Signs & Symptoms of Puppy Diabetes
Diabetes mellitus, also known as sugar diabetes, is rare in young dogs, but if your dog displays any of the following signs and symptoms, you should consult with your veterinarian to diagnose and treat this disease.
-
Causes
-
Diabetes is a result of insufficient amounts of insulin in the body. In dogs, it typically occurs after 5 years of age, but when it occurs in young dogs, it's often because of a birth defect in which the pancreas is malformed. It can also be due to puppy diseases such as parvovirus.
Lethargy
-
Lack of insulin means that glucose cannot get into the body's cells to provide energy. Diabetic puppies will often exhibit tiredness and a desire to sleep.
-
Excessive Thirst
-
Puppies with diabetes will crave water.
Frequent Urination
-
High blood sugar levels cause a decrease in water retention and therefore an increase in water elimination. That means more peeing.
Failure to Thrive
-
Puppies with diabetes often lose weight despite being continuously hungry. The body burns muscle to compensate for the lack of glucose for energy.
-
More Like This
Comments
-
My 6mth springer spaniel ran straight into a goal post at our local park a few weeks ago and almost overnight his eyes clouded, vet first thought it was retnas detached, sent to specialise who said cataracts, but practically overnight this happened, set for eye surgery 3 weeks time, today my puppy was very lethargic and sleepy, back to vet who did bloods and sent us home, at tea time tonight they call to get him to them asap as his blood sugar was 38.5.Very very rare for a pup to have both problems at a young age, He is stable and responding well tonight but I so worry for his long term health and enjoyment in life.Wonder fi anyone else has had this type of thing with a pup of such a young age.He showed no sign of extra drinking or weeing, but had lost about 4kg in ten days since his collision with goal post.
