Your dog is in many ways a lot like you. No, I’m not going to start a story about dogs resembling their owners or vice versa . This is a serious blog post about a disease common in man and in dogs. Dogs can develop diabetes mellitus just like humans, which is the bad news. Though the good news is: dogs can benefit from the same kind of treatments.

Diabetes mellitus is seen most frequent in dogs over 5 years of age. This resembles the type II diabetes seen in middle-aged and elderly people. It is caused by a malfunctioning of the pancreas leading to insufficient amounts of the hormone insulin in the blood stream. Insulin is like a gatekeeper. Without it, the doors to your dog’s cells are closed and they cannot use the blood sugar for energy. The cells get deprived of energy and start to utilize fat storages.

Early Warning Sign 1 Your dog is rapidly loosing weight despite having a ravenous appetite.

The blood sugar rises to dangerous levels. You dog tries to get rid of this excess by secreting it via the urine. And as glucose attracts water the urine volume will get quite high. The urine frequency will increase as well just to get rid of this excess sugar. All this peeing will of course dehydrate your dog.

Early Warning Sign 2 Your dog is urinating a lot, perhaps by accident in the house, and he is very thirsty.

Now you know the first warning signs. This is important since early diagnosis can help in stabilizing your dog. Canine diabetes, if left untreated, is a lethal condition. With the proper care and the right nutrition you and your dog can share many happy years together.

Visit your vet for a diagnosis if you notice these warning signs. He or she can also advice you on the right nutrition for your tail-wagger. Prescription diets are available that are specifically designed to control diabetes mellitus in dogs. Dog food designed for this purpose is typically high in fiber as fiber helps controlling the after-dinner blood sugar peak.

Read more about canine diabetes (or diabetes mellitus in dogs) on Best Dog Food Guide.