3 Things Pets Can Teach Us About Diabetes

The Guinness Book of World Records has discontinued the fattest animal category out of concern that record-hungry owners will put their pets at risk to win. They're right to be concerned. Animals shouldn't be dragged into any category of Guinness fever (why would you want your dog to win Fastest Car Window Opened by a Dog? Personally, I prefer my dogs to stay in the car), but pet obesity has reached epidemic proportions, putting dogs and cats at risk for many of the same weight-related health issues that affect humans.

About 1 in 500 dogs and 1 in 250 cats have diabetes. As many as 80-95 percent of diabetic cats have type-2 diabetes — the kind that's become common among obese humans. Many of the symptoms are the same between species, such as sudden weight fluctuations and excessive thirst, and the causes are suspected to be similar, too.

Lesson #1: Food is one of the main culprits and, as with humans, food may be the solution, not only to preventing type-2 diabetes, but to treating it as well. A recent study, funded by the Morris Animal Foundation, found that 68 percent of their diabetic feline subjects were able to ditch their daily insulin routine after following a low-carb/high-protein diet. Cat are carnivores, and most commercial dry cat foods are way too high in carbohydrates. Canned foods, on the other hand, tend to be meatier and they have a higher water content so it's easier to control portions.

The bottom line: Eat your natural diet. For humans, that doesn't mean canned meat or processed kibble, but a diet rich in fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

Lesson #2: Many people are better at caring for their pets than for themselves, so a dog or cat with diabetes provides a crash course in managing the disease, thinking about blood sugar levels and insulin injections. Study participants said that after monitoring their pet's illness, they felt more prepared to care for a person with diabetes.

Studies have also shown that caring for pets can improve the way people tend to their own health care. That happens in indirect ways, like lowered blood pressure, and in conscious choices, like making the decision to quit smoking for the sake of your pets. Researchers at the Population Health Intervention Research Center found that caring for a pet with diabetes helped owners take better care of themselves."People take the care of their pet very seriously, and in doing so, they blur the lines between their own health and their pets' health."

Lesson #3: Diabetes can be hard to manage on your own. Whether your pet has type-1 or type-2 diabetes, and no matter how she ended up with it, she needs your help to stay healthy. Well, some dogs are proving that care-taking can be a two-way street. A six-year-old girl in England relies on her pup to alert her when her blood sugar drops. The dog can smell the shifts in blood sugar levels and licks the girl's hand when they get too high or low. She says her dog saves her life four times a week by preventing diabetic attacks. These medical alert dogs aren't common, but your dog is probably more than willing to be your walking partner and exercise is a key component to managing and fighting off diabetes.

There are some things we shouldn't share with our pets — like the obesity epidemic and type-2 diabetes. But now that we know these are problems we have in common, we can start sharing the solutions, too.

Photo credit: Yukari*