Recognizing The Signs Of Diabetes In Your Dog
Dogs share most of our lives with us - our laughter, our suffering, our beds, our hearts and conditions like diabetes. Although treating diabetes in humans or dogs can be costly, it is an effective means of keeping you and your pet not only alive, but living a good quality of life. One of the best, kindest and most economical ways of managing your diabetes or the diabetes of your dog is to learn and recognize the signs of diabetes.
Signs Or Symptoms?
Vets usually will ask you about the signs of diabetes in your dog rather than the symptoms. Signs refer to the actions you observe - symptoms are when the patient complains about specific problems. Since most dogs don't talk, your vet won't get many symptoms out of them. Those that do talk do not want to see the vet and will lie. Therefore, it is up to you to tell the vet:
when the signs of diabetes started
if your dog is on many other medications
what breed or breeds your dog is
bring an inoculation certificate, if you can, when visiting an emergency vet who may not have access to your normal vet's records
When the life of your dog is on the line, vets will not quibble over the use of "signs" for "symptoms", but when they talk to you about "signs of diabetes", at least you know exactly what they mean.
What To Watch Out For
The flashing red neon signs of diabetes in your dog are:
Always at the water bowl
Always trying to eat - even more than usual
Sudden weight loss you can't explain
Peeing a lot more than usual
Diabetes in dogs, just like in humans, will not go away if left alone. Your dog needs to go to the vet. Failure to do so can result in a cruelty to animal charge for not rendering aid to a sick animal (the severity of penalty varies where you live). Your dog will repay your vet bills with years of devotion, listening to you complain and being always glad to see you.
Your dog will need blood tests for the rest of his or her life, in order to monitor the effectiveness of the insulin injections. Yes, your dog will need insulin injections. You will be able to learn to give injections, because you won't have any choice. Needles made today are a lot thinner and less painful than those made years ago.
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