Diabetes results from an abnormality of your dog’s endocrine system, the part of the body that produces hormones.

There are two types of diabetes: diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus. Diabetes mellitus is much more common than diabetes inspidus. Diabetes insipidus occurs when your dog either has too little hormones in the body to be able to concentrate urine, or when your dog’s kidneys do not respond appropriately to this hormone.

Diabetes mellitus is a problem related to the insulin hormone, which plays an essential role in metabolizing sugar for energy production. With Diabetes mellitus type I, your dog does not produce a sufficient quantity of insulin. Type II occurs when enough insulin is produced, but the body cannot utilize it. Almost all dogs with diabetes mellitus have type I.

Although both types of diabetes can impact dogs of any age or sex, diabetes mellitus is generally more common in middle-aged to senior female dogs. However, diabetes mellitus can also occur in dogs younger than one year of age, in which case it is called juvenile-onset diabetes.

If your dog has diabetes inspidius, she will drink and urinate excessively with extreme frequency.

Symptoms of diabetes mellitus include increased thirst, increased urination, unexplained weight loss, weakness and sudden blindness.

Many cases of diabetes inspidus are generally categorized as idiopathic, meaning that it is unknown how your dog may develop this condition. However, in some cases where the diabetes inspidus is the result of the production of too little urine-concentrating hormone, a brain disorder or injury can be the cause. If the diabetes insipidus results from a kidney malfunction, which is far more rare, a hereditary link is suspected.

Certain conditions are associated with the onset of diabetes mellitus. These include Cushing’s disease and pancreatitis. Obesity and the administration of certain medications, such as progestrogens and glucocorticoids, also increase the risk of developing diabetes mellitus. Finally, certain breeds have a higher incidence of diabetes mellitus, including Cairn Terriers and Pugs.

The definitive test for diabetes inspidus is called a water deprivation test. In this test your dog will be hospitalized, and food and water will be withheld until either her urine concentrates or dehydration causes her to lose a certain fixed percentage of her body weight. Obviously, this test is risky and requires close monitoring to ensure that dehydration does not progress to a point where your dog goes into shock or dies. Thus, prior to performing a water deprivation to your dog, your veterinarian will run a battery of diagnostic tests to try and rule out any other causes for your dog’s symptoms.

Diabetes mellitus is diagnosed by checking glucose levels in your dog’s urine. Your vet will then take blood to analyze the glucose concentration levels. Your vet will also run a routine blood check and may use diagnostic techniques, such as radiographs or an ultrasound, to look for underlying causes of the diabetes mellitus.

To treat diabetes insipidus, your dog will likely be given synthetic hormones for the remainder of her life, and you must provide her with constant access to fresh water.

To treat diabetes mellitus, your dog will likely have to be given one or two insulin injections a day for the remainder of her life. Your vet will teach you how to do this at home and, in most cases, your dog will get used to the injections pretty quickly. Your dog will also have to be on a strict feeding plan to ensure that she is not overweight and that your dog is fed at essentially the same time each day. In addition, your vet may recommend spaying your dog, as estrogen produced in unspayed dogs can impact insulin levels.

If either diabetes insipidus or diabetes mellitus is caused by an underlying condition, your vet will have to treat the underlying cause if at all possible. Also, as diabetes can sometimes increase your dog’s risk of secondary conditions such as urinary tract infections, your vet may have to treat these secondary conditions as well.

Many dogs can continue to live long and happy lives with diabetes. The prognosis, however, is also dependent upon any underlying conditions associated with the diabetes.

Many causes of diabetes insipidus cannot be prevented since they are not known. However, for the dogs whose diabetes insipidus was caused by brain disorders or injury, preventing your dog – if possible – from trauma can be a means of prevention. For diabetes mellitus, there may not be a direct preventative, although feeding healthy food and keeping a proper weight for your dog may provide a safeguard against diabetes mellitus.

Since there is a suspected genetic link in some cases of diabetes insipidus and diabetes mellitus occurring with more frequency in certain breeds, you should not breed any diabetic dog, nor should you acquire a dog with a strong family history of diabetes.

No, you cannot contract diabetes from your dog.