Diabetes in cats is treatable and normally has a good prognosis. Cats usually respond to lasting insulin and low carbohydrate diets. If diabetes is detected early, treatment is usually successful in preventing nerve damage and in some cases, even remission. However, if left untreated it can lead to organ failure, blindness and even death.

Diet

In many cases diet alone is able to treat diabetes in cats . A low carbohydrate diet lowers the requirement of insulin in diabetic cats. In cats and dogs, carbohydrates are converted to blood glucose must faster than fats and proteins. A low carbohydrate diet thus reduces the risk of extreme blood sugar highs immediately after meals. Home cooked food, however, is always the preferred option than commercial foods since canned food tends to have a higher proportion of carbohydrate. Try to get hold of a cat food calculator and determine the type and quantity of fats, proteins and carbohydrates that you can safely feed your cat with.

Oral pills

All cells in the body need glucose for energy. There is a typical method by which glucose enters the cells. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that signals the opening of a ‘door’ so that glucose can enter the cell. Any disruption in this mechanism means that cells do not get the energizing glucose that they need and excess glucose remains in the blood stream. This results in high blood glucose levels.

Inflammation of the pancreas is a primary cause of diabetes in cats , dogs and humans as well. Type 1 diabetes is the inability of the pancreas to produce sufficient insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a combination of a similar problem as in type 1 diabetes accompanied by a condition known as insulin resistance.

Insulin resistance is characterized by the inability of the cells to accept glucose. This leads to a viscious circle wherein due to the elevated blood sugar level a signal is sent to the pancreas for production of more insulin. Sometimes this excess production overrides the excess blood sugar and the pancreas exhausts itself and gradually stops funtioning.

If left untreated, feline diabetes like diabetes in all animals and humans can lead to complications. The complications that arise may be difficult and in some cases, impossible to treat. Continuous and abnormally high levels of blood sugar, hyperglycemia, can adversely affect the nerves, kidneys, retina and bones leading to complicated diseases.

If your cat has been diagnosed for diabetes, one of the major items that should be on your agenda during discussions with the veterinarian is that of home care. Make sure that you discuss monitoring diet and blood sugar levels at home along with how to store, handle and administer insulin. Another thing that you should understand are the various symptoms of diabetes in cats especially signs of hypoglycemia, low blood sugar.

Diabetes in cats can be managed for long periods with dietary management and oral medication without resorting to insulin. It is however, recommended that insulin be used first to control the sugar levels before an assessment is made about whether the condition can be managed only with home care and dietary modifications.

One of the primary modalities of monitoring a diabetic cat involves the aid of a blood glucose meter. Invest in a good quality device and learn how to use it. Some cats may prove to be too difficult to manage while trying to obtain a blood sample but perseverance always pays. You also need to know from the veterinarian about the normal range of blood sugar levels and the levels that require veterinarian intervention.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease of the pancreas that affects the body’s ability to control its blood sugar levels. The pancreas is responsible for producing a hormone called insulin which keeps blood sugar levels balanced.

Glucose is produced from the breaking down of starches and carbohydrates. It is absorbed through the wall of the digestive tract and passes into the bloodstream.

Insulin allows glucose to leave the bloodstream and enter the body’s tissue where it is then used as energy for the cells. With diabetes, the body either produces insufficient quantities of insulin or does not utilize insulin effectively. Glucose then builds up in the bloodstream and causes an elevated blood sugar level.

High levels of glucose can lead to a number of complications such as cataracts, liver and kidney disease, increased infections, heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders and even coma and death.

What are the symptoms of Diabetes in cats and dogs?

Certain symptoms are common in cats and dogs with diabetes. However these signs may also indicate other diseases or conditions. The best way to determine if your pet has diabetes is to have his blood sugar levels checked by means of a blood test.

Some of the important aspects of caring for your diabetic cat at home include understanding:

* Symptoms of diabetes in cats
* Timings and regularity of check ups
* Quality, amount and timing of meals
* Testing blood sugar levels at home and making a blood glucose curve
* Regularity of insulin injections and the manner in which to inject them
* Type of insulin to be used and the right syringe to inject it with
* The manner in which changes in diet and type of insulin should be made

While all the above are important, knowing the peak action of the insulin that has been prescribed is equally significant. Ignorance on this aspect of home care can lead to hypoglycemic episodes. Hypoglycemia is the opposite of hyperglycemia. It is abnormally low level of sugar in the blood. While hyperglycemia is manageable, hypoglycemia may be difficult to control unless immediate action is taken. A slight oversight can result in the death of the cat.

