Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Miniature Poodle with heart block and steroid diabetes after ear
By Kim, Chongho et al.·Published in Veterinary medicine and science·2025·College of Veterinary Medicine, South Korea·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Second-Degree Atrioventricular Block With Steroid-Induced Diabetes Mellitus in a Miniature Poodle.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
An 8-year-old Miniature Poodle was brought to the vet because he was drinking a lot, urinating frequently, and had trouble controlling his bladder after being treated with steroids for an ear infection. During the exam, the vet found an irregular heartbeat and ran tests that showed the dog had high blood sugar and diabetic ketosis, likely caused by the steroids. The dog was treated with insulin, and within three days, his symptoms improved, his blood sugar stabilized, and his heartbeat returned to normal. The diabetes was managed well afterward, and the heart issue did not come back.
People also search for: Miniature Poodle diabetes treatment · dog irregular heartbeat causes · insulin for diabetic dogs
Abstract
An 8-year-old castrated male Miniature Poodle was referred due to polyuria, polydipsia and urinary incontinence, following 12 days of prednisolone administration (0.25 mg/kg q12h) for otitis externa. Upon physical examination, an abnormal heart rhythm was detected on cardiac auscultation without any associated clinical signs. Owing to suspected conduction abnormalities, electrocardiography (ECG) was performed, which revealed a Mobitz Type II second-degree atrioventricular (AV) block. Blood analysis revealed hyperglycaemia (> 500 mg/dL; reference interval [RI] = 65-118 mg/dL), elevated fructosamine (361 µmol/L; RI = 177-314 µmol/L) and β-hydroxybutyric acid concentrations (5.4 mmol/L; RI ≤ 2.5 mmol/L), leading to a diagnosis of diabetic ketosis. To manage the diabetic ketosis, porcine lente insulin (Caninsulin, MSD) was administered at a dose of 0.33 U/kg q12h. Three days after initiating insulin therapy, the clinical signs improved, a stable blood glucose curve with a nadir of 150 mg/dL was observed, and the β-hydroxybutyric acid concentration decreased to 1.4 mmol/L. Follow-up ECG confirmed resolution of the AV block. Subsequently, the diabetes mellitus (DM) was well managed, and the AV block did not recur. A strong association between DM and AV block is reported in humans. However, studies investigating the relationship between DM and AV block in veterinary medicine are limited. This case report describes the potential for acute-onset DM to induce cardiac conduction disturbances in dogs.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40736923/