{"id":1370,"date":"2017-11-15T19:11:36","date_gmt":"2017-11-15T19:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homeopet.kloudexpert.com\/blog\/?p=1370"},"modified":"2021-03-22T14:04:54","modified_gmt":"2021-03-22T14:04:54","slug":"diabetes-pets-dog-cat-suffering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homeopet.kloudexpert.com\/uk\/diabetes-pets-dog-cat-suffering\/","title":{"rendered":"Diabetes in Pets \u00e2\u20ac\u201c is your dog or cat suffering?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Diabetes…we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all heard of it. You may even know someone who suffers from it? In the United States alone, 29.1 million people are living with diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes, while in the UK, 3.8 million people now have this potentially life-threatening disease. And it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on the increase. However, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not only us humans that can suffer – our pets can too. And they are…in increasing numbers.  It is estimated that 1 out of every 100 dogs that reaches 12 years of age will develop diabetes<\/a>, while diabetes could affect up to 1 in 230 cats and may be becoming increasingly common<\/a>. November is Pet Diabetes Month and in this post, Tom Farrington MVB MRCVS VetMFHom – Chief Veterinary Medical Advisor for HomeoPet <\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u201c discusses Diabetes in pets \u00e2\u20ac\u201c what it is, its symptoms and how we can help prevent it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is diabetes?<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

\nDiabetes (correctly termed diabetes mellitus) occurs when your dog or cat has stopped producing insulin, has inadequate levels of insulin, or has an abnormal response to insulin.\n\nInsulin is a hormone that keeps the body\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s glucose concentration at a normal level while delivering glucose (energy) to the body’s cells. There is a second form of diabetes – diabetes insipidus, which occurs when the kidneys are unable to regulate fluids in the body, and large amounts of dilute urine are produced. However, this condition is far less common than diabetes mellitus and is in fact completely unrelated to diabetes mellitus.\n\nIn dogs and cats, diabetes mellitus is more common in middle-aged to older animals, especially those that are overweight (seeing a pattern with us humans?). There is also evidence that some breeds are genetically predisposed, and this could be a causal factor in younger animals developing diabetes.\n\nAmong our canine friends, Toy Poodles, Terriers, Cocker Spaniels, Dachshunds, Doberman Pinschers, German Shepherds, Labrador Retrievers, and Golden Retrievers experience above-average rates of diabetes, while in cats, certain breeds, such as Siamese cats, also experience an above-average rate of the disease.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Symptoms of diabetes in pets<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

\nThe symptoms and the complications associated with diabetes mellitus are similar to those that affect humans and a dog or cat suffering from diabetes could display any combination of the following symptoms:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n