Pet Diabetes Month: Healthy Pet Tips
It’s Pet Diabetes Month, and what better time for Leon Valley Veterinary Hospital to take a minute and remind our pet loving readers how to be sure that they have a healthy pet? A good pet wellness plan can help to prevent pet diabetes as well as many other health issues.
Pet Diabetes
Diabetes is a common problem in humans. We also diagnose it quite often in our pet population, with 1 in 300 dogs and 1 in 260 cats developing the disease.
Pet diabetes, like human diabetes, occurs when the body is unable to use the glucose energy provided by food to fuel its cells. This can be due to a lack of insulin production by the pancreas or due to resistance of the body’s cells to normal amounts of insulin. In some cases, it is a combination of both.
Because diabetes results in too much glucose in the blood and not enough energy for the body’s cells, diabetic animals will experience symptoms that include:
- Increased thirst
- Increased urination
- Weight loss
- Increased appetite
Untreated diabetes can lead to serious illness and even death.
How Pet Wellness Prevents Problems
A good pet wellness program can help you to help your pet live the longest, healthiest life possible. Pet wellness includes things like good nutrition, weight management, frequent wellness examination, screening testing, parasite prevention, and vaccination.
Allowing our team to examine your pet and make recommendations allows us to detect potential problems early, before they become a major issue. In some cases, we can help you to avoid things like obesity and dental disease altogether.
Our Best Tips for a Healthy Pet
Pet diabetes isn’t always preventable, but there are definitely things that you can do to help avoid it. The best part is that following our tips for a healthy pet not only applies to diabetes in pets but also to many other diseases and conditions.
Help keep your pet healthy by:
- Working with us to determine your pet’s healthy body weight and help them to achieve and maintain it
- Feeding a quality, balanced food
- Avoiding table scraps and fatty treats that can lead to pancreatitis
- Encouraging daily exercise
- Bringing your pet in for regular wellness visits (your too cats!)
- Allowing us to run regular blood and urine testing to detect problems early and establish normal for your pet
Most pets who do develop diabetes are able to be managed with a little effort. If you think that your pet may have something going on, or if you would like to learn more about ways to ensure a healthy pet, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help!