Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Use of insulin glargine in dogs with diabetes mellitus.
- Journal:
- The Veterinary record
- Year:
- 2012
- Authors:
- Fracassi, F et al.
- Affiliation:
- Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences · Italy
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
This study looked at how safe and effective insulin glargine is for treating dogs with diabetes mellitus, a condition where the body can't properly manage blood sugar levels. Twelve dogs that belonged to clients received insulin glargine injections every 12 hours for at least six months. The researchers checked the dogs' blood sugar levels and clinical signs at various points during the study. They found that after two weeks, the dogs' blood sugar levels were significantly lower and stayed that way throughout the study. By the end of the 24 weeks, most dogs showed improvement in symptoms like excessive drinking and urination, and the treatment was considered safe, although other types of insulin might work better for some dogs.
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of insulin glargine in dogs with diabetes mellitus (DM). Twelve client-owned dogs with DM were included. All dogs received insulin glargine every 12 hours for at least six months, re-evaluations were performed after one, two, four, eight, 12 and 24 weeks and included clinical signs, blood glucose curves (BGCs) and measurement of serum fructosamine concentrations. Mean blood glucose concentrations were significantly lower after two weeks of treatment and remained significantly lower for the duration of the study. By week 24, polyuria/polydipsia had improved in 91 per cent of the dogs. No clinical signs that could have been caused by hypoglycaemia were observed. Based on BGCs and remission of the clinical signs for judging the success of the treatment, 58, 33 and 8 per cent of the dogs attained good, moderate and poor glycaemic control by week 24 of the study, respectively. Insulin glargine administered subcutaneously twice daily is a possible and safe method of treatment for dogs with naturally occurring DM. Although only a few studies are available on the use of other types of insulin in dogs, their success rate is somewhat greater than that with insulin glargine.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22008227/