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Diabetic Ketoacidosis
Diabetic ketoacidosis is one of the most extreme and life-threatening complications of diabetes-mellitus. It occurs when severe insulin deficiency forces the body into desperate fat-burning, producing ketone bodies that cause dangerous pH and electrolyte imbalances.
Key Facts
- Most cases occur in pets not previously known to be diabetic
- Triggered by concurrent stress: infection, pancreatitis, cushings-syndrome
- Ketones are by-products of intense fat burning; they cause blood to become acidic
- Signs: lethargy, depression, vomiting, dehydration, refusal to eat
- Treatment requires round-the-clock ICU monitoring of electrolytes, pH, blood sugar
- Potassium and phosphorus become critically depleted
- Short-acting insulin (Humulin R) used for careful blood sugar reduction
- Recovery can take up to a week of hospitalization
- At end of treatment, patient remains diabetic and needs ongoing management
- Urine ketone monitoring at home with Ketostix helps catch early warning signs
- Species: dogs and cats