We all love our pets, but life sure was easier before he/she turned diabetic. As the parent of a diabetic pet, it is natural to wonder if you could have done anything to prevent diabetes. For obese pets (particularly overweight cats who are at risk for type 2 diabetes), you certainly can improve the odds!
Controlling your […]
Dogs tend to “meal feed” rather than nibble all day long as cats often do. Of course, some dogs are nibblers, but most will gobble up what their people give them as a meal right away. Because dogs tend to “meal feed”, we often choose insulins for dogs that are shorter acting than the insulins we […]
Unfortunately, there have been few FDA approved insulins available for dogs and cats over the years. Eating patterns can affect which insulin is best for a pet.
Cats tend to be nibblers (eat a bit all day long), so longer acting insulins such as PZI and insulin glargine (Lantus) are popular choices by veterinarians for diabetic feline […]
The mainstay of home glucose monitoring for animals these days is with pet glucose meters. However, some pet owners are unwilling or physically unable to check their pet’s blood glucose in this manner. In these situations, we may use urine glucose monitoring. A veterinarian will not change the insulin doses based on […]
Traveling with pets isn’t always simple. Traveling with a diabetic pet is certainly feasible, but you will need to take a few extra steps in your trip planning.
Insulin should be refrigerated or kept cold. While a small cooler with ice or ice packs is easy to put together, maintaining the temperature inside of the cooler can […]
This article is part two in a series on Pet Glucose Monitoring at Home. To catch up, please read part one.
As a veterinarian I strongly encourage all pet owners with a diabetic pet to own a pet glucose meter. Blood glucose curves run […]
We monitor pet diabetes by serially checking a pet’s blood glucose levels before and after an injection of insulin. A glucose curve is performed to determine the correct dose of insulin to administer and also to see if the chosen insulin is working in a particular patient.
Ultimately, your veterinarian will be your best guide when it comes to properly choosing the insulin syringes you should be using when administering injections to your pet.
However, there are some basics all diabetic pet owners should know:
Let’s talk about insulin. Insulin is a hormone made in the pancreas that helps us metabolize food. It is used to transport sugar (glucose) into cells. We all need insulin to utilize energy from the foods we eat. Without insulin we would effectively starve, no matter how much we eat. There are many types of insulin […]
I think it is important that people with diabetic pets understand the big picture.
I will start from the beginning, as if your pet was just recently diagnosed with diabetes. You probably now know the signs of a hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) episode: excessive thirst, frequent urination in large volumes, weight loss, increased hunger, and often a […]