Juvenile diabetes mellitus in a crossbred dog. case report

A 5-month-old male crossbred dog weighing 2.3 kg was presented with polyphagia, polyuria, polydipsia, dehydration, thin skin, growth retardation and plantigrade stance. The stools were steatorrheic indicating exocrine pancreatic disfunction. High values of alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase were indicative of lipidosis and pancreas diseases. The dog exhibited hypoproteinemia associated with hypoalbuminemia, indicating most likely that protein malabsorption caused probably by exocrine pancreatic dysfunction. Severe hypocalcemia (1.39 mmol/L) with swollen joints suggests rickets. The diagnosis of diabetes mellitus was based on the presence of clinical signs (polyuria, polydipsia, polyphagia, weight loss) and evidence of fasting hyperglycemia and glycosuria. The very low serum total thyroxine (0.84 mu g/dL) pointed to thyroid dysfunction. Blood insulin was very low 1.9 mu U/mL indicating an absolute deficiency of insulin secretion. Small values of insulin-like growth factor I concentration (6.10 nmol/L) and serum insulin, explain the growth retardation observed in our dog with juvenile diabetes mellitus. The aim of therapy (insulin, pancreatic enzymes and levothyroxine) is to eliminate the symptoms of diabetes mellitus and prevent short-term complications, thereby enabling the animal to have a good quality of life.