Just as diabetes is usual in people, it can also develop in our precious pets. It’s a condition where the body doesn’t process insulin, or it cannot react correctly to the insulin it produces. Diabetes hinders the body’s processing and production of blood sugar (glucose), the primary energy source for the brain, muscles, and tissues.
As we proceed, we’ll discuss the symptoms of diabetes in dogs so we can give immediate treatments to them if they get detected with the stated illness.
How Do I Know My Dog Has Diabetes?
Though diabetes is not curable, it can still be managed with the right care and treatment so your canine can continue living Healthily and happily. Early detection is essential to increasing their survival rate even with the said condition. Here are five signs of diabetes in pets you should keep an eye out for.
1. Frequent urination
If your dog nudges you more often just to go outdoors to pee, it could suggest that they are struggling with diabetes. Frequent urination is referred to as polyuria by veterinarians and is a typical reason for pet owners to have their furry friends evaluated in animal centers. When your pet’s blood sugar spills from the bloodstream into their urine, it pulls water, causing them to urinate more than usual.
2. Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs)
Older female dogs and diabetic ones experience UTIs more often than the general population. Secondary to diabetes, canines usually develop infections in their urinary tract. This often happens due to the increased sugar (in their urine), producing breeding grounds for germs to reside in the dog’s bladder.
Chronic bladder infections can be annoying in female canines. Instead of using prescription antibiotics to treat them with the stated condition, which can also threaten their kidneys, sometimes the treatment for UTIs might be surgery. To know whether surgery is the most effective treatment for your dog’s condition, you may inquire in facilities like Newtown Veterinary Specialists for surgery to learn more.
3. Non-healing wounds
One indication that your pet has diabetes is their non-healing injuries. Like diabetic humans, canines are at higher threat of infection caused by impaired wound recovery. However, non-healing wounds might also indicate cancer as it is also one of the noticeable indications.
If you’ve read about the frequent signs of cancer and observed it in your pets, it’s a good idea to have them examined by professionals specializing in veterinary oncology in Newtown to prevent their condition from getting worse.
4. Cloudy-looking eyes and vision difficulties
Diabetic dogs develop cataracts as a result of long-term complications. Moreover, they are also in greater danger of loss of sight since diabetic cataracts can cause visual impairments. Vision loss and cataract development might happen rapidly or over extended periods.
Since the loss of sight is mostly connected with diabetes, it’s required to have your pet take a diabetes test before going to professionals that specialize in treating eye disorders in cats for a surgical operation. Since some vision loss can still be fixed with surgeries carried out by pet ophthalmologists, it’s essential to treat your diabetic pet first for successful and safe surgical treatment.
5. Increased thirst
If you notice your dog drinking water almost endlessly, it could indicate something serious like diabetes. If you are uninformed of this, you might think it’s because your dog urinates more frequently, so they drink water more than usual. However, if you notice this in your pets and they haven’t been active like usual, bring them to a veterinarian straight away to be inspected.