Animals That Get Diabetes
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By Claire Miles - April 24, 2022

You may not give it much thought but there are animals that get diabetes. More specifically dogs and cats can and do get diabetes. This may come as a surprise especially because diabetes in animals isn’t really something that is talked about. Now there is a reason for that. People don’t talk about diabetes in animals because it wasn’t as common as it is today. Here we discuss the two types of animals that get diabetes.

Getty Images/EyeEm/ Riddhi Pal

Dogs and cats get diabetes because their bodies don’t produce enough insulin. Now with the lack of insulin, there is a spike in sugar in their blood. Normally with the right amount of insulin, sugar is turned into energy. Now without the right amount of insulin, there is a surplus of sugar in the blood which is extremely dangerous. It is especially dangerous for animals because they can’t verbally communicate when something is wrong with them. This can lead to diabetic comas. So what causes diabetes in pets? Well, there really isn’t one particular thing that causes your furry loved one to get diabetes. However, there are specific breeds of cats and dogs that are more likely to get this illness.

Now you should know that there are two types of diabetes. Type 1 occurs when the pancreas fails or stops working. Type 2 happens because of being overweight or obese. Now, this may come as a surprise but dogs tend to get type 1 diabetes and cats are more likely to get type 2. There are a few symptoms you can keep an eye on. For dogs, you will notice weight loss, vomiting, and an increase or decrease in appetite. With cats, you can look out for oily fur, increased appetite, excessive thirst, and increased urination. If you notice any of these symptoms in your pet make sure to visit your local vet as soon as possible.