My dog has diabetes & cataracts. Should I wait for a specialist?

Hello, sorry to hear about Ike. Glucose curves are helpful to determine how effective the treatment for diabetes is. Unfortunately, there isn't one prescription that treats all pets equally as different pets need different doses or even different types of insulin to control their blood sugar. Its likely that Ike just hasn't reached a well controlled point. However, you can always discuss with your veterinarian about obtaining a referral to see a specialist in internal medicine whom manage complicated medicine cases like Ike's may be. Besides diabetes, there are other diseases which may make the successful treatment of diabetes challanging and include things such as cushings disease. Speak with your veterinarian about obtianing a referral to see an internal medicine specialist for Ike. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It depends how acute is his condition, generally speaking i would say no as eye problems as such should be seen as "emergency" appointments with ophthalmologists, i'm sure if you request to talk with the ophthalmologist on the phone and explain the situation he will tell you to come the same day.

A cataract does not produce pain or a discharge. That would make me worry about an ulcer on the cornea or dry eye to cause pain and a discharge. It does need to be seen as soon as possible to see what the problem is but until then you can apply a warm compress to help and rinse with saline eye wash to keep it clean

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Quintino! I have had patients have successful cataract surgery after being diagnosed with diabetes. The owners have been very happy and feel that their dog's quality of life was improved. Success rates are about 90-95% per eye 6 months after surgery. Complications (the 5-10%) can be imperfect but improved vision, or inflammation that requires long-term medication, glaucoma and/or retinal detachment. Complications can lead to loss of the eye in about 1% of cases. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Diabetes can cause cataract formation so that would cause the blindness. I recommend talking to your vet about spaying Heather because there is a chance the diabetes could be resolved with the surgery. If she is still reading high, talk with your vet about different insulin options because not every option works well for every pet. Also discuss diet options. She may need something that digests a little slower to have more consistent glucose readings. Good luck and kisses to Heather!

This could be a possibility. If your vet thinks Cushing she could be complicating her diabetes, you could consider testing her for cushings. If she definitely has cushings then you can start treating her for that. In the meantime, y'all will need to work on getting her diabetes under control. Another option would be to see if there is a specialist (internist) near you that could take over her case to help you get the DKA under control while also diagnosing and treating for cushings if needed. The main difference between a specialist and a general practitioner is that the specialist specializes in these complicated metabolic diseases and usually have facilities and specialized equipment that can care for them 24 hours if needed. If there is a cost concern and yall are unable to get the DKA under control and she is continuing to decline then yes, I would consider euthanasia. Unfortunately, even with intensive care and extensive testing, sometimes these guys don't improve and continue to decline no matter what we do. I know this is a difficult time and decision. Just know that you are doing the best thing for her whatever you decide. I hope this helps and know we are thinking of you. Hugs!

Hi there and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If glucose was high on blood work and glucose is also present in the urine, then this is a diagnosis of diabetes. Insulin should begin as soon as possible when a diabetic is first diagnosed. Unless the patient is really ill or unstable, one or two day delay for insulin should be okay. A 12 hour glucose curve at the hospital should be run with the insulin Bella will be on for her first day of insulin treatment so the proper dose can be calculated and to make sure Bella does not have any negative reactions to the insulin or become hypoglycemic at any point. I hope this helps!