AAHA’s 2026 guidelines split canine and feline care, adding dog basal insulin guidance and updated recommendations for SGLT2 inhibitor use in cats.
Updated guidance reflects different needs
The American Animal Hospital Association’s updated diabetes guidance gives dogs and cats separate playbooks, reflecting how much species-specific clinical information has accumulated since the previous edition in 2018. Released Sept. 6, the guidelines also revise treatment algorithms, including new options and considerations for managing the disease. That change in format carries a practical message: clinicians treating diabetes need recommendations that account for the differences between canine and feline patients, rather than a single framework that asks them to translate across species.
Andrew Bugbee, DVM, DACVIM (SAIM), co-chair of the canine guidelines, described the work as an extended process of literature review, expert discussion and consensus. He told Veterinary Practice News that the recommendations combine evidence, clinicians’ experience and a focus on practical decisions veterinary teams face. That blend matters because guidelines have to do more than summarize research; they must help a team decide what to assess, which treatment approaches to consider and how to follow a patient over time. The document’s usefulness will depend in part on how well those recommendations fit the varied circumstances of individual patients.
Species-specific guidance
For the first time, AAHA has published distinct canine and feline editions. Bugbee said the split lets practitioners find recommendations tailored to each species more quickly. Renee Rucinsky, DVM, DABVP (Feline), also a co-chair of the canine guidelines, said the format helped the task force focus its research and recommendations around each population. The structure also makes the underlying editorial choice clear: species differences are central enough to warrant separate guidance, not a brief note within a shared document.
The dog edition covers diagnosis, insulin treatment and monitoring, diabetic ketoacidosis, assessment of glycemic status, diet and communication with clients. Its treatment guidance now includes basal insulin therapy. It explains how insulin degludec and insulin glargine U-300 work, suggested starting doses, initial monitoring and dose adjustments, as well as ways to address common clinical problems. These details connect the choice of therapy to the work that follows it: a starting dose is only one part of care, while monitoring and adjustment help clinicians respond to the patient’s course. The guidelines therefore give teams a framework for thinking through treatment over time, rather than presenting insulin selection as an isolated decision.
Nutrition is another focus for dogs. Bugbee said care teams should shape each patient’s diet around diabetes management while accounting for other conditions and individual patient factors. That advice acknowledges a familiar challenge in clinical care: a recommendation that makes sense for diabetes may need to be considered alongside the rest of the patient’s health and day-to-day needs. Diet is part of the management plan, not a detail that can be settled without reference to the individual dog.
New considerations for feline care
The cat guidelines cover diabetes pathophysiology and diagnosis, identifying cats at risk, insulin treatment and monitoring, and glycemic testing. They also address diabetic remission and both diabetic ketoacidosis and euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis. Taken together, those topics span recognition, treatment and follow-up, while giving particular attention to conditions that can complicate assessment and management. For a clinician, an organized reference across those stages can help keep decisions connected as the case develops.
A notable update is guidance on selecting feline patients for SGLT2 inhibitor treatment. The document also includes recommendations on diet and client communication, giving clinicians a species-specific reference across key stages of care. Patient selection is a meaningful part of the topic: the guidelines present the treatment as an option to consider for some cats, with selection addressed directly rather than implying that one approach fits every patient. That is more significant than it looks. A new treatment category is useful only when teams can also think through which patients may be appropriate for it and how it fits into the wider care plan.
Reference tools and practical implications
AAHA has published concise Guidelines at a Glance for Dogs3 and Guidelines at a Glance for Cats4 as downloadable quick-reference tools. The separate editions give veterinary teams a faster route from a patient’s species and clinical needs to relevant management guidance. A short reference can help during a busy clinical day, while the fuller guidelines provide the detail behind the recommendations. Here’s the thing: quick access is valuable only if it points teams toward decisions they can apply to the patient in front of them.
If you're working in this space, the clearest takeaway is that the update treats species-specific care as a practical requirement, not an academic distinction. The dog and cat editions organize recommendations around different clinical considerations, and the quick-reference sheets offer another way to locate them. Neither format removes the need for clinical judgment; the guidance itself emphasizes patient factors, monitoring and communication. A framework, with room for the individual case.
The guidelines also place communication with clients within the scope of care for both species. That’s a useful signal about the daily work behind diabetes management: treatment plans involve more than the clinician’s choice of therapy, and recommendations must be understandable to the people caring for the animal. The materials don’t claim that a reference sheet can resolve every practical difficulty. They do offer teams a shared starting point for discussing treatment, monitoring and the factors that can shape a patient’s plan.
Julie A. Jacob is a communications professional and writer. She lives in Wisconsin with her poodle.
References
1. AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs. AAHA. 6 Sept. 2026. https://www.aaha.org/resources/2026-aaha-diabetes-management-guidelines-for-dogs/?_gl=1*j1xeyq*_up*MQ..*_gs*NQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3uvapq7slgMVOW5HAR357i-PEAAYASAAEgLWGvD_BwE
2. AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Cats. AAHA. 6 Sept. 2026.
3. AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Dogs. Guidelines at a Glance. 6 Sept. 2026.
4. AAHA Diabetes Management Guidelines for Cats. Guidelines at Glance. 6 Sept. 2026. https://pages.aaha.org/hubfs/Guidelines%20PDFs/2026%20Cat%20Diabetes/DiabetesCatsGL_321Sheet.pdf?_gl=1*phm40b*_up*MQ..&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3uvapq7slgMVOW5HAR357i-PEAAYASAAEgLWGvD_BwE
Discussion
Sign in to join the discussion.