title: Acid-base and hormonal abnormalities in dogs with naturally occurring diabetes mellitus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine acid-base and hormonal abnormalities in dogs with diabetes mellitus.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  48 dogs with diabetes mellitus and 17 healthy dogs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood was collected and serum ketone, glucose, lactate, electrolytes, insulin, glucagon, cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, nonesterified fatty acid, and triglyceride concentrations were measured. Indicators of acid-base status were calculated and compared between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Serum ketone and glucose concentrations were significantly higher in diabetic than in healthy dogs, but there was no difference in venous blood pH or base excess between groups. Anion gap and strong ion difference were significantly higher and strong ion gap and serum bicarbonate concentration were significantly lower in the diabetic dogs. There were significant linear relationships between measures of acid-base status and serum ketone concentration, but not between measures of acid-base status and serum lactate concentration. Serum insulin concentration did not differ significantly between groups, but diabetic dogs had a wider range of values. All diabetic dogs with a serum ketone concentration > 1,000 micromol/L had a serum insulin concentration < 5 microU/mL. There were strong relationships between serum ketone concentration and serum glucagon-insulin ratio, serum cortisol concentration, and plasma norepinephrine concentration. Serum beta-hydroxybutyrate concentration, expressed as a percentage of serum ketone concentration, decreased as serum ketone concentration increased.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggested that ketosis in diabetic dogs was related to the glucagon-insulin ratio with only low concentrations of insulin required to prevent ketosis. Acidosis in ketotic dogs was attributable largely to high serum ketone concentrations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Lawren L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Durocher
authors.forename: Kenneth W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Hinchcliff
authors.forename: Stephen P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: DiBartola
authors.forename: Susan E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000137:Acid-Base Imbalance / Q000662:veterinary*; D000818:Animals; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis / Q000662:veterinary; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000097:blood / Q000662:veterinary*; D016883:Diabetic Ketoacidosis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000097:blood*; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007659:Ketones / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D007659:Ketones