Symptoms of Diabetes In Dogs

The adage, prevention is better than cure, is always best recommended. However, if your dog already has diabetes, early detection is the next best thing. Canine diabetes is known to be common among middle-aged dogs, but it may also afflict dogs of all ages. Now the question is, how do you detect this condition?

The answer: know its symptoms.

Below are the symptoms of canine diabetes. If you notice that your dog is showing one or two of these, you will do him good by having him checked by a vet.

1. Frequent urination

Do you notice your dog urinating more often than usual? It could be a symptom. You see, once a dog has diabetes, blood glucose is increased in abnormal levels. Sugar, when it goes down to the dog’s urinary tract, would increase the amount of urine and this is why the dogs pee more often if they have diabetes.

2. Extreme thirst

High levels of sugar or glucose in the blood can bring about thirst. If your dog seems to have an insatiable desire to drink water, then it should be a warning sign for diabetes.

3. Weight loss

If your dog appears to have a pretty good appetite and yet you notice that he is losing weight, it could be because of the aforementioned medical condition. This is because insulin production is lowered, and once this happens, normal digestion cannot take place.

4. Weakness and dullness

If your dog is afflicted with diabetes, he will feel weak. His coat would also appear dull and the eyes would look tired. He may want to just sleep all the time and he will not be as playful as he used to be.

5. Sweet breath

Due to the high levels of glucose in your dog’s body, it will manifest in his breath. While your dog’s breath should normally smell like “dog breath” (if you are a pet owner, you would know what this means), the occurrence of diabetes will cause his breath to smell sweet and sugar-ish.

6. Vomiting and shaking

A diabetic dog will often vomit. Moreover, if he becomes hypoglycemic, he might be shaking and may also lose consciousness. This can be extremely dangerous so medical attention should be sought immediately.

These are the usual symptoms of canine diabetes. If you notice that your dog exhibits these symptoms, get ahold of his veterinarian right away so that treatment will be given. If your dog does not get treated right away, it could be dangerous and as a responsible pet owner, you do not want to commit a fatal mistake.