To raise awareness for pet diabetes month, we’d like to take a look at how diabetes can affect your canine companion.

What is canine diabetes?

Sugar diabetes (medically known as diabetes mellitus) occurs if your dog’s pancreas stops producing enough insulin or if their body stops responding to insulin the way that it should. This has a direct impact on the concentration of glucose, or sugar, in your dog’s blood. Dogs tend to develop diabetes similar to type 1 diabetes in humans. The main difference is that diabetic dogs always require insulin treatment and cannot be treated adequately with human oral hypoglycemic medications.

Insulin affects how your dog’s body uses food. When your dog eats, carbohydrates are broken down into different sugars, one of which being glucose. Once in the bloodstream, glucose travels to different cells around the body and is converted into energy. However, if insulin isn’t present in your dog’s pancreas, this glucose won’t be able to enter cells and will build up in the bloodstream instead. As a result, a diabetic dog may want to eat constantly, but will appear malnourished.

How common is diabetes in dogs?

Canine diabetes is more common than you might think; anywhere between 1 in 100 to 1 in 500 dogs develops diabetes1. Those numbers are expected to increase even further as obesity in the UK’s canine population rises.

Which dogs are at risk of developing diabetes?

While any dog can develop diabetes, some qualities can make your furry friend more susceptible to the condition.

• Diabetes commonly affects middle-aged to older dogs (roughly between 4 and 14 years of age).
• Female dogs that haven’t been spayed are actually twice as likely as male dogs to develop diabetes.
• Certain breeds appear to be at greater risk of developing diabetes. This list includes cocker spaniels, dachshunds, doberman pinschers, german shepherds, golden retrievers, labrador retrievers, pomeranians, terriers, toy poodles, and keeshonds.

What are the signs of diabetes in dogs?

Knowing the signs of diabetes is the first step in protecting your dog’s health. If any of these signs describes your dog, speak with your vet about the possibility of diabetes:

• Drinks more water than usual (medically known as polydipsia)
• Produces large amounts of urine in a given period, such as per day (medically known as polyuria)
• Displays a good or increased appetite (medically known as polyphagia), but may be losing or not gaining weight
• Has cloudy eyes

How is diabetes in dogs diagnosed?

Diabetes is one of many conditions that can affect your dog and cause visible changes in behaviour as well as the above signs. A diagnosis of diabetes only becomes definite when glucose is found in the urine and at a persistently high concentration in the blood. When evaluating your dog for diabetes, your vet will:

• Ask if you’ve spotted any of these signs in your dog.
• Check your dog’s general health in the case that other conditions or infections are causing these signs.
• Test your dog’s urine for the presence of glucose and ketones and, if indicated, will then measure your dog’s blood glucose concentration.

How is diabetes in dogs managed?

The goal in managing diabetes is to keep glucose concentrations regulated, avoiding spikes and drops, and to reduce or eliminate the above signs of diabetes. Because each diabetic pet is different, your vet will need to help you determine which monitoring device, such as urine glucose (and ketone) test strips or blood glucose meters, will work best for you and your dog.

Controlling canine diabetes often requires once or twice daily insulin injections to restore your diabetic dog’s insulin level and manage blood glucose concentrations. Each diabetic dog’s requirements are different, so you will need to work with your vet to find the correct dose and treatment regimen.

Your dog’s diet will play an important role in regulating their diabetes. Ideally, they should be fed exactly the same diet every day and at the same time of day. This diet should include a source of good-quality protein, measured amounts of complex carbohydrates, and dietary fibre, and is usually low in fat. Overall, a palatable and nutritious diet that minimises fluctuations in glucose levels and helps your dog maintain a healthy weight is important for managing diabetes. Your vet can recommend a diet that’s best suited to the needs of your dog.

It’s best to create a consistent exercise routine for a diabetic dog to avoid sudden changes in energy (glucose) requirements. If you’re concerned about the amount of exercise your diabetic dog needs, consult with your vet.

Regular veterinary check-ups help identify changes in your pet’s condition. With a chronic condition like diabetes, it is important to stay in close touch with your vet. You can rely on them to answer all of your questions and help you as you learn to manage your dog’s diabetes successfully.

Do you have a feline friend too? Check out our discussion about diabetes in cats.

Our articles are not a replacement for face-to-face vet advice. It’s important to consult with your vet on a regular basis to raise any pet concerns that you may have.

1 Panciera DL, Thomas CB, Eicker SW, Atkins CE. Epizootiologic patterns of diabetes mellitus in cats: 333 cases (1980–1986). J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1990;197(11):1504–1508.