Diabetes Mellitus or canine diabetes in dogs includes a number of conditions where there is a deficiency of the hormone insulin or an insensitivity to it. Insulin is made in the islet cells of the pancreas and controls blood concentrations of the body's glucose.

In healthy dogs, insulin performs its task by stopping glucose production by the liver and making sure that excessive glucose coming from food that is not needed for energy is put where it is needed in body stores.

When dogs have a diabetic condition there is not enough insulin to turn off the liver’s glucose production or effectively store excess glucose derived from food.

The consequence is that blood concentration of glucose rises and can exceed levels that will allow the kidneys to let glucose leak into the urine. If this happens your dog will get very thirsty and drink much more than usual, and will have excessive urination. Also a diabetic pet will lose weight and can develop cataracts, have increased appetite and might even suffer from recurrent infections.

If the condition is excessive your pet can become very unwell indeed so it is very important for your to keep an eye on your pet’s health so that you can stop the onset of canine diabetes and have it treated.