Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Adjuvant nutritional management of canine insulinoma: A case report.
- Journal:
- Research in veterinary science
- Year:
- 2026
- Authors:
- Moreno, Gabriela Pinheiro Tirado et al.
- Affiliation:
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital · Brazil
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A 12-year-old male neutered Lhasa Apso was admitted to the hospital because he was experiencing low blood sugar levels and some neurological symptoms. After tests, the dog was diagnosed with insulinoma, a type of tumor that causes the pancreas to produce too much insulin. Although he had surgery to remove the tumor, he continued to have low blood sugar and showed signs like shaking and extreme tiredness. Since there were limited options for medication, the veterinary team changed his diet to a special food designed for diabetic dogs and added lentils, psyllium, and beta-glucans. This new diet helped stabilize his blood sugar levels, reduced his symptoms, and allowed for a decrease in medication, leading to an improvement in his overall condition.
Abstract
Insulinoma is a functional tumor of pancreatic beta cells characterized by excessive insulin secretion, resulting in persistent hypoglycemia. This report describes the case of a 12-year-old male neutered Lhasa Apso dog admitted to the hospital service with persistent hypoglycemia and neurological signs. Complementary examinations suggested insulinoma, which was confirmed by histopathology. Although the surgical procedure was uneventful, postoperative hypoglycemia persisted, with frequent episodes of tremors and prostration, mean serum glucose concentration was 36 mg/dL. Due to limited access to specific drug therapies, nutritional modification was implemented using a commercial diet formulated for diabetes mellitus, supplemented with lentils, psyllium, and beta-glucans. The dietary intervention led to reduced glycemic variability, resolution of hypoglycemia-related clinical signs, decreased glucocorticoid dosage and an improvement in mean blood glucose concentration was observed, reaching 53 mg/dL. This case report highlights the importance of nutrition as a low-cost and accessible adjuvant therapy for dogs diagnosed with insulinoma.
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Search related cases →Original publication: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41967456/