Pets, like people, often suffer from various ailments and more serious pathologies. If a pet is already not young or is not eating properly, then do not be surprised that he has health problems.
Diabetes mellitus in dogs is not as common as in humans. But this does not mean that pet owners do not face a similar problem. Therefore, it is important that the owner of the four-legged one knows the norm of blood sugar in dogs, as well as the symptoms of a possible pathology. This will help to avoid numerous problems. Therefore, we consider this topic in more detail.
general information
A decrease or increase in blood sugar can be observed for several reasons. For example, an animal may have experienced severe stress, malnutrition for a long time, or suffering from an infectious disease. However, pet owners are most likely to have diabetes.
Just like in humans, the symptoms of this disease appear quite often in dogs. It is quite difficult to treat. But this does not mean that the pet cannot carry out normal life activities.
Dog Blood Sugar: Normal
The use of a large number of sweet foods negatively affects not only glucose indicators, but also the digestion of the animal. Therefore, veterinarians have repeatedly warned that feeding dogs with chocolate can lead to the most sad consequences.
If you treat the pet with sweets for a long time, then the blood sugar level in dogs may rise too much. This will lead to poor appetite, deterioration of the teeth. Against this background, digestive problems will begin. As a result, a four-legged pet will be diagnosed with diabetes.
If we talk about what kind of sugar in the dog is normal, then the average figure is 5.5 mmol per liter of blood. It can be increased or decreased by 0.5 units. However, do not panic ahead of time. Sometimes the indicators jump, as the result may be inaccurate due to the stress of the pet. Therefore, usually doctors conduct several studies at once.
When the sugar level in dogs is greatly exceeded, most often it is diabetes. However, in this case we are talking about indicators that can reach up to 30 mmol / l.
Predisposition to the disease
As a rule, animals older than 7 years suffer from the disease. Also, blood sugar in dogs is more often diagnosed in females than in cables. In 95% of cases, this occurs in unsterilized tetrapods. In this case, the animal is more susceptible to pancreatitis and overweight.
If we talk about which breeds are most susceptible to diabetes, then at risk are Spitz, dachshunds and dwarf poodles. Also in recent years, doctors began to note the appearance of this ailment in scotch terriers.
Causes of diabetes
In this case, problems usually arise in the same way as in humans. Therefore, an increased norm of blood sugar in dogs is most often observed against the background of malfunctions in the endocrine system. The food contains a certain amount of glucose, which, when cleaved in the gastrointestinal tract, saturates the body with the necessary energy.
However, this component is not able to be absorbed by all cells. Therefore, insulin is necessarily involved in the process. It is produced by the pancreas and helps the body absorb glucose.
Sometimes it happens that insulin is produced in insufficient quantities. This leads to the fact that some cells begin to starve without glucose. Partial death of the cellular material occurs. The animal’s health is gradually starting to worsen. As glucose stops being delivered to the cells (which need insulin) in the right amount, more harm is done to the dog.
From here it is a logical conclusion - the pancreas does not work to the extent that is required of it. This causes cellular atrophy.
Symptomatology
If the dog's sugar norm is exceeded, this can be determined by characteristic signs. First of all, the animal becomes very lethargic. The dog does not show interest in toys, behaves too calmly during walks, constantly sleeps and prefers to be in a lying position.
Also, the animal may suffer from:
- Increased thirst. This leads to the fact that the dog begins to constantly urinate.
- Increase appetite. One gets the feeling that you don’t put how much food the dog will have;
- A sharp increase in weight. It may even reach obesity.
- Numbness of the paws. Suddenly, the animal may begin to limp.
- Cataracts It is easy to identify by the whitening lens in the eye.
- Deterioration of the quality of the coat and skin.
In addition, increased sugar in dogs can manifest itself in a rather strong smell from the jaws of the animal. This occurs against the background of ketoacidosis. Such a pathology can gradually develop due to a failure in metabolic processes. Instead of glucose, the animal’s body begins to actively process fats. They undergo a cleavage process and are converted into organic components called ketones. In fact, we can say that this is acetone. Ketones provoke oxidative processes. This causes an upset stomach and an unpleasant aroma from the mouth.
Diagnosis and symptoms
It is worth noting that, in addition to standard signs, an elevated blood sugar level in a dog can be determined by the less rare symptoms. If the above features of the manifestation of the ailment are found only partially, then you still need to visit a specialist. He should also check the blood and urine of the animal, including the presence of acetone.
If the blood sugar exceeds 6 mmol / l, then there is a high probability that the pet is suffering from diabetes. However, it is additionally recommended to do an ECG and an x-ray. Also, veterinarians often take hormonal tests and perform ultrasound.
Such a number of procedures is not due to the fact that doctors are trying to get a lot of money out of dog owners. The thing is that some of the symptoms described above can occur with a number of other pathologies and age-related ailments.
For example, if the animal began to drink too much, then perhaps it has problems with the kidneys. Increased appetite may indicate that the dog is suffering from worms. Cataracts also do not always develop only against the background of diabetes. Often such problems occur in elderly animals, as well as in those who have suffered from an injury to the visual organ or an infectious disease.
Numbness of the extremities is often associated with problems of the central nervous system. Often sugar rises sharply if the animal is under extreme stress.
Disease development
If you do not pay attention to alarming symptoms in a timely manner, then there is a risk that diabetes mellitus (if any) will begin to progress. At first, the dog’s organs will compensate for components that they don’t fully receive. But if you do not start treatment, then the liver will cease to cope with the processing of blood, which contains an increased volume of ketone bodies. This can lead to the death of a pet.
Treatment
Do not look for ways to lower your dog’s blood sugar, on your own. Such treatment can only do more harm. Diabetes mellitus takes the form of a chronic disease, and the main goal of treatment should be to control negative symptoms. It is also important to prevent the subsequent development of pathology.
Reducing blood sugar is also important in order for the animal to feel better. However, the majority of sugar-lowering drugs at the wrong dosage lead to a strong decrease in glucose. It is no less dangerous for the animal. Therefore, the course of treatment should be developed individually. Additionally, the doctor develops a diet. A balanced diet has an additional beneficial effect, so the owner of the animal should closely monitor what is in the pet's bowl.
It is also important not to get mad at the dog if she constantly asks for a toilet. This is not a whim, but a need that must be fulfilled. It is very important to ensure that the dog always has enough water to drink.
Medicines
To restore the water balance of cells, specialists usually prescribe the following drugs:
- "Pituirin." It is administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly. Dosage is prescribed only by a doctor.
- Adiurekrin. It is introduced through the nose of the animal.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes. Necessary for the overall strengthening of the body.
If the situation is very difficult, then the animal can be hospitalized. Often treatment is carried out in a hospital setting.
Insulin use
Since this component is not enough in the pet’s body, it’s quite logical if the doctor prescribes it. However, insulin should be used very carefully. Such treatment is divided into several stages. First of all, the condition of the four-legged patient is stabilized. After that, it is important to maintain a normal sugar content. Therefore, you need to be prepared for the fact that insulin will be necessary for the dog for the rest of his life. Nevertheless, this drug is able to maintain the normal functioning of the pet.
In some situations, it may be necessary to stabilize the acid-base balance in the animal. For this, insulin has also been used successfully. Usually the course of treatment is short.
Since insulin will need to be periodically injected into the dog on its own, the pet owner must learn how to inject. Also, the doctor should familiarize him with the rules for storing drugs. If you follow all the recommendations, you can forget about such a problem as diabetes, and give your beloved dog many years of a happy life.