Have you heard about the bionic pancreas?

Section of pancreas of dog. X 250. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The title of this post sounds like the setup for a punchline, but it's no such thing:  it's actually in clinical studies right now, spurred by a father's need to help his Type 1 son.  You can read the story on TheDiabetesSite, where there is a petition going to get the FDA to move it up to the top of their review list once it is sent to them.  Their goal is 10,000 signatures, and as of right now (12/28/13) they have 4,127.  This petition has implications for everyone (humans and animals) with diabetes, since the more pressure that is put on the FDA for expediting new diabetes treatments each time, the better for all of us.  

As it stands now, the bionic pancreas is a type 1 treatment and would not be practical for animals, but, as with any new idea, there is no way of knowing where it might lead others in their research and development efforts.  I urge you to sign the petition.

TheDiabetesSite.com is part of the Greater Good Network, where users click on a box to help various causes for free.  I've had a link to TheAnimalRescueSite.com since I began this blog, and I like to think that I've drawn some people to make clicking part of their daily activities. 

And, today there's a bumper crop of related articles for you.    

Related articles

• Medtronic hasn't made true artificial pancreas yet. The next 4 steps for this type 1 diabetes treatment (medcitynews.com)
• The Eyes are a Window to the...Pancreas? (ivanhoe.com)
• 4 Companies Completely Changing the Way We Treat Diabetes (dailyfinance.com)
• Medical advances made for diabetics (consumersresearch.org)
• Insulin "capsules" may ultimately replace daily injections for diabetics (gizmag.com)
• JDRF: Patient Needs Must Drive T1 Diabetes Innovation (diabetesmine.com)
• Wearing your pancreas on the outside. (northernmum.com)
• Dog Blood Glucose (dog-health-guide.org)
• D.A.D Diabetic Alert Dad (charliesfight2013.wordpress.com)
• New look identifies crucial clumping of diabetes-causing proteins (eurekalert.org)

Ask your Diabetic Dog: Got Water?

Bucket-headed dog (Photo credit: Paul Kidd)

It's kind of strange to feature this topic in winter, but WebMd has an article on how much water dogs need.  After I read it, I realized that I often did not pay attention to how much Tony drank; in fact, thanks to the other two dogs in the house, it would have been hard to keep track.  What I'm thinking now is that I should have made a greater effort.  Those of you who followed Tony's story from the start may remember that my first inkling that he had diabetes was his frequent urination.  However, I never thought about keeping some kind of track of his water consumption before that.  If I had, I might have noticed the problem earlier and avoided some of his later issues.

Here's the basic requirement, according to the article:
 

 "A good rule of thumb: Make sure your dog gets at least 1 ounce of water daily for each pound he weighs. That means a 20-pound dog needs at least 20 ounces of water every day. That's more than 2 cups, or as much as in some bottles of water or soda.

To help you keep track of how much water your dog drinks, make a note of how high you fill his water bowl and how far the level has dropped the next day."

Related articles

• Why Water is important for your Dog. (sniperssk8t.wordpress.com)
• Automatic water fountain for dogs (thepoodleanddogblog.typepad.com)
• Flavored, Fortified And Fizzy Water - Is It All Safe? (miami.cbslocal.com)
• When is a Great Blue Heron Most Like a Dog? (babsjeheron.wordpress.com)
• Dogs Prefer Their Water Via Toilette (helpmejoseph.typepad.com)
• This Photo Of The Obamas' Dog Can Legitimately Be Called Epic (businessinsider.com)

Sushi the Shih Tzu- A Fictional Diabetic Dog

English: Shih Tzu (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

About this time of year I start looking for novels to add to the Christmas shelf on my Nook, and I picked up Antiques Slay Ride by Barbara Allan the other day.  It's a 99-cent short story ebook, and it's part of an ongoing series.  I can't vouch for the other entries in the series, except to say that Sushi, a diabetic and blind Shih Tzu is one of the recurring characters.  It left me wanting more Sushi, which is how I usually feel anyway. 

Anyway, it's not great art, but it's about time that somebody thought of including a diabetic dog in a story.  If nothing else, it raises awareness, not just about diabetes, but also about daily life in this situation.  My one caveat about Sushi's treatment in the story is that her owner seems rather cavalier about giving her treats -- as you know, not a good idea with a diabetic dog.

I'm putting up a list of other Christmas stories I've enjoyed, in the box on the right.  I hope your holidays are everything you want them to be.

Related articles

• Getting to Know the Shih Tzu Breed (dogs.answers.com)
• Caring for Your Dog: Shih Tzu Eyes (veterinary.answers.com)
• Shi Tzu Ornaments (dog-gonnit.com)
• my Tzu my Love my Life... our Journey (shirleylskwong.wordpress.com)