[Gpdd] [HEALTH] Diabetes in cavies

[Ann Evans]

Dear Glynis and the GPDD Family,

Most of this information is from the British Association of 
Rodentologists founded by Vedra Stanley-Spatcher.

A cavies diet especially one that contains pelleted food that has 
coloured corn, dried fruit or any type of colourants can cause off scale 
glucose readings. Cavies blood glucose is 60-125 mg/dL and urine test 
strips should be negative for glucose. I have found the easiest way to 
obtain a urine sample is to put the cavy in a clean plastic square 
bucket. Place a towel over the bucket with one corner of the bucket left 
uncovered. Give the piggy a piece of Romaine lettuce. Inevitably the 
piggy will back up and urinate. Lift piggy from bucket and pour urine 
sample into a suitable container. If the urine test strip is off scale 
positive for glucose leading to a suspicion of diabetes the cavy must be 
put on a test diet for three weeks. The cavy is to be fed ONLY the 
following ingredients: rolled or crushed oats, hay and cabbage. If the 
high glucose reading was due to chemical colourants, at the end of the 
three weeks test, the glucose in the urine will be either considerably 
reduced or gone altogether. If the cavy still has a high glucose 
reading, drinks an excessive amount of water and has an ongoing weight 
loss, a blood test should be done to attain a definitive diagnosis 
before treatment with Insulin Lente is commenced starting at a dose of 
1.0 international unit. Test to minimum effective dose.
I am not a vet. I am just a long term student of Vedra Stanley-Spatcher 
and I have operated for 26 years a cavy rescue home. I have always been 
able to treat diabetes with a diet that contains only Oxbow’s Cavy 
Cuisine pellets, hay, fresh grass, Romaine lettuce and 50 mg of vitamin 
C/day. All of the cavies that have developed cataracts did not have 
diabetes.

Best of health to Velvet,

Ann and the Rescued Piggys of Piggyville, Tampa Florida USA.