Diabetes and Your Pet

Just as with humans, diabetes can be a difficult problem to diagnose in pets.  Often times, animals with diabetes are not diagnosed until they exhibit outwards signs such as urinary problems.  Similarly in humans, diabetes in pets can exist in several different forms.  Cats often times have a transient form of the disease (known as insulin resistance) in which the pancreas produces insulin but the body does not respond properly.  Another form results from an insulin deficiency as seen in most diabetic dogs.  This form of diabetes is primarily genetic and a lack of insulin production and secretion by the pancreas.  (Insulin is used by the body to help absorb glucose and use it for energy.)

Significant changes in urination could be a tell-tale sign that your pet has diabetes.  When glucose in the blood rises to high levels, excess glucose spills into the urine and causes your pet to urinate more frequently.  This can lead to severe hydration.  Another symptom of diabetes is weight loss.  Since your pet’s body is not efficiently using its glucose, the body turns to its stored fat as its main source of energy. 

One way to treat your pet’s diabetes is insulin injections.  Another theory is to implement a low-carbohydrate diet.  This is proven to benefit humans with diabetes, but research is still in progress to see if our pets can reap the same benefits.

In any event, keeping an eye on your pet’s habits and behaviors is the best way to keep them healthy.  Don’t let them down!

For More Information: http://vetmed.illinois.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=512 (Retrieved 11 May 2010)

Arthritis and Your Pet

July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, and it is important to remember that your pet can also suffer from this disease.   Arthritis is a problem affecting over 12 million dogs.  Although it is not uncommon for dogs to slow down slightly with age, it is important not to ignore the early signs of arthritis in your pet.  These signs can include: hesitation to go upstairs, lagging behind or tiring easily during walks, preferring to lie down rather than to sit or stand, seemingly stiff legs (particularly after resting), and whimpering or growling when touched.  It is important to pay careful attention to these signs and symptoms, even when your parent doesn’t seemed bothered.  This is because dogs often do not clearly indicate pain until it becomes severe.

Unfortunately, joint issues in your pet cannot be cured.  If your pet seems to respond to treatment don’t hesitate to celebrate, but remember it is imperative to continue treatment to ensure the continuance of his or her comfort. For best results, try a treatment plan that combines several different options.

You can help your pet’s veterinarian in diagnosing joint issues by printing off and filling out the Joint Health Warning Signs Checklist, which can be found at http://dogtime.com/help-your-vet-understand-your-dog.html.            

Remember, arthritis in pets is irreversible.  To prevent the progression of joint issues there are a few simple things you can do to help your little rascal, like: keep them active, watch their weight, and raise their food bowl to reduce neck strain.  These small measures will be worth it to keep your friend as comfortable as possible!

Understanding Arthritis in Dogs: http://www.treatdogarthritis.com/multimodal/treat-dog-arthritis-home.html (Retrieved 11 May 2010)

It’s back to school time, and although you may be ready for a break from the kids and neighbors, your pets may miss their play mates when they go back to school. Pets can suffer from many things that people do, including depression. Many things can cause a pet to become depressed including; a change of scenery, grief, a chemical imbalance or even weather. Some signs our pet may be suffering from depression include; moping or lethargic state, not eating or drinking as much as before, or not playing as much as before. Your pet may even lose a good amount of weight.

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Pets and Costumes

Although we may think our pets look absolutely adorable in Halloween costumes, chances are they don’t agree. It may even cause them a great deal of stress. No matter how cute they look, costumes can be dangerous for our pets. A pet’s body temperature needs to be at a certain degree or it can be dangerous. Some costumes are heavy and may cause our pets to overheat. It is also important to make sure your pets costume is not to loose. This way it won’t get caught and cause injury as your pet runs around. Also make sure it’s not too tight, causing your pet to feel constricted. Keep an eye on your dog when it has a costume on – it may get bored or dislike it enough to chew it and destroy it. Make sure there are no choking hazards on the costume.

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There are many things that we enjoy over the holidays that can be deadly to our pets. Decorations are something that can be potentially life- threatening to our pets. Christmas trees, holiday plants, food, and other decorations can cause problems for our pets.

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Heat stroke is a serious problem many of our pets face on a daily basis. People often times do not realize how quickly a car heats up, or how hot it actually gets on a warm summer day. On a 90° day it takes ten minutes for the car to reach 113°. After 20 minutes the car will be 133°! You wouldn’t want to sit in a car at 133°. Neither does your pet. Another problem to leaving your pet in a hot car is that their breath is 100% humidity and it comes out as 102°. This adds even more heat to the already steaming car. A mild temperature of 80° can be deadly for our pets.

Signs a pet may be suffering from heat exhaustion or heat stroke are; salivating or panting uncontrollably, losing consciousness or even collapsing. Your pet may also have wide eyes and be unable to walk normally. If you feel your pet may be suffering from heat stroke get them to the nearest animal hospital immediately.

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Introducing a new pet to an old one may seem like it’s going to be a difficult task. At first it most likely will be, especially if one pet is older then the other. It is important to have a lot of patience and love when doing this task.

There are a few steps you may want to take in order to make the process and adjustment for both pet’s smoothers. These steps include:

• Make sure the new pet is updated with all is shots and is disease, worm and flea free. You wouldn’t want your new pet getting your old pet sick or giving it fleas or worms.
• Give the new pet its own room for a week. This way the new pet will get comfortable in the house and be aware of the older pets’ presence and vise versa. Now switch things around, keep the old pet in the room the new pet had been staying in, and let the new pet around the house. This way the older pet will become familiar with the new pets smell.
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What happens when you bring your first pet into your home only to have itchy eyes and constant sneezing? You may be allergic to your new little friend. You are not alone. It is estimated that about 15 percent of the population is allergic to their dogs or cats. A common misconception is that it is the pet’s fur that causes the allergies. It’s actually the pets’ dander, which comes off the skin that causes the sneezing, itchy eyes, and rashes. So even if you shave your pet, you will still sneeze. Certain breeds have less dander than others. If you know you are allergic to animals before you buy a pet, do some research about breeds and talk to your doctor about a pet that may be good for you. Otherwise, there are some steps you can take to help control your allergies.

Steps that may help alleviate your allergies include:

• Allergy shots. These will not get rid of your symptoms all together but they should help minimize them. Allergy shots help because they desensitize your immune system to the things you are allergic to.
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There are several human foods that can be poisonous to your pet, and some are more well-known than others. Many pet-owners are aware of the risks that chocolate, onions, and caffeine can have on dogs. One that may be lesser known for its harmful effects is hops. Hops are cones from the hop plant used in home beer-brewing and can be especially dangerous when ingested by your pooch. Five cases of hyperthermia (four of which resulted in death) were reported to the ASPCA National Animal Poison Control Center. Signs of discomfort were displayed within 3 hours of consumption, and symptoms included: vomiting, restlessness, seizures, abdominal pain and hyperthermia, which is an abnormally high fever. Of the five dogs, four were Greyhounds. Despite aggressive efforts to keep the dogs alive, four of the five did not make it. If home beer-brewing is a favorite hobby of yours, make sure that you keep all spent hops out of the reach of your pets. What can be a fun pastime for you may be dangerous for your pet.

Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/897764