Diabetes in pets almost never arrives dramatically. It arrives as a bowl that needs filling more often, a litter box that needs changing sooner, and a pet who is somehow getting thinner while eating everything put in front of them. Each of those is easy to explain away on its own. Together they are a pattern worth a blood test.
The four signs that come first
They are unglamorous and they are most of the early picture.
- Drinking more. Measurably more, not just noticeably. Refilling a bowl you used to fill once a day, a dog who drains the bowl in one go, or a cat suddenly interested in taps and puddles after a lifetime of ignoring water.
- Urinating more. Heavier clumps in the litter, more trips out, a housetrained dog asking at night, or accidents in a pet who has never had one. In cats this is often the first thing anybody notices, because it changes the weight of the litter tray.
- Losing weight on a good appetite. This is the one that makes the diagnosis likely rather than possible. A pet eating well and losing condition is burning something they should not be burning.
- A bigger appetite. Finishing faster, begging more, raiding. The body cannot use the fuel it is taking in, so it asks for more. Not every pet shows this one, though — some cats go the other way and eat less, so a cat who is drinking more and eating less is just as worth testing.
Later on there are two signs that are quite specific. In dogs, the lenses of both eyes can go cloudy surprisingly quickly, and sight can go with them — a dog who develops cataracts over a few weeks should have their blood sugar checked the same week. In cats, the back legs can weaken so that they walk down on their hocks rather than up on their toes, a flat-footed gait that is unmistakable once you have seen it.
Who it happens to
Middle-aged and older animals, mostly. In cats, overweight neutered males are the classic patient, and it is strongly linked to body condition, which is the part owners can actually act on. In dogs it is somewhat more common in females, with several breeds over-represented, and the mechanism is different enough that dogs and cats should not be thought of as having the same condition.
That difference matters for an encouraging reason. A proportion of cats caught early, put on the right diet and brought down to a healthy weight, can stop needing ongoing support altogether. That window is genuinely time-limited, which is the strongest argument there is for not waiting to see whether the drinking settles down. Dogs do not go into remission in the same way, but a dog whose diabetes is picked up before they are unwell has a much more straightforward road.
How it is confirmed
It is not a single reading. A stressed cat can run a high blood sugar simply from being at the vet, which is why a one-off number is not enough to label an animal. We look at blood sugar alongside a longer-term marker that is not affected by the stress of the visit, plus a urine sample, plus a general panel to see what else is going on. That combination gives an answer we can rely on.
Bring a urine sample if you can catch one, and — this is genuinely useful — measure the water. Fill the bowl with a measured amount for twenty-four hours, top it up with measured amounts, and tell us the total. An actual number beats “a lot” every time.
Our medical services cover the consultation and the ongoing management, and in-house blood and urine testing means the blood sugar and urine results are usually back during the same visit rather than days later. A pet who has gone off food, started vomiting and become lethargic needs urgent care the same day, for reasons below.
The emergency version
Diabetes left unmanaged eventually tips into a metabolic crisis, and that is a true emergency. The signs are a pet who stops eating, starts vomiting, becomes weak or wobbly, breathes oddly deeply, and sometimes has a faintly sweet smell to the breath. Animals can deteriorate over hours in this state.
It happens most often in pets whose diabetes had not been diagnosed yet, which is the plainest reason to test early. It also happens in diagnosed pets who become unwell for another reason, so if your diabetic pet goes off food, do not decide on your own whether to go ahead or skip. Call us first.
What management actually involves
Owners dread this part far more than they need to. For most pets it means an injection under the skin at home twice a day, given with a very fine needle at mealtimes. Almost every owner who was certain they could not do it is doing it comfortably within a few weeks, and pets generally object less to the injection than to having their nails done.
Alongside that sit a consistent feeding routine, a specific diet, weight control, and periodic monitoring so we can keep the plan matched to the animal. It is a commitment, but it is a routine rather than a crisis, and well-managed diabetic pets commonly live comfortably for years.
Our hours
We are open Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm, Saturday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, and Sunday from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm. The hospital opens at 8:00 am, but consultations and services begin at 9:00 am, so please call to book rather than arriving at eight expecting to be seen.
A pet who is drinking more can wait for an appointment this week. A pet who is vomiting, flat, weak or not eating cannot. If that happens after we close, contact Boundary Bay Veterinary Specialty Hospital at (604) 514-8383, 10436 173rd Street in Surrey, which is one of the 24-hour hospitals we refer to.
Common questions
How much drinking is too much?
Measure it rather than guess. As a rough guide, a dog consistently drinking more than about 100 ml per kilogram of body weight in a day is drinking more than expected, and any clear increase from that individual’s own normal is worth checking.
Can diet alone manage it?
In some cats caught early, combined with weight loss, it can come close, and that is worth aiming for. In dogs, no. Diet is part of the plan, not the whole of it.
Is it my fault for letting my cat get heavy?
Weight is a real risk factor and it is also the one you can change, which is useful rather than a reason for guilt. Plenty of lean cats develop it too.
Will my pet go blind?
Dogs are at genuine risk of cataracts, sometimes developing quickly, and early management lowers that risk. Cats very rarely develop diabetic cataracts.
Can I use a human glucose meter at home?
Home monitoring is useful and we will set it up with you, but the equipment and the target ranges are not the same as for people. Ask us before you buy anything.
Speak to the team at PoCo West Animal Hospital
If you are filling the bowl more often or changing the litter sooner, measure the water for a day and book a visit. It is one blood sample and one urine sample, and this is a far better condition to find early than late.
Published by the team at PoCo West Animal Hospital.
This article is educational in nature and is not a replacement for hands-on assessment of your own pet by a veterinarian.
PoCo West Animal Hospital
108 – 2748 Lougheed Highway, Port Coquitlam, BC V3B 6P2
Phone: (604) 554-1255
Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 10:00 pm; Saturday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm; Sunday 9:00 am to 7:00 pm (consultations begin at 9:00 am)