Sometimes disease processes make it difficult for a pet to stay hydrated, even if a pet is drinking plenty. Those of you savvy about diabetes understand this all too well. If a pet's blood glucose is so high that it prevents the kidneys from recapturing fluid after the kidneys filter the blood (that's essentially what kidneys do to make urine), a pet can become dehydrated even when drinking large amounts of water.
When vets run blood work we occasionally just check a chemistry. What that typically consists of is kidney values, liver values, pancreatic values, electrolytes and blood glucose. This is a particularly common test for pre-anesthetic lab work if we are planning on sedating a young healthy pet.
I love interacting with the readers of this newsletter. What I have learned over the last few years is that someone helping manage their diabetic pet is almost always ready and willing to learn and ask questions. That’s why I seek it out. And I am always available to help.
Last week we discussed about taking a good history for a diabetic pet evaluation. The next step involves action - examining the pet in person.
I'm a general practitioner, but I think that I have a knack for treating diabetics. I like it best when I make the diagnosis of diabetes myself for then I can instill good habits right away rather than trying to knock out bad habits that clients may have picked up along the way.
A friend of mine told me that he was in charge of his diabetic human friend's postoperative care. He said the doctors were quite worried about her healing because of her diabetic status, as diabetics may have slower wound healing.
A friend recently asked me how to find a good veterinarian. He lives too far away to come to my clinic, so he is in search of a quality clinic near his home. That got me to thinking - What do you do if you are moving to a new town or adopt a pet and have no established relationship with a vet.
Think your a diabetic pet guru? Then take Dr. Joi's diabetic pet quiz and see how you compare to the pros.
Last week I met the cutest lady. Her plate is full. She is taking care of her 99 year old mother. Her husband is about to have surgery. And she recently adopted a chubby cat who has been drinking a lot since she rescued her 2 months ago.
Pet owners run the gamut from lackadaisical to overzealous when it comes to management of their diabetic pets. We don't want to over-test and strain the emotional bond between the diabetic pet and the human due to excessive pokes with a lancing device.