What is diabetes?
Diabetes in cats is a pancreatic disease glands. This is a small organ located near the stomach, which has two different types of cells that perform different functions. The first type of cell produces enzymes necessary for proper digestion of food. The second type, the so-called beta cells, produce the hormone insulin, which regulates glucose levels and blood sugar and controls its delivery to body tissues. In simple words, diabetes is caused by insulin deficiency. Clinical signs of diabetes are associated with elevated concentrations blood glucose and the inability of the body to use glucose in as a source of energy.
What types of diabetes can cats have?
Diabetes mellitus is usually divided into 2 types.
Type 1 diabetes is the result of complete or almost complete destruction of beta cells. This type of diabetes is quite rare in cats.
Type 2 diabetes is different that some insulin-producing cells remain. Nonetheless, insulin is not enough and cat tissue is relatively resistant to it. Obesity in Cats is Major predisposing factor to the development of type 2 diabetes, which most common.
How often is diabetes in cats?
Diabetes is the second most common endocrine disease in cats, which develops in approximately one of four hundred animals. Most often diabetes develops in middle age and old age, and more common in cats than in cats. However, the exact frequency is unknown, but the amount diabetic cats grow at an alarming rate due to the increase the number of cats overweight and obese. It is important to note that a cat overweight of 1.5 kg is considered obese. This means that the average domestic cat that weighs 6 kg and more has a higher risk of developing a second diabetes type.
What are the clinical signs of diabetes?
The most common signs of diabetes in cats are increased water intake and urination. Frequent symptom also is weight loss and increased appetite in some cats. Due to the nature of cats, these symptoms may go unnoticed, especially in the early stages of the disease. If a cat spends a lot outdoors, she can drink from many sources water, including ponds and pools. Cats that eat canned food or wet feeds get large amounts of water from their diet and increased water consumption will be less, which may also complicate the definition of symptoms.
How is diabetes diagnosed?
Diagnosis of diabetes in cats is based on clinical signs of persistently high glucose concentrations in blood and the presence of glucose in the urine. However, the diagnosis cannot be put on only one blood and urine test, as some other diseases, in particular severe stress, can also cause a short-term increase in glucose levels. therefore diabetes confirmation may require more than one blood test, made with an interval of one to five days, or using a specialized test of fructosamine in serum.
Treatment for diabetes in cats
Diabetes in cats is treatable in some cases. Although this may require prolonged treatment. First steps treatments may include the removal of any underlying causes diabetes. For example, the use of certain drugs predisposes cats to diabetes and the withdrawal of these drugs may lead to resolution of the problem. Obese cats are more prone to diabetes and weight loss in some of them can lead to to the complete disappearance of symptoms.
All cats with diabetes benefit from a well-balanced diet high-content diets also benefit many cats protein and low in carbohydrates. Low diet carbohydrates reduces the amount of glucose that is absorbed from gastrointestinal tract, and reduces the need for insulin.
If there are no causes predisposing to diabetes or correction will not resolve diabetes, specific treatment not required. Although a small fraction of cats will respond well for oral hypoglycemic drugs, for most cats diabetes control will require regular insulin injections.
In the initial stages of treatment, your cat may need several visits to the doctor until the appropriate dosage of insulin. When you enter one or two injections of insulin in most cats stabilize during the day a few days to a few weeks. Very injectable narrow needles that do not cause pain in cats, and for a short time, this procedure becomes routine. Your vet will determine the appropriate dosage and type of insulin that suits your cat.
Do cats receiving treatment need regular monitoring? at the vet?
Yes, it is important to control the treatment, to make sure that it works correctly and to determine if an adjustment is needed doses of insulin. The observation also includes periodic surrender blood samples.
To collect valuable information and possible treatment adjustments It is important to keep the following records daily:
- Insulin injection time
- Insulin injection dose
- quantity and time of feeding
- amount of water consumed
- And measure your cat’s weight weekly
In some cases, it is recommended to take an analysis periodically. urine, it’s best to do this in the morning. To collect urine, you can replace conventional cat litter in specially designed cat litter granules that I will not absorb urine. If your vet detect a significant change in the amount of glucose in the urine, then this may indicate a need to change the dose of insulin, but you should never change the dose of insulin without prior coordination with the veterinarian.
What happens if a cat gets too much insulin?
If the cat receives too much insulin, this can lead to lowering blood sugar to dangerously low levels. By this the reason to choose the right dose of insulin is very necessary Caution.
Typical symptoms of cats with low blood sugar are weakness, lethargy, trembling, shakiness and even cramps. If a diabetic cat shows any of these symptoms, it’s important Seek advice from your veterinarian immediately. In mild cases hypoglycemia, you can observe a staggering or “drunk” gait and the cat may not respond if you call her.
In cases of mild or early stage of hypoglycemia, you should give about a tablespoon of honey, sugar or corn syrup directly into the mouth. If your cat shows more severe symptoms, such as ataxia or severe discoordination, instability when walking or cramping, then you should immediately consult a veterinarian. The vet will be able to advise you on specific emergency measures for low blood sugar at your cat.
