Diabetes Mellitus & Seizures in Dogs
According to "Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook," older, overweight dogs are especially prone to developing diabetes mellitus or "sugar diabetes." Diabetic dogs need to be treated before they risk going into seizures.
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Identification
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Diabetic seizures vary from dog to dog. They can range from an uncontrollable shaking to the dog becoming unconscious and the entire body going into spasms.
Significance
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"Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook" points out canine diabetic seizures are a sign that the condition has advanced. Dogs in early stages will be incredibly thirsty and urinate more often than usual.
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Warning
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Diabetes is not the only reason that a dog develops seizures, so a proper diagnosis is crucial. Dogs can also get seizures from epilepsy, injuries, poisoning, Cushing's disease and kidney failure.
Causes
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Seizures are caused by diabetes in dogs because of damage to internal organs that are not able to process glucose (blood sugar) and also may be because of dehydration and malnutrition in advanced cases.
Overdose
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Insulin made from pigs is used to treat canine diabetes. But, according to veterinarian Dr. Leah Cohn, if the dog goes into a seizure after an insulin injection, then it is suffering from insulin overdose brought on by low blood glucose.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Jose Roberto V. Moraes
