My dog shows diabetes signs. How do vets test and diagnose it?

Hello, most pets with diabetes will fee lethargic, have increased drinking and increased urinations. Most patients will eventually have weight loss, some may develop secondary urinary tract infections. Diabetes is proven with blood work and urinalysis. We will typically see a very high glucose, in dogs above 200, and glucose in the urine (normally there’s no glucose in urine). Additional tests such as fructosamine and a glucose curve are performed. If you have noted these signs in Bella, then you should speak with your veterinarian about obtaining bloodwork. Hope this helps and best of luck

The fact that you are reaching out for help does show that you love your dogs, and it's the right thing to do. While you are correct that Pixie's symptoms could be due to diabetes, they could also be due to a UTI. A UTI would make her feel ill, and consequently cause her to want to sleep more. Should she have a UTI, then a course of antibiotics will cure it. The only way to know for sure what is going on with her, however, is to take her into the vet. A vet can do routine blood tests, and a urinalysis to see if she does have diabetes or a UTI, and can treat her accordingly. I would take her into the vet to diagnose what is causing her symptom because both can be treated. If paying for a vet is an issue, you can see if your vet accepts payment plans, if there is a low cost clinic in your area, or you can apply for Care Credit online. There is also an organization called Red Rover that give grants for treatment of sick animals, and you can see if you qualify for one of their grants. http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_pet.html?credit=web_id91754962 https://www.redrover.org https://www.carecredit.com

Poor cooper. I would recommend taking Cooper to a vet for some basic blood work and urine test. You can use a human urine test at home to look for blood sugar/glucose. However sometimes the sticks are inaccurate in dogs. It is important for him to have a blood sugar tested to determine the actual value of his blood glucose. Hope that helps

Hi and thanks for posting! High blood sugar can also be a sign of diabetes in dogs. I would have a urinalysis run on Tallula to see if glucose is in the urine. Glucose in the blood and urine is a diagnosis of diabetes. It is common for pancreatitis to occur in diabetic patients. I would follow your veterinarian's advise to come back for an ultrasound to check for pancreatitis and I would see if her urine can be checked for glucose. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I am afraid Roxy is showing typical signs of diabetes: She’s started drinking more, losing weight despite eating normally and having some incontinence in the last week. Diabetes can also make a dog more prone to bacterial urinary tract infections, which is why your vet prescribed clavamox. Stress can cause higher blood glucose levels, but the elevation would be relatively small compared with a diabetic glucose elevation . A blood glucose level over 220mg/dL would definitely be higher than one caused by stress and this would be diagnostic for diabetes. However, should your dog have diabetes, it does help to keep stress levels as low as possible and to also have her teeth checked and if they are in need of a dental cleaning to have this done, as dental problems also cause stress and can compromise the success of diabetes treatment. I hope Roxy only has a UTI, but even if she has diabetes, this is relatively easily dealt with. .

Hello. Diabetes occurs when the pancrease does not produce enough insulin. Diabetes seems to come on suddenly because your pet has been coping to some degree, but now her body is reacting to the lack of insulin pushing glucose into the cells. Antibiotics do not cause diabetes, but obesity can. In general, the first signs noticed in a diabetic are increased thirst & increased urination. Sometimes the appetite is great, yet the pet will lose weight. I think you should have Chhutki examined by your veterinarian. You should request blood work, including a check of her thyroid, & a urinalysis should be run. This will tell you if Chhutki has diabetes. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Your vet might be worried about a urinary tract infection and may want to get a sterile sample to send out for a culture through a procedure called a cystocentesis. In this procedure a very small needle is advanced into the bladder, sometimes using ultrasound guidance. It is a very common procedure in veterinary medicine. Diabetic animals often have 'quiet' urinary tract infections that are not obvious on a typical urinalysis and a urine culture to look for bacteria is often more helpful. A urine culture also helps determine what antibiotic the bacteria are susceptible to. Performing a culture on a 'free catch' sample that you would bring in might not be helpful since contaminant bacteria from the lower urinary tract can be in the sample.