cause damage to the kidneys, heart, blood vessels, eyes, nervous system, etc. Certain breeds are more susceptible to the disease that we talked about earlier. There are two major types of diabetes in dogs. The causes and symptoms of this disease are very diverse, and you should consider the slightest behaviour and movement of the dog. In this section, we will talk about the diagnosis and treatment of this disease.

Diagnosing high diabetes in dogs

Visit a veterinarian immediately if you see any of the above symptoms in your dog because the causes of high blood sugar are numerous. Tell them everything you know about your dog. This information includes changing the diet, increasing or decreasing your dog’s activity, illnesses and infections he has experienced, or anything abnormal that you have seen in his body or behaviour. They help the veterinarian diagnose the disease more accurately and quickly.

The veterinarian will take a full test of your dog to see if he has high blood sugar. If so, find out its reasons and treatments. A complete blood sugar test involves checking the number of red and white blood cells, platelets, and hemoglobin in the blood and checking the chemical properties of the blood, such as blood sugar, protein, and electrolytes. Suppose only the dog has high blood sugar, and you don’t see any other abnormalities. In that case, the veterinarian will detect this high blood sugar temporarily and won’t consider it a sign of another illness.

The veterinarian then examines the levels of enzymes that indicate pancreatitis. Based on the results of this test, your veterinarian may consider it necessary to photograph the dog with X-rays or ultrasound to detect a condition that has caused the dog to have high blood sugar. In addition, your veterinarian will order a urine test to measure your dog’s blood sugar, bacteria, and ketone bodies. These factors indicate whether the dog has diabetes mellitus.

Treatment

Treatment of high blood sugar depends on its cause.

• If a dog has diabetes mellitus, the vet can treat him with insulin and a special diet to control his weight.
• The vet hospitalizes the dog for a few days before giving painkillers, anti-inflammatory drugs, and serum to treat pancreatitis. It’s forbidden for him to eat or drink during this period so that the pancreas can return to its normal function. After this period, the dog should eat low-fat foods. Pancreatitis can be life-threatening for a dog, but if diagnosed early, he usually cures soon.
• Hyperadrenocorticism is caused by an enlarged pituitary gland or the formation of a gland in it. To treat it, the veterinarian prescribes medication to reduce the body’s production of cortisol. There are several medications available to treat this condition, and your veterinarian will try to select the drug that best suits your dog’s condition and severity. It’s rare for hyperadrenocorticism to be caused by an adrenal tumour. In these cases, the dog needs radiation therapy and surgery.
• If the high blood sugar is due to an infection in the dog’s body, the veterinarian will treat the infection with appropriate antibiotics.
• When high blood sugar is due to a reaction to the drug, they stop taking them and find the best alternative.
• High blood sugar, which is temporary, doesn’t require treatment and returns to normal on its own. Several factors such as eating human food, stress, excitement, and struggling make this type of diabetes. Indeed, it doesn’t require special treatment, but you must be careful not to repeat it.