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Clinical

Diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats and its associated complications

02 September 2024
Clinical
9 mins read
02 September 2024
Volume 15 · Issue 7

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a complex endocrinopathy, with a pathogenesis that varies between individuals. Diabetes mellitus impairs the body's ability to produce or respond to the hormone insulin, resulting in abnormal metabolism of carbohydrates and elevated levels of glucose in the blood and urine. The aetiology and pathogenesis of the disease remains poorly understood. Diabetes mellitus is reported to occur as a result of the interplay between environmental and genetic factors. In veterinary medicine, human nomenclature of diabetic types cannot be applied as accurately to dogs and cats; however, both type 1 and type 2 diabetes do seem to occur. Classic clinical signs of polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia and weight loss result from protracted hyperglycaemia and glucosuria. Good management of diabetes mellitus is vital to minimise complications that are associated with this disease, and includes dietary measures, exercise, control of concurrent disease, oral hypoglycaemic drugs and/or insulin treatment. The goals of treatment are to eliminate signs and the life-threatening effects of hyperglycaemia. The aim of this article is to provide an overview of diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats and discuss the complications that can arise in the management of this disease.

Endocrine diseases make up a significant percentage of the chronic diseases that veterinarians diagnose and manage (Plummer et al, 2007). Diabetes mellitus is a complex endocrinopathy, with a pathogenesis that varies between individuals, and is associated with protracted hyperglycaemia due to loss or dysfunction of insulin secretion by pancreatic beta cells, diminished insulin sensitivity in tissues, or both. In the dog, beta-cell loss tends to be rapid and progressive, and is usually due to immune-mediated destruction, vacuolar degeneration or pancreatitis (Davison et al, 2003), while in the cat, loss or dysfunction of beta cells is the result of insulin resistance, islet amyloidosis or chronic lymphoplasmacytic pancreatitis (Goossens et al, 1998). This article provides an overview of diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats and discuss the complications that can arise in the management of this disease.

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Cats
Complications
Diabetes mellitus
Dogs
Endocrinopathy