Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Diabetes in dogs: how common is it in the UK?
By Mattin, M et al.·Published in The Veterinary record·2014·Department of Production and Population Health, United Kingdom·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: An epidemiological study of diabetes mellitus in dogs attending first opinion practice in the UK.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that about 0.34% of dogs visiting veterinary clinics in England were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus (DM), a condition where the body can't properly regulate blood sugar. Neutered male dogs were more likely to develop diabetes compared to those that weren't neutered, while certain breeds like Yorkshire terriers had a higher risk. Factors such as being overweight or having other health issues like pancreatitis also increased the chances of getting diabetes. The research highlights the importance of monitoring these risk factors and suggests that older dogs with pancreatitis may have a shorter lifespan.
People also search for: dog diabetes symptoms · overweight dog diabetes risk · Yorkshire terrier diabetes treatment
Abstract
This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of canine diabetes mellitus (DM) in primary-care clinics in England, to identify risk factors associated with DM and to describe the survival of affected dogs. Cases of DM were identified within the electronic patient records of 89 small-animal practices. A nested case-control study identified risk factors for the diagnosis of DM using logistic regression models. Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyse variables associated with survival. Four-hundred and thirty-nine canine DM cases were identified, giving an apparent prevalence of 0.34% (95% CI 0.31% to 0.37%). Neutered males were at an increased risk of diabetes compared with entire males, whereas neutering was not associated with DM in females. When compared with crossbred dogs, Yorkshire terriers had increased odds, whereas German shepherd dogs and golden retrievers had lower odds of DM. Being classified as overweight and having a diagnosis of pancreatitis, hyperadrenocorticism or a urinary tract infection were positively associated with DM. Older dogs and those diagnosed with pancreatitis had a higher hazard of death, whereas insured and neutered dogs had a lower hazard. This study provides an objective assessment of canine DM using primary-care veterinary practice data and is a valuable benchmark against which future epidemiological trends in DM can be assessed and improvements in the management of DM in primary-care practice can be judged.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24570406/