Canine Diabetes and Seizures

Diabetes strikes humans, cats and dogs with equally serious repercussions. This metabolic disorder is caused by the body's inability to use glucose and insulin correctly, and is most common in overweight female dogs. Seizures are one of a number of symptoms and may occur based on diabetes or its overtreatment.

  1. The Facts

    • Canine diabetes occurs most often as an insulin deficiency in a dog's body. Insulin is in charge of gathering glucose (blood sugar) and taking it to cells for energy. Lack of insulin (Type I diabetes) or inability to use insulin (Type II diabetes) leads directly to the body's cells starving for nutrition.

    Causes

    • The Dog Diabetes Guide says that diabetes is passed through bloodlines as a genetic disorder. Some bloodlines and dog breeds are more likely to have diabetes than others. The base cause of diabetes is a malfunction in an endocrine gland, though the disorder becomes aggravated and obvious in overweight dogs or dogs who receive poor or unbalanced nutrition.

    Effects

    • As the body's cells starve, the dog begins to show some obvious symptoms. Because its cells aren't garnering nutrition, a dog becomes hungrier and thirstier. This leads to excess urination. The dog "wastes" and loses weight as it fails to find nutrition in food. The Dog Owner's Guide maintains that lack of treatments will bring on lethargy, loss of appetite and depression.

    Diabetic Seizures

    • Seizures are another common side effect in canine diabetes. Seizures may occur as a reaction to little nutrition in the brain. They may also occur as a direct result of overtreating diabetes. According to veterinary neurologist W.B. Thomas of the University of Tennessee, an overdose of insulin leads to hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. This again is a lack of nutrition available for the brain, which causes the brain to malfunction and signal the body to seize.

    Trreatments

    • Treatments for diabetes include medication and dietary changes. Owners learn to measure the dog's glucose levels and give the dog insulin injections to help its body use glucose correctly. Owners also feed diabetic dogs a diet that controls metabolism, offers a steady supply of glucose and prevents diabetic seizures. Any seizures are handled by managing a dog through the seizure and balancing the lack of blood sugar with food or an injection of glucose.