Pets Get Diabetes Too

Author: Nick Carmichael

Just like humans pets can suffer from diabetes mellitus too. By a simple blood test, called fructosamine, they can be diagnosed and then, under the care of your veterinary surgeon, often treated succesfully.

Fructosamines are stable complexes of carbohydrates and proteins that are produced by an irreversible, non-enzymatic glycosylation of serum proteins. Fructosamine (glycated serum protein) measurements are useful in diagnosing and monitoring diabetes mellitus in both cats and dogs.

The test is highly sensitive and can be used to distinguish non-diabetic transiently hyperglycaemic cats from diabetics with chronic hyperglycaemia. A single measurement of fructosamine indicates the average glucose concentration over the previous 1-3 weeks and its assay can therefore be used to assist in the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus as well as monitoring the effectiveness of insulin therapy in diabetic patients.

Fructosamine values are not influenced by acute fluctuations in blood glucose making them more useful than single glucose measurements taken from stressed or anorexic patients, or animals on glucose containing IV fluids.

In some cases however they can be used in conjunction with serial glucose curves to assess the short and long term response to insulin administration.

Please contact your veterinary surgeon for further details or if you have any concerns about your pets.

Further information on fructosamine can be found at: http://www.ctdslab.co.uk

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