Spontaneous diabetic remission after acute pancreatitis in a dog

Abstract

A 7-year-old spayed female mixed-breed dog was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and received supportive care for 2 weeks, after which the dog developed diabetes mellitus (DM). Insulin therapy was initiated (insulin glargine 300 U/ml) at 0.2 U/kg subcutaneously (SQ) every 12 hours with no dose adjustments required. After 2 months, insulin therapy was discontinued because of a suspected hypoglycemic episode and persistently normal interstitial glucose concentrations. Nineteen months after diagnosis, the dog remained euglycemic with normal hemoglobin A1c, consistent with diabetic remission. Diabetic remission is rare in dogs and is reported only in the context of insulin-resistance caused by excess progesterone or glucocorticoids and in a single case report with no obvious cause of insulin-resistance. The case reported here demonstrates that even in pancreatitis-related DM, remission is possible in a dog.