Diabetes mellitus is uncommon and can be challenging to diagnose. It does occur in pet birds and causes signs similar to those seen in people with diabetes, including passing a large volume of urine, excessive thirst, and high sugar (glucose) levels in the blood and urine. Diabetes is often seen in birds that are overweight or that have pancreatic or reproductive problems. A veterinarian can diagnose diabetes by laboratory blood testing. Depending on the species of bird, a deficiency of insulin or relative increase in glucagon (another hormone secreted by the pancreas) may be noted.
Veterinarians typically treat diabetic birds with injectable insulin and oral medications to lower blood sugar levels. However, keeping a diabetic bird’s rapidly changing blood sugar levels within a normal range can be very difficult, and the risks of their developing hypoglycemia and collapsing while on these medications is significant. Diabetic birds also typically suffer from other concurrent illnesses, such as liver disease. Long-term prognosis for diabetic birds is consequently very poor.
