Natural Pet Health

Cats are one of the most popular pets in North America. They are loving pets, capable of providing you years of companionship. Like other pets, cats can sometimes get sick. There are several different types of ailments that cats can get, one of which is feline diabetes. Feline diabetes is a serious disease, although it can be treated by a veterinarian.

Diabetes is more common with humans than with cats or other animals. The cause of diabetes is actually quite simple. Sugar, or glucose, is found in the blood. The level of blood sugar in the body or the animal is kept under control by hormone insulin, which the pancreas produces. When the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, diabetes is to blame.

Diabetes Mellitus is characterized by excessive urination and thirst. It is a metabolic disorder marked by a relative or absolute deficiency of insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas. There is no major variation in the incidence of diabetes in cats and dogs but recent figures reveal that the condition is becoming more common in cats. Roughly 5% to 20% of cases of diabetes in cats are type 1 classifications and the rest experience type 2.

Both type 1 and type 2 have similar symptoms and consequences but have different causes. The end cause in both types is the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin to prevent hyperglycemia (elevated sugar levels). Type 1 diabetes is often caused due to autoimmune responses that destroy the beta cells of pancreas, which produce insulin. Although some disability of beta cells is necessary for type 2 diabetes, it is basically characterized by insulin resistance of the target tissue.

Diabetes in cats is the second most common endocrinal disease after hyperthyroidism. It is a condition in which blood sugar levels are high due to the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin, the hormone responsible for regulating storage of glycogen in the liver. In another type of diabetes, the cells become resistant to the effect of insulin leading to a high blodd sugar level in the body.

Symptoms of diabetes in cats are usually subdued, such as increased urination and thirst, and the condition, more often than not, is diagnosed after blood tests reveal high levels of sugar in the blood. Although administering insulin is only about half the treatment, the selection of the appropriate insulin for your cat involves a large amount of hard work and experience.

All cells in the body need glucose for energy. There is a typical method by which glucose enters the cells. Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas that signals the opening of a ‘door’ so that glucose can enter the cell. Any disruption in this mechanism means that cells do not get the energizing glucose that they need and excess glucose remains in the blood stream. This results in high blood glucose levels.

Inflammation of the pancreas is a primary cause of diabetes in cats , dogs and humans as well. Type 1 diabetes is the inability of the pancreas to produce sufficient insulin. Type 2 diabetes is a combination of a similar problem as in type 1 diabetes accompanied by a condition known as insulin resistance.

It is not only the human kind that can develop diabetes. Even our beloved pets, no matter how well we care for them, can develop diabetes.

This is often a scary situation for the pet owner and the first question that is usually asked of the veterinarian is -will my pet need to be put to sleep-

Of course this is a difficult issue and the answer may vary on the overall age and health of your pet.

Many older pets that are diagnosed with diabetes go on to live many more happy years, but this takes commitment and close care of your pet.

Diabetic cats and dogs can live just as long as perfectly healthy pet if the diabetes is diagnosed and treated properly by both the veterinarian and the owner.

While you may not mind a bi-monthly or quarterly visit to the veterinarian for check ups, the matter does not end there if the symptoms of diabetes in cats and dogs have been confirmed and the pet shows high blood sugar levels.

Treating diabetes is a long process that sometimes may last a life time. If your pet has been diagnosed for diabetes, there is a strong possibility that you will be required to take care of the pet at home. Home care of a diabetic pet involves monitoring blood sugar levels and injecting insulin on a daily basis. This necessitates the need for some expertise in checking blood sugar and injecting insulin.

Some of the important aspects of caring for your diabetic cat at home include understanding:

* Symptoms of diabetes in cats
* Timings and regularity of check ups
* Quality, amount and timing of meals
* Testing blood sugar levels at home and making a blood glucose curve
* Regularity of insulin injections and the manner in which to inject them
* Type of insulin to be used and the right syringe to inject it with
* The manner in which changes in diet and type of insulin should be made

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease of the pancreas that affects the body’s ability to control its blood sugar levels. The pancreas is responsible for producing a hormone called insulin which keeps blood sugar levels balanced.

Glucose is produced from the breaking down of starches and carbohydrates. It is absorbed through the wall of the digestive tract and passes into the bloodstream.

Insulin allows glucose to leave the bloodstream and enter the body’s tissue where it is then used as energy for the cells. With diabetes, the body either produces insufficient quantities of insulin or does not utilize insulin effectively. Glucose then builds up in the bloodstream and causes an elevated blood sugar level.

If left untreated, feline diabetes like diabetes in all animals and humans can lead to complications. The complications that arise may be difficult and in some cases, impossible to treat. Continuous and abnormally high levels of blood sugar, hyperglycemia, can adversely affect the nerves, kidneys, retina and bones leading to complicated diseases.

Diet plays as important a role as drugs and insulin injections in treating diabetes in cats. Actually, diet control and management must be concomitant to medication. It is futile to expect medication as a standalone treatment to provide an effective cure for diabetes.

Diabetes is a condition where the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin for regulating glycogen and oxidizing sugar. There is always some amount of glucose in the food that you feed your cat. If the intake is not regulated, there can be no limit to the amount of exogenous insulin that the cat may require to process the glucose.