Complications of Feline Diabetes

Feline diabetes can have many complications. Skin problems, liver and kidney damage, weakness in your kitty's legs, and an increased risk of infections are possible. It's important to monitor your furry friend's blood sugar levels carefully every day to prevent these problems.



Your kitty develops this disease when his pancreas either doesn't produce enough insulin, or when his body doesn't use insulin efficiently. The lack of insulin causes his body to start breaking down his own fat and protein for energy, instead of the starches and carbohydrates in his food. This causes him to lose weight, even though he's eating more. His body tries to flush out the extra sugar in his blood by making him drink more, and this leads to increased urination.



Feline diabetes, if not treated, will certainly shorten your friend's lifespan. Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) is a potentially fatal condition that's caused when your kitty's body uses his fat for energy. The result is that acids called ketones are produced. When they circulate in the blood, ketones cause loss of appetite, nausea, and lethargy.



DKA is often a result of undiagnosed diabetes. This is an emergency, and your furry friend needs immediate veterinary care with IV fluids to stabilize him. Diabetic neuropathy in cats may be an early sign of this disease in your kitty. It can also show up in later stages. Weakness in his back legs is a result of nerve damage caused by high blood glucose levels. Your kitty will walk or stand with his hocks (the "elbows" of his back legs) touching the ground.



If your buddy had this disease for a long time before it was controlled, he may lose some function in his back legs, due to the nerve damage. But sometimes the weakness in his legs is called by muscle wasting from disuse. In this case, exercise is helpful, and it can reduce his dependence on insulin.



Hepatic lipidosis is a liver disease that is a serious complication. Overweight kitties seem to develop this problem more often. When your buddy stops eating for whatever reason, his body starts using his fat for energy. If too much fat is broken down, it builds up in his liver, causing it to swell. Symptoms of hepatic lipidosis include refusing to eat, vomiting, weight loss, lethargy, and jaundice. Your kitty may have a yellowish look to the whites of his eyes, his gums, and the insides of his ears.



Trying to get him to eat is essential. Your vet may have to put in a feeding tube if he won't eat anything. While this condition is usually fatal if it's not treated, most kitties do recover after tube feeding.



Vomiting and diarrhea and other stomach upsets are common with diabetic kitties. Pancreatitis, which is a painful inflammation of the pancreas, can lead to maldigestion syndrome. In this condition, the pancreas doesn't produce enough digestive enzymes. Your kitty can't digest the food he eats, and he can starve, even though he's eating.



Your buddy is more prone to infections, too. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common, and UTIs that keep coming back can be a sign that your buddy's blood sugar levels are too high.



Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, can be very dangerous. It's usually caused by an overdose of insulin. This can happen if he's skipped a meal or threw up after you gave him insulin. Hypoglycemia can also be caused by extra exercise, too.



Low blood sugar may cause your furball to become weak and listless, start drooling, and lose his coordination. He may have convulsions or go into a coma, which can be fatal. Feed him right away, and if he can't swallow, rub some corn syrup on his gums. Don't put your fingers in his mouth if he's having seizures!



To avoid complications, it's important to establish a routine with your furry friend. He needs to eat the same amount of food every day at the same time. Try to avoid making big changes in the amount of exercise he gets. Be sure he get the same dose of insulin at the same time each day too.

Know the Symptoms of Pet Diabetes

Diabetes in pets, either a cat or as dog, can be just as dangerous and life-threatening as in humans.



Pet symptoms are similar to human symptoms, with excessive urination and excessive thirstiness being a main one. This is caused by the level of glucose in the blood rising too high and the kidneys letting excess glucose leak into the urine. This is why a glucose urine test is a normal means of diagnosing diabetes. Leaking of glucose into urine takes water with it increasing the volume of urine produced and the correspondent need to drink more and more.



Another symptom is diseased animals tend to lose weight. This is because the lack of insulin produced by the animal causes the animal's body to breakdown fat stores and muscles to produce ketones and sugar in the liver. Insulin is a hormone that ensures transportation of glucose from the blood to muscles and other tissues. Insufficient production of this hormone by the pancreas or insensitivity to its effects causes the diabetes.



A further symptom of high blood sugar or hyperglycemia is inflammation of the blood vessels in the pet's eyes.



