Dog's sweet breath, sudden hunger. Could it be diabetes?

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, 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

I am very sorry to hear that you are experiencing these issues with Matilda. These clinical signs, inappetance and increased water consumption are unfortunately very common for diabetic dogs. Because Matilda's body cannot handle the Sivan she eats in her food in a normal way, an excess amount is passed through her urine. The sugar drags water with it, meaning that Matilda will urinate more of her water intake and reserves then a normal dog will. Keeping her insulin medication and feed intake carefull monitored will help slow this diuretic effect and keep her more hydrated. The same issues with handling sugar inside her body can affect her appetite. If you are noticing that these problems are becoming worse, I suggest a recheck with your vet to make sure that the medications are at an appropriate dosage, and that there aren't any complicating factors present, such as a yeinary tract infection, which are common in diabetic dogs. I hope this answer was helpful, and more Importantly that Matilda feels better soon. Warmest regards to you both.

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!

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

Drinking more water is more likely to be a sign of high blood sugar. Panting is not really specific to either low or high blood sugar. If you’re unable to check Fidget’s blood sugar at home and you feel something might be wrong you may want to contact your vet to see what they recommend based on her history. It is dangerous to change the insulin dose without first consulting your vet so I would recommend continuing the current dose as long as she is eating, not vomiting, and not having trouble walking or acting lethargic.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This is a quite generic but concerning presentation. Differentials are many, from gastrointestinal diseases (infection/inflammations often dietary related) to any disease that can spread systemically (causing lethargy for example) like infection, and anything that can cause pain/discomfort. The approach must be logic, starting from offering different kind of food. Another check up is required to determine specifically the underlying cause of it through more investigations. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!