Background Lowering the dose of desoxycorticosterone pivalate (DOCP) for the treatment of dogs with primary hypoadrenocorticism (PH) decreases costs and could lead to increased owner motivation to treat their affected dogs. Objective To evaluate the efficacy of a low‐dose DOCP treatment protocol in dogs with PH. Animals Prospective study, 17 client‐owned dogs with naturally occurring PH (12 newly diagnosed, 5 previously treated with fludrocortisone acetate [FC]). Methods Dogs with newly diagnosed PH were started on 1.5 mg/kg DOCP SC; dogs previously treated with FC were started on 1.0‐1.8 mg/kg DOCP SC. Reevaluations took place at regular intervals for a minimum of 3 months and included clinical examination and determination of serum sodium and potassium concentrations. The DOCP dosage was adjusted to obtain an injection interval of 28‐30 days and to keep serum electrolyte concentrations within the reference interval. Results Median (range) follow‐up was 16.2 months (4.5‐32.3 months). The starting dosage was sufficient in all but 2 dogs and had to be significantly decreased after 2‐3 months to a median dosage (range) of 1.1 mg/kg (0.7‐1.8). Dogs 3 years of age or younger needed significantly higher dosages compared to older dogs. None of them, however, needed the 2.2 mg/kg DOCP dosage, recommended by the manufacturer. Conclusions and Clinical Importance A starting dosage of 1.5 mg/kg DOCP is effective in controlling clinical signs and serum electrolyte concentrations in the majority of dogs with PH. An additional dose reduction often is needed to maintain an injection interval of 28‐30 days. Young and growing animals seem to need higher dosages.

Results suggested that SC injection of insulin detemir every 12 hours may be a viable treatment for diabetes mellitus in dogs. Insulin detemir dosages were lower than reported dosages of other insulin types needed to maintain glycemic control, suggesting that insulin detemir should be used with caution, especially in small dogs.

About 80% of diabetic cats suffer from type 2 diabetes which is characterized by reduced insulin secretion from beta-cells and by insulin resistance. As in humans cats experienced a change in life habits and eating conditions over the last years leading to a tremendous increase in the prevalence of obesity. In both species obesity is one of the major risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes. Treatment should be initiated immediately after diagnosis. In Zurich, therapy consists of application of an intermediate-acting insulin and dietary management. In the latter the use of diets with reduced carbohydrate content seems to be of utmost importance. We recently found that the percentage of cats with a transient course of diabetes increases from previous 25% to 50-70% when a diet with strongly reduced carbohydrate content is fed.