It has been a few difficult days around here. We noticed this past Saturday that Murphy was not feeling well. On Monday we took him to the vet. They ran tests. At 9am Tuesday morning the vet called with Murphy's results. I knew by the tone of her voice that it was serious. The test showed that he is Diabetic ketoacidosis... needing immediate treatment.
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in dogs is a serious and life-threatening complication of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus. In some cases, the affected dog had previously been diagnosed with diabetes. Not the case for us. However, in many cases, the vet makes the diagnosis of DKA at the same time as the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus.
This is a major, life-threatening illness. In some case the pet might be euthanized. The reasons can vary; from severity of illness to inability to provide long term at home care and the financial burden.
By 2pm Lisa and I took him to the emergency hospital and he was admitted for intensive care. .His labs were very much off and they began to stabilize him. Before you think we ignored something with him, we did not. Again, symptoms that something was wrong began on Saturday, June 28th. He was not eating, drinking copious amounts of water and had a few incidents of spitting up and lots of urination. I initially thought he might have a UTI.
Murphy will be 6 years old this August. To us he is still just a pup. Please keep him in your thoughts.
Thank you for your kind words and for your friendship. I will update as soon as I know anything more.
FYI
Signs of diabetic ketoacidosis include any combination of the following:
- *Increased urination—the kidneys have to work extra hard to filter excess sugar in the blood, leading to increased urine output.
- *Increased thirst in dogs—what goes out must come in; dogs in DKA have to drink a lot more water to make up for the loss through urine.
- *Weight loss—because the dog can’t properly metabolize glucose, the body breaks down fats and proteins for cellular energy.
- Muscle wasting—altered energy metabolism deprives muscle cells of energy, so muscles can start to deteriorate.
- *Decreased appetite—the electrolyte imbalances and acid base problems caused by DKA can make dogs feel bad and not want to eat.
- Nausea—similarly, the blood chemistry disturbances in DKA can cause nausea.
- *Vomiting—nausea can become severe enough that dogs with DKA may vomit.
- *Depression or being a lethargic dog—without proper glucose metabolism, DKA in dogs can significantly reduce their overall energy.
- Weakness—muscle loss and poor energy can make dogs with DKA very weak.
- *Dehydration—sometimes dogs can’t drink enough water to overcome the extra fluid loss, leading to dehydration.
- Diarrhea—fluctuations in fluids and blood chemical levels can cause soft or watery stool.
- Cataracts in dogs—high blood sugar can lead to excess glucose in the eye fluid. This glucose is metabolized into sorbitol, which draws water into the lens and causes cataracts.
- An enlarged liver—breaking down fat stores for energy causes fatty accumulation in the liver.
- Increased respiratory rate and effort (dog is breathing fast)—dogs breathe more heavily or pant to compensate for altered metabolism and acid base balance.
- Dull mentation—the brain relies on glucose for energy.
- Stupor or coma—in severe cases of DKA, the brain is so deprived of cellular energy it starts to shut down.
- A sweet odor to the breath—some dogs will have a fruity odor to their breath that is from the buildup of acetone—one of the types of ketones—in their bodies.
- Symptoms with the * are what Murphy exhibited.
