Feline Diabetes Diagnosis
For the veterinarian, feline diabetes is fairly easy to diagnose through testing for sugar levels in either blood and/or urine. A full blood panel evaluation is also done to rule out any other contributing conditions.
As a pet owner, the symptoms to look for are extreme thirst, excessive urination, (called polyuria - Look for large clumps in the litter box), a sad disposition, and weight loss while increasing appetite, and an unkempt coat.
Diabetic cats may also develop an overall muscle weakess and display trouble climbing stairs, jumping, playing or even have trouble doing something as simple as getting in and out of the litter box.
Nerve damage (neuropathy) often develops as a symptom of diabetes. Cats with this condition will walk on its rear "hocks" (area that looks like an 'elbow') or entire hind leg instead of on its toes. This can show as "Frosty Paws" which is caused by litter sticking to the paws and hind legs, urination and wet paws.
Many diabetic cats are older and are at risk for other conditions that may require treatment. Diabetics are also more at risk for developing skin infections, urinary tract infections, heart disease, anemia, kidney disease and inflammation of the pancreas.
Other causes of diabetes include:
1. Pancreatitis: Inflammation or infection of the pancreas can destroy the tissues, including those tissues that produce insulin.
2. The animal's immune system targets or attacks the cells that produce insulin and destroys them.
3. Amyloidosis in cats (Feline Renal Amyloidosis).
Other causes of diabetes include:
- Pancreatitis: Inflammation or infection of the pancreas can destroy the tissues, including those tissues that produce insulin.
- The animal's immune system targets or attacks the cells that produce insulin and destroys them.
- Amyloidosis in cats (Feline Renal Amyloidosis).
Typical symptoms of diabetes in dogs are:
- Excessive eating (yet experiencing weight loss)
- Excessive intake of water
- Excessive urination
- Urinary tract infections
- Lack of Energy
- Vomiting
Your veterinarian will usually seek to answer the following questions:
- Does the animal display the clinical symptoms of diabetes? Those symptoms includes drinking a lot of water, increased hunger, weight-loss and excessive urination.
- What is the animal's blood glucose level? Is it persistantly high through numerous tests?
- Does the animal's urine contain glucose?
In addition to blood chemistry profiles and urinalysis, a new blood test, called Serum Fructosamine, is now available. This is serum proteins that have undergone non--enzymatic, insulin-dependent glycation. A reaction to the proteins occurs throughout the life span of the protein and is proportional to the glucose concentration over that timeframe. Correlated with the severity of hyperglycemia in both diabetic cats and diabetic dogs, it can be used to help monitor the success of your pet's therapy.
The fructosamine levels in your dog's blood indicates how high the animal's blood glucose has been over the last 7-14 days.
Serum fructosamine can also be used to differentiate diagnosis between stress hyperglycemia and true diabetes in dogs.
Your vet may also use the glocosylated hemoglobin level to help indicate the blood glucose level over the last two months. This test is very similar to an A1c test in human diabetics.
|
