Diabetes in Cats and Dogs | Broad Ripple Animal Clinic Blog

by Dr. Lori Fruit

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Diabetes in our pet dogs and cats is a major problem that we face today. ?Dogs tend to develop a type more similar to type 1 diabetes in humans, and cats lend more towards the type 2 form of the disease. As parents to our furry friends, prevention of this serious disease is important to all of us. ?While completely preventing the disease may be impossible, there is something we can do at home to make the disease less likely or even easier to control if it happens.

Obesity is a very serious problem in the pet population today. ?In fact, among dogs and cats today, one out of every three pets are overweight or even obese. ?Many factors effect obesity such as spaying or neutering, decreased activity, and diet. ?This can be a serious problem when it comes to diabetes in both dogs and cats, especially in the prevention of the disease in cats. ?In overweight cats, the incidence of diabetes is four times higher than it is in lean cats. ?In dogs, although weight is not as often a contributing factor to causing the disease, obesity often makes the disease much harder to regulate if it develops.

With so many diet options on the market today, choosing the best option for your pet can sometimes be quite daunting. ?According to the research, once diabetic, dogs and cats benefit from very different alterations in their diet. ?Overall, a lower carbohydrate content is the goal for both. ?Dogs have been shown to benefit more from high fiber diets; whereas, our feline friends show more benefit from a high protein diet. ?As many of us have found out in our lifetimes, excess weight is easier to prevent than to remove once it is present. ?This is the same with our pets. ?As veterinarians there are many weight loss tools at our fingertips from various prescription diets to?a medication in dogs to help decrease hunger. ?Each pet is different and it is important to discuss a weight loss plan with your veterinarian. ?The proper, individualized approach to weight loss can be the difference between a frustrating attempt at weight loss and a successful one.

At Broad Ripple Animal Clinic and Wellness Center, we realize just how important weight loss is to many members of our pet population. ?Therefore, we have developed a program to help you achieve weight loss in your pet called the Fit For Life Program. ?This unique program involves serial meetings with one of our highly skilled technicians once monthly to track weight loss and make changes to the current weight loss plan as needed. ?If a prescription diet is part of your veterinarian?s plan for your pet, this program could also help you work toward a free bag of food! ?Please ask about the Fit For Life program today.

Source: http://bracpet.com/blog/2012/11/diabetes-in-cats-and-dogs/

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