Insulin resistance describes the condition in which the pancreas is capable of producing insulin, but the cells are insensitive to it. If insulin is the “key” which unlocks the “gate” through which glucose must pass to enter cells, then insulin resistance results when there are too few “gates” or the ‘locks’ on the gates are “rusted shut” and are difficult to open despite the presence of insulin. There are many conditions which may predispose to the development of insulin-resistant diabetes or which may unmask a mild, subclinical, or transient diabetes that already exists. These include pregnancy, overproduction or over-administration of steroids like cortisone or prednisone, overproduction of growth hormone (acromegaly), infections, prolonged or severe stress, and many others.
Alternatively, these conditions may increase the dose of insulin required to properly regulate a diabetic already undergoing therapy. A diabetic patient which requires an insulin dose higher than 1-2 units per pound of body weight per injection to maintain normal blood sugar levels is considered to be “insulin-resistant”; every effort should be made to identify possible conditions which may be increasing the insulin requirement. Sometimes, just a prolonged untreated bladder infection may be enough to dysregulate an otherwise well controlled diabetic. If your dog has recently required a significantly increased dose adjustment to re-regulate blood sugar levels, or is difficult to regulate despite high insulin doses, have your pet re-evaluated by your veterinarian. Although there are many reasons why a diabetic may be difficult to regulate, the possibility of insulin resistance must be considered once other potential causes have been investigated and ruled out.