Adequate control of diabetes in cats requires long-lasting insulin injections once or twice a day. Individual cats respond to insulin differently. Once the veterinarian has fixed a dose after studying the blood glucose curve, it should not be disturbed since a higher dose or a missed meal can be dangerous.

While you may not mind a bi-monthly or quarterly visit to the veterinarian for check ups, the matter does not end there if the symptoms of diabetes in cats and dogs have been confirmed and the pet shows high blood sugar levels.

Treating diabetes is a long process that sometimes may last a life time. If your pet has been diagnosed for diabetes, there is a strong possibility that you will be required to take care of the pet at home. Home care of a diabetic pet involves monitoring blood sugar levels and injecting insulin on a daily basis. This necessitates the need for some expertise in checking blood sugar and injecting insulin.

Diet modifications can help manage blood sugar levels in many cases. However, administering insulin is almost a key aspect of the treatment of diabetes in cats and dogs. While you learn the process of injecting insulin from your veterinarian make sure to ask about the type of syringe that should be used for the injection.

Male cats are more susceptible to diabetes and so are obese cats of either gender. Genetic predisposition is usually suspected to be behind this condition but steroids and other clinical conditions like a pancreas disease and steroidal drugs used for treating other diseases are also known to cause diabetes. An increased incidence has also been observed in neutered cats above six years old.

Diabetes is a metabolic disease where insufficient insulin production causes the blood sugar levels to rise. As the disease develops within the cat’s body, sugar is revealed in the urine as well. It is a complex disease and symptoms of diabetes in cats can remain concealed for a long time. Many times the disease is discovered when the cat’s blood is checked for another evident disease.

The pancreas in the cat’s body, situated close to the stomach, has two primary functions – that of releasing insulin and enzymes meant for digestion. Due to certain reasons, not yet firmly known to veterinarian science, the pancreas are unable to produce sufficient insulin, necessary for the storage of glucose in the liver and the oxidation of sugar in cells.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease of the pancreas that affects the body’s ability to control its blood sugar levels. The pancreas is responsible for producing a hormone called insulin which keeps blood sugar levels balanced.

Glucose is produced from the breaking down of starches and carbohydrates. It is absorbed through the wall of the digestive tract and passes into the bloodstream.

Insulin allows glucose to leave the bloodstream and enter the body’s tissue where it is then used as energy for the cells. With diabetes, the body either produces insufficient quantities of insulin or does not utilize insulin effectively. Glucose then builds up in the bloodstream and causes an elevated blood sugar level.

High levels of glucose can lead to a number of complications such as cataracts, liver and kidney disease, increased infections, heart disease, gastrointestinal disorders and even coma and death.

What are the symptoms of Diabetes in cats and dogs?

Certain symptoms are common in cats and dogs with diabetes. However these signs may also indicate other diseases or conditions. The best way to determine if your pet has diabetes is to have his blood sugar levels checked by means of a blood test.

Diabetes in cats is the second most common endocrinal disease after hyperthyroidism. It is a condition in which blood sugar levels are high due to the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating storage of glycogen in the liver. In another type of diabetes, the cells become resistant to the effect of insulin leading to a high blodd sugar level in the body.

Symptoms of diabetes in cats are usually subdued, such as increased urination and thirst, and the condition, more often than not, is diagnosed after blood tests reveal high levels of sugar in the blood. Although administering insulin is only about half the treatment, the selection of the appropriate insulin for your cat involves a large amount of hard work and experience. Generally there are three types of insulin – human recombinant DNA insulin, animal based insulin (sourced from beef or pork) and synthetic insulin.

PZI (Protamine Zinc Insulin) is insulin that has been combined with protamine and zinc. Protamine is a simple protein found in fish sperm, rich in arginine and normally sourced from the testes of salmon. This combination is used to slow the release of insulin into tissues. Traditionally, the insulin used as the PZI component, even for human use, was obtained from cows and pigs.