Diabetes

Diabetes is rather common in household pets and the treatment for dogs and cats is rather challenging. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a disorder where the body is unable to regulate the blood sugar levels. (DM is a different disorder than Diabtes Insipidus, that is associated with the pituitary gland.) Every animal responds differnt to treatment and regulating the blood sugar levels is very important. The major problem with diabetic cats and dogs is that even in the presence of glucose (sugar) in the blood stream, something else interferes with the access of that sugar into the cells. Cells need the presence of sugar to sustain energy. With no sugar in cells, the cell will die in a short period of time.

Most cases of DM can be treated successfully with Insulin injections. Blood sugar levels have to be monitored carefully.