What Is Diabetes?

The Causes and Risk Factors

The Signs

If your dog or cat does have diabetes, how do you recognize the signs? Symptoms of diabetes can develop gradually over time, such as the following:

• Frequent Urination - Also known as polyuria, frequent urination is an early warning sign of diabetes in both humans and pets. The excess glucose that builds up in your pet's blood ends up being too much for their kidneys to handle, so that excess sugar has to be released into their urine along with other fluids from their tissues. If you notice your pet's urine production has gone up throughout the day or that they are having accidents inside the house suddenly, this could be an indication of diabetes.
• Increased Thirst - Another classic symptom, increased thirst (known as polydipsia) comes hand-in-hand with frequent urination. The more your pet urinates the more dehydrated they will become. This dehydration also comes from the kidneys not being able to keep up with the backed up glucose in their blood.
• Increased Appetite - If your pet suddenly seems to be constantly starving despite no change in their diet, don't immediately blame it on the amount or type of food they eat. Dogs and cats with diabetes are extra hungry because the amino acids/glucose that their body needs aren't there or aren't being used properly.
• Sudden Weight Loss - Though your pet may be hungrier and eating more than normal, noticing that they are also experiencing a sudden weight loss is a prevalent symptom of diabetes because of an increased metabolism and/or their body's inability to get energy from the food they eat.
• Vomiting - If your pet's diabetes as progressed to the point of ketoacidosis before being diagnosed, vomiting is a common side effect.
• Weakness and/or Fatigue - An unusual lethargy and lack of energy in a customarily upbeat pet could be a sign that their cells are being deprived of blood sugar.
• Urinary Tract Infection - Urinary tract infections are common for pets with diabetes. This is because there is more sugar than there should be in the urine, allowing for a greater chance of bacterial growth in your pet's bladder.
• Kidney Failure - Most notably in cats, kidney failure is often one of the first diabetic diagnosis. This is due to the sugar that is not being retained in your pet's bloodstream entering into their urine, causing the kidneys to become overwhelmed with the extra sugar.

If you begin to notice some of these symptoms in your dog, contact your vet so they can be tested for diabetes before their condition worsens.