Feline diabetes mellitus: diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring.

genesis, risk factors, and the distinction between insulin-dependent and non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is available at CompendiumVet.com. aDr. Ward discloses that she has received financial support from Morris Animal Foundation and Nestle Purina PetCare Company. iabetes mellitus is a frequently encountered disease in small animal practice. Both dogs and cats appear to be affected by the disease at similar frequencies. However, cats, more commonly than dogs, experience a form of diabetes most closely related to type 2 diabetes mellitus in humans. In addition, some cats may not need insulin therapy to regulate their blood glucose.This has led to the use of the terms insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and non–insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus to describe the clinical entities and treatment modalities needed in these patients. However, when diagnosing and treating diabetic cats, it is important for practicing clinicians to be aware of the pathogenesis and not simply the clinical response to insulin therapy, as the rationale for various treatment strategies is based on the type and extent of disease.*