The whites of the eyes become bright red, like oxygenated arterial blood and slowly regain their normal color as blood glucose levels are normalized. Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar is also characterized by inflammation of the whites of the eyes, except instead of a bright red color the color is a darker red, like non-oxygenated or venous blood. This is especially true of dogs, but hypoglycemia doesn't seem to present itself this way in cats.



Left untreated hyperglycemia can cause blindness in pets in a very short time. Other complications are dehydration, neuropathy of the legs and permanent tissue damage from glucose toxicity. Hypoglycemia, or low-blood sugar presents itself as shaking or trembling like shivering no matter what the temperature and can even result in loss of consciousness. Quick intervention with honey or other glucose product rubbed on the gums of the animal can help with a recovery. Feeding as soon as possible after the symptoms are noted can ward off the more dire consequences of low-blood sugar.



After diagnosis treatment with insulin is a viable means for pet owners to alleviate the suffering their pets are going through. Instructions on administering daily or twice-daily injections of insulin are available from your veterinarian or from many concerned pet diabetes (www.petdiabetes.com) websites.

Feline Diabetes - Why So Many Cats Are Suffering From This

If you asked the majority of people they probably wouldn't know that feline diabetes exists. If you are a cat owner then you may want to get to know a bit more about the condition. There are many theories as to why more cats are suffering from diabetes but there some that are right under our noses.



What cats should be eatingCats were never meant to be domesticated and eating the dry food that is manufactured for them these days. Cats are designed to eat meat. This is where cats are meant to get their protein from. There is very little protein in grains and dry cat food. Cats can't do very well without the essential amino acids from meat. Instead of going for the dry varieties it is better to give your cat canned food with meat of some sort in it.



Those dreaded carbsMany people think that it's only fat that puts anyone at risk for diabetes and that carbohydrates have nothing to do with it. The truth is that when your carbs are broken down it is sent to your tissues to be used as energy, but remaining ones are turned into fat and stored. It is much easier to put on fat than it is to lose it. This is what puts cats at risk for feline diabetes. You should not be feeding your cat too many carbs. Theoretically they should be eating carbs as around 5% of their diet. Most pet foods these days can contain up to 30%, and even 50%. This is done because carbs are much cheaper to stuff into food than other nutrients.



So before you go refilling your cat's dry food, spare a thought for what their diet should be so you can avoid them suffering from feline diabetes.

Feline Diabetes - Important Information About Your Cat's Health

Cats have always been one of the most amazing pets in America. They have proven to be affectionate pets, suitable of giving people decades of companionship. Much like various pets, felines can at times get ill. Right now there happen to be a number of distinct varieties of health problems of which cats and kittens may pick up, one is feline diabetes. Feline diabetes is actually a truly serious disorder, despite the fact that this will be able to be managed by your vet.



Diabetic issues is considered much more prevalent with people compared with cats as well as various other animal companions. The actual contributing factor associated with diabetes is essentially rather simple. Sugar, or glucose,will be found within the bloodstream. The amount of glucose levels throughout the entire body or the cat is definitely kept under control by means of hormone insulin, that the pancreas generates. Anytime the pancreas won't manufacture a sufficient amount of blood insulin, diabetes is to blame.



The actual warning signs of feline diabetes may differ. The many typical indicators consist of an increase in urine as well as a serious increase in thirst. Additional signs or symptoms associated with feline diabetes consist of a reduction involving appetite, weight loss, together with a poor coat. A surge in thirst is simple to identify, since anyone will quickly discover the water bowl empty through the day.



In the event that you do not have your kitty taken care of for feline diabetes right away, the cat would sooner or later end up inactive, throw-up on a regular basis, as well as at some point slip into a coma. furthermore,when you get the diabetic issues dealt with in a period of time, the cat will certainly more than likely live a natural not to mention healthy and balanced life. Always keep in mind that healing will not occur right away - this usually takes time along with commitment.



Kittens and cats that get feline diabetes will certainly have to be provided with food at the same time period each day. They must be kept away from going outdoors also. Should your kitty have diabetes, you are going to want to provide him with insulin injections once or twice a day. As soon as your vet assesses your cat, they can explain to you precisely how many shots in addition to just how many insulin shots you will need to administer your cat.



