DIABETES
Diabetes mellitus ("sugar diabetes") is a disease caused by an insulin deficiency. Insulin is a hormone produced by
the pancreas (a gland next to the stomach) and is necessary to convert blood sugar into a more useful form of
energy for the body. Without insulin replacement, serious changes occur in the pet that lead to further illness and
eventual death. There is no cure for diabetes. On rare occasions some cats with diabetes will spontaneously get
better (the reason for this is not known). For most pets treatment is usually lifelong and critical for the pet's
survival. Humans can have certain types of diabetes that are controllable with pills or special diets. Unfortunately,
this type of diabetes is rare in cats and does not occur in dogs.
Dogs and cats usually need daily injections of insulin to maintain an otherwise healthy life.
HOME CARE:
[1] Exercise: Allow your pet to determine how active he/she will be. The important fact to
remember is to be consistent every day. Heavy exercise affects blood sugar and
insulin requirements. If you allow your pet to run around for many hours over the
weekend when he/she would normally not be that active you may find it more
frustrating and difficult to regulate the insulin dosage. On the other hand consistent
amounts of exercise actually makes diabetes control easier.
[2] Diet:
Normally, the body monitors the amount of sugar in the blood at each moment and
determines how much insulin the pancreas should produce. Since you can only
"guess" the blood sugar level at home (utilizing urine measurements) you must
carefully regulate how your pet eats. When you feed and what you feed is more
important than the amount that you feed. The food regulation seems to cause pet
owners the most problems. A high fiber diet (such as HiFactor) is very helpful in
helping to lower the pet's insulin need.
1 DOGS should receive a small meal (1/3 of the normal daily amount) in the
morning and the main meal 6-8 hours later. The graph (below) illustrates that when
you give a shot of insulin it may take from 4-8 hours before it reaches full effect.
The "main meal" concept is to try to make food available to the pet when the insulin
is at its peak. There absolutely cannot be any in-between-meal snacks, biscuits, or
people food at other times.
2 CATS should be fed a "free-choice" diet of dry food since their eating habits
differ from dogs.
If you stray from this feeding regimen you may create problems with the control of
your pet's diabetes. Adherence to these guideline will make treatment of this
condition much easier as well as provide a complete and well-balanced diet.
[3] Urine Testing:
[4] Insulin:
Every morning you should test your dog's urine using the KetoDiastik strips. Cat owners will not need to test the urine. If your pet
is a male dog this is very simple because of their urinating habits. As
he raises the leg or semi-squats simply catch a small amount of urine
in a pie pan. A cup attached to a broomstick also works well. The
pan works the best for the female dog. Another trick is to train the
dog to urinate on concrete. The dipstick test can then easily be
performed before you hose down the area.
 There are 2 color pads on the end of the test strip. The top
one measures sugar levels and is the most important. Note the
color of the pad (after 30 seconds). Use the information
provided to determine the amount of insulin your pet needs for
the current day. The bottom color pad measures ketones. If this pad
turns color (after 15 seconds) two days in a row you should notify
the doctor, as changes in treatment may be needed.
The doctor or veterinary technician will show you how to use the syringe and medication.
USE THE FOLLOWING SCALE TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF INSULIN YOUR PET NEEDS:
URINE GLUCOSE (color value of top pad on the strip)
ADJUST DOSAGE OF INSULIN
NEGATIVE ................ ........................ ........................ ............
3 DECREASE ___ UNITS
1/10 %(TRACE) ......... ........................ ........................ ............
4 NO CHANGE FROM YESTERDAY
1/4 % (1+) ................... ........................ ........................ ............
5 INCREASE ___ UNITS
1/2 % (2+) ................... ........................ ........................ ............
6 INCREASE ___ UNITS
1 % (3+) .................... ........................ ........................ ............
7 INCREASE ___ UNITS
2 % (4+) .................... ........................ ........................ ............
8 INCREASE ___ UNITS
9 Your beginning dosage is ____ units.
At first you may find all of this very difficult and confusing but as times goes by you will be surprised at how easy
it can be to give your pet the life saving insulin injections. During the first few weeks we expect to hear from you
often, sometimes daily. This is normal, don't feel embarrassed. We are happy to answer your questions and go over
the details as much as it takes so that you are comfortable with what is required.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
1. What if my pet refuses to eat? ..................... ........................
2. What if I can not get a urine sample? .......... ........................
3. What if I am not sure I gave all of the injection? .................
4. What if my pet gets hold of food other than the regular? ....
5. What if I forget to give the injection at the regular time? ....
6. What if my pet starts to shake, appears weak or wobbly? ...
7. What if my pet is seizuring and cannot swallow? ................
8. Can I use the same needle more than once? ............ no
9. Do I have to keep the insulin refrigerated?.. ........................
give Nutrical, honey or anything "tasty"
give the same dosage of insulin as yesterday
give 1 extra unit only
you're ok but don't make a habit of it
an occasional missed day is not a crisis
give Nutrical, honey or food immediately.
squeeze honey into the mouth after the fit stops
yes