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 It’s been a very difficult day as our lovely cat Lilly has been in the surgery all day after being hit by a car and fracturing her pelvis. My colleague Stuart Jackson at Carterton vets repaired her pelvis with a plate (I couldn’t face doing the operation myself) and I’ve just come back from visiting her and she’s looking as well as could be expected. The main worry is that’s she’s not using one of her back legs which suggests nerve damage – all we can do is wait and hope that she recovers the use of her leg in time. She’ll come home tomorrow all being well and spend a few weeks recouperating in a large cage at home.
 There are various forms of diabetes but the most common type is diabetes mellitus which is also known as ‘sugar diabetes’. This disease affects the body’s system for regulating the level of sugar or glucose in the bloodstream. The main hormone that is involved in this system is insulin which is secreted by the pancreas, and this acts to reduce the level of glucose in the blood by encouraging the uptake of sugar into the cells of the body where it is stored or used for energy.
In diabetic animals the most common type of problem is the pancreas failing to produce sufficient insulin (the equivalent of type 1 diabetes in people). This then leads to elevated levels of glucose in the bloodstream as there is not enough insulin to maintain the glucose at the correct level.
 If you are worried that your pet may have diabetes, the first thing to do is to check whether their symptoms fit in with the typical signs seen in diabetes. The key symptoms seen in diabetic animals are:
- Excessive thirst
- Increased urination
- Weight loss
- Increased appetite
- Lethargy and depression
Other symptoms which can occur include:
- Deteriorating eyesight caused by cataracts
- Poor recovery from wounds or infections
If you do think that diabetes could be affecting your pet, the next step is to visit your vet where they will be able to make a firm diagnosis, and it usually takes only a matter of minutes for a vet to rule this condition in or out. The first test is a very simple urine test using a dip stick which checks for the presence of glucose in the urine. In a normal animal there should be no glucose in the urine at all, so finding significant levels of glucose in the urine is a definite sign that the animal is diabetic.
If the urine test does show that there is glucose in the urine, the next step is a blood test. This gives the vet an accurate picture of the level of glucose in the bloodstream as well as checking the internal organs such as the liver and kidneys. The normal level of glucose in the bloodstream of a dog or cat is generally between around 3 and 8 mmol/l but in diabetic patients it is usually at least 15 or 20 and can get as high as 40 or even 50.
 In the vast majority of cases diabetes is treated using injections of insulin designed to replace the hormone usually produced by the pancreas. Injecting pets with insulin is generally very straightforward and most pets barely notice the tiny needle which is injected into the scruff of the neck. Injections are either given once or twice a day and need to be carefully managed to ensure the correct dose and timing as the peak effect of the insulin in the body (which is usually around 8 hours after injection) should coincide with a meal to make sure that the glucose level doesn’t dip below normal.
Before you start administering insulin, most vets will carry out a ‘glucose curve’ test. This is a procedure where blood samples are taken every hour throughout the day after a trial dose of insulin has been given to assess the animal’s response to the injection and ensure that it is effective and also doesn’t result in dangerously low levels of glucose. Once this has been done your vet will then be able to give details about the exact dose and timing of the injections for your pet.
Insulin injections are generally very effective at controlling the symptoms of diabetes but they are not the only way in which diabetes is treated. Diet is very important and can play a very significant role in minimising the effects of the disease.
The ideal diet for a diabetic animal is low in soluble sugars and fats (which can cause peaks in blood glucose levels), and higher in so-called complex carbohydrates such as fibres and starches which tend to release their energy more gradually over a longer period of time. There are many prescription diets available for diabetic pets, and these are generally the best option in most cases.
As well as diet, regular exercise can also play a part in treating diabetes as exercise helps reduce high levels of glucose (hyperglycaemia) and can also increase the effectiveness of insulin. Exercise should be regular and consistent as sudden increases in levels of exercise can lead to the risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia).
 Unfortunately there is currently no cure for diabetes so it is condition that needs to be managed rather than completely cured. In people with diabetes sophisticated management techniques and multiple injections of very short acting insulin every day can give excellent control of blood glucose levels but in pets we are generally much more limited in how effectively we can control glucose levels. This does mean that long term side effects are inevitable, including the development of cataracts and damage to the kidneys and other internal organs. Overall diabetic animals can expect to enjoy a good quality of life if their condition is well managed, but their life expectancy is likely to be reduced.
 I’ve been to Crufts on many occasions, sometimes in my capacity as a TV vet, filming for various TV programs, and sometimes to promote Pets’ Kitchen, and I have very mixed feelings about the event. Part of me loves seeing all the dogs and enthusiastic owners who are obviously absolutely passionate about their pets, and I love wandering around seeing all the different stands which sell everything related to dogs that you could possibly imagine, from the obvious such as leads, collars and food, to downright bizarre – bottled water for dogs costing more than Evian, nappies for puppies, diamond studded collars and even pink prams to carry toy dogs in when they get tired of walking!
There is another side to Crufts that I’m not as keen on though and that’s the extreme end of the competitive showing aspect of the event. To my mind dogs should be companions who share our lives and not trophies to be paraded and assessed. Too many of the dogs at big shows like Crufts are bred specifically to win competitions based on their appearance and their role as loving family companions is often lost in the highly competitive world of championship dog shows. And not only are many of these dogs treated more like trophies than companions, many of them are also consigned to a life of physical problems directly related to the very nature of their physical appearance that wins them their prizes. This is an issue that has become much more prominent in recent years, and led to the BBC giving up their coverage of the event after many years – and in fact a film I was due to make about the event for The One Show was cancelled a couple of years ago after the broadcast of the Panorama documentary ‘Pedigree Dogs Exposed’. I know that the vast majority of owners of show dogs are very dedicated and passionate about their dogs – but there are still some who seem to prioritise winning a show over their dog’s wellbeing, and that makes me very uncomfortable.
So I always feel a bit conflicted when I’m at Crufts – I want to enjoy the whole crazy doggie atmosphere, but I hate seeing dogs as trophies so I can never really properly enjoy the show. This year I have just been for one day, as I wasn’t involved in any filming at the show and we weren’t exhibiting their either. It was good to spend some time there, chatting to all the people I know if the dog world – and I also had a nice surprising, bumping into a woman who I knew as our new Healthy Digestion supplement had really helped her dog Izzy and was one of the main reasons she was able to attend the show and collect an obedience award. So that was a very nice surprise – and as you can see Izzy was keen to give me a lick of gratitude herself! – but I was still pleased to leave at the end of the day and overall I’m very glad it comes round just once a year.
Let me know what you think – I know lots of people have very strong opinions both ways so leave a comment if you want to make your point.
 Pet obesity has been increasing at an alarming rate across the developed world, and the scale of the problem has now reached a signifciant milestone. The latest report from the Association for Pet Obesity prevention shows more than 50% of US dogs and cats are now overweight or obese, according to an article by Gwendolyn Bounds in the Wall Street Journal. The survey also indicates pet owners deserve the main share of blame because they regularly overfeed their pets, don’t give them enough exercise and are not educated about the serious health consequences of pet obesity.
So what can we do about it? Well there are loads of practical things that owners can do to help keep their pets in shape, from getting out and about to encourage exercise to healthy eating and you can find my top tips on my pet health advice pages on the Vet’s Kitchen website. And specifically for dogs, we’ve got our Vet’s Kitchen Light variety which is the ideal diet to help dogs maintain a healthy waistline, with 20% less fat that our adult diets, L-carnitine to promote fat conversion to muscle, and glucosamine and chondroitin to help maintain mobility. It’s available here online, and also at www.Ocado.com, www.netpetshop.co.uk and in over 100 Waitrose stores nationwide.
Posted in About my foods, General News, Joe's health tips for cats, Joe's health tips for dogs, Pets' Kitchen news
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Tagged cat, dog, health, light, obesity, overweight, Vet's Kitchen
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 Our friends at NetPetShop.co.uk, which is one of the UK’s biggest online pet retailers, have just launched our Vet’s Kitchen range with a great 20% off deal – so if you want to save money on the very best foods and supplements for your pets, visit their online shop now!
 Last week I spent a day filming for the BBC 1 series ‘Inside Out’, making a film about the shocking case of a Derbyshire woman who has recently been convicted of offences related to the pet cremation services she ran involving the dumping of bodies in fields. This really was a very shocking case and her actions left a trail of misery amongst pet owners who had had to come to terms with finding out that their deceased pets had not received the caring cremation they had been promised (and paid for) but had instead been callously dumped by the roadside to save this woman the cost of the cremation.
As well as uncovering the details of this particularly unpleasant case, the film also looked at the worrying issue of ‘token ash’ – a term apparently used by some pet crematoriums for the ash given back to owners instead of the actual ash of their individual pet. This was news to me, as I’d always been under the impression that an individual cremation was exactly that, and that the owners received back only the ashes from their own pet. However according to the owner of one small pet crematorium who I interviewed in the film this is far from the case and he believes that vets are decieving owners by misrepresenting what is really meant by the term ‘individual cremation’.
It was a rather harrowing day, but I think the film we made is very worthwhile and will hopefully help to highlight the issues surrounding pet cremations and make owners – and vets – more vigilant and help to ensure that pets really do get the same standard of care in death as they do in life. You can see the film on BBC 1 Inside Out in the East region towards the end of February and I would be keen to hear your views on this subject.
 Many dogs suffer from arthritis in one form or another, and it is a major source of pain, discomfort and mobility problems for hundreds of thousands of dogs in the UK alone. The term ‘arthritis’ simply means ‘inflammation of a joint’ and therefore it can be used to refer to a wide range of conditions, including septic arthritis, which is a bacterial joint infection, rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune form of joint disease where an malfunction of the immune system leads to damage of the cartilage lining the joints, and traumatic arthritis, where physical injuries to a joint lead to inflammation and joint disease. However the most common form of joint disease seen in dogs is degenerative joint disease also known as osteoarthritis, or OA.
Arthritis can affect dogs of all ages, from adolescence to old age, and although some breeds are more prone than others, any dog of any size can be affected by this problem. It has many clinical manifestations, but those most commonly encountered in domestic dogs are:
- Hip dysplasia – this is probably the best known and most prevalent arthritic condition seen in dogs, and involves a deformity of the hip joint. In a normal hip, the ball at the end of the femur (thigh bone) fits snugly deep into a socket in the hip or pelvis. In cases of hip dysplasia however, the joint is badly formed with the ball often just resting on the edge of a shallow or almost non-existent socket, and this leads to instability, pain, and restricted movement, all of which are compounded as new bone is formed around the joint.
- Shoulder and elbow dysplasia – although not as common as hip dysplasia, deformities in other joints, particularly the shoulder and elbow, do occur and can lead to equally serious consequences.
- OCD – osteochondrosis dessicans is a clinical condition usually affecting the elbow joint, and involves problems with the development and maintenance of the cartilage in the joint, which often leads to subsequent osteoarthritis and all the associated problems of pain and restricted movement.
- Arthritis secondary to injury – after the developmental causes of arthritis such as hip dysplasia and OCD, the next most common cause of joint disease is injury, and the most common example of this arthritis as a consequence of ligament rupture in the knee (or stifle joint as it is known in animals).
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