Pet of the month for august goes to this handsome boy, Toby!
Toby was unfortunately diagnosed with diabetes a few months ago. Toby now has to visit us regularly for monitoring, this includes checking his blood glucose levels- to make sure they are sitting within the correct range of 4.4-6.6 mmol/L. At the beginning we have to test his glucose more often, until we find a dose that suits him, from there we do 4 monthly checks. He has been a trooper so far!
Diabetes mellitus is a condition in which the body cannot properly produce or respond to the hormone insulin. This results in elevated levels of the sugar glucose in the blood, which is the main source of energy for the body.
Symptoms of diabetes include
- Excessive urination
- Excessive thirst
- Excessive appetite
- Weight loss
In diabetic dogs, cataracts can also be a serious symptom. A specific type of cataract rapidly develops in the eye when high amounts of glucose enter the lens. Glucose normally feeds the lens, but the amounts of glucose coming into a lens in the diabetic state are much higher. Excess glucose is converted to another sugar called sorbitol, which in turn attracts water. The excess water disrupts the clarity of the lens, creating a diabetic cataract, which leads to blindness in almost all diabetic dogs. Thankfully for Toby, he does not show any signs of this.
We would like to say a big thank you to his owner Sharon, for being amazing and going above and beyond to make sure he is getting the right treatment. She has been injection him twice daily and is monitoring his food/water intake, giving him the best chance of comfort.