Why Are Dogs More Likely To Have Diabetes?
Have you ever wondered why dogs are predisposed to diabetes? In recent decades, the number of diabetic dogs has increased around the world. In this article, you’ll understand some of the risk factors that make dogs more likely to have diabetes.
What is diabetes?
It is important to know that blood glucose is the body’s main source of energy. It is a sugar that comes from eating food.
On the other hand, insulin – a hormone produced by the pancreas – helps glucose from food enter cells to be used for energy.
Diabetes is a disease that occurs when blood glucose is too high. This abnormally high level can have two causes. In one case, the body does not produce anything or does not produce enough insulin, which was called type 1 diabetes. In the other, the body’s cells do not use insulin well, which is known as type 2 diabetes. glucose remains in the blood and is not processed in the cells.
Type 1 diabetes affects virtually all dogs with the disease. Bitches can also develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy. On the other hand, there is no evidence that type 2 diabetes – common in humans – occurs in dogs.
How is diabetes treated?
Over time, too much glucose in the blood can cause health problems. While there is no cure for diabetes, you can take steps to control the disease and keep your dog healthy.
Why are dogs more likely to have diabetes? An understudied problem
Studies of diabetes in dogs are scarce and generally limited to the advanced stages of the disease. Thus, the progression from a healthy body to absolute insulin deficiency has not been studied in dogs.
At present, no laboratory tests are available to identify the underlying cause of diabetes in dogs. Furthermore, the appearance of clinical signs is usually insidious over a period that can vary from weeks to months.
However, the epidemiological factors of canine diabetes are very similar to those of human patients with type 1 diabetes.
In canine diabetes, it has been shown that at least 80% of cases have antibodies in the blood against the β cells of the pancreas, the cells responsible for the production of insulin. These antibodies mediate between the attack and destruction of these cells, carried out by the immune system itself.
These findings are common to human diabetes. Therefore, if the criteria established in humans were applied to dogs, diabetic dogs would be classified primarily as type 1.
Age and race are risk factors for diabetes
Unfortunately, diabetes mellitus is one of the most common endocrine disorders in middle-aged and elderly dogs. Most dogs most prone to diabetes are over seven years old.
In addition, it is recognized that there is a racial and familial predisposition in samoyeds, pinschers, poodles, chow-chows, beagles, schnauzers and Siberian huskies. In addition, an exponential increase in disease risk for rottweilers has been documented in North America.
Environmental factors that lead dogs to be prone to diabetes: diet and obesity binomial
Specific environmental risk factors in diabetic dogs have not yet been evaluated. However, the association between diabetes and pancreatitis in dogs deserves special attention.
Autoimmune attack on β-cells (which causes diabetes), pancreatic inflammation (pancreatitis), and regulation of intestinal immunity are thought to be related. The intestinal immune system likely plays a central role in the development of type 1 diabetes.
The intestine and pancreas are immunologically and anatomically linked. Both organs are influenced by environmental factors, such as the intestinal microbiota and dietary factors that predispose to obesity.
In North America, obesity affects a quarter to a third of dogs and is associated with an increased risk of pancreatitis. So, as pancreatitis appears to be a common cause of diabetes in dogs, this relationship between obesity and pancreatitis has relevance to the development of canine diabetes.
Is having diabetes fatal to your pet?
The life expectancy of a diabetic dog can be the same as that of a healthy dog given proper care . However, you should be aware that the risk is greatest during the first six months of treatment, when insulin therapy is introduced and glucose levels are regulated.
Diabetic dogs are more likely to die from kidney disease, infections or liver or pancreatic disorders than from diabetes itself. Despite this, once the condition stabilizes, diabetic dogs can lead happy and healthy lives.
