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Healing & Alternative Health
Dr. Carson's Holistic Animal Care:
SIGNS OF AGING IN THE DOG AND CAT, PART XXII:
Organs of the Abdomen: Diseases of the Pancreas: Diabetes Mellitus - Initial Insulin Treatment
by Kathleen M. Carson, D.V.M
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What if your dog or cat’s diabetes is diagnosed as Type I or Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (IDDM)? In my May 2006 column I wrote that almost all diabetic dogs and a large percentage of diabetic cats have IDDM. What is involved in this insulin treatment for your diabetic cat or dog?
There is no “one size fits all” treatment regimen when it comes to treating IDDM with insulin. Each diabetic cat or dog needs a program suited to his/her particular needs. Those needs also will probably change with time. In this and next month’s columns I’m going to try and outline the main points of insulin treatment for a cat or dog with uncomplicated IDDM. (See November’s column for the treatment of complicated IDDM.)
First of all, insulin is given by injection. Many, if not all, people with newly-diagnosed diabetic cats or dogs are apprehensive with the idea of giving injections to their animal. The overwhelming majority of people overcome this initial apprehension. In fact, after a while, they don’t even think twice about giving a “shot”. Aiding this process is the fact that insulin does not sting when injected, the amount given is very small, and the needles are very fine, thus causing minimal discomfort.
When you cat/dog is first diagnosed with IDDM, your veterinarian will want to hospitalize her for ~2-3 days. As I explained above, every animal’s insulin treatment regimen needs to be individualized, so it takes a while to decide what dose and type of insulin will be best for your animal and how frequently it needs to be given.
I’ll stop here to say that there are quite a few different types of insulin. They differ according to the source of the insulin: human, animal (beef and/or pork), and synthetic; length of action: short- (also called Regular insulin), intermediate-, and long-acting insulin preparations; and concentration [most are either 40 units/ml (U-40) or 100 units/ml (U-100)]. Also, the syringes used to deliver the insulin are not the syringes used for drugs, vaccines, etc.; there are special “insulin syringes” made only for giving insulin. Furthermore, there are different insulin syringes used for delivering U-40 insulin (U-40 syringes) vs. U-100 insulin (U-100 syringes). If the wrong syringe is used, the dosage will not be correct, and this can cause very serious problems.
When your veterinarian hospitalizes your animal to start insulin treatment, she will give probably him either an intermediate-acting insulin (usually used for dogs) or a long-acting insulin (usually used for cats). The short-acting or Regular insulin is occasionally used at the very beginning to rapidly reduce a very high blood glucose (BG) in an uncomplicated diabetic, but it is most often used in the initial treatment of complicated diabetes (see November’s column).
There are guidelines for the start-up dose of insulin for dogs and for cats. However, it is rare that this initial dose will be the one which ultimately will be the dose best suited for your animal. Almost always, this dose will need to be increased or decreased, depending on what happens to your animal’s BG values over the next 24 hours. The levels of his BG will be followed by taking blood samples every 3-4 hours. (This is called a “BG curve”.)
Attention is also given to your animal’s diet when she is initially hospitalized. There’s a good chance your animal’s diet will be changed, especially if she is overweight. As I wrote last month, diets for diabetic animals fall into two categories: 1.) low calorie diets high in fiber and complex carbohydrates (examples are Hill’s r/d and w/d) for dogs and cats, and, for cats only: 2.) diets high in protein and low in carbohydrates (Hill’s m/d and Purina’s DM).
Your animal’s caloric intake needs to be regulated, also. This will help prevent large fluctuations in the BG levels in your animal’s blood over time. Thus, your veterinarian will determine how much food your animal should take in each day.
It usually takes ~2-3 days to get your cat or dog’s BG down from the high levels (hyperglycemia) it was at at the time of diagnosis and to determine what your animal’s initial dose of insulin should be. When your animal’s hyperglycemia is reduced and a beginning insulin dose established, your animal will be sent home with insulin, insulin syringes, and, most probably, a new diet. You will be given instructions on how to give injections, the amount of insulin to give, as well as instructions on the amount of food to be fed and the timing of your animal’s meals.
Next month I’ll write about the longterm care of your diabetic animal. |
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Dr. Kathleen Carson, DVM
Veterinarian & Author
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Dr. Carson received her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the University of California at Davis in 1968. She's been a small animal practitioner (dogs and cats ) for all the years since, except for a short stint at the San Diego Zoo when she first graduated.
She belongs to the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Holistic Veterinary Medical Association.
Since 1974 she's lived and practiced in the South Bay Area near Los Angeles. She started the area's first house call practice in 1976 and the first pet crisis/loss group in 1989. The human-animal bond is of special interest to her.
She started exploring complementary veterinary medicine in 1987. Her practice became 100% holistic in 1996. She utilizes acupuncture, herbs, supplements, Bach Flower Remedies, homeopathic remedies, nutrition and medications for her patients in her practice.
She's currently taking a leave of absence from her house call practice due to health reasons but continues to do phone consultations and to write.
E-mail:
Critterhlr@aol.com
website:
http://www.holistic
vetconsult.com
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