{"id":945,"date":"2025-11-07T19:57:58","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T00:57:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/?p=945"},"modified":"2025-11-03T20:02:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T01:02:17","slug":"november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\/","title":{"rendered":"November is National Pet Diabetes Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1061\" height=\"707\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/iStock-2167654831-1.jpg\" alt=\"November is National Pet Diabetes Month.\" class=\"wp-image-947\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/iStock-2167654831-1.jpg 1061w, https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/iStock-2167654831-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1061px) 100vw, 1061px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This November, the team at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/\">10 West Bird &amp; Animal Hospital<\/a> wants to spotlight National Pet Diabetes Month. Dogs and cats are the most commonly diagnosed with the disease, but birds\u2014including backyard chickens and ducks\u2014can get it, too.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Knowing what symptoms to look for is key to making sure your pet has the best chance of a healthy and happy life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Warning Signs of Diabetes Across Pet Species<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many pet species share a few key symptoms of diabetes. Keep a close eye on:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Excessive thirst.<\/strong> Dogs and cats with high blood glucose will drink more water than normal and, as a result, will urinate more frequently. Diabetic birds can also experience increased thirst\u2014your backyard flock might empty their waterers faster than you expect them to.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weight loss.<\/strong> Despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/what-is-the-gut-microbiome-in-dogs\/\">eating normally<\/a>\u2014or even eating <em>more <\/em>than usual\u2014diabetic pets often lose muscle and fat. This is because they aren\u2019t able to use insulin effectively, and therefore can\u2019t properly use glucose for energy.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cloudy eyes.<\/strong> Cataracts are a common complication of diabetes in dogs. They can develop quickly as high glucose levels change the lens of the eye. While cataracts aren\u2019t as common in cats or birds, any sudden changes in vision are worth noting.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Poor coat condition. <\/strong>Complications from diabetes can negatively affect your pet\u2019s coat, whether it\u2019s made of fur or feathers. Birds and chickens with diabetes might start overpreening, losing feathers, or experience a slow regrowth of lost feathers. A dull, brittle, or greasy coat in cats and dogs is a red flag too.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If your pet shows any of these signs of potential diabetes, schedule a visit with your veterinarian as soon as possible.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Early Detection Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Without diagnosis and treatment, diabetes can get serious <em>very <\/em>quickly. Dogs and cats can suffer from nerve damage, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and diabetic ketoacidosis\u2014a life-threatening emergency\u2014if diabetes goes untreated.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For birds, living with high glucose for long periods of time can put a strain on the kidneys and lead to painful skin and feather conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The earlier your veterinary team can diagnose diabetes, the sooner your pet can get treated. For dogs and cats, treatment often involves insulin and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/foods-you-should-never-feed-to-birds\/\">dietary management<\/a>. For birds, diet changes can go a long way in stabilizing blood sugar and reducing complications.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Pet Parents Can Do<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Knowing the most common signs of diabetes is an excellent first step to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/helping-my-pet-avoid-diabetes-what-you-can-do\/\">proactively preventing<\/a> any diabetes complications.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what you can do:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Watch out for any excessive thirst, weight loss, cloudy eyes, or poor coat condition<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Schedule routine exams with blood and urine testing for dogs and cats, and health checks for birds<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Take notes on any unusual symptoms\u2014such as appetite, grooming, or water use habits\u2014and share them with your veterinarian\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/staff\/\">friendly team at 10 West Bird &amp; Animal Hospital<\/a> is here to help with both preventive care and diabetes treatment. Give us a call at <strong>(210) 696-1700<\/strong><strong> <\/strong>to schedule an appointment for your bird, dog, cat, or exotic pet today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This November, the team at 10 West Bird &amp; Animal Hospital wants to spotlight National Pet Diabetes Month. Dogs and cats are the most commonly diagnosed with the disease, but birds\u2014including backyard chickens and ducks\u2014can get it, too.&nbsp; Knowing what symptoms to look for is key to making sure your pet has the best chance [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[123],"tags":[390,391,392,389],"class_list":["post-945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pet-health-wellness","tag-cloudy-eyes","tag-excessive-thirst","tag-poor-coat-condition","tag-weight-loss"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>November is National Pet Diabetes Month<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"November is National Pet Diabetes Month. Raise awareness about pet diabetes. 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Discover resources, tips, and support to keep your pets healthy and thriving.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ten West Bird &amp; Animal Hospital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-08T00:57:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tenwestvet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/iStock-2167654831-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1061\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ten West Staff\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ten West Staff\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ten West Staff\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4ddce8495cc8029a1ced1cf24660c26d\"},\"headline\":\"November is National Pet Diabetes Month\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-08T00:57:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":521,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/iStock-2167654831-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"cloudy eyes\",\"excessive thirst\",\"poor coat condition\",\"weight loss\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Pet Health &amp; Wellness\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\\\/\",\"name\":\"November is National Pet Diabetes Month\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/november-is-national-pet-diabetes-month\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/11\\\/iStock-2167654831-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-08T00:57:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tenwestvet.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4ddce8495cc8029a1ced1cf24660c26d\"},\"description\":\"November is National Pet Diabetes Month. 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