QUARTERLY BEAT / JULY 2025
CANINE INSULINOMA:
RECOGNITION, DIAGNOSIS, & TREATMENT
Canine insulinomas can be difficult to catch and even trickier to treat! In this VETgirl article, Dr. Amy Kaplan-Zattler, cVMA, DACVECC, MRCVS reviews how to recognize, diagnose, and treat canine insulinoma. Read on to spot the clinical signs of acute and chronic hypoglycemia, which diagnostics you need STAT, and how to manage these patients for better short-term and long-term success with this rare, but serious condition!
Amy Kaplan-Zattler, DVM, cVMA, DACVECC, MRCVS CE Program Manager, VETgirl Insulinomas are small - generally < 2.5 cm in diameter - and more often found in the right or left limbs of the pancreas as opposed to the body of the pancreas. These are functional tumors, meaning they overproduce insulin, resulting in hypoglycemia. Due to an impaired negative feedback mechanism, neoplastic pancreatic beta cells fail to suppress insulin release in response to falling glucose levels, thus exacerbating the hypoglycemia. WHAT SIGNALMENT DEVELOPS CANINE INSULINOMA? Generally, it’s the older (> 9 years of age), larger breed dogs that we see with insulinoma including:
However, small breeds such as West Highland White Terriers, Chihuahuas and Yorkies are also at risk. This author has diagnosed insulinomas (confirmed on histopathology) in a variety of middle-aged (e.g. 6-8 year old) smaller breed dogs (e.g. Chihuahua mix, French Bulldog), so it’s important to keep this differential in your sights even for small dogs of middle to advanced age. CLUES OWNERS MIGHT NOTICE The early signs of insulinomas are vague and nonspecific. A common early complaint from owners is “My dog is acting ‘spacy’ and ‘lost’.” Symptoms can be episodic - usually triggered by exercise or fasting - and between episodes, dogs act totally fine! So, owners may disregard these infrequent, mild episodes and not bring their dogs in for a check-up until the frequency or severity of symptoms gets worse. As insulin production increases – possibly due to tumor growth, metastasis, or chronicity of neuroglycopenia (low glucose levels in the brain) - we start to see more severe symptoms.
LARGE DOG BREEDS COMMON FOR INSULINOMA
CLINICAL SIGNS OF INSULINOMA
• Lethargy • Inappetence • 'ADR' (ain't doin' right) • Weakness • Ataxia/Paresis • Vomiting • Shaking/Tremoring/ Muscle Fasciculations
• Polyphagia • PU/PD • Collapse • Seizures (e.g., focal, generalized, or both)
• Coma • Death
20
VETGIRL BEAT EMAGAZINE | VETGIRLONTHERUN.COM
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker