Diagnosis of canine diabetes

The clinical signs suggest that your dog might have diabetes mellitus. As other diseases can cause the same signs, your veterinarian will do some tests on your dog to confirm the diagnosis.

Signs of canine diabetes

If any of the following apply to your dog, consult your veterinarian:

1. Drinks a lot of water (polydipsia)
2. Urinates frequently (polyuria)
3. Is always hungry (polyphagia)
4. Has lost weight despite eating more

Diagnosis of diabetes mellitus

Signs of diabetes mellitus are also seen in other diseases. For this reason your dog needs to be examined thoroughly by your veterinarian.

Urine samples

Your veterinarian may first examine a urine sample to determine if there is glucose in the urine (glucosuria or glycosuria) and/or a urinary tract infection.

Blood samples

To confirm the diagnosis, your veterinarian will take a blood sample and determine the glucose (sugar) concentration in your dog’s blood.

If the blood glucose concentration is consistently higher than normal, it may indicate that your dog’s pancreas is not secreting (enough) insulin. Alternatively, it may indicate that your dog’s body is "resistant" to the insulin its pancreas is producing. In both cases, your dog suffers from diabetes mellitus.

General examination

Your veterinarian will also check your dog’s general health status (to rule out the presence of other diseases and/or infections.) This is very important, as infections and some diseases can be obstacles to the treatment of canine diabetes.