World Diabetes Day

Today is World Diabetes Day - and it's time for the majority of the population to actually learn what having diabetes (or "Sugar", if you're from the South or Midwest) means.  Diabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. This high blood sugar produces the classical symptoms of polyuria (frequent urination), polydipsia (increased thirst) and polyphagia (increased hunger).
There are three main types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes: results from the body's failure to produce insulin, and presently requires the person to inject insulin. (Also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, IDDM for short, and juvenile diabetes.)
• Type 2 diabetes: results from insulin resistance, a condition in which cells fail to use insulin properly, sometimes combined with an absolute insulin deficiency. (Formerly referred to as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, NIDDM for short, and adult-onset diabetes.)
• Gestational diabetes: is when pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of type 2 DM.

My paternal grandmother was a Type 1 diabetic, long before insulin was discovered.  Her doctor told her family that she wouldn't survive through puberty, and that, if she somehow did live that long, she would never have children.  Grandma Grace lived to be 68 and had 7 kids.   My husband was a Type 1 diabetic, diagnosed when he was 10 years old.  He was a "brittle diabetic", and once again, was told he would die at an early age.  He passed away at 55, from a blood clot in his lungs.  "Brittle" diabetes, also known as unstable diabetes or labile diabetes, is a term that was traditionally used to describe to dramatic and recurrent swings in glucose levels, often occurring for no apparent reason in insulin-dependent diabetes.
Any mammal with a pancreas can develop diabetes. The most common in domesticated animals is Type 2 diabetes. This is caused by its diet straying too far from what the animal evolved to eat. The present pet food products tend heavily towards a base of grains, which is not suitable for dogs and cats because they are predators who eat their prey and supplement with occasional leafy vegetation. I take care of several cats and dogs who are diabetic - and it's hard, at the initial diagnosis, to figure out exactly how much insulin a pet should receive.  Please follow your vet's orders.  I have seen and read of documented cases of diabetes in cats, dogs, mice, rabbits, birds (parakeets, love birds, cockatoos, etc.), and a pig.
Please, if you or your pet shows the symptoms of diabetes, have a blood glucose test taken by your doctor, or your pet's vet.  Remember, the three most telling warning signs are: increased urination, increased thirst, and increased hunger.
Take good care of yourself and your companions!