As Doggie diabetes soars, humane treatment can help (LiveScience.com)

Like their human owners, dogs and cats are more likely to be suffering from diabetes. And Furthermore, veterinarians are turning to tools developed for use by diabetic humans to help our canine and feline companions.

Human drugs have long been used to treat the disease in animals, but now veterinarians are using another human tool, monitor glucose continued to develop treatments for Fido and mittens. The monitor, which is surgically implanted under the skin, following the concentration of sugar called glucose in the blood. As in humans, animal of company with rates of high blood glucose experience extreme thirst, frequent urination and fatigue. Left untreated, high glucose can cause blindness and kidney failure.

Diabetes is on the rise among animals, veterinary Amy DeClue, University of Missouri-Columbia wrote in March in the journal of clinical laboratory medicine. As sufferers of the disease, animals with diabetes have difficulty regulating sugar, blood on their own because their bodies do not produce enough insulin, a hormone that lowers blood glucose levels. Injections of insulin and food can help, but blood glucose have to monitor carefully to ensure that treatments are on the right track. [Is in bold Fido?] [Human diet tips could help]

Monitoring of sugar in the blood of Fido

With a glucose monitor continuous, physicians and their human patients can get a more detailed understanding how insulin levels respond to exercise, meals and medicines. So same pets, DeClue said and his research colleagues.

Previously, veterinarians would retain a cat or a diabetic dog at the clinic for a day, their periodic blood tests and using data to determine the amount of insulin to prescribe. Because veterinary clinics can be stressful for the animals, and because insulin response to stress, these figures were often inaccurate.

"Continuous glucose monitoring [DMC] is much more efficient and more accurate than the previous technical monitoring glucose and revolutionized how to manage diabetes in dogs veterinarians", DeClue said in a statement. "DMC provides a complete view of what happens in animals in their natural environment.". For example, it can show us if blood glucose to a pet changes when an owner gives treats, when the animal exercises or in response to insulin. ?

Increasing the pet problem

Diagnosis of diabetes have increased recently for cats and dogs, even if no firm number is available for felines. A veterinary journal 2003 published a study concluded that in cases of dog diabetes comprising 19 of each hospital admissions veterinarian 10 000 in 1970. In 1999, this number had jumped to 64 of 10 000. However, diabetes deaths have fallen in this period of time, in free fall of death in 37% of the cases of death in only 5 percent of cases.

In cats, the disease is linked to obesity, but the connection is not well established in dogs, which appear to develop a version of diabetes-like human Type 1 or juvenile diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not produce insulin. Type 2, or adult - diabetes, the body can produce enough insulin, but cells fail to recognize the hormone. Cats can get Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. [Type I: symptoms diabetes and treatment]

Miniature poodles, bichon friezes, keeshonds, Alaska and miniature schnauzers malamutes are races are most at risk for canine diabetes, researchers wrote.