• Polyuria: Increased urine production due to water being pulled out of the body by excess sugar.
• Polydipsia: Increased thirst due to excess water loss in urine.
• Polyphagia: Ravenous Appetite. Although glucose is high in the blood, the body is unaware it’s there and tries to compensate by increasing appetite.
• Weight Loss: due to the fact the body can’t utilize any of its sugar and is breaking down other tissues.

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic hormonal disease. It occurs in both cats and dogs and results in a persistently high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia). There are two types of diabetes, Diabetes I and II. Virtually all dogs have type I, characterized by the pancreas producing no insulin. Most cats have type II, where the pancreas produces some insulin but not enough. This means that in cats, there is the potential for diabetes to resolve if the pancreas is able to improve its insulin-secreting ability. Good glucose control and proper diet can resolve diabetes in some lucky cats!

The cells of the body require a sugar known as glucose for food and they depend on the bloodstream to deliver it. The cells cannot, however, absorb and utilize glucose without a hormone known as insulin. Insulin is produced by the pancreas and can be considered to be a key that unlocks the door that separates our cells from the sugars in our bloodstream. Diabetes occurs when the cells of the body cannot receive glucose from the blood because there is little to no insulin being produced. The body is unable to detect the glucose and is fooled into thinking starvation is occurring. Protein, starch, and fat breakdown occur as in starvation.

Proteins and starches may be converted into glucose. Fat, however, requires different processing that can lead to the production of ketones rather than glucose. Ketones are another type of fuel that the body can use in a pinch but the detection of ketones indicates that something very wrong is happening in the patient's metabolism. Ketones may be detected in the urine of starving animals as massive fat mobilization is required for ketone formation. Ketones can also be detected in diabetic ketoacidosis, a severe complication of unregulated diabetes.

Diabetes Protocols in Cats

Diabetes Protocols in Dogs