Just before you decide to give your kitty their insulin injection, you will need to definitely ensure that he has a certain amount of food initially. In case he has not had his food and you give him a shot regardless, your cat might wind up with a hypoglycemic shock. That could likewise happen through an excessive amount of insulin too. A hypo could be extremely damaging, and ought to be prevented no matter what. Should the cat get a hypoglycemic shock and you are not available, he could possibly result in perishing.



Whenever you have to give insulin injections to your kitty due to feline diabetes, you must at all times maintain a careful eye on him soon after you have given the shot. Once your cat has been on insulin for a stretch of time, your veterinarian may well decrease the amount of insulin shots. Quite possibly however he might have to remain on insulin the rest of his life, your kitty will certainly live an otherwise wholesome lifespan.



Article Written By J. Foley

Diabetes and Yeast Infection - What is the Role of Diabetes?

 Is diabetes and yeast infection co-related? Well, it is a well known fact that diabetes is a state that has many health problems attached with it. One of such possibilities is the occurrence of infections of yeast through diabetes, although many would not like to be very expressive about it.  People believe that having it is an embarrassing situation and would not like to discuss about it. 



In order to understand the link between the two, it is important to know how the skin infections occur. A lot of bacteria are present in the gastro-intestinal tract. Due to changes in lifestyle and diet, this balance is disturbed. One of such bacteria present is yeast.  



How does this infection take place? 



One of the main causes of yeast overgrowth is chronic infections.  This results on account of presence of too much sugar. Not only that it results in diabetes, but also causes Candida infections. If there are repetitive Candida outbreaks, then it would be well advisable to have the levels of glucose checked in your blood. Although diabetes is not the only reason for the incidence of a chronic infection, a high level of sugar consumption surely triggers this condition. Yeast is fed by sugars present in the body, in the same fashion as yeast type foods and carbohydrates. 



Yeast infection and diabetes: 



An important complication of diabetes is that the blood sugar levels if not kept under control could trigger such a skin infection. This happens because an increased level of glucose in the body does affect many other bodily mechanisms and has a tremendous influence on the body's immune status. 



If you happen to suffer from diabetes, chances are you will find yourself constantly battling with Candida outbreaks.  In its advanced form, along with vaginal infections and thrush, you also experience chronic fatigue, pain in the joints and knees, loss of memory, intestinal problems like constipation and diarrhoea and dizziness.  In general you experience bad health at all times. 



Depending upon the gravity of the disease, the treatment of this infection coupled with diabetes can often be complex.  However, a diet that is low in sugar is an absolute must. This will suppress the yeast fungus by letting it starve and ultimately destroys it.  Another precaution to be taken is avoiding the consumption of mushrooms, honey and dried fruits that also help a lot in feeding the yeast. If you can remain on diet for a three to six months period, you can gradually re-introduce them into your diet thereafter depending on your situation.  



Apart from the above suggestions, you can also try certain holistic treatments in order to get rid of diabetes and yeast infections.  You can also consider following a simple Candida Diet that could help prevent any further recurring infections.

Feline Diabetes Information You Can Use

Cat owners who have just been told that their cat has feline diabetes will need to find out all they can about this disease so that they can feel confident when helping their cat. While feline diabetes is treatable it is a serious disease. Your vet will give your instructions regarding feeding your cat, danger signs to watch out for, exercising your cat, monitoring your cat's thirst and how to give your cat the insulin shots that he will need as part of his treatment.



To prevent hypoglycemic shock you must make sure that you cat has eaten before giving him the insulin shot.



Your cat probably exhibited some of these signs before he was diagnosed: increased appetite, weight loss, lethargy and possibly weakness in the rear legs. You may have noticed poor hair coat, and your cat may have had a secondary bacterial infection. Sometimes the dangerous condition known as ketoacidosis may have developed.



Your vet probably did some blood and urine tests in order to make the diagnosis of feline diabetes.



The disease diabetes is a complex disease and it is not going to be possible for a cat owner to understand all the information available right away. Your vet will be there to help educate you and will also steer you to some good resources and support groups.



The sad fact is that if you do not treat your cat's diabetes, your cat will die. Your cat will not object too terribly much to the injections, in fact he will get used to them. Insulin is very inexpensive, and home testing is doable, and an inexpensive way to monitor your cat's condition. Working closely with your vet and learning how to monitor and treat your cat can lead to many more happy years with your cat.



