Diabetes Rising in Pets Too

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21755451/
Good article about how the diabetes is rising in pets, just as it is in people. Diabetes now affects as many as one in 50 of the animals, some statistics show, especially pudgy pets.

Veterinarians say that while obesity clearly is linked to diabetes in pets, it appears to contribute to the disease differently in cats and dogs.
Fat cats are prone to diabetes because they develop insulin resistance, meaning their bodies don't effectively use insulin. As a result, the pancreas pumps out more insulin as well as another hormone called amylin.

With dogs, obesity is associated with an increased risk of pancreatitis — an inflammation of the pancreas — which can then lead to diabetes because the body doesn't make enough insulin.


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