Diabetes mellitus-A study of the disease in the dog and cat in Kent

A survey carried out using data supplied by members of a territorial division of the BSAVA revealed that a quantity of useful data exists in general practice and, given circumstances under which extraction and interpretation of it can be carried out, new information may be produced. In this instance diabetes mellitus in the dog was shown to occur in Kent particularly in the miniature and toy Poodle as a group and in the standard, wire-haired, miniature and long-haired Dachshund as a group.
The disease was commonest in the bitch; it showed a peak age occurrence for both sexes during the 10th-12th year with a winter/spring incidence, but in the entire bitch it followed oestrus and tended to occur during the summer.
The prognosis was found to be favourable when treatment with insulin by injection was started early and survival times of 12 months (50% of cases) and 3 years (23%) could be obtained. The prognosis for the cat was favourable despite the different life styles of dog and cat. The variable results and conclusions reached by different authors on this subject may be due to the vagaries of environment, diet, breeds and breed in an area, as well as to temperament, stress factors and genetic potential.