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23 results for “cat insulin”
Can Obesity Cause Fatty Liver in Cats?
Overweight cats are at higher risk of fatty liver, because excess fat around the liver can move into it. Fat cats also more often have diabetes and pancreatitis, which can lead to fatty liver, and prolonged starvation is another common cause. Symptoms include anorexia, weight loss, vomiting, and jaundice, and severe cases can be fatal, so prevention matters.
Why Cats Get Diabetes
Diabetes is an endocrine disease where too little insulin or poor insulin response raises blood sugar, disturbing carbs, protein and fat and causing electrolyte imbalance. Cats have three types (I insulin-dependent, II non-insulin-dependent, III secondary); type II is common and, happily, preventable. The real drivers are diet and exercise, not just 'obesity' - high-carbohydrate commercial kibble turns to fat in a short gut that needs little carbohydrate. Signs: excessive drinking and eating with weight loss, 3-5x urine, walking difficulty, and late ataxia even paralysis. Complications bring lethargy, dull coat, vomiting, dehydration, sweet breath, coma. Prevent and treat with fixed high-protein, low-carb meals, regular activity, weight and check-up monitoring; many cats live well with medicine and good management.
Symptoms and Treatment of Obesity in Cats and Dogs
Obesity is a nutrition disorder; by international standard, 10 to 15 percent over ideal weight counts as obese, and a body condition score gives a clearer read. In developed countries 10 to 40 percent of dogs and over 20 percent of cats are obese. Causes split into simple obesity from genes, overfeeding, and little exercise, and secondary obesity from hormone or endocrine disease. Diagnosis uses exams, body scoring, and lab work, and treatment is diet, more exercise, and managing any underlying disease.
What Is Pancreatitis in Cats?
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas, the organ that makes digestive enzymes and insulin. When those enzymes activate in the wrong place, they digest the surrounding tissue and cause serious illness. Cats may show poor appetite, lethargy, diarrhea, vomiting, and belly pain. The disease can be life-threatening, especially in older or weak pets, and may become chronic or trigger diabetes. Treatment centers on fluids, antibiotics, and anti-vomiting care, often in hospital.
What Is Diabetes in Cats?
Feline diabetes develops when a cat's body makes too little insulin or responds poorly to it. Without enough insulin, excess sugar spills into the urine and cells starve, sometimes producing toxic ketones. Signs include ravenous appetite with weight loss, dull coat, excessive drinking and urination, and sweet-smelling urine. Diagnosis uses blood and urine tests, while treatment centers on insulin injections, lifelong in most cases. With careful monitoring, diabetic cats can live comfortably for years.
Obesity in Dogs and Cats
Obesity is an excess of body fat that develops when energy intake consistently exceeds expenditure. It is common in pets fed too much, exercised too little, or affected by endocrine disease, and it predisposes to heart disease, diabetes and a shorter life.
Diabetes Mellitus in Dogs and Cats
Diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats is a disorder of insulin deficiency or resistance that causes persistently high blood sugar. Classic signs are excessive drinking, eating, and urinating with weight loss, and treatment centers on diet, insulin or other glucose-lowering medication, and monitoring.
Glycogen Storage Disease in Dogs and Cats
Glycogen storage disease is an inherited metabolic disorder in which a congenital lack of glycogen-splitting enzymes lets glycogen accumulate in the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system. It causes persistent low blood sugar with weakness, seizures, and incontinence, and needs prompt veterinary care to avoid irreversible brain damage.
Canine and Feline Insulin Excess (Hyperinsulinism)
Insulin excess occurs when the pancreas releases too much insulin, driving blood sugar dangerously low. It causes weakness, wobbliness, and in severe cases seizures or collapse, and is usually managed by correcting the low sugar and treating the underlying cause.
Canine and Feline Insulin Deficiency (Diabetes Mellitus)
Diabetes mellitus develops when the pancreas cannot make enough insulin, so blood sugar stays high. It causes increased thirst and urination, weight loss, and poor appetite, and is managed with insulin therapy plus dietary and weight control.