A few cats may be treated with only diet and oral medication though most cats will need to have insulin shots once or twice a day. The need for insulin may fluctuate. Your vet will help you to determine when the need for insulin changes.



Your cat will need to have regular vet visits to check how he is responding to treatment and to make any needed adjustments to his treatment.



Initially your cat may be hospitalized in order to regulate and treat his diabetes. However, most cats do not need to be hospitalized in order to start the treatment plan.



You will need to monitor your cat's diabetes at home using either urine or a blood test system. Your vet will go over your options with you and you can then decide which method is right for you.



Warning Signs:



Warning signs that your cat may not be getting enough insulin include excessive urination, high glucose in the urine, weight loss, depression, dull or dry fur, dandruff, lethargy and a change in pupil size (in some cats)



Signs that you cat is doing well on his diabetes therapy are:



Purring, Peeing, Pooping, Playing and Preening as well as having a normal amount of appetite and thirst.

Cat Illnesses

The first time you decide to take in a pet cat feels similar to taking home your first baby. You're excited, scared, happy and undoubtedly proud of your newest addition to the family - all at the same time. And just like taking care of a newborn baby, taking care of a kitten would require an equal amount of attention and affection. When I first got our cat, with which my daughter named Miming, my daughter and I had a long talk with the veterinarian on how to take care of little Miming.



Among the first things we wanted to learn about were the illnesses that cats acquire. My daughter was quite vocal about her confusion whether cats also get colds and stomach aches just like she does. And she continued to ask on about the food that we could not give Miming. And yes, cats also get sick.



Here is a list of the most common signs that your little kitty may not be feeling too well:



1. Refusal to eat and loss of appetite - Most cats are always eager to eat; you would often hear them purring when they hear utensils and plates clinking or when they smell food cooking. Once there are changes in your cat's pattern and environmental factors such as stress, outside home feeding, and change in surroundings are eliminated, there is a high probability that your cat is really sick.



2. Refusal to socialize, or in such bad humor - a cat has always been keen to keeping her place high on the ground. More often than not, a cat may be playful and sweet, but a cat will always be demanding. Once a cat retreats to its cot or to a quiet and dark place, without the usual playfulness and upbeat character, she is most likely suffering from an illness of some sort.



3. Unimpressive fur or "Bad Hair Day" - Cats are known to keep their furs at tip top shape. When you notice your cat having a "bad hair day" for consecutive days, and hair is erect and separated, the cat is trying to regulate its body temperature. Yes, cats can also have fevers.



4. Profuse vomiting - Hair balls tend to grow in their stomachs and vomiting is the cat's way of eliminating the foreign object from their system. When they have eaten too much, or have eaten something that upsets their tummy, vomiting is the first aid that cats resort to.



5. Difficulty in urinating and Constipation - Cats have urinating and defecating patterns, and once these patterns are altered, cats usually are not feeling well. Changes in the behavior including the above mentioned, suggests an illness or your cat may be suffering from stress.



Different cats exhibit different symptoms when they are sick. However, feline illnesses are usually diagnosed once one or two of the above symptoms manifest.



Common illnesses of cats include ear infections and ear mites, which are marked by foul odor, inflammation of the ear cavities, itching and scratching, continuous head shaking, and swollen ear flaps; Ringworm and other skin allergies are manifested by continuous scratching and itching, head shaking, scaly and darkened skin and hair loss; and Flu and Respiratory Tract infections signaled by sneezing, nasal mucus discharge, loss of appetite and refusal to eat and excessive saliva.



Cats can also have degenerative illnesses like Fatty liver disease, which stemmed from over consumption of high cholesterol food and is characterized by vomiting, seizures, reduced muscle mass and depression; and Cancer, which is characterized by severe loss of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, vomiting, frequent urination, depression and enlarged lymph nodes.



Our cats are similar to us human beings, they also suffer from bouts of upset stomachs, colds and flus, diarrhea, skin allergies and yes, even depression. Most cats will eventually feel better after a day of full rest and proper food and water intake.



Once you feel that your cat has remained unresponsive, has refused to eat or unable to urinate and have bowel movements for more than 24 hours, it is best to bring her to a veterinary clinic right away.



It is important to be observant of your cat's daily routine and be mindful of her health so that these symptoms can easily be spotted and cat illnesses easily cured.