Your dog is always hungry

Having a ravenous appetite is another symptom of diabetes. According to animal experts, this symptom occurs when the body suffers from an imbalance of insulin. Insulin is an essential hormone made by the pancreas that allows their (and our) body to use sugar from carbohydrates in the food they eat for energy.

So, excessive eating, also known as polyphagia, is a condition caused by an imbalance of insulin and is one of the most important signs of diabetes. “Because of the lack of insulin, they’re hungry all the time. The body can’t perceive that it has glucose, so it thinks that it’s starving, and is always trying to eat,” says Dr. Ellen Behrend, VMD, PhD, DACVIM, the Joezy Griffin Professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Auburn University in Alabama.