Could My Dog Have Diabetes?  Your Carmel Animal Hospital Explains Dog Diabetes

One of the more frequent reasons people visit our Carmel animal hospital is inappropriate urination.  Although this is often caused by behavioral reasons such as insufficient potty training, your dog peeing in the house could also be a sign of a serious medical condition.

How much water should my dog normally drink?  The amount of water a dog normal drinks depends on a variety of factors, but the most important factor is their body size.  For example, it is normal for a 20 pound dog to drink around 3 cups of water per day, but a 90 pound dog normally drinks closer to 10 cups per day.  If you think your dog is drinking more than normal and urinating more than normal, call your local Carmel animal hospital.

What are the common signs a dog has diabetes?  The most common signs of diabetes in dogs we see at our Carmel animal hospital are:  excessive drinking, excessive urination, and weight loss despite a great appetite.

How do you test for diabetes in dogs?  The first step for any dog problem is always a detailed history and thorough physical exam.  The next diagnostic test for dog diabetes is then performing a urinalysis along with a simple blood test.  This helps determine whether the excessive drinking and urination could be a caused by a major metabolic disease such as diabetes.  If the blood results show an elevated glucose and there is glucose in the urine along with these clinical signs, you have a diagnosis of diabetes in the dog.

For more information on our Caring Hands Compassionate Hearts, click on this link to your Carmel Animal Hospital.