Obesity and Diabetes Are Increasing in Cats

Posted on: Wednesday, 10 November 2010, 10:44 CST

ST. JOSEPH, Mo., Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Diabetes isn't just a human disease. This November - American Diabetes Month® - pet owners should know that the feline members of their families could suffer from the condition, too.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form in the United States and occurs in both cats and people. Feline diabetes, a treatable and manageable disease on the rise, affects approximately one in 200 cats nationwide.

"Similar to humans, obesity predisposes cats to diabetes, making diet a major factor in maintaining a cat's health," says Ruth MacPete, DVM, a San Diego based veterinarian. "Feline diabetes, like most diseases, is easier to treat the earlier it is diagnosed."

Early warning signs include:

Increased thirstSudden increase in appetiteSudden weight loss (despite an increase in appetite)Increased urinationIncreased lethargy

Most cats with feline diabetes may still maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. Along with appropriate diet and exercise, veterinarians often recommend insulin injections.

"Veterinarians are fortunate enough to now have PROZINC® insulin, the first and only FDA approved long-acting insulin for cats, available to help them effectively regulate their feline diabetic patients," says MacPete. As with all insulins, cats should be evaluated for pre-existing conditions and currently prescribed medications prior to treatment with PROZINC. Routine monitoring of clinical signs and blood parameters, such as glucose and fructosamine, is essential to maintain a regulated cat.

While November is American Diabetes Month®, pet owners should monitor their cats for symptoms of feline diabetes year-round. The American Association of Feline Practitioners recommends that a veterinarian examine cats at least once a year and twice annually if they are over the age of seven.

For more information about feline diabetes, please visit www.MyCatHasDiabetes.com.

For more information about PROZINC, please visit www.prozinc.us.

About Boehringer Ingelheim

Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. (St. Joseph, Mo.), is a subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation based in Ridgefield, Conn., and a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies.

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world's 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 138 affiliates in 47 countries and approximately 41,300 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel products of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

In 2008, Boehringer Ingelheim posted net sales of US $17 billion (11.6 billion euro) while spending approximately one-fifth of net sales in its largest business segment, Prescription Medicines, on research and development. For more information, please visit: www.bi-vetmedica.com.

SOURCE Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc.

Source: PR Newswire

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DM-199 Validated By Significantly Increasing Insulin Sensitivity By 122%

Main Category: Diabetes
Article Date: 28 Oct 2010 - 0:00 PDT window.fbAsyncInit = function() { FB.init({ appId: 'aa16a4bf93f23f07eb33109d5f1134d3', status: true, cookie: true, xfbml: true, channelUrl: 'http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/scripts/facebooklike.html'}); }; (function() { var e = document.createElement('script'); e.async = true; e.src = document.location.protocol + '//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js'; document.getElementById('fb-root').appendChild(e); }()); email to a friend ? printer friendly ? opinions ?

DiaMedica (TSX-V:DMA) announces that DM-199 has been validated by demonstrating significantly increased insulin sensitivity in animals using the hyperinsulemic euglycemic clamp model. Type 2 diabetes is a severely debilitating condition characterized by high blood sugar primarily due to a decrease in insulin sensitivity, which results in a number health problems including cardiovascular disease.

The amount of glucose being processed in an animal model of type 2 diabetes with DM-199 was measured using the hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp, the gold standard method for characterizing the actions of insulin. Animals treated with a single dose of DM-199 had a 122% increase in maximal glucose infusion rate. This enabled animals to process 77% more total glucose compared to untreated animals. In a second study, DM-199 also had a pronounced anti-hypertensive effect on systolic blood pressure. This is important as approximately 70% of type 2 diabetes patients take multiple medications to treat high blood pressure.

"The clamp study clearly shows that treatment with DM-199 results in a major increase in insulin sensitivity in an animal model of type 2 diabetes. It is notable that the results of these studies actually provide an underestimate of the true effectiveness of DM-199. This is because the potency of DM-199 was so great that it was difficult to maintain the euglycemic clamp." stated Dr. David Wasserman, Ron Santo Chair in Diabetes Research & Professor molecular physiology and biophysics at Vanderbilt University. "I very much look forward to seeing the future development of DM-199."

"The results from both studies provide further validation of DM-199, our next generation form of DM-99, as a potential treatment for type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and other diseases," said Mr. Rick Pauls, CEO of DiaMedica. "This DM-199 data builds on compelling earlier animal and human proof of concept data with DM-99, and gives us confidence in moving forward with this very promising recombinant protein," continued Mr. Pauls. "The dual benefits shown by DM-199 to increase the body's ability to metabolize glucose and its positive effect on lowering systolic blood pressure may ultimately alleviate the need for diabetics to take multiple drugs for diabetes and hypertension."

Source:
DiaMedica

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