Survey about management of diabetes mellitus (DM) in dogs and cats

Objectives To obtain information on the management of diabetic pets across German speaking countries.

Methods A questionnaire consisting of 2 parts (part 1 – DM management [28 questions]; part 2 - demographic information about the veterinarian [practice type, location, etc.; 9 questions]) was made available online from May 2022 to November 2023.

Results In total, 176 veterinarians from Germany (n=105), Austria (n=56) and Switzerland (n=15) completed the survey. Most respondents worked in first opinion practice (134/176) and had 16–30 years of work experience (66/176). Most veterinarians diagnosed DM in 0–1 dogs (79/176) and 2–4 cats (91/176) per year. In both dogs and cats, twice daily insulin injections (126/176 and 161/176, respectively) alongside with weight reduction (143/176 and 141/176, respectively) were recommended by most veterinarians. The preferred first-line insulin was Caninsulin in dogs (165/176) and Prozinc in cats (90/176). The preferred monitoring method were blood glucose curves (94/176). The first re-check following insulin treatment start was mostly done after 1–2 weeks (123/176), well-controlled patients were usually re-checked every 3 months (81/176). Most veterinarians reported remission in 2–3 of 10 cats (64/176), but only in<1 of 10 female dogs following castration (97/176). The most common comorbidity was dental disease in both dogs and cats (99/176 and 118/176, respectively), followed by urinary tract infection in dogs (94/176) and pancreatitis in cats (98/176). The presence of comorbidities and poor owner compliance were considered main challenges in DM management by 76/176 and 74/176 veterinarians, respectively. Difficulty in keeping regular daily schedule was considered the main hurdle for diabetic pet owners by 104/176 veterinarians. Nevertheless, most owners were willing to start treatment and only 5/176 respondents for dogs and 19/176 for cats reported, that more than 1 in 10 patients are euthanised after DM is diagnosed.

Conclusions Our results suggest that management of diabetic pets in German speaking countries mostly corresponds with DM management guidelines, although their implementation is not possible in every patient.

Publication History

Article published online:
27 February 2024