How your dog can have Thanksgiving dinner with the family

How does a dog handle living in a house during the holidays? Most people can't handle all the amazing smells and things. That's why we all gorge ourselves.

Dogs, meanwhile, have more olfactory cells than humans, and beagles moreso. No wonder they beg for food, and not everyone has trained themselves to resist those big sad eyes when they start begging.

So, what do you do?

There's lots of things dogs shouldn't eat during a holiday. HOWEVER, there are some things that you can give your pet so they can enjoy the holiday too.

Presenting the doggy Thanksgiving dinner.

Living with diabetes: Canine diabetes: Can you prevent it?

All this month we've been talking about diabetes in dogs and cats. You can see all those stories in our special section.

On Saturday we talked about preventing diabetes in cats. But that seems to be a bit easier, since diabetes in cats can be caused by obesity. Keep your cat slim, greatly reducse the chance of getting diabetes.

But can you do that with dogs?

Remember that no disease is 100 percent preventable, and some dogs have a higher risk than others to diabetes.

1. Miniature schnauzers
2. Toy and miniature poodles
3. Samoyeds
4. Pugs
5. Keeshond
6. Puli
7. Miniature Pinscher
8. Cairn terrier
9. Poodle (no specification)
10. Dachshund
11. Beagle

That's the first thing you want to consider when trying to lower your pet's risk.

PANCREATITIS

The pancreas, like the human pancreas, has two important functions -- produces insulin, which breaks down sugar in the blood, and produces digestive enzymes.

Pancreatitis is when the pancreas is inflamed, forcing those digestive enzymes into the stomach, where it starts to break down fat and tissue.

"Pancreatitis, especially chronic pancreatitis, can cause enough damage to the pancreas (including the beta cells responsible for secreting insulin) to be a cause of diabetes," said Dr. Lorie Huston, a veterinarian and one of the experts who has helped with this series.

So how can you prevent pancreatitis (and again, not 100 percent preventable)? Here's what PetMD.com said:

• A reduction in the dog's weight (if it is overweight), and proper on-going weight management
• Avoidance of high-fat diets
• Keeping your dog as close to its ideal weight as possible
• Avoidance of drugs that may increase inflammation

In other words, keep your pet from becoming obese. OBESITY (an indirect link to diabetes).

And FYI -- pancreatitis becomes a concern around the holidays. There's lots of rich food around, and everyone is offering your dog food, or your dog is sneaking food, or you have special treats for your dog, etc. So watch what your dog is getting for Thanksgiving this week.

MEDICATION-INDUCED

Last week we met Loki the rottweiler. Loki's diabetes was induce due to long-term use of prednisone.

Prednisone is a glucocorticoid.

"Another important point is that there are certain drugs, like glucocorticoids, that can also predispose an animal (dog or cat) to diabetes," Dr. Huston said. "That’s why the long-term administration of these drugs is not generally recommended unless absolutely necessary medically."

PERIODONTAL DISEASE

Remember before how we said that keeping the teeth in good shape was important? It's important in preventing diabetes too.

Studies right now show that people with periodontal disease (inflammation and/or infections in the gums) are more likely to develop diabetes. The research right now shows that periodontal diseases release cytokines, a toxin that can damage the pancreas. The diseases can also disturb the regulation of glucose in the blood stream, which can eventually cause diabetes.

So, what is the bottom line? The best thing to do is to try to keep your dog healthy.

1. Avoid pancreatitis by feeding your dog a proper diet and getting them plenty of exercise.
2. Try to avoid prolonged exposure to certain drugs.
3. Keep the teeth healthy to avoid gum diseases. 

If you do this, and get your dog regular check-ups, you have a better chance of keeping diabetes at bay.

POSTS

• Post 1 -- Pets get diabetes too 
• Post 2  -- Diabetes in dogs and cats: Wading through the science
• Post 3 -- Living with a diabetic dog: Meet KC the cairn terrier
• Post 4 -- Living with diabetes: Products to make it easier for pets plus a GIVEAWAY
• Post 5 -- Canine diabetes and obesity: Not connected, but still a danger
• Post 6 -- Living with diabetes: Meet Loki the Rottweiler
• Post 7 -- Caturday: Best ways of preventing feline diabetes

Diabetes in dogs and cats: Wading through the science

How many of know someone with diabetes? I'm betting most of us do.

For me, it's my Dad and some people at work right now. In the past it included my grandfathers and one of my great-grandmothers.

So we all think we know what diabetes is. We've seen the glucose meters and the sugar free treats in the candy aisle and the little diabetic recipe magazines in the checkout aisles in the supermarkets.

But diabetes in pets, while at its heart not a different animal, is a whole lot more complex.

I'm going to try to break it down for you in a few easy parts.

WHAT IS DIABETES?

Courtesy of VCA Hospitals.

 Essentially, diabetes is when your body is not producing enough insulin to break down the sugar (glucose) in blood. So the blood sugar level is higher. That leads to all kinds of problems in the body.

There are two major types of diabetes:

• Type I: The body (specifically the pancreas) is no longer able to produce insulin. Dogs typically get this form of diabetes, though cats can too.
• Type II: The body can still produce some insulin, but whatever is produced is no longer able to lower the blood sugar level. You sometimes here this called borderline diabetes. Cats often get this type of diabetes first. Dogs very rarely get this type.

 WHAT CAUSES DIABETES?

That's a very good question. And right now there is no definitive answer.

Could it be obesity? According to Dr. Lorie Huston, DVM, certainly in cats.

"Fat tissue is actually part of the [feline] endocrine system and secretes a number of different hormones, some of which affect the regulation of glucose," Huston said. "One of these hormones, adiponectin, increases sensitivity to insulin. In overweight cats, less adiponectin is secreted, leading to a decrease in sensitivity to insulin."

So decrease the sensitivity to insulin, the less effective it will be in breaking down sugars in the blood.

But what about Dogs?

Dr. Joe Bartges is the Acree Endowed chair of small animal research at University of Tennessee's College of Veterinary Medicine. He says there's an effect, but not a direct one so far.

"Obesity plays a role in type I diabetes but does not necessarily directly cause it," Bartges said. "Obesity does induce some insulin resistance, but not pancreatic burn out."  

Could it be genetics? Some dogs are predisposed to it. According to Dr. Joe Bartges of University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, these breeds seem to be at a higher risk:

1. Miniature schnauzers
2. Toy and miniature poodles
3. Samoyeds
4. Pugs

At lower risk?

1.  German shepard
2. Golden retriever (but they have another problem -- cancer)
3. American pit bull terrier

PetMD, however, adds the following breeds to the high risk list:

1. Keeshond
2. Puli
3. Miniature Pinscher
4. Cairn terrier
5. Poodle (no specification)
6. Dachshund
7. Beagle

 And there are diseases that can lead to diabetes. Cushing's Disease and pancreatitis can both tax the system, so that pet eventually gets diabetes.

So what about prevention? We'll talk about that on Monday.