Friday, March 4, 2011

Diabetes as common in pets as in people

Diabetes Mellitus is a disorder Americans have become very accustomed to hearing about in the news and from our doctors. Many people do not realize this disorder also affects our pet population. Because diabetes is as common a disorder in pets as it is in humans, it's very important to stay informed about the disease and to watch for symptoms that can lead to early diagnosis. To understand diabetes, it is important to know how it works.

Think about how a car that needs gasoline to run; our bodies work in a similar way. Food is our fuel, but it must be refined into a useable form for it to benefit our bodies. Just as a car cannot run on pure crude oil, our bodies cannot run on pure rib-eye steak. Oil must be refined into gasoline and our food must be broken down into something our bodies can use. It must be broken down into sugar, or glucose. Once food is broken down into glucose through digestion it is absorbed into the bloodstream. After that our bodies need a way to access that fuel in order for it to be useful.

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