Free Diabetes Test for Pet Diabetes Month

November is Pets Diabetes Month, and Eastcott vets are urging all pet owners to get their fury friends checked out.

Eastcott vets are working alongside MSD Animal Health to help make pet owners aware of the risks of sugar diabetes. Diabetes occurs because the body stops making or responding to insulin – a hormone that controls the amount of sugar in the blood. A simple urine dipstick test can show up if there is sugar present in a pet’s urine. With rare exceptions, the presence of any sugar in the urine of a cat or dog means they are likely to have diabetes. During November you can collect a free urine test kit and diabetes information leaflet from any of the 3 Eastcott Vets’ clinics.

Diabetes is a serious and potentially life threatening disease and it is affecting more and more cats and dogs in the UK. It is estimated that as many as 1 in 200 pets suffer from the disease. Like human diabetes, pet diabetes is often associated with weight gain and being less active, and older pets are more at risk. Any pet can develop diabetes at any age however and some pets are more likely to be affected than others.

When it comes to treatment for diabetes a fear of needles need not be an obstacle. An alternative to the traditional syringe and needle exists in the form of a pen; a similar device is also used in human medicine.

Find out more from Eastcott vets here.