The Evolution of Diabetic Ketoacidosis Treatment
The treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis has evolved somewhat over time, says Jamie M. Burkitt, DVM, DACVECC, assistant professor of clinical surgical and radiological sciences at the University of California, Davis.
The treatment of diabetic ketoacidosis has evolved somewhat over time, says Jamie M. Burkitt, DVM, DACVECC, assistant professor of clinical surgical and radiological sciences at the University of California, Davis, but the core principles—fluid therapy and insulin administration—still remain the same.
Fluid therapy should be optimal and quite aggressive. It was previously thought that veterinarians should wait up to 6 hours or more after fluid therapy to start insulin administration, but this is not supported. Rather, within a short period of time, insulin administration should start to stop the production of new ketone bodies.
