Posts tagged "feline diabetes"

Diabetes is a potentially deadly affliction for household cats that results from inadequate insulin secretion from the pancreas. As part of a Paw Nation series providing background about the medical problems your pet may suffer, we spoke to Dr. Jonathan Murray, DVM, ABVP and owner of Parker Veterinary Hospital in Charlotte, N.C., to get some insights about the condition. You should always consult your veterinarian before giving medication or supplements to your pet.

What are the signs that my cat has diabetes?
Diabetes occurs most often in middle aged to older cats (peak age of diagnosis is 9-11 years of age). It is most common in overweight cats, in some ways mimicking type II diabetes in humans. The most common signs of diabetes in the cat are increased water consumption, increased urination, and weight loss in the face of normal or increased appetite. In some cases, the disease can progress slowly, while in others it can come on quickly. In severe cases, a cat can develop a complication called ketoacidosis in which they will become very ill, stop eating, have vomiting, severe dehydration and death.

Wherein I try to get my pets to a healthy cat weight.

After finally accepting the fact that Tino and DeeDee must lose weight, I made an appointment with the obeasts' vet for advice on a game plan.

It had been a little over a year since the two had officially been weighed and I knew both had added on some chub. It wasn't until they got on the scale that it became obvious just how much had been added to their heft. DeeDee weighed in at over 19 pounds -- a pound or two up from last year. Tino, meanwhile, was over 18 pounds -- less than DeeDee, but considering he was 14 pounds just last year, that meant he'd put on about 30% of his body weight. Ruh-roh!

In medical terms: "That's insane," according to my vet.

Game Plan
I was asked, how much was I feeding them? Brace yourself. They split a can of wet food at night, and then have a "couple of scoops" of dry stuff throughout the day. My vet asked me how big a scoop was, then winced when I held up a one-cup measure. I was then informed that DeeDee and Tino should only be getting the canned food plus a 1/4 cup of dry food each. Oops!

I mentioned that Tino had been drinking more water than usual, so the vet tested his blood sugar, as weight gain and water drinking can be a sign of diabetes. Sure enough, his sugar was off the charts, meaning not only does Tino need to be on a diet, but he needs insulin injections and urine monitoring. Fun.

With this diagnosis, she recommended that the cats be switched to only wet food (a suggestion many of you made in the comments last week).

Health Stats
Diabetes is far from the only risk for fat cats. Veterinary researchers at Cornell University found that obese cats are also more likely to suffer from lameness due to arthritis or muscle injuries and non-allergic skin conditions. Read: Two things I'll have to be on the lookout for.

Even scarier? The report also found that fat cats are "twice as likely to die in middle age, which for cats is 6 to 12 years." Tino and DeeDee just turned 10, so they really have to pull it together! Diet starts today.