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Diabetes is diagnosed with blood and urine tests. The normal blood sugar (blood glucose) for dogs is 60-125 mg/dl; for cats, 70-150 mg/dl. Diabetes is diagnosed when blood sugars are consistently elevated a significant amount. For example, 220 mg/dl in a dog or 400mg/dl in a cat.
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If your pet is anxious when it visits the veterinarian, its blood sugar will naturally rise, and the elevation may be as high as the sugar levels in a diabetic pet. To prevent this stress-related elevation of blood sugar, find a veterinarian and a clinic that calms your pet. Or, use a veterinarian who makes house calls. Remember that one or two blood tests showing elevated blood sugar don’t prove Diabetes. Blood sugar levels must be consistently elevated, or your pet must have urine tests showing ketones to prove it has Diabetes.
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Why test urine if the problem is with sugar in the blood?
There are two ways urine tests indicate Diabetes: sugar in the urine or ketones in the urine. Sugar gets into the urine if your pet’s blood carries so much sugar that it exceeds the kidneys’ ability to hold onto sugar. This is called exceeding the renal glucose threshold. A urine dip stick can identify how much sugar is in the urine, which suggests—without the pain of drawing blood—how much sugar is in the blood. A urine dip stick can also identify infections in the urine, which are more likely to occur in diabetic pets because bacteria flourish in a high-sugar environment.
The second urinary indication of Diabetes is finding ketones. Ketones are formed when your pet is using (metabolizing) proteins and fats for energy because no sugar is entering the cells. Ketones are a serious indication that your pet has Diabetes and needs insulin.
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The articles here were answered by a variety of pharmacists and veterinarians
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