INDUSTRY INSIGHT
VETERINARY SERVICES
Diabetes Mellitus
SPONSORED CONTENT
of Dogs and Cats
By Tracey Peterson, DVM, DACVIM
Internal Medicine Specialist at Pittsburgh Veterinary
Specialty and Emergency Center (PVSEC)
T
he initial clinical signs are innocent enough. Brittany, your five-year-
old maltese, urinated in the living room. She has always been well
house-trained so this is puzzling. Now that you think about it, you have
noticed that you are refilling her water bowl more frequently. Maybe it’s the
hot weather or maybe she’s stressed about the home renovations. She is
still active and interactive. Her appetite is still good. In fact, her appetite is
great. She never misses a meal and is more eager for treats than she ever has
been. This goes on for a few weeks. She has more accidents in the house. You
just can’t seem to keep her water dish full. Even though she has a ravenous
appetite, you notice that somehow, some way, Brittany appears to be losing
weight. Increased water consumption and urination frequency with weight
loss in the face of a normal-to-increased appetite are all telling signs that
Brittany has developed diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin
for the body’s daily requirements. Insulin is the hormone required to move
glucose from the blood into the cells where it is used for energy. Without
insulin, regardless of the caloric intake, the body’s tissues are in a constant
state of