Dr. Ruth MacPete is our guest today!

Dr. Ruth MacPete

I am honored to introduce you to  Dr. Ruth MacPete.  Dr. Ruth, “the Pet Vet”, has appeared on TV shows like “The Doctors” and on the TV news programs throughout the country educating pet parents about important pet issues.  She has also written numerous articles for Cat Fancy, Bark, and Kittens USA.

Dr. Ruth always wanted to be a veterinarian. Her love of animals was evident from the time she was a baby. One of her first words was cat, not surprising since she seemed to always be surrounded by them. This is our kind of Doctor!

November is Diabetes Awareness Month. Many of you know that I have diabetes and  that my parents take good care of me with glucose checks and making sure I get my ProZinc insulin twice a day.  But  we wondered if cat parents are knowledgeable  about feline diabetes.  Dr. Ruth was super nice and offered to talk to us about what all cat parents need to know about diabetes.

Guest Post by Dr. Ruth MacPete

DIABETES AFFECTS CATS?

Diabetes affects 1:200 cats nationwide and its prevalence is increasing at an alarming rate. Diabetes is a multi-factorial disease caused by different risk factors including: age, genetic predispositions, diet, and obesity. Unfortunately obesity is also on the rise in both people and pets. It is estimated that 58% of cats in the US are overweight. That means more than half of cats in the Unites States are at risk for developing diabetes. 

WHAT IS DIABETES?

Diabetes mellitus occurs when the body is unable to regulate the amount of sugar in the bloodstream. Diabetes is classified as type-1 or type 2-diabetes. Type-1 diabetes occurs when the body fails to produce the hormone insulin, which is responsible for controlling blood sugar levels. Insulin resistant or type-2 diabetes develops when the body becomes less responsive to the effects of insulin. Type-2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes in both cats and people. Both type-1 and type-2 diabetes result in chronically elevated levels of sugar in the blood. Left untreated diabetes can lead to nerve damage, kidney failure and even